Totally NOT Me Today!

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Jeepers McCreepers, gang. The kittens just won’t quit this morning.

Can you say:

“Jesus fucking Christ, do NOT tell me you just knocked over my ENTIRE cup of Coffeeee!!!!”

“Jesus fucking Christ, will you STOP chewing on my phone charging cord??!!” (times 4)

“Jesus fucking Christ, who the fuck just THREW UP??!!”

That’s a little bit of what it’s been like around here this morning — in my room. The rest of the housecats are as quiet as little mice.

I had so much extra time this morning and I was planning on really just relaxing in bed with my cup of coffee before heading out for my shift.

But I had to switch over to Plan B and I have no real clue what Plan B is…

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Anyway.

Yesterday turned out to be reasonably okay, regarding having to work a double on the 4th of July.

My 94-year-old Japanese man and I will go get sushi/sashimi today, because Peony Bistro was indeed closed for the holiday yesterday. But we had a nice time just hanging out in his air- conditioned living room, chatting about Hong Kong, Tokyo, NYC — and all his many memories from the past.

And, as always, my shift with the woman who has returned from Florida flew by in a nano second. I left there just as fireworks were getting ready to start all over the place. (And I even got to see some fireworks as I was pulling up into Crazeysburg — one of my neighbors was putting on a really impressive show in his backyard.)

So, I’m just trying to face forward, you know? And hope that things come together soon and I can stop having to work on holidays, and I can start just sitting at my desk again and writing everyday.

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Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File yesterday about his songwriting process. It was very interesting — and very different from any songwriting process I ever experienced. He said, in part:

“The hard part for me, the most agonising and uncertain part, the part that keeps me up at night and makes me a complete pain in the arse through the day, is in the initial creation. That is, the unpredictable arrival of those first two lines….”

You can read it in full here.

And don’t forget!!

Tonight and tomorrow night in Paris!! TWO sold out shows, neither of which can you attend if you don’t already have your precious ticket!! Alas…

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Okay. I don’t have much to post about today. I’m not only focused on trying to get my suitcase packed as minimally as possible, I am also a little out of sorts mentally, since my prized morning Cup o’ Joe ended up all over my night table AND all over 3 brand new books!!!

But here’s what I’m grateful for– the coffee didn’t spill all over me in the bed, and the coffee mug didn’t break… because I only have about 17 million other coffee mugs to choose from…

I’m going to be out of here early tomorrow morning, in that Uber heading to the airport (an hour from here), but I will probably post something from my hotel tomorrow evening.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Not me this morning… but it’s something to aim for.

A song I have LOVED since the very first moment I heard it on my AM radio.

Enjoy, gang!

The Eagles. “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, 1972.

Happy 4th of July, Everybody!

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It’s been an interesting time since I was last here on the blog!

Here are a couple of things:

  1. I came to the sudden decision that I was going to give ALL the cats (except my own and Little Blackie, and Billie Jo, who’s missing her 2 back feet) to the Animal Shelter for adoption. I wanted my life back.
  2. After about a day of thinking this, I decided I’m only taking them to the Shelter to get low-cost spay/neutering. That there’s no way most of these cats will ever get adopted because they are too old now (people tend to want to adopt kittens) and the thought of them living in cages indefinitely broke my heart. (Out here in the Hinterlands there are TONS of cats. In fact, I know of 2 other women here in the village that also have 16 cats. I find this astounding. And they both seem completely okay with having so many cats.)

Anyway. The cats consider this their home — especially the fosters, who have been here well over a year — closer to two. They are so happy to no longer be living in a car. They are really happy, loving cats.

So I will figure out how to have a life (not the old one I used to have) but a life, nevertheless!

You know, when I used to take care of that 99-year-old blind lady — she had 3 very large Labrador Retrievers and 2 cats. Her doctor told her that taking care of all of those pets was keeping her mentally sharp and emotionally involved.

So maybe that’s why all these many cats found their ways to me — to help me, well, not “stay young” but mentally engaged for years to come! We shall see! (I mean, this is aside from the fact that I ADORE all of them.)

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Okay. The other cool thing!

I finally got a chance to chat on the phone with my birth mom. It had been a while since we actually spoke on the phone (Christmas) — just texts and greeting cars, etc.

She said she was just on her way out to Walgreens to buy me a birthday card. So I said–

ME: “Do you know how old I’m gonna be???”

SHE: “No… not really…”

ME: “65!!! I started Medicare on July 1st.”

Dead silence.

Then —

SHE: “Shit. I can’t believe it. Are you serious? You’re 65?”

So it was kind of nice to share that feeling of utter disbelief with my own mother. You know, the fact that BOTH of us are now really old…

Me and Cherie in a bar in Jackson, Ohio, 40 years ago…

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Tomorrow!!

Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood! The tour resumes in Paris. 2 sold out shows, back-to-back.

There are still tickets available for an upcoming show in Italy on July 16th. You can buy tickets here.

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Also!

The other day, I was trying to find the password for my WIFI router. I searched through all my desk drawers trying to find it, but what I found instead were about 10 years of my life that I had sort of forgotten about.

Notes from my dad. Tons of Christmas and birthday cards from family, friends, a few from people whose names I no longer even recognize.

Many pages of notes from when I studied basic Greek; and from when I studied Galilean Aramaic (similar to Hebrew — it’s the language Jesus of Nazareth spoke); and TONS of notes from various French lessons. Yes. The French never stops. But what is curious is that I used to know LOTS more conversational French than I remember now, even though I still study a little bit of French every morning… It’s insane.

It was also kind of heartbreaking, going through these desk drawers — this feeling that I’m losing track of most of what has been my life.

But then, yesterday, I was with my favorite client who is back from Florida and she said something remarkably similar (at age 88), about how we can’t go back and re-live our lives, and we’ve already lived most of what we intended to experience, and we can’t know what the remaining future is bringing.

It really sums out how I feel these days. She and I had a good talk about all that and I felt a little better about things, in general.

I’m working a double today — yes, 2 shifts on a National Holiday. (heavy, heavy sigh.) And tonight I will be with her again. It’s the last time she’s on my schedule for the rest of the summer!!

I’m not going to tell her that, because I don’t want to disappoint her. But if they ask me to take any last minute shifts with her this summer, I certainly will. We’ll just see how it plays out, gang.

I can’t stress enough how, being with her, just never feels like work. We talk for hours about the most amazing stuff and the time just flies.

Anyway.

The trip to NYC is looming large! I leave for the airport Sunday morning. AND– as luck would have it, I will be alone in the hotel until Monday.

Aaarrrghh….

Sandra wasn’t able to get a train ticket between Rhinebeck and Manhattan because all the trains were sold out!! Holiday weekend!!

Darn it. So, we’ll see how it goes. I’ll have an afternoon and an evening all to myself in a neighborhood that I used to know very well (just off of Columbus Circle). I will probably get too nostalgic, but that’s just me, I guess. No escaping it.

This is how Columbus Circle looked back in the 1980s:

In the 1980s, I worked for Ralph Ginzburg’s publishing company. The offices were about one block from Columbus Circle. I often spent my lunch hour roaming around the neighborhood. (If you don’t know NYC, this area is also really close to Central Park.)

Ralph Ginzburg was a great man to work for. I really, really liked him.

He was the last US citizen to serve time in a federal prison for publishing/selling pornographic literature. (The actual charge was using the US Mail to ship obscene materials — even erotica was illegal back then.)

Anyway. I have tons of great memories from that neighborhood. I was also doing my singer-songwriting thing in the West Village back then, in the evenings and on the weekends. It was a huge part of my life when I worked for Ralph. So this area I’ll be staying in will be just FULL of so many memories, and I will be all by myself for one day/night.

Needless to say, I will post to the blog from my phone while I’m in NYC.

Me, in NYC, during the time I worked for Ralph, in the mid-1980s — and, btw, he was VERY supportive of my songwriting. He and his wife both thought I was a great songwriter:

And here’s a popular song of mine from that era:

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Okay. I better scoot or I’m gonna be late. I’m seeing my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man today! It’s sushi and sashimi time! Assuming the Peony Bistro is open on the holiday!

If you live State-side, enjoy your 4th of July!!!

Otherwise, have a great Friday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

*****************

Wow, what a beautiful morning!

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Can’t help it, gang. We gotta start with this!

It was 61 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up this morning! I even had to turn the fans off because it was “too cool”… Yay!!

The day should really just be fantastic out here in the Hinterlands. I am really looking forward to it.

I won’t say that I wish I had the day off, but I kinda wish I had the day off. I got so much done yesterday and I would love to just hang out in this beautiful weather and work on the novel.

But, alas… the caregiving work continues.

Still, Sandra and I got the finishing touches done on the play yesterday, so we are ready for NYC next week.

In case you forgot, we’ll be staying here! The Empire Hotel:

Oh, and I watched this, on Sandra’s request. I had to sign up for HBO-Max, which I did, but then promptly cancelled the subscription after watching the film because I have way too many subscriptions going on over here. but anyway– I loved it!!!!

Enigma

I thought this documentary was so well done and really just very informative about the Paris and London TS/TV scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

I already knew a little about Amanda Lear because she was connected to David Bowie in the 70s, but I knew nothing about any of the rest of it. Very, very interesting. And very well done.

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And just FYI — if you are new to the blog. Yes, I support Trump. Yes, I follow Q. Yes, I was a digital soldier for General Flynn throughout the fake Biden regime and no, I don’t regret a minute of that indescribably time-consuming, and sometimes frightening, work. And yes, I am AGAINST allowing children to make irreversible decisions about their gender identity — it is hard enough for adults to make informed decisions about that.

However —

Yes, I am part of the LGBTQ+ community and have been, since, like, FOREVER. And most of the LGBTQ+ friends I still have (the ones who are still alive, anyway, most of them died from AIDS) are old school, like me, and also tend to be pro-Trump, pro-USA, pro-US Constitution, pro-Protect the Children.

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On that note!! Back to our program!!

THANK YOU, once again, to all of you who are already downloading my eBooks over at the Smashwords Summer Sale! Which started yesterday! (Details HERE. Adults Only!! Bisexual/Fetish Erotica.)

It always makes my heart sing just a little bit when I see those downloads getting underway, since these particular eBooks are really, really OLD. They’ve been around forever! I love it that people still read them.

I still remember every story I wrote, every publisher I worked with, every editor and every underground zine — the whole sh-bang, What a great time it was, gang.

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Also, a huge thank you to readers in the UK who are downloading the Kindle edition of Neptune and Surf, which was my first book, originally published by the legendary Richard Kasak at Masquerade Books, NYC, in 1999. (The rights are now owned by Hachette UK, as part of their Modern Erotic Classics series.)

Things like this, gang, all these years later, just make me really happy. So thank you, UK readers, whoever you are!

I hate this cover, but I love this book!

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Okay! Well.

I’m still a little concerned about leaving all these cats with a cat sitter who won’t actually be staying in my house (in the past, my birth mom would stay here and take care of the cats while I was gone, but now there are too many cats and she has gotten too old). I’m worried about them being alone too much. But other than that, I am finally starting to get excited about going back to NYC.

I think this break in the weather helps, since it makes everything just feel “lighter,” you know? Now that I can think straight again, I want to just have some fun.

And I can’t stress enough what a great feeling it is — for both Sandra and me — to be undertaking this version of “The Guide to Being Fabulous” rather than the version that was ultimately produced in Toronto back in 2023.

It has been a long, long time coming. And after having watched Enigma on MAX, I now feel that, more than ever, Sandra’s story needs to be told in a way that doesn’t short change her entire life.

It’s exciting, gang.

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Other than that, there’s not much going on!

I should probably close this and get ready to go to town. It’s another afternoon with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man.

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

**************

Okay. Here’s this!

I saw this on Instagram the other day, but I didn’t know it was on YouTube!! So here you go!

The Stones’ New Single | Tribute to Clifton Chenier | June 25, 2025 | The Rolling Stones

Getting better by the minute!

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Wow!

Not only an actual day off, but the bearable weather continues — which means my brain is still working! Yay!!

AND — the Summer Sale over at Smashwords starts today, gang, and continues through the month of July.

All the info and direct links are on my substack page. The sale includes free downloads of Freak Parade and The Muse Revisited: Volumes, 1,2, &3.

The sale is for my eBooks only. And these books, as always, are intended for ADULT READSERS ONLY. Thanks!!

I don’t USUALLY look like this, but just for today, I look like this…

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In other great SALE news!!

Cave Things started a summer sale today, too!

All kinds of cool things are on sale over there to help you beat the heat, or whatever it is you’re trying to beat….

Yet again, some of my favorites are on sale!! Including, but not limited to;

The Hotel Girls Notebook — $12.00 (plus tons of shipping to the USA) (Only adults can look at the image below, thank you very much for your cooperation)

The fantastic Happy Tea Set, the whole set, or separate pieces of it! The Happy Tea Pot, $68.00 (plus all sorts of overseas shipping fees!)

Up Jumped the Devil Milk Jug! $40.00 (no shipping Oops! Tons of shipping there, too!)

That milk jug commemorates one of my absolute favorite Nick Cave songs of all time!!!

“Up Jumped the Devil”, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 1988, from the incredible album, Tender Prey.

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Here’s this!

Not only because I love this photo so much, but also because my great-great grandmother was a full-blood Blackfoot Indian, and judging by the date listed below, she very well might have known Chief Two Guns White Calf! I think that is so cool.

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And speaking of guns…

I am really, really thinking I will have to cancel my monthly membership at the shooting range, gang. I am only getting one day off a week these days, and it is going to continue for the rest of the summer.

I’m going to call over there today and see if maybe I can just temporarily suspend my membership until Fall. We’ll see. I hate to do it, but I have` absolutely no time. And I just keep paying and paying and paying…

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Okay, well. have I had some intense shifts the last couple of days. In a good way, but still intense.

I saw the retired Minister and his wife on Sunday evening and it was great. He is making such great progress. He was lucid the entire time I was with him, and he talked a lot about his ministry, as well as when he first decided to become a Christian when he was in his teens (he is 80 now).

It was an amazing evening, but as usual it sort of wiped me out emotionally.

Ditto, my shift with my favorite client who is back from Florida. For different reasons, although she is a retired Chaplain, so it was all in the same vein.

I still don’t understand WHY ON EARTH I decided to return to this type of work, but clearly, all of this is on my path right now for a reason.

Oh, and oddly enough!! In my novel-in-progress, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, that I am working on after a 26-year hiatus… the father in the story is a retired Minister. And the upcoming remainder of the novel is primarily about HIM.

Hmmm…….

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On the home front —

I downloaded all the forms I need to fill out in order to apply for that USDA home-improvement loan/grant for low-income seniors living in rural areas.

We’ll see if I can get those filled out before I leave for NYC, but something tells me it would be pushing my luck. I have some stuff I need to do on the play today, and today is my only day off.

But at least I have the forms!!

Home improvement in the Hinterlands!

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And I think that’s it for now!

I have to finish doing the laundry then get focused on “The Guide to Being Fabulous”!

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Yes, the Annie Murray kick continues around here!

How can you NOT love this one, gang??? One of her first hits — “Snowbird.”

Anne Murray, “Snowbird”, 1969. From her album, This Way is My Way. Enjoy, gang!!

“Snowbird”

Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean
The unborn grass lies waiting
For its coat to turn to green
The snowbird sings the song he always sings
And speaks to me of flowers
That will bloom again in spring

When I was young
My heart was young then, too
Anything that it would tell me
That’s the thing that I would do
But now I feel such emptiness within
For the thing that I want most in life’s
The thing that I can’t win

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

The breeze along the river seems to say
That he’ll only break my heart again
Should I decide to stay
So, little snowbird
Take me with you when you go
To that land of gentle breezes
Where the peaceful waters flow

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

Yeah, if I could you know that I would
Fl-y-y-y-y away with you

c – 1969 – Gene MacLellan

Finally!! Heatwave Truly Over!

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I once again have this thing called a BRAIN. I can BREATHE. I can actually walk across the room without feeling like I’m going to faint!!

Yay!!

And it occurred to me, gang, this home improvement loan that I’m at least going to apply for — I guess I will add getting Central AC in with the things that should get done around here.

I really never wanted AC in this specific house because of all the great windows and the usually great cross-breezes. But when I first moved in, I did get all the duct work done so that Central AC can be easily installed. And after what I just went through this past week — at least having the option to turn on AC would probably be a really smart thing to do.

Me, being smart!!
Me, the rest of the time!!

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Yesterday was a really good day. Not only was it FILLED with rain and thunderstorms out here in the Hinterlands, I also had a really wonderful time with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man.

We talked a lot about his past, his incredible father, his life in Hong Kong, in Tokyo, and the years he attended a small college in Kansas for his Ministerial Degree — we talk about this stuff all the time, because his long-term memory is fantastic. However, this time, through a sort of heroic mental effort, he said to me as I was getting ready to leave: “Without you, Marilyn, I would have no reason to remember what a wonderful life I’ve had. I appreciate you so much.”

It is kind of astounding that he was able to express himself in that specific way, since his short term memory is extremely faulty, to say the least, and using his brain in the “present” is very difficult for him. To be able to help someone give the gift of his whole life back to himself, is, well — I don’t know. It overwhelms me, but in a good way.

And this evening, I’m back with the former Minister and his wife, and I’m really looking froward to that. I had such an interesting time with them last week.

And, luckily, ALL my clients have Central AC, so I at least have a brain when I’m working…

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Okay, so I am officially getting myself into “going to NYC” mode around here. Even though I have 7 shifts between today and next Sunday, when I leave for the airport, I’m trying to focus more on that feeling of freedom I get when I am in NYC.

Add to that, the feeling that Sandra and I are finally going to get the version of “The Guide to Being Fabulous” that we had always envisioned — I would really much rather dwell on that than on all the shifts I have to work this week!!

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This was really, really worth listening to, gang. If you have 22 minutes, check it out. FYI — Warren G. Harding was another President from Ohio who was allegedly and/or officially murdered. [Direct link gives you more control over the ads!]

Mike King’s “Show & Tell” — Who Killed President Warren Harding? (22 mins):

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Okay!

I saw this great photo last night. It’s from the show they did in Rochefort, France on Wednesday — Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood:

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And I think that’s it for right now! I want to actually try to do some yoga today, before heading out for my shift.

Tomorrow morning I have to leave the house around 6:30AM, so I won’t be posting to the blog.

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting!!

I love you guys. See ya!!

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Okay. Bear with me!! I’m on an Annie Murray kick around here!!!

I love this song, gang. I’ve posted it here before, but I really just love it. It’s been filling my kitchen the last couple of mornings. And, truthfully, I would love to be able to sing a song like this for somebody, someday. We shall see… I’m not dead yet!

Anne Murray, “You Needed Me”, 1978, from her album Restoring The Past. Enjoy, gang.

“You Needed Me”

I cried a tear, you wiped it dry
I was confused, you cleared my mind
I sold my soul, you bought it back for me
And held me up and gave me dignity
Somehow you needed me

You gave me strength to stand alone again
To face the world out on my own again
You put me high upon a pedestal
So high that I could almost see eternity
You needed me, you needed me

And I can’t believe it’s you I can’t believe it’s true
I needed you and you were there
And I’ll never leave, why should I leave, I’d be a fool
‘Cause I finally found someone who really cares

You held my hand when it was cold
When I was lost, you took me home
You gave me hope when I was at the end
And turned my lies back into truth again
You even called me friend

You gave me strength to stand alone again
To face the world out on my own again
You put me high upon a pedestal
So high that I could almost see eternity
You needed me, you needed me
You needed me, you needed me

c – 1978 – Randy Goodrum

Just Like I Said It Would be!

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Yes, all those thunderstorms we were supposed to have yesterday, and the “cooler” temperatures and less humidity….(that I predicted were not really going to come!)

We got maybe a handful of rain, around 8PM. And of course the temperatures soared back into the mid-90s Fahrenheit. Bright sunshine EVERYWHERE. Another ungodly hot & humid day yesterday.

Somehow, I managed to get all the groceries and cat food, etc. (a total of 5 stores) yesterday after my shift. I got everything that needs to be here while I’m in NYC.

And I got everything put away, all the litter boxes cleaned, various cats got fed, I watered all the flowers outside (roses are BLOOMING!!), in time to call Sandra right at 5PM…

But my brain was fried. It was so fucking HOT.

Sandra: “Really? You’re having a heatwave there? It’s been really nice around here. Mid-70s every day.”

Just hearing that made me want to faint…

Anyway.

I don’t know how everything gets done here, because I am almost brain-dead. And even the house is clean. Like, I mean, the whole house. I look around and I barely remember doing that. On top of the heatwave, my shifts increased like crazy the past couple weeks. So I feel like I’m never even home. But apparently I am, and I am still on top of everything. (That thought is exhausting, right there.)

But guess what happened last night??!! I was already in bed, drifting to sleep in the oppressive heat when it started:

YES!

Last night was the 4th of July fireworks over at the ballpark. I missed the whole thing. I was under the impression the fireworks were going to be on Monday, June 30th, and I was really excited because I’ll have the whole evening off as well as the following day, but, alas, that was the “rain date” in case they got rained out last night (LOL).

That really disappointed me, gang. And I was too wiped out to even think of getting out of bed, getting dressed, and going out to the yard to watch them.

BTW — in all the smaller towns and villages around here, they don’t do the fireworks on the actual 4th because they can’t compete with the HUGE “Red White & BOOM!” celebration that goes on in downtown Columbus, over the river, on the actual 4th of July.

Anyway. It’s over. And I missed them.

My life feels so weird these days that it actually feels creepy. Like it isn’t even my real life.

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I hate to maybe jinx it, but today is SUPPOSED to be a nice day. Much lower temperatures, less humidity. So far, it is a really really perfect summer day but the day is young….

We’ll see.

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So I have only ONE DAY off before I have to leave for NYC next Sunday.

I do have some minor edits that I need to do on the play before I leave town. But other than that, I’m ready to go. Money, credit cards, new clothes, stocked up on all my supplements, the Ubers are reserved, the cat-sitter is triple checked!

It’s really interesting to see how my brain actually does work even when it feels “dead” from all the heat. (The heat wave is supposed to be over as of tonight.)

So now, all I really need to do is breathe and let myself get excited about the PLAY!

You know, as far as my career goes, I have zero complaints. I have done everything I ever wanted to do as a writer, and then some. And especially after I quit the music “business” and got into publishing in NYC, I had a really wonderful career — as a writer, editor, publisher, teacher. I really have no complaints.

Even considering how the traditional publishing world that I worked in completely disappeared after self-publishing and eBooks took over, I don’t at all lose sight of the fact that I had a really, really great career in traditional small-press publishing while it existed.

And I really love that I was a big part of that world while it existed. And I met and worked with such amazing people, from all over the world.

I have wonderful memories and no complaints.

That said, though — WOW! The fact that our play is finally heading to Off-Broadway, even while it was never an actual goal of mine when I first moved to NYC, it just blows me away, gang. I honestly can’t believe it. I love theater so much. And I just really, really want to have some FUN now. I can’t believe that pre-production stuff gets underway in just about a week. Wow.

So I have to remind myself to take some time to breathe and be happy.

I might actually do that today!!

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Okay, I think that’s it! I better scoot and get ready to head to town for my shift.

I hope you have a fun Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Here’s a blast from the past!

Another one of those songs that I totally forgot about but which I used to love!!

Carly Simon, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be”, 1971 (!! — okay, so why was I listening to & loving depressing songs like this when I was 11??). And at age 65 now, I have 2 marriages done and long gone. Too late now to “change my tune”!! All right. Enjoy, gang!

“That’s The Way I Always Heard It Should Be“

My father sits at night with no lights on
His cigarette glows in the dark
The living room is still
I walk by, no remark
I tiptoe past the master bedroom where
My mother reads her magazines
I hear her call sweet dreams
But I forgot how to dream

But you say it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be
You want to marry me, we’ll marry

My friends from college they’re all married now
They have their houses and their lawns
They have their silent noons
Tearful nights, angry dawns
Their children hate them for the things they’re not
They hate themselves for what they are
And yet they drink, they laugh
Close the wound, hide the scar

But you say it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be
You want to marry me, we’ll marry

You say we can keep our love alive
Babe, all I know is what I see
The couples cling and claw
And drown in love’s debris
You say we’ll soar like two birds through the clouds
But soon you’ll cage me on your shelf
I’ll never learn to be just me first
By myself

Well O.K., it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be,
You want to marry me, we’ll marry
We’ll marry

© 1970 Quackenbush Music Ltd. / Kensho Music, ASCAP

Music by: Carly Simon/ Lyrics by: Jacob Brackman

Back at it!!

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Okay, it’s Friday!!

It’s not quite as hot around here since I last posted, but the increase in humidity more than compensates for that.

Luckily, thunderstorms are supposed to visit us for most of the day. I hope this is true, because they keep saying that — for the last few days — and the thunderstorms haven’t happened. Even though they are clearly visible, approaching on the horizon, they never arrive. Just some light rain. Hence the increased humidity.

I try very, very hard to think straight in high humidity but I am not always entirely successful, gang. I simply can’t breathe right, so there’s not enough oxygen getting to my wee bonny brain!

(And I still can’t help but think that all these White Hats who are pretending that China is our enemy, that Russia is our enemy, that Iran is anyone’s enemy at this point, that Netanyahu wasn’t already dealt with a long time ago…. okay. Methinks these same folks are once again fucking with the weather!)

(Call me crazy!! Whether or not it’s conspiracy-theory related, there is a good chance that I’m crazy about all sorts of things so it’s safe to call me crazy, however… there is still something wacky about this weather!)

Me, just generally crazy.

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Yesterday was insane.

I was with my favorite client who has recently returned from Florida. All was well until — for privacy reasons I can’t go into the details — I had to drop everything and take her to urgent care.

From there, the entire day went kaflooey! (For some odd reason, I’m being told “kaflooey” is not a word!!) I wish I could tell you why it went kaflooey, just so you could have deep sympathy for me! But I can’t. It is sufficient to say, the urgent care “experience” made me feel like I was losing my mind.

And it had nothing to do with anyone who worked at the urgent care facility…

But it also made me have to work late — by half an hour. And I had that plumber coming!!

But long story short — I got home in time for the plumber. And it was a husband & wife plumbing team. They were really nice. And they fixed my issue in the upstairs ancient bathtub, but they told me that really all those old pipes and fixtures have to be replaced. And that I really, really need to get a water softener put in, because that’s what’s killing the pipes and fixtures. (My house is 126 years old and the upstairs bathtub was installed in the 1940s.)

Anyway! Loyal readers of this lofty blog know that I have no problem whatsoever applying for low income home improvement grants for senior citizens living in rural areas!!!

In fact, I got my home a beautiful new roof that way!! At no cost to me.

So, here’s hoping, a grant from the USDA to update my plumbing will be in my foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, the tub drain is working great for the first time since I bought this house… for now, anyway.

Very happy, for now, anyway!

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Apparently, yesterday was Colin Greenwood’s birthday!!

Colin Greenwood Happy Birthday!

And speaking of the Nick Cave solo tour with Colin Greenwood on bass…

Here’s a photo from the show in Rochefort, France. the other night. Most of the better images were videos. Not many photos that weren’t from hopelessly far away:

And I have to say, that people keep uploading images and videos from the Hamburg shows and it really seems like those shows were kind of spectacular.

Next shows up are in Paris, July 5th & 6th, but both shows are sold out. Only 2 shows left in the entire tour that have tickets available. Buy tickets here.

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Well, on the kitten front…

Bobby Joe (one of 2 kittens that we recently noticed are actually males), managed to give himself a terrific black eye, from all his jumping and leaping and going generally nuts when he’s playing with the other kittens.

A couple days ago, in the really dreadful high heat, his eye began to look horrible. It rolled up in his head and other awful looking – gooey things. So I started lightly swabbing the eyelid with colloidal silver and, voila, it is getting back to normal at a wicked pace! It is almost completely fine already.

This makes 3 cats in less than a year who have had serious eye issues that were — thank God — completely fixed with colloidal silver, gang. (It works on humans, too, of course! Ears, eyes, sinuses, or taken internally. But only twice a day, no more than 10 days in a row.) (I’m not a doctor. I’m not giving you health advice. just sayin’ what works over in our neck of the woods…)

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Today, I’m back with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man, and I believe it is sushi-sashimi day!! Assuming he feels up to it! It will be nice to just hang out with him — assuming no medical emergencies. We shall see!! (I can’t stress enough how much fun we have whenever we are together, gang.)

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Okay. I guess I better scoot.

Enjoy your Friday wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!!

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I rediscovered this song the other day!! I’d forgotten all about it.

Holy shit, do I love it. It is not only prime Rodney Crowell songwriting, but also Emmylou Harris at the peak of her career.

I definitely used to include this in my sets when I was a singer-songwriter in NYC.

“Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”, 1978. From the album, Quarter Moon in a Ten-Cent Town. Enjoy, gang!!!

“Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”

Mary took to running with a travelin’ man
Left her momma crying with her head in her hands
Such a sad case, so broken hearted
She say mom, I got to go, I gotta get outta here
I gotta get out of town; I’m tired of hanging around
I gotta roll on between the ditches

It’s just an ordinary story ’bout the way things go
Round and around nobody knows, but the highway
Goes on forever, that ‘ol highway rolls on forever
Lord she never would’ve done it if she hadn’t got drunk

If she hadn’t started running with a travelin man
If she hadn’t started taking those crazy chances
She say daughter, let me tell you ’bout the travelin kind
Everywhere he’s goin’ such a very short time
He’ll be long gone before you know it, he’ll be long

Gone before you know it
She say never have I known it when it felt so good
Never have I knew it when I knew I could
Never have I done it when it looked so right
Leaving Louisiana in the broad daylight

This is down in the swampland, anything goes
It’s alligator bait and the bars don’t close
It’s the real thing down in Louisiana

Did you ever see a Cajun when he really got mad
When he really got trouble like a daughter gone bad
It gets real hot down in Louisiana

The stranger better move it or he’s gonna get killed
He’s gonna have to get it or a shotgun will
It ain’t no time for lengthy speeches
There ain’t no time for lengthy speeches
She say never have I know it when it felt so good

Never have I knew it when I knew I could
Never have I done it when it looked so right
Leaving Louisiana in the broad daylight
It’s just an ordinary story ’bout the way things go
Round and around nobody knows, but the highway goes on forever
There ain’t no way to stop the water

c – 1978 – Rodney Crowell, Donovan Cowart

Update from the Heatwave!

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Well, mostly I wanted to post that the Agency has now begun assigning me shifts with my favorite client who is home from Florida!

The next two mornings, I have to be out of here very early to go see her, so I won’t be able to post to the blog.

And in other news… I did call a plumber. He will be here on Thursday, so life will, I’m hoping, be back to normal before I need to leave for NYC.

As I was getting on here to post, though, I saw the news that Bobby Sherman, pop idol from my wee bonny girlhood, has died.

I loved that guy, gang! Plus, he had the same birthday I did, so , as a little girl, I thought that was the coolest thing.

Anyway. He is gone. RIP, Bobby.

Bobby Sherman

Okay. I guess I will be back here on the blog on Friday.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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One of my favorite Bobby Sherman songs! 1971, “Cried Like A Baby”. Enjoy, gang.

“You’d think she’d be better at this, right? I mean, I’m just saying…”

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Glory hallelujah, gang! As if I didn’t need more on my plate!!

“Yes, please, I’ll have some more!”

Something caught my eye this morning that alerted me to these new facts:

Bobbi Jo is, in fact, Bobby Joe.

And Betty Jo needs a new name…. Arrrgggh!

Since my beloved 2-legged Billie Jo is still indeed a female, I guess I have to give her name to Betty and now Betty will be Billy Joe. (Or I could just call them all by the same name. I don’t think they will ever know the difference.)

But there we have it! I’m going to have a summer full of expensive visits to the new veterinarian! And here I’d thought I only had one (neutered) male in the house and could take all the time I wanted…

“Why does it take so long for those 2 little things to show up?”

Oh, and another happy thing!!!

My upstairs bathtub drain is completely backed up. Nothing accents a house full of overwhelming heat and humidity like a tub full of stagnant water!!

Well, I’m planning to remove the water. But I really, really, really don’t want to call a plumber…. I ordered a Zip-It. So we’ll see, although I don’t feel too encouraged. A (hopefully really, really good-looking) plumber is likely in my immediate future, too.

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Good news, though! Yay!

After posting that photo I took of the poor heat-stroked kittens (see the end of yesterday’s post), I did finally open the bedroom door yesterday. I propped a box fan in the doorway, and stacked some hard cover books precariously on top of the fan, in the event that any cats wanted to try sailing over the top of the fan, in either direction.

Well, it worked! I only had one cat try to get into my room yesterday afternoon, and the books and fan tumbled noisily to the floor and it scared the bejeezus out of him — and all the other cats & kittens! And so that took care of that. No one else tried it.

Now, the kittens and the Mommy-cat stay in the room, and the other cats stay out. And we all get some air circulating in here, finally!!

Today is supposed to be the final day of the actual heatwave. And I have to say, gang — you know me and my conspiracy theorist friends!! There is something truly strange about this heatwave. 93 degrees Fahrenheit isn’t usually this unbearable.

The summer temperatures here have always gone into the 90s at some point, but it never felt like this. (And, add to that, the White Hat WWIII scenario, pushing people to the “boiling point”… hmmm.)

Anyway. It’s not just me thinking stuff like this.

Valerie in Brooklyn texted yesterday and said, “What the fuck is going on with this weather?? What are they doing to us now?? We always have heat in NYC in the summer, but it’s nothing like this. I can’t even breathe.”

Well, I digress a bit.

Today is the final day of the heatwave, although the weather won’t be really enjoyable until the middle of next week. But just getting these temperatures out of the 90s will be such a relief. (And I’m not talking about music or fashion, because, you know, the 90s were kinda cool — if I can mix metaphors all over the place.)

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Okay!

The shooting range sent out an email this morning, a reminder that a new shooting club starts there today. So I won’t be going to the range today, either. All the lanes will be filled up during the time when I usually go.

And it means I won’t be going to town to visit those clients who are in rehab until maybe Thursday.

Which means ANOTHER day to sit and work on the novel!! Yay!!

What a blessing, gang. To suddenly have all this time (unbearably hot as it’s been) to sit and work on the novel. It has been such a long time. And FYI — all the sections and songs we will be working on for the rehearsals of the play (in 2 weeks!!!) are already completed. So I get to just truly focus on the novel. It feels so great.

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Nick Cave sent out a really incredible Red Hand File this morning. At least, it moved me a whole lot. Even though he was referencing what he does spiritually to prepare to go on stage (and then blow people the fuck away!), it resonated with me so much — how it feels to go into my clients’ homes and face life, mortality, love, loss, the quality of being human — and all the people from my own past and from my clients’ pasts who “show up” in spirit and spend time with us while I’m there.

He said, in part:

“…I appeal to these individuals, and many more, much like a devout person might petition the saints for assistance. I remember all these people and I feel a deep spiritual empowerment, so that when I take to the stage, I am carried along by this unearthly fraternity and their special powers. For me, this is an immense strength – an energy that illuminates what is truly meaningful and what is not. Communing with the dead is, in that respect, as clarifying an exercise as anything can be. We are quickly reminded of what matters and what does not. …”

You can read it in full here.

[Below, a photo of an old friend of Nick’s who just passed away.]

David “Dud” Green

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All righty!

Laundry got done yesterday. And the light housecleaning got done, too! And the backed-up water can sit in the tub for now (I have another shower downstairs), so this means I’m going to get back to The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Blast from the 90s past, gang!

“Pass the Dutchie”, 1995, from the album Thump’ N Reggae Jamz by Musical Youth. Stay cool and enjoy, gang!!

The world of author Marilyn Jaye Lewis