Tuesday, November 09, 2004

This is a little on the sad side, but since I mentioned how my mom was the one who got me into the blues, it seemed like a good time to post this cartoon. I did it for Mother’s Day a few years ago, which fell during a terrible time in her life.

She had just had her stroke, and spent weeks in a rehabilitation hospital. Until her face and throat muscles came back, she had to eat awful strained food, even thickened water to prevent choking. Her left arm remained paralyzed, though she tried to pamper it, calling it "Minnie" as in Mini-Me. It was creepy, but it was her way of coping. No doubt the situation made her depressed and angry, as well as the chemical imbalances that accompany a right-side brain loss.

Adding to the aggravation, her “cellmate” was as annoying as one of the neighbors she happily left behind after moving from New York. The physical therapists reminded my mom of the Valkyries from a Wagner opera. And occupational therapy entailed overly upbeat ladies asking her to do tasks that would seem way too simple… had my mother had her old concentration. Mom liked to quote a character from the Sopranos, who strong-armed a man on the golf course: "Stupid fuckin’ game."

There are also cameos by our old dog Max, my old man -- quoting family favorite The Pope of Greenwich Village, Fly Man -- a superhero soon to be buzzing around here, and of course, blues legend Muddy Waters.

Nothing like the blues to say how one feels... and since I have no musical ability, this cartoon was the best I could do to try and cheer her up a little.

(As always, click the image to enlarge it.)


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