So I am back!

The electrician came bright and early yesterday morning and he fixed the problem with the light at the top of the stairs.

Luckily, it was the fixture itself that was so old that it needed to be replaced. The wiring itself was fine. So he actually went out to Lowe’s and got me a new fixture (by way of texting me photos of what was at the store). Then he came back and installed it.

And when he was done, I asked him how much it was going to be, and he said–

HE (thinking): “Fifty bucks?”

ME:

I was expecting, like ONE HUNDRED and fifty bucks… I said, “Are you sure?” He said yes.

He’s been here before — he installed my window AC unit this past summer, and the summer before last, he installed a new ceiling fan in my family room.

He’s always really nice and his prices are reasonable, but still. It was Sunday morning, and he had to run an errand for me, and then do the install. So, wow.

He gets along very well with my many cats, too. And he isn’t at all alarmed by how many of them I have. He said that at his house they have 4 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 bunnies…. (and a couple of kids!)

Anyway. Wow. I was really happy about that and also, now my light at the top of the stairs works again!

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I’m not sure what has happened, but we have turned a corner here in Crazeysburg.

The kittens are just about 7 months old now, and they are still playful and frisky, but for the past 2 nights, they have not destroyed anything — at all — during the night!

I have come downstairs braced for just about anything, and the house has looked perfect and exactly as I left it when I’d gone upstairs the night before!

And during the days, if they are poised on the brink of creating havoc, I say, “No!” and then they actually STOP.

What the heck?? When did that happen?? They learned what “no” means!

Plus, KonTiki of the Great Outdoors is now using her little cathouse out on the kitchen porch again, which gives me a sense of relief at night, since it’s down in the 30s Fahrenheit. The house, with fresh straw in it, has been out on the porch for a month already and she finally started using it, instead of just sitting on top of it.

PLUS — she comes inside for breakfast again, even though she doesn’t like all the kittens and foster cats that are in the kitchen now, too. They don’t bother her, and she doesn’t attack them. Anymore.

So all is kinda right with the world, all of the sudden!

However…

I’m still sort of bracing myself for Christmas. I get the distinct impression the kittens are gonna LOVE that Christmas tree…

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Okay!

So today is my day off. The only one I have this week. So I’m doing laundry right now. I’m gonna do yoga later. Study some Protestant Reformation (almost done with the course). Probably study French, too.

And then also TRY to figure out what I want to work on, writing-wise, until it’s time to get back to work with Sandra.

I really want to get started on that memoir about my various father figures and life in the 1970s. But every time I look over my notes for that, the despair of that era of my life hits me head-on like a Mack truck…

Still, there was so much that happened to me back then that led to some really beautiful things in my life later on, so I don’t want the memoir to be just filled with despair.

I want it to be some sort of creative nonfiction. But I haven’t found my “way in” to it yet. But we shall see.

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Well, since the folks on Instagram aren’t giving me much to work with today, here are these again from the desktop stash!!

And 12 years ago today, we lost this guy! RIP, Lou Reed. Thanks for everything,

And here’s this again… from 1984, “Lou”.

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And now I will get the day-off underway around here!!

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

Driving home from town music yesterday!!

“Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!” from the FANTASTIC album of the same name by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 2008. Enjoy, gang!!

dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!
DIG YOURSELF, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!
(dig yourself back in that hole)
Larry made his nest up in the autumn branches
built from nothing but high hopes & thin air
he collected up some BABY-BLASTED mothers
they took their chances
& for a while lived quite happily up there
he came from NEW YORK CITY, but he couldn’t take the pace
(thought it was like DOGGY-DOG-WORLD)
then he went to SAN FRANCISCO
(spent a year in outer space)
w/ a sweet little san franciscan girl
I can hear my mother wailing
& a whole lot of scraping of chairs!!!!!!!!
I don’t know what it is
but there is definitely something going on upstairs
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!
DIG YOURSELF, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!
(dig yourself back in that hole)
I!!!!     WANT!!!!!   Y/!!!!!!!! TO!!!!!!!!   DIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah, NEW YORK CITY, he had to get out of there
& san francisco, well, I don’t know
& then to LA, where he spent about a day
he thought even the pale sky-stars
were smart enough to keep well away
from LA!!!!!!
meanwhile Larry made up names for the ladies, like
MISS BOO!!!! & MISS QUICK!!!!!!!
he stockpiled weapons & took pot shots at the air
he feasted on their lovely bodies like a lunatic
wrapped himself up in their soft yellow hair
I can hear chants & incantations
& some guy is mentioning me in his prayers!!!!!
I don’t know what it is
but there is definitely something going on upstairs
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!
DIG YOURSELF, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!
(dig yourself back in that hole)
I!!!!     WANT!!!!!   Y/!!!!!!!! TO!!!!!!!!   DIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well NEW YORK CITY, man
SAN FRANCISCO, LA (I don’t know)
Larry grew increasingly neurotic & obscene!!!!!!!!
HE NEVER ASKED TO BE RAISED UP FROM THE TOMB!!!
no one ever actually asked him to forsake his DREAMS!!!
anyway, to cut a long story short
fame finally found him
mirrors became his torturers
cameras snapped him at every chance
the women all went back to their homes
& their husbands
(secret smiles in the corners of their mouths)
he ended up like so many of them do
back on the streets of
NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!! (crowd) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
in a soup queue/
a dope fiend/ (a slave)
then prison/ then the madhouse/
then the grave
O POOR LARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but what do we really know of the dead
& who actually cares?????????!!!!!
I don’t know what it is
but there is definitely something going on upstairs
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!
DIG YOURSELF, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dig yourself, LAZARUS!!!!!!!!
(dig yourself back in that hole)
I!!!!     WANT!!!!!   Y/!!!!!!!! TO!!!!!!!!   DIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

c - 2008 Nick Cave