The stunning view from the restored chapel on the Hudson River where we celebrated Rick’s life.

It was beautiful. Rick was one of the most extraordinary men I’ve ever known. (And I’ve known quite a few extraordinary men.) We arrived a little early, which turned out to be a good thing, because we got to have a few quiet moments with Rick’s widow, Michele. She’s lost a lot of weight. Rick’s battle with this rare strain of pneumonia lasted four months. He was in the ICU for four months and I’m sure she was with him every day. I cannot fathom how hard this must have been for her.

Rick came from a big family and his siblings shared stories about him. His friends shared stores about him. He was a banker who took an early retirement so he could pursue his real passions; music and art. He painted this very view that you see here – gorgeous paintings of the mountains and the river. They were incredibly detailed. He played several instruments. He had a recording studio in his home (where he produced the CD Don made with his friend Dan Bonis.) He had children and grandchildren. He was adored by his siblings, his friends, his fellow artists and musicians.

Michele was the last to speak. They performed as a duo called Open Book and they played and sang together with extraordinary harmonies. They had been together twenty years and when Michele said “How can I never sing with him again?” my heart broke. She also used the exact same words I use about Don. “He was everything to me.”

Such profound words, filled with yearning for what was.

The celebration was beautiful and moving and I’m so glad we were able to attend.

Don thinks there will be a musical celebration of Rick’s life in the future. I hope so. How blessed we were to have known him.

It’s been a tough week. Did I mention that Don was in a fender bender earlier in the week? Yeah. That happened, too.

We’re laying low today. Time to take a break.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

This morning. Am I actually seeing some sunshine out there? You can see little bits of light shining on the sofa.

We can use a day of sunshine. There hasn’t been much at all lately, just an endless progression of gray skies. Today, we travel to a town on the Hudson River, about an hour south of us, for a ‘Celebration of Life’ for our friend Rick, who passed away a couple of weeks ago from a long battle with a rare strain of pneumonia.

And last night, we learned that our dear friend (and Don’s very best friend) has to have open heart surgery. He has been battling heart failure for a long time and the doctors want to assess his readiness for surgery. This surgery would be to install a Left Ventricle Assisted Device, which would assist in pumping his heart. They’ve tried everything else. Adrian is a fellow actor and Don has known him since both of them were in their 20s. We are, needless to say, very concerned and worried for him. He’s been through so much in his life and he’s only a couple of years older than Don.

A lot of time has been spent praying lately.

It’s all too much, of course, but we’re no different from anyone else.

Yesterday, I spent time trying to gain perspective. The cancellation of the move to Broadway, which had to do with not being able to reach an agreement between the producers and an actor, has stunned all of us. I was so looking forward to it. And the fee – whatever it would have ended up being – is needed here at the cottage. It’s one thing when this happens to you at the age of 40 or 50, but another thing entirely when you’re 70. I’m very aware of time passing, seemingly very quickly. Anyway, I communicated with someone involved in the show and felt better afterward. I still feel a bit angry, but that is slowly fading away.

Now, I’m just very sad.

I could hold out hope that the situation might change, but I doubt that it will.

So I spent the day reading and doing laundry and watching videos on YouTube – all of these being perfect vehicles for escape. And I need that right now.

I don’t have a puzzle on hand or I would have started one.

Thankful for a sunny Saturday.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

No photos today. I’m just not up to it.

This has been an extremely hard week, emotionally. My friend and colleague died much too young and the reality of that loss has been heartbreaking. And last night, I learned that a show I worked on, which was transferring to Broadway, is suddenly NOT going to Broadway. I can’t discuss details and to be perfectly honest, I don’t know them. I hope to know eventually. Believe me, this was happening soon, at the beginning of March. I was looking forward to more work, another Broadway credit, and being reunited with the wonderful cast of actors. They are, and I quote, ‘gobsmacked.’ They’re devastated. This news, while very upsetting for me personally, has a much more devastating impact on all of them. They thought they were moving the show to Broadway and now they’re not.

I had trouble sleeping last night and I’m still rocked by this news today.

I’m 70 years old. I still want and need to work, both for creative and financial reasons. I was counting on a little more income, knowing that as a freelancer, there are no guarantees for the rest of the year. Don hasn’t worked in over 4 years, which is heartbreaking and frustrating for him. I’m praying things turn around for him this year. He, like me, needs to work. He needs to do what he he does so well. So the cancellation of potential income for us has left me very, very sad.

Anyway, this news came my way late last night. I’ve definitely shed some tears over it.

One other thing: I mentioned in the comments yesterday that I was concerned about regular reader Chris K in Wisconsin. I was suddenly aware that I hadn’t seen a comment from her in a long time and when I looked it up, I saw that the last comment was on November 23rd. Donnamae, another reader from Wisconsin, and Shanna were also concerned. So I wrote to Chris. I don’t want to divulge too many details until I’m sure it’s okay with Chris, but on Thanksgiving day, she suddenly had trouble moving and walking and she was rushed to the hospital. She had lots of tests, and after about two weeks in the hospital, she was moved to Rehab. She’s still there, but she assures me that PT and OT have really helped and she is doing much better. She did say she could use our prayers, so let’s send them her way. We love you, Chris!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.