No, not this…

It’s just that I have to keep my eye on the clock here this morning. I want to get the laundry done before Sandra calls at 11AM to go over what we need to work on for the next several weeks. (On my “days off”.) (See yesterday’s post.)

But that reminds me! My favorite Q-following friend and I will, indeed, be taking a road trip to go have lunch with my birth mom! On my day off, a week from Thursday. (Also see yesterday’s post.)

We’re going to THIS charming town — wherein I was conceived in October of 1959:

I wasn’t conceived here in this intersection downtown, though. I was conceived out in a field on a farm, at the outskirts of town. (When my mom was 12 and my dad was 14.) (I know. That explains a lot…)

(Again, we quickly re-visit me at age 13…)

My birth mom has only been back in Greenfield for a few years, though. For most of the time I’ve known her, she lived on a farm in Jackson, Ohio. But she now lives in one of those apartment complexes for seniors on fixed incomes.

I’m eager to see Greenfield again, though. I haven’t seen it in about 40 years. My (biological) grandmother, and my Aunt Dot and Uncle Jim used to live there, and I visited them there until they died.

I always had such a peaceful feeling in Greenfield. I found it sort of fascinating that it was the town where my spirit or soul, or whatever you call it, came into Being.

Anyway!

Then this afternoon, I have to head back to Granville, to a training session at the Agency.

And in order to make tomorrow not a complete day from Hell (tomorrow is the 10-hour-shift Tuesday), I decided to run all my errands after the training today, since I’ll already be there in town.

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Okay!

So here’s this. Not my favorite image from the event, but everything else I saw that I liked more, were videos.

From a few days ago, at the premier of the upcoming TV adaptation of Nick Cave’s fantastic novel, The Death of Bunny Munro — Nick Cave, and I’m not positive, but I think it’s the star of the series, Matt Smith:

(And I have decided to go ahead and move to London next month, because it’ll be a lot easier to be able to watch this TV series over there, since I don’t get SkyTV over here. And then, while I’m there, I’ll go ahead and order the “Up Jumped The Devil” milk jug, finally, because I won’t have to pay all that extra money in US shipping charges!! I just think this makes a lot more sense!)

(No! I’m not delusional or on drugs!! I’m just really mindful about how I spend my money…)

(I’ll probably be living here — meaning, in the phone booth — so please feel free to come visit!!)

(And, yes, I’ll probably bring along my brand new retro boombox and play THIS, nonstop!)

(Sorry to be so “punny”! But if you do come visit, please bring batteries!! For the boombox…) (Hopefully, I can watch SkyTV on my phone. We’ll find out…)

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And speaking of TV!!

I’m super excited about picking up my new flat screen TV in town today. It will be so much nicer to have a TV in the family room that gets Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc., so that I don’t have to always watch TV in the kitchen.

I love my family room, and the old TV in there is only good for watching DVDs or videos. So this will be almost like having a whole new room to actually spend time in. (I am, of course, referring to when I move back here from the phone booth in London.)

My house is really old (124 years), and it’s decorated to suit an old house. And since it’s only me living here (and 723 cats), and almost nobody ever comes to visit me in the Hinterlands, I don’t use any rooms except the kitchen and my bedroom. And so the house kind of feels like a museum. It really does. Honestly. So I’m looking forward to a chance to spend more time in another room!! Yay!

A view of part of my family room, from last Christmas:

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Well, I think that’s enough for today!! I gotta get my notes together, etc. for my phone call with Sandra. And finish the laundry.

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world! (I will not be posting tomorrow, since it is Terrible Tuesday with the Ten-Hour Shift!!)

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

**********

I leave you with this!!

This CD is currently on the retro boombox in my bedroom! The first album from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers! (Titled, simply, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.)

I absolutely love this song. It totally takes me back to my wee bonny teenaged-girlhood and what life was really like back then.

“The Wild One, Forever”, 1976. Enjoy, gang.

“The Wild One, Forever”

Well, the moon sank as the wind blew
And the street lights slowly died
Yeah they call you the wild one
Said stay away from her
Said she couldn’t love no one if she tried

But then something I saw in your eyes
Told me right away
That you were gonna have to be mine
One of the strangest feelings came over me down inside
No matter what it takes
I’ll never get over how good it felt
When you finally held me
I will never regret, baby
Those few hours linger on in my head forever

Well it’s too bad but I want you
To know I understand
Yeah it’s been a long time
But I don’t mind, yeah it’s all right
I understand

Because something I saw in your eyes
Told me right away
That you were gonna have to be mine
And the strangest feeling came over me down inside
I knew right away
I’d never get over how good it felt
When you finally kissed me
I will never regret, baby
Baby, those few hours linger on in my head forever
And ever

c- 1976 Tom Petty

I spent that extra hour this morning, hanging out in bed, thinking about the dreams I’d had during the night. They were actually kind of incredible.

They were so visual and symbolic, that I can’t even really describe them. But my favorite one involved a 2-level home security system made from really delicate green plants and at the same time, it had to do with a new reality blossoming in my life — in the form of lilies of the valley. And one line from the Nick Cave song, “Lime Tree Arbour,” kept repeating in the dream:

“There is a hand that protects me/ and I do love her so”

And even after all that — I still got out of bed at 4AM !! (standard time). So I’m happy!

Plus!

My car insurance is up for renewal later this month, and I was thinking about “shopping around” for a better deal, but then just felt like I didn’t want to be bothered… and then my insurance company emailed me yesterday to say that my car insurance has been DECREASED starting this month!!

So I’m happy!

And JUST NOW —

I got an early Black Friday deal from Best Buy in my email, and I just now bought a new flat screen Fire TV (to replace my 25-year-old TV in the family room) for $58!!!! It’s ready for pick up today!!

So I’m happy!

***********

And here’s this!

What’s not to love about this??

From Jo Wood, on Instagram, from her book, STONED: Photographs and Treasures from Life with the Rolling Stones (2019)– Keith and Ronnie. I don’t know the date, but not only do they still have black hair, they still have hair! Yay!

***********

And here’s this —

A school yearbook photo of the girl who got sent to the Principal’s office because she was waiting out in the hall — after the final bell had rung for classes to start — for her best friend, Becky, to get there because they both ADORED Ronnie Wood, and the girl had bought Becky Ronnie’s brand new record, I’ve Got My Own Album to Do, as a surprise for Becky’s birthday!!

(I was not much of a girl who usually played by the rules, and when it came to rock & roll, there were absolutely no such things as RULES!!)

PRINCIPAL: “Get to class!! NOW!”

THE GIRL: “But I’m waiting for Becky! I want to give her this!!”

PRINCIPAL: “I said, get to class!!”

THE GIRL: “But it will only take a minute!!”

PRINCIPAL: “Go to my office, NOW, and wait for me! GO!!”

Anyway! The girl! (Me, Junior High School , age 14)

EPILOGUE: I did, indeed, go to the Principal’s office, and I sat there and waited for him, thinking that the whole thing was so STUPID. However, it was not going to go down well if he called my mother, because I had just gotten off of 30 days of House Arrest — I’d gotten arrested for shoplifting.

Luckily, though, when the Principal finally arrived at his office, he had one of those really incorrigible 14-year-old boys in tow — wherein anything I might have done or said, paled mightily by comparison — and the Principal took one exasperated look at me and said: “Just get to class!!”

ME (secretly thinking): “Yay!”

And out of his office I scurried.

PS: Becky absolutely FLIPPED over her birthday present!!

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

And here’s this!

From Ronnie Wood’s album, I’ve Got My Own Album to Do, 1974, “I Can Feel the Fire” (Mick Jagger on backing vocals):

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Okay.

Well, I’m also happy because my best friends, Kara and Wendy, and I have sort of solidified a date to get together for dinner (in early December) and celebrate Christmas!! Yay!!

Not sure where, but I’m guessing it’ll be somewhere fun in Granville.

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

Other nice news–

I spoke to my birth mom last evening. I hadn’t actually spoken to her on the phone for a couple months. But I haven’t actually seen her in over 2 years.

I invited her to come visit me for a couple days, but she has no transportation. My sister is getting knee surgery. So I’m waiting for my favorite Q-following friend to get back to me and let me know if she wants to take another little road trip with me — to go see my mom and have lunch! (She’s actually met my birth mom. She’s only the second one of my friends who has ever actually met my birth mom. And my birth mom and I have known each other for 40 years now.)

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On another happy note!!

Sandra and I spoke last evening, too, and we start back to work this Monday, at 11AM. Just to sort of quickly go over where we’re at on both projects. (Our play going to Off- Broadway, and that other really cool project that I can’t tell you about yet.)

Monday afternoon (tomorrow), I have to attend a caregiving training class at the Agency, specifically for caring for veterans who have PTSD.

But after that, Sandra and I will be working on Mondays and Thursdays. Yes! My 2 days off each week… (except if I make that quick road trip to see my birth mom…)

***********

Wayne sent me a really cute text yesterday morning (the morning after Halloween). He said:

“Bouncing around TV, caught a bit of ‘Who Killed Teddy Bear,’ a 1965 psycho thriller starring Sal Mineo. He’s a pervy guy, one scene has him walking around Times Square, checking out dirty book stores. Prominently featured: Naked Lunch and Last Exit to Brooklyn.

Your literary tastes are timeless.”

I thought that was so cool, but it was a little unsettling to be reminded that, back then, those books that inspired me so much as a writer, were once considered highly taboo.

(In fact, when Masquerade Books first published my book Neptune & Surf, in 1999, Barnes & Noble refused to carry it because of one of the novellas in it, “Gianni’s Girl”. They eventually changed their mind after the reviews the book got in London. For several years after that, they carried every single one of my titles. Now we’re back to bookstores not carrying erotica at all…)

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

Well, yesterday was a rough day with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man.

I won’t go into the details, but he is really deteriorating, cognitively. I never know what I’m going to find now when I get to his house. All I can do at this point, is to keep showing up and keep doing my best to keep his mind engaged.

At least he’s still eating, so that’s good.

Today, I have my evening shift with the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat. That’s usually relatively simple. We shall see.

**********

Meanwhile, I’m gonna enjoy my extra hour here.

Have a great Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

**********

I posted this just the other day, but I’ll post it again, since it was the soundtrack for that cool dream I had last night!

“Lime Tree Arbour”, 1997, from the incredible album, The Boatman’s Call, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Enjoy, gang.

If you listened to Phil last night, you know that there is a reason to start breathing again and be excited about “Christmas”…

(If you didn’t listen: RV, reset, NESARA, GESARA, worldwide, by end of the year.) He is supposed to go live again Friday at 9PM Eastern, with a Q & A about the RV. Buy silver (and gold) right now if you can afford it.

Replay if you missed it (direct link has more control over ads):

RV – October 29th, 2025 (1 hr 20 mins):

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

Here’s this–

From Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page: Keith and Mick onstage, The Marquee, London, 1971 — isn’t that a beautiful shot?

From Hillbilly Talk — Hank Williams:

And while we’re at it, here’s this from me — a demo made in my room in 1992. A song I wrote about Hank Williams. “Long Gone Train”:

BTW — lyrics are in all my videos, just click on “MORE”.

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Oh!

I forgot to post this yesterday because I was in a hurry! I love this photo!!

A photo of Nick by Susie. I think it is a hotel room in Arles, France (?):

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

Today, I have a semi-long shift with that sweet woman that I just adore — the one who lives in the huge split-level home in the hills behind the Bryn Du Mansion (in the home that requires a map to find the bathroom).

Even though it’s kind of a long shift, and it will be dark (and raining) when I leave there tonight, I just love spending time with her. Her cognitive abilities are rapidly declining, but she is still just so peaceful to be around.

Before I leave here though, I need to do yoga because my new schedule is not giving me enough time to do as much yoga as I need to keep flexible. (I have to do a lot of lifting, carrying, physical support, etc., on my shifts.)

But other than that, I have enough time to do a little bit of writing today before I leave. (I hope.) (Oh, and Sandra texted yesterday and said that the piece she performed in on Sunday at The CENTER in NYC, was a complete success! SRO.)

Oh, and I got a very quick update from Wayne, who has a copy of the completed first draft of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. He is always really busy this time of year, so it’s taking him a while to read it, but he said:

HE: “Quite fond of Aurora.”

That blew me away, gang, because Aurora Mayhew is easily one of the most regrettable characters I’ve ever created. And she is one of two truly detestable characters in this specific novel.

So I’m taking his comment to mean that the character is well written… (?)

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

Excuse me for a minute, I need another cup o’ joe…

Okay! I’m back!!

OOPS! I meant: Okay, I’m back!!

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

I’m planning to have a nice evening here tomorrow, gang.

In our tiny village (1300 people live here), the kids do not go door-to-door trick-or-treating. They go to the tiny town hall/park area across from our equally tiny City Hall, one block over from me, and have a party and get their candy there.

But they do wear costumes and walk down my street (and back) to get to the City Hall, so I’m going to set out a big bowl of candy “for the taking” and then hang out in my family room, eat popcorn, and watch the remainder of “Arsenic and Old Lace” and then “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” until the trick-or-treating is officially over.

It’s sort of like being part of the festivities…

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

Posted by Ross K. Nichols, to his Patreon group:

The Lost Scroll of Moses (Shapira): Part 1 | Hebrew Voices (50 mins):

From Ross K. Nichol’s recent Sunday School class — I forgot to post this!

The Gospel Before Jesus (1 hr 14 mins):

From James Tabor —

This is GREAT. I cannot believe that Dom Crossan is 91 years old already!!! Wow, is he sharp!

John Dominick Crossan and James Tabor: A Rare Conversation on Rediscovering the Historical Mother of Jesus (1 hr):

Also this, promoting James Tabor’s other new book, Restoring Abrahamic Faith.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims–What is the Historic Abrahamic Faith? (1 hr):

**********

All righty.

Just a quick note … if you read the Variety headlines every day, wow, gang. So many of the huge entertainment companies in LA are tanking. Directors resigning, hundreds, if not thousands, of people getting laid off… (I wonder if this means that “entertainment” might eventually go back to being entertaining? I guess we shall see.)

Meanwhile, Fox is doing great… hmmmm. (Could be that people are preferring the bigger “movie”? I don’t know…)

**********

Okay! That’s it! I’m gonna scoot.

Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

***********

I leave you with this!!

Breakfast-listening music!! (This song is like a balm on my soul, gang.)

Another gorgeous song from the gorgeous album, The Boatman’s Call, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Lime Tree Arbour.” 1997. Enjoy , gang.

“Lime Tree Arbour”

The boatman calls from the lake
A lone loon dives upon the water
I put my hand over hers
Down in the lime tree arbour
The wind in the trees is whispering
Whispering low that I love her
She puts her hand over mine
Down in the lime tree arbour

Through every breath that I breathe
And every place I go
There is a hand that protects me
And I do love her so

There will always be suffering
It flows through life like water
I put my hand over hers
Down in the lime tree arbour

The boatman he has gone
And the loons have flown for cover
She puts her hand over mine
Down in the lime tree arbour

Through every word that I speak
And every thing I know
There is a hand that protects me
And I do love her so

c- 1997 Nick Cave

So, not only did the local handyman come and put the bolts on the 2 storage closet doors (yay!)…

And not only did I get some yoga done, and study another lecture in the Protestant Reformation course — and it was pretty horrific: The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572 ...

But I also got SO MUCH reading/editing done on The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Finally. I have only 5 chapters left to read, and that’s only 88 pages, total.

And I’m really liking the book, gang. Although it certainly will NOT be everybody’s cup of tea. I don’t even have a clue what the target audience might be for this book. Perhaps the publisher will have a clue (assuming she likes the rest of the book).

But what matters most to me right now, is that I am liking it — and also consistently feeling surprised by it. Especially since I now know how the novel ends. So, reading it now from the beginning, knowing how it ends — I’m sort of always feeling, like: Whoa…

It is so hard to describe this book, gang. It basically takes place in a total of 4 days, but 1 and a 1/2 days happen in 1984, and then the other 3 and a 1/2 days happen in 1986. But the entire book covers 26 years in stream of consciousness memories (of the protagonist).

******

Okay.

Well, the next couple days will be intense. I have to work double shifts back-to-back, and every shift is with a client that has cognitive impairment to one degree or another.

HOWEVER!

I got a text that my new glasses are ready! Yay!

So I’m going to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man for a drive to go pick up my new glasses. (He only lives 10 minutes from there, whereas I live 30 miles from there.)

Anyway, I’m very excited. I will be able to see again. Especially while driving at night, and both tonight and tomorrow night, I will be driving after dark. Such a relief that the glasses are ready. (5 days early.)

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All right, here’s this!

While driving the other day near the train tracks, I was humming the old folk song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and I suddenly remembered that in my early days on the folk club circuit in NYC, I used to sing a song I wrote to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” But it was about making my trip out to California when I was 18. It was always a big hit and everyone would laugh.

This was in the early days, when it was just me and my guitar.

I couldn’t recall the lyrics anymore, so I went and dug it out of my files and it’s funny how much of that trip I had totally forgotten about. Well, it all came back to me. The song is funny, but what a dreadful trip that was. It took about 4 or 5 days.

Here you go:

I Went Off to California (I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad)

I went off to California 
Left my world at home
I put nothing in my suitcase 
But some vintage Rolling Stones 
I decided to go Greyhound
Due to quite restricted funds
I was doomed to tear my hair out
Before my trip was done.

I was feelin’ low, sittin’ all alone
In the Greyhound Bus depot-oh-oh
I learned quite a lot ‘tween the hookers and the cops
In an hour in Chi-ca-go.
Dinah don’t ya know, Dinah don’t ya know
It was dawn in Chic-ca-go-oh-oh
And the things that are alive at a quarter after five
Dinah, you don’t wanna know

Next, we pulled into Nebraska
Downtown Omaha
A man who swore that he was Jesus 
Was among the things I saw
I was feelin’ pretty hungry
But runnin’ outta dough
I made it all the way to Cheyenne
On seven Or-e-os.

Dinah don’t ya cry, Dinah don’t ya cry
‘though you feel you want to die-i-i
When the man who’s next to you bathed in 1942
And puts his hand between your thighs –
And sings out: “Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh
If you hold me way down low-oh-oh-oh
Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh!
You’ll fceel my love begin to grow!”

By the time we got to Reno – 3 o’clock A.M.
I was pretty near a coma
From fighting off the men
All the way to Salt Lake City
A stranger, good and bombed
Cursed me without reservation
For the years he’d served in ‘Nam.

Dinah don’t ya know, it’s a lonely way to go
And the Greyhound makes me blue-ooh-ooh
But I think of brighter days, when I’ll find a better way
And a house in Malibu.

Though I went to California,
Many years ago
I can still recall the nausea
And the memories of the road
Now I live in New York City
I left the Coast behind
‘though New York is dark and dirty
I’m glad I changed my mind.

Dinah don’t ya know, Dinah don’t ya know
It’s a rough and tumble tow-ow-ow-n
But a man can hold you low and a love can start to grow
And he’ll turn your luck around.

Oh, someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah
Someone’s in the kitchen it’s true-ooh and they’re
Savin’ up their pennies in a cookie jar
For a house in Malibu
And singing, “Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh
You can feel my lovin’ grow-oh-oh-oh
Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh!
When you’re strummin’ on my old banjo!”


“I’ve Been Workin’ On the Railroad” music – © Public Domain
“I Went Off to California” lyrics – © 1981 - Marilyn Jaye Lewis

If you aren’t from the States and don’t know this old folk song, here it is:

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Okay.

If you live in Tokyo, here’s this! (I highly recommend it. It was very engrossing.)

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And while I was reading/editing at my desk yesterday, at one point, I got up from my chair and discovered this cutie on the bed behind me!

Calico!

And a couple of hours later, I discovered this!! Too cute. I had absolutely no idea they were all there, right behind me.

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And here’s this!

From Instagram.

Just because it’s a truly classic Nick Cave photo that I have always loved!

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And I’m thinking that’s actually it for today.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

***********

Okay!

I leave you with this. Play it LOUD.

From every single one of my playlists over the last several years, as it turns out! It keeps popping up! (I love this song.)

Rod Stewart’s 1991 classic “Rhythm of My Heart” from the album Vagabond Heart. Enjoy, gang.

“Rhythm Of My Heart”

Across the street, the river runs
Down in the gutter, life is slipping away
Let me still exist, in another place
Running under cover of a helicopter blade
Flames are getting higher in effigy
Burning down the bridges of my memory
Love may still be alive somewhere, someway
Where they’re downing only deer, a hundred steel towns away

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing

Photographs and kerosene
Light up my darkness
Light it up! Light it up!
I can still feel the touch
Of your thin blue jeans
Running down the alley, I’ve got my eyes all over you, baby
Oh, baby

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing
I’ll be sailing
I’ll be sailing
I will

Oh, I’ve got lightning in my veins
Shifting like the handle of a slot machine
Love may still exist in another place
I’m just yanking back the handle
No expression on my face

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing
Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing
The rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words, “I love you”
Rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing
Ooh, hoo-hoo, ooh

c – 1991 John Joseph Capek, Marc Wallace Jordan