So, Covid under control for a time, maybe. We support art, though not at the level some here in fashionable Boca Raton and Palm Beach do, but enough to be invited to a members opening. Friday, Machu Picchu at the Boca Museum and Saturday, Mexican Modernism at the Norton. We had fun.
Fish Kills
So, we are having a problem. Fish die in our pond. The naturalists called it “Fish Kill”. What is causing it?
Dead fish lie on the grass. Birds congregate to eat them. Some birds eat the dead fish; others won’t. The expired fish smell, no wonder only the ones who like carrion eat them.
Could be algae, but they said no. Could be chemicals, but they said no. Could be a lack of oxygen, but there hasn’t been a lot of rain. Could it be global warming or climate change?
Edward Weston Not
So, as much as I try, I remain a man with a camera. No new ideas for the art. New ideas for me. To the others who want to see pizazz, I say go elsewhere.
Chuck Close, Dead at 81
Chuck Close died. He made art, lived a life that challenged his body and his mind, and lost the battle of the sexes. His sexually charged comments to some of his models led to the cancellation of a major retrospective and probably some lawsuits. Our loss.
What is the matter with these women? Their puritanical views deprived us of seeing his works and deprived him of us showing him our respect. Can you imagine Manet’s or Cezanne’s models complaining? How about Rueben’s models for the “Rape of the Sabine Women“?
We remain positive that the booster will provide me with some protection from Covid 19 or whatever it’s called. Cannot understand why someone wouldn’t be vaccinated or wear a mask. I know how close my immunochallenged system could be to death if I get sick. So, shoot up and wear a mask.
Woman ahead of us in line at Publix was also immunocompromised. She had tears in her eyes. One person showed up for his first dose, pulled in by his mother. He wasn’t wearing a mask. Maskless woman called me a Douche, as she coughed while picking up a prescription. She said she would never put anything in her arm and would not wear a mask, because she wanted to breathe. Guy waiting for a booster sitting next to us said that unvaccinated should die in the parking lot.
My advice – vaccine, mask, and social distance.
Todd Lockwood and Lorin Duckman
So, my friend Todd Lockwood has a show opening in Burlington VT. After he shot my pic, I shot a selfie.
Turkana Boy
Liz Duckman and Sheryl Bender
So, Sharon’s genealogy research brought us a cousin we didn’t know, Liz Duckman (on the right). She lives nearby in West Palm. One month older than me. Her father is buried around the corner. It’s the only family I see.
Her friend of 40 something years, Sheryl, visited. We went to lunch at Morikami, but got rained out.
Sharon Duckman, 72
When people ask how long we have been married, I always say, “not long enough.” Without her, I would be a homeless person. Ageless. I cannot live without her, adoring even the difficult moments.
When I was suspended from the bench, preceding my removal and the end of my judicial career, I tried to go back to work after spending 7 months with her, full time. People asked how I felt, not really caring, but out of politeness. I said, “…, frankly I miss the time I got to spend with my wife.”
We moved and stayed together. We have moved a few more times and stayed together. Now we have sickness and injury. We live in a place we don’t like and doesn’t like us, and we are still together.
Lorin Duckman, 74 Years Old
Celebrating a birthday, especially one in the 7os, brings reflections on the past and projections about the future. The good news: my blood, medicated as it is, tests perfect. The bad news: my blood, medicated as it is, has rejected the Moderna Covid vaccine. So, a very happy day, followed by a depressing Doctor visit. Such is life.
I don’t have much of a voice anymore, my career and reputation having been wrecked in 1998. I try to do acts of kindness, everyday which is not always easy. You should too.