“Every act of Love matters, even more these days.” ~ Mary Carroll-Hackett
Joyce Bliss was born on Halloween. I’ve been trying for five years to celebrate her birthday in person and finally my chance arrived. Angie was real sick that morning, sadly she couldn’t be with us, but she had it all set up ahead of time. We went to a little BBQ joint in Tahlequah called Fish’s. Joyce had to show me how to get there. We turned down a dirt road and all I saw was this one-bay garage. I thought she was joking. She wasn’t joking. We met our first lunch date Diane Rickey, Birthday balloon in hand, exactly at 11am when Ang had made our reservations. The inside of Fish’s was as interesting as the outside. We were soon met by our second birthday lunch date, Dottie (whose last name escapes me). She does Joyce and Angie’s hair. While the three of them talked I slipped outside to take a picture of the building when, suddenly, the parking lot filled up and so did the garage/restaurant. I understood then why Angie made reservations at 11am.
The food was delicious, the company even better, and we capped it off with a selfie Ko-style (Dottie had already left us) outside Diane’s incredible gallery and frame shop. I hated to leave but duty was calling and so was my visit with the Barnes’ in St. Louis. I really missed Angie who is, tonight, in the Tahlequah hospital trying to recover from a serious infection. Light a candle and think healing thoughts for my BFF so she never has to miss another birthday. I’m sure grateful for her. My life would be far less colorful without her in it.
december 28, 2022 – the outhouse: where art goes
[…] was playing games and laughing. Looking back through the outhouse, I last saw Joyce in 2018 when we celebrated her birthday. This post’s photos were taken in 2015. I can hardly wrap my head around just how awful this […]