“Her Days”
Pencil, pastel, & watercolor
2025
I’m fortunate in that, since my early twenties, I’ve always had/admired/depended on my old lady friends. I sorta-loathe phrases such as “mother figure” (I’ve always had an actual mother, who, at age 87, is still quite alive).
All of my Old Lady Friends have been, first and foremost, simply friends…..quite aside from the ties/blurrings of children, blood-relations, marriages, jobs, etcetera.
I should emphasize that, contrary to what everyone seems to expect, none of them were ever at all “high-maintenance”. Quite the opposite, in fact. Over the years, I’ve had the awkward task of telling the grown-daughters of two of them a variation on “Your mother REALLY would prefer that you get yourself a hobby or a new husband or SOMETHING….just quit pestering her so much?”. “Independent” would be an understatement in each case.
My last OLF died this past year. I had a call from a near-stranger, confirming what I’d already guessed. Of course, given my own health and age over the year (I’m now 65), I think I need to stop referring to “old ladies”. I seem to have become one, in most respects (although I should emphasize that I’m not very lady-like in any meaningful sense).
That said?…..I miss my old lady friends (there were never more than one or two of them at once, over the past fifty years) a great deal now/tonight. And, as ever & yes…… you never know what you got till it’s gone.
Here’s a lovely song (are you old enough to recall it?) for this painting and all the old ladies who’ve been my friend. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhM84pJLkLg
