Well, yesterday’s shift with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man was an ordeal from start to finish. (If you missed yesterday’s post, it is here.)

I was expecting the repairman to be there by the time I arrived, but he was not.

And when I went inside the house, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man was already awake. Dressed and everything. AND very upset. And long story short — he had chased the repairman away. He had completely forgotten that the repairman was coming: “Why didn’t anyone tell me he was coming??” But he was cognizant enough to know that his family was behind sending the repairman , so he spent the rest of the day saying various versions of “can’t they wait till I’m dead? I’ll be dead in 2 minutes!” and “let them do all these repairs after I’m dead! What’s they’re hurry?? I’ll be dead in 2 minutes!!”

And then he said a whole lot of other really not nice things about his family. Over and over and over and over. He was essentially traumatized. So I was up to my eyeballs in it from the moment I got there.

And then, after I’d only been there about 20 minutes, lo & behold my supervisor arrived. She usually stops in every other month to collect my daily paperwork from the shifts, so it wasn’t a bad surprise or anything, but I wasn’t expecting her. I met her out on the back porch to forewarn her about what my client was dealing with, etc., and we discussed that for a minute and then she said (!!)–

SHE: “Well, I’m actually here today to give you these.”

At that point, I finally became cognizant of the fact that she had a huge bouquet of flowers in her arms.

SHE (continued): “You’ve been chosen Caregiver of the Month!”

I was astounded, gang! I honestly never thought I would be selected for anything like that, since I think of myself as a caregiver who’s always calling, texting, and asking everyone to please cut back on my hours!

Wow. Honestly, I was just thrilled. And they also gave me a really beautiful card–

CARD: “Not everyone can do what you do but anyone can see that what you do makes a wonderful difference. Congrats, Marilyn. We’re blessed to have you on our team. Thank you from all of us!”

Talk about extremes, though, right? I really was just thrilled by this — and those FLOWERS!! And meanwhile, I had my traumatized client to try to sooth, and his family from Florida, and the private nurse, texting me endlessly all day.

But, really. Wow. My whole heart was just smiling.

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On a similar theme —

This evening, I have another shift with that wonderful woman who lives in the enormous, love-filled, split-level house in the hills behind the Bryn Du Mansion — the house wherein you need a map to find the bathroom .

The last time I saw her, I discovered that she had taken a really bad turn in her cognitive abilities. And I was updated yesterday by my supervisor, that the client has gotten worse and that hospice has been called in.

So this is very heartbreaking. Now we are all basically waiting for her to die. She is such a sweet woman, gang. And before her illness, she had been a college English professor. Her bookshelves are lined with the same novels that I remember reading back when I lived in NYC. Intellectual stuff — mostly European, from the 20th Century and earlier — not popular mass market paperbacks.

Anyway. I then found out that at least for the month of November, they have made me a regular caregiver for her — on Saturday nights. So I will still have my 2 days off each week, and Thanksgiving off, too, but I’ll be working double-shifts on Saturdays as we just sort of wait for this lovely lady to die.

Ouch. That hurts the heart so much, right? Whenever I help her into bed at night, at the end of my shift, she really gently says: “What is your name again?”

“Marilyn.”

“Marilyn, thank you so much for taking care of me.”

I’m really going to miss her. So I want to make every moment with her last as long as it can.

And I look at my flowers now, gang, and my heart still manages to smile.

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Okay!

Here’s this!

Keith wearing a hat at some point:

And the Stones in 1968!

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And today is the anniversary of 2 really sad things — the death of my beautiful cat, Bunny, back in 2016. And the death of my best friend in the world, Paul Martin, back in 1999.

Here’s a painting of Bunny that Valerie in Brooklyn made for me when Bunny was still very much alive:

And here’s Paul, sometime in the late 1980s, when he was visiting for Thanksgiving, when I was living on E.12th Street in the East Village (NYC):

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And the big news!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have a LIVE album coming out on December 5th!!

“…a stunning testament to The Wild God Tour, which wowed audiences across the UK, Europe and North America in 2024 and ‘25, and which travels to Australia and New Zealand in 2026….

… The expansive tracklist includes performances of the entirety of the acclaimed 2024 studio album Wild God, as well as mind-blowing versions of catalogue favourites, such as ‘From Her To Eternity’, ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry’ and ‘Into My Arms’.

The album is available to pre-order now on Premium Double Gatefold LP, Double CD and Digital. Pre-orders from the Artist Store will also include a limited edition photo print signed by Nick Cave – while stocks last. “

I think this is the photo they’re talking about. Warren Ellis posted it to his Instagram page yesterday:

I think this video is the song that is the first single from the album:

The video was made while on tour in Columbus — OOPS! Of course, I meant PARIS! So easy to confuse the two cities…

And in other Nick Cave news–

He sent out a new Red Hand File this morning, wherein he addresses some questions asked by a fan, but he also goes on to give the fan advice about addictions. Nick says, in part:

“…You may tell yourself that you are managing your life – your job, your relationship, your children’s well-being – but if you are, as you say, addicted to ice, then the wheels have already come off. I say this with all the love and respect in the world, as someone who was hooked on heroin and amphetamines for twenty years – addict to addict – you need to stop fucking around and get clean.…”

What he had to say in full about addiction and getting clean was really good. You can read it HERE.

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And now, I have a few hours before I have to leave for my shift with that lovely lady who is slowly leaving us.

I have all my monthly bills to pay here, then I think I might take a walk. Think about life versus the absence thereof.

Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this.

The first time I went out to Nevada to meet my birth father, I had brought along a cassette of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks.

The album came out in 1975, and oddly enough, the first time I heard it was in the mental hospital (in summer 1975). One of the other patients had just gotten it as a gift, and we were all listening to it together on the record player in the Music Therapy building.

All of us were teenagers, and we were all really liking the album a lot. But suddenly the music therapist came sweeping in and abruptly shut off the record player. She said, “I’m sorry but I just can’t stand this! It’s not music!!”

Eventually, owning my own copy of this album and playing it whenever I wanted to was a type of freedom for me.

I’m not sure why I brought that specific cassette along with me when I went to meet my birth dad (in 1988). However.

My dad lived in a double-wide trailer in the desert, not too far from Reno. One morning, I was in the kitchen, washing the breakfast dishes and listening to the cassette on his tape player.

And then my father came in from outside and said, “Wow, what is that? I love it!” Worth waiting for — that moment in time.

The song that was playing at that moment was “Shelter from the Storm.”

So, you know, hanging in there and pursuing dreams has always been a really great thing for me. Regardless of how things go or end up.

So I leave you with this.

“Shelter from the Storm”, 1975. Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks. Enjoy, gang.

"Shelter From the Storm"

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on an uneventful morn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence I got repaid with scorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm

c - 1975 Bob Dylan