The Wisdom Of Keith

Mr. Moon sent me this picture first thing this morning. I guess the guys were in some breakfast joint that allowed naked cats in it. He said in the accompanying text that he's never seen one in real life before. I don't think I've ever seen one in real life either. I just looked them up and they are called Sphynx Cats and are one of the world's most expensive breeds of cat because of their extremely loving personality. They can cost between two and three thousand dollars. 
Well. They may be extremely loving but I'd pay at least a thousand dollars to never have to see the horror of those claws. Poor little things. 

Anyway, the Canadian government let the Tallahassee hunters back into their country again and they have reached their destination! Hurray! 

Today was Candy day and that sweet lady cleaned my kitchen counters and all the stuff on them to within an inch of their lives. Beautiful! It truly is a miracle and a joy to come home to such a nice house. I mean, my house is always nice but after she's been here, it's even nicer. I appreciate that so much. 

I met Jessie in town for- you guessed it!- a trip to Costco. I did not buy one thing. Call Ripley's. But we talked and talked and had a fine time and then because we were both weak with hunger (haha!) we decided to go to Chow Time. It's sort of embarrassing to go to Chow Time without the children there as an excuse. Oh well. But we ate rather sensibly, actually. I mean, sensibly in the sense that we did not go back for thirds and no desserts were involved and, well- we did our best. Hell, I even ate a sprig of broccoli! And we had much more to discuss as we feasted. Jessie and Vergil had a meeting with August's teachers today and were told that he is a "stellar student." As I told Jessie, that's a paycheck for a mama right there. 
I would sort of love to see August in school. Isn't it odd to think of our children and grandchildren in an entirely different setting and world from the one we see them in at home and when they're with us? 
It is to me. 

After lunch I ran by Publix and got to hug Lily and when I was checking out, the guy that was bagging my groceries said something that I doubt I will ever forget. He was youngish and at one point he took a second to sort of stretch his arm out and bend it back. He said, "My shoulder wasn't exactly in the right place." 
And you know me- give me a topic of conversation and I'll jump in with both feet. So I said, "Oh, it's not good to have a shoulder in the wrong location."
And he said, "Especially when it's made of metal."
"Your shoulder is made of metal?" I said. 
"From my shoulder all the way down to my hand," he replied, waggling his fingers.
Now how in the world could one miss an opportunity to hear this story but also, let us be honest- do we need to pry?
Well. Yes. Yes we do.
So I asked him what had happened that required him to have a metal shoulder and arm. 

And he said..."My father ran over me when I was fifteen."

Holy shit. I had no idea what to say despite the fact that I had a million questions starting with, "Did he mean to?"

Instead, I just said, "Well, there's an entire novel in one sentence."

"Yes," he said. "He didn't see me under a truck I was working on."

And I was almost speechless. It seemed to me there was far more to the story than that but if it was all as traumatic as I think it must have been, this would not have been the time or place to discuss it. Instead, I just said, "Well, I will be pondering this for the rest of the day." He laughed. Well, he sort of laughed.

And that was that. 

I read an article from BBC news today that commenter Sarah from Vermont sent me a link to about Keith Richards' arthritis. Among other things. 

But while the Stones sound ageless as ever, Richards' hands are gnarled with arthritis. Has it affected his playing?

"Funnily enough, I've no doubt it has, but I don't have any pain, it's a sort of benign version," he says. "I think if I've slowed down a little bit it's probably due more to age.

"And also, I found that interesting, when I'm like, 'I can't quite do that any more,' the guitar will show me there's another way of doing it. Some finger will go one space different and a whole new door opens.

"And so you're always learning. You never finish school, man."

It was an excellent article, as one would expect from the BBC and the last paragraph gave me pause. He was responding to a question about going on tour for this new album and how the boys all seem to be in "good fettle". 

"We're not looking at each other and saying, 'Time's up.'"

And then this: 

Is that a phrase he could ever imagine uttering?

"My answer is I'm not Nostradamus," he chuckles. "Of course it's going to end some time, but there's no particular rush.

"We're having great fun doing this."

And, as is my way, I got a little shiver and a little teary. This is an issue I am thinking about an awful lot. How to face and live the rest of whatever life I have? How to balance the reality of it all with the desire to live as fully as possible until I can't? 

Of course it's going to end some time, but there's no particular rush. We're having great fun doing this.

Hank was so wise (as he usually is) when he told me that Keith Richards is my totem spirit animal. 

So. I played some more piano this afternoon and my fingers hit at different places on the keyboard which I had already noticed two days ago. That crooked joint on my left hand's little finger makes it difficult to hit an octave. But it's okay. I can do it and I am having great fun doing it. And a lot of other things too. 

So there you go. 

Love...Ms. Moon