We got an unexpected rainstorm yesterday, right after I got home from my shift with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man.

It got rid of the heat but the humidity jumped through the roof and I had such a hard time sleeping last night. I am really wiped out today.

However, the weather is PERFECT today. Not humid at all. The house is really comfortable…

But, sadly, even though Little Blackie seemed better last evening, she took a bad turn during the night and now she is dying — as I type this. She is barely breathing. her body is completely shutting down. Since the weather is better, I brought her back up to the bedroom, so that she could at least be in the vicinity of her kittens as she leaves us.

It seems like it happened so fast. She was okay when I got home from the airport on Thursday evening, but she didn’t have much of an appetite. Friday, she was restless, looking for a cool spot to lie down on. By yesterday, things got a little dire so I moved her someplace a lot cooler, but by then she stopped eating and I had to give her water with a dropper. But she was responsive and was moving around.

Then, this morning, it was bad.

After all the other cats & kittens were fed, I picked her up and carried her outside, where the weather was just beautiful and the birds were singing and the sun was just coming up. I sang to her and she was responsive; she even wagged her tail, but after that — she suddenly went down hill, fast. And, literally as I type this, she is almost dead.

A stray who showed up on my porch last fall, and stayed long enough to survive the winter, then have kittens on my porch, then raise them and nurse them and then wean them up in my bedroom for 3 months, and now — almost gone.

This is what I sang to her this morning, and she seemed to really bounce back for just a few minutes–

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Meanwhile, her kittens are not only completely weaned, they are out and about, exploring the upstairs like crazy. Little furry maniacs. And hanging out on the stairway, too, but they haven’t gotten brave enough to actually explore the downstairs yet — where all the other cats are not at all happy to have them in their home.

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Anyway.

My shift with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man yesterday was just wonderful.

He remembered that I had been away in NYC (!!) and he was really happy to have me back. We went out for Japanese food, and he was just very focused and in such good spirits. He was able to have actual conversations with me the whole day.

And judging by the notes left by my replacement caregivers while I was gone, he was a little on the stubborn side last week and was not being very cooperative.

But, I’m back. And apparently he’s happy again. So, of course that made me feel great.

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I spoke briefly with Sandra yesterday and she was just as wiped out by the heat in NYC as I had been. It took her a couple days to recover from it, too. It looks like we will likely head back to NYC in late September, but in the meantime, we will have a ton of rehearsals to do on Zoom.

And meanwhile, I have to find someone who will stay over from now on and take care of the cats. My birth mom seemed almost like she wanted to do it, but we’ll see. She does seem to be in really good health right now. So who knows.

She is the only one who I really trust with my cats and my house, but I guess we’ll just see.

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Okay!

On Wednesday, July 16th, THIS resumes! In Italy! And there are actually tickets still available!! You can buy them here.

Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood — Nick’s solo tour of Europe 2025.

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Here’s this:

James Tabor – Is Mark the Earliest Surviving JEWISH Text after the Jerusalem Temple Was Destroyed? (48 mins):

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Phil did a brief livestream last evening. A little bit about current events, and a lot about the value of silver.

All Rise – July 12th, 2025 (1 hr 17 mins):

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And Charlie Ward had an interesting item in his newsletter yesterday. This was definitely true about me!! I started smoking, drinking, experimenting with drugs when I was 12.

“A groundbreaking study tracking over 10,000 children has upended conventional wisdom about addiction, suggesting that brain differences may precede, not result from early drug use….

“Researchers found that children who began using alcohol, cannabis, or nicotine before age 15 already had notable brain differences before their first use. These included larger overall brain volumes and expanded cortical surface areas, characteristics also found in kids who had already started using substances at the study’s outset….

“The study aligns with previous research linking brain structure to traits such as curiosity, risk-taking and impulsivity factors that can raise the likelihood of experimenting with drugs….”

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Okay, I think that’s it for now. It’s such a complicated morning here, gang. And then I have an evening shift with the retired Minister.

I hope you’re having a good Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya.

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Also from this morning —

“Could I Have This Dance”

I’ll always remember
The song they were playing
The first time we danced and I knew

As we swayed to the music
And held to each other
I fell in love with you

Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life
Could you be my partner
Every night
When we’re together
It feels so right
Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life

I’ll always remember
That magic moment
When I held you close to me

As we move together
I knew forever
You’re all I’ll ever need

Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life
Could you be my partner
Every night
When we’re together
It feels so right
Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life

Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life
Could you be my partner
Every night
When we’re together
It feels so right
Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life

c – Wayland D. Holyfield, Bob Lee House