Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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.