Lifting the Mood

In recent times, my life has been somewhat of a downer.  Shall we lift the mood a bit with a few of my favorite selections from gallery shows I attended in the last few weeks?

Rob Melor, The Sculptor Visits, acrylic on canvas over panel, 64 x 48, Walker Fine Art.

Lola Montejo, A Balance Between Yesterday and Today, oil on canvas, 42 x 52, William Havu Gallery.

Rielly Marques, M.A. & A.N., acrylic on canvas, Center For Visual Art (CVA) – Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Pamela Gilmor Hake, Defining Marks, acrylic paint and acrylic ink on canvas, 24 x 20, Sync Gallery.

Chris Hudson, Lemon – Aid, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 54, Core New Art Space.

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Are You Kidding Me?

Yesterday I received a notification from the Colorado State Health department advising I may have been exposed to Covid on Monday or Tuesday.  Monday I was at home all day as I had to fast and prep for surgery.  Double A drove me to the hospital on Tuesday.  Double A is not sick which means I was exposed to Covid at the hospital.  I had surgery, lost a friend and was exposed to Covid all in one day.  I was release from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon.  I’ve been sequestered at home ever since.  The only other person I’ve seen was my neighbor, Sheila, who dropped off pastries from Rebel Bread.

I have no symptoms so far.  I’ll take a Covid test in the next day to two.  Looks like a few more days of binging Netflix and Prime.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and a much improved 2023.

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He Will Be Missed

Mister P died on Tuesday two hours after getting home ending a 30-year relationship.  Mister D is devasted but is holding up.  I wish I could be there to take care of him.  Mister D took care of me when my partner died in 1988.  I stayed at his house for almost a week.

The women have taken charge of things.  They have cancelled all of P’s subscription services and notified social security of his death.  The wealth manager is reviewing P’s financial holdings and will offer suggestions on needed actions.  Cindi is helping with planning P’s celebrations of life which is a good fit given her many years of owning a special event décor company.  Mister P loved a good martini so they will be served at the celebration.  Cindi is also securing the bartender for the event which will be held in January. P’s family is in South Africa so it is doubtful they will travel to Santa Fe for the celebration.

I had two-hour call with D on Wednesday night.  It was a good call.  D talked and I mostly listened.  It was what D needed to do.

The guys were just starting to plan the final part of their lives.  It was only four months from retirement to death. 

I am so sad.  P was always the life of the party.  I will miss him. 

Mister P is on the left, Mister D is on the right. I think this was taken at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Dallas in the late 80’s.

 

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The End of a Life

Mister P is back in an Albuquerque hospital after a week at home in Santa Fe.  He was in the hospital for eight days when he had his second round of chemo.  Sadly, his tumor has grown and has spread to his kidneys.  He’s too week to get out of bed.  He’s not eating.  It seems he has given up.  It is doubtful he will ever return home.  Most probably he will be sent to hospice for his final weeks.  The women (his ex-wife, her wife, the wealth manager and her heiress girlfriend, Natalia the artist who lives next door and Cindi) have been providing emotional and logistical support along with caring for the dog.  His partner, Mister D, is managing but is severely depressed.  The guys have been together for over 30 years but are not married, which, seems to have brought on financial complications. 

Mister P retired in August and is now near death.  The last few months have been spent dealing with a cancer diagnosis.  He will not get to enjoy his retirement.  

Having a friend dying of cancer while dealing with my own cancer diagnosis is rather surreal.  I feel somewhat guilty that I have such a minor cancer while Mister P has the sarcoma from hell. Sadly, life is not always fair, and you have to play it as it lays. It’s a hand I wish neither of us had.

And then there’s Mike who was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic.  He was depressed so he bought a new Bentley.  Instead of exercising and changing his diet he dropped a couple of hundred thousand on a car.  Guess who’s picking me up at the hospital on Thursday?

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Round 4

The first two rounds were skin cancer.  The third round in 2008 was rectal cancer.  The fourth round brought colon cancer detected by a polyp biopsy after my recent colonoscopy.  A CT scan determined it is not stage 4.  My surgeon will remove a foot of my colon on the 20^th.  The pathology report will determine if it’s stage 1, 2 or 3.  Stages 2 and 3 will require chemotherapy. 

I’ve been overwhelmed by offers of support from friends and family.  A few have volunteered to fly in for the surgery.  Cindi has offered to come up from Santa Fe for a few days post-surgery.

Not an adventure I wanted but I will make the most of it.

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Back in Bed

Sunday mid-morning finds me back in bed watching the day mature.  The cat is roasting himself on heated floor while sunlight warms his topside. I have no obligations today.  Laundry is done. The house is clean.  No pressing garden chores.  I’ll probably have an early lunch before heading to the gym.  The Broncos are scheduled to lose another game at 11.  The gym will be empty until the game ends.  After the gym I may walk around the neighborhood to survey the progress of the new houses under construction.  Walking helps me clear my mind.  I have lots of things to ponder.

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It’s A Mess

The last few months were warmer than usual.  The trees didn’t drop most of their leave until the last few weeks.  Street sweeping stopped the first week of November for my neighborhood.  Most of the streets now look like the photo above.  They will look this way until spring unless we have high winds to blow this mess onto the eastern prairies. 

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