Cold .... and Back to Work

Sitting here at the Courthouse this morning after a break for Christmas that began on Friday, December 22nd.

When I pull into my parking space this morning, only the second in command was here.... The office was quite silent.... not even the mice from the file room were at play.  The Courthouse is a concrete monolith builit in 1939.

On the front of the Courthouse is the Lady of Justice, Blind and with scales, and Father Time.. ..traveling through....

It will be another slow 3 days... then off .... be back in full swing on Janurary 3rd....

So its a cold day here.....  looking out my window at downtown area of the Lil City by the Red....

On Christmas Day, I have friends who each year go to the Wine Country of CA.  I went with them ten years ago, the month that I retired from Corrections.  That is the last real vacation I have allow myself to have..... it seems I am just like to work..work.. work... any who.... On Christmas Day, due to the fires around Paso Robles CA they did not go to on thier usually Christmas trip.  So, I was invited to cook with them down the Brick Street... here is a photo of the dining room set for us that evening, Christmas Supper at the Smith's.

Slow .... ...

The Courthouse in the Lil City by the Red, where I work is drawing to a snail's pace.. for the Holidays...

I'm here at the office, most of the staff attorneys are not in their offices... we have a small crew.. working today.....

No Court Hearings are scheduled until the Jan 3rd.... Twenty Eighteen... No Trials.. No Motion Hearings..... No Nothing...

So, its Quiet on the Western Front here..... as far as Operations are concerned...

I was looking at my postings for the year... this is my 62nd posting.... hmmmm not many actually !!

Moving Back .... Returnees

In the past five or so months, old friends, who I met when I first came, have decided to move back to town.  There are two presently and a third consideriing it... I would tell the third he needs to speak to the other two before he makes the Decision.

When I first came to the Lil City by the Red, the two guys I mentioned above had just moved to Dallas separately in a two months of each other... both professionals etc... I guess they both heard Horace Greeley say " Go West Young Man, Go West" or by some accounts it was a Mr. Soule' that coined a similar phase.

Both did well, both have now returned after retiring from their prespective careers. One has made the adjustment from life in Cedar Creek to a returned life in the Lil City by the Red.. the other.. well if he tells me or his sister tells me he is moving back to the Big D.. it wouldn't surprise me.

Adjustment is a difficult matter......  from what I am told... life is very open there in the Big D... go to any gay bar ... and seek one's pleasure.

Aint no gay bars located in the Lil City by the Red .... Anymore.... there were four when I first came here in 1991... none now.... last year the Lil City by the Red Police Department arrested 715 DUI folks.. it wins that Arrest Award every year... for the last six years...   I believe if we had Uber or Lyft we could  have a bar life here... but there are very few bars now in the Lil City.

But let me get back on track with the thoughts.....   It will be interesting to see what happens with all these returnees ... if they can actually make an adjustment to a slower pace, no gay bars, two art galleries, handful of antique stores, two gentlemen shops, life in the 47K population Lil City sometimes can be a lil bit Slower than Most Places.....

But we do have less traffic, Clean Air, Good Water, and old neighborhoods with Red Brick Streets.

Tis A Day To Remember

Here is Albert Street at the house, looking towards St James Episcopal Church, this morning... the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day and Snow!!!!

At  6:23am, on December 8th, 1953, I was born,  being the first born of my linage to my Momma and Daddy.

I rose early this morning for some reason, possibly that I jumped in bed around 630pm yesterday evening....

64 years.... on this Earth....

43 years in Governmental Services to this date, working toward 44 years

30 years of that Service being the the La Department of Corrections as an administrator and Warden.

9 years as Chief of Staff, Commissioner of Public Safety, Director of Public Works (all of them off and on were sometimes at the same time, depending on who was out and who was in)  for the Mayor's Office in the Lil City by the Red

3 years as Deputy Sheriff, way back before Corrections and while I was working my way through College

1 year 8 months in the present field of Work for the District Attorney, as Executive Administrator...

Still Working .... Still Kickin'.....

and it Snowed today....

Happy to be where I am located, in mind, spirit, work ... and Life in General !!!!!

Second Post.... Must be Something in the Air

Must be something in the air... its rained today here in the Lil City by the Red... cold front or what we think is a cold front came breezing into town today around noon time......

Temp tonight is abot 50 degrees now, enough to justify a fire and posting a photo... of a quiet evening by the fire and looking at my favorite  Hunt Slonem... it always gives me a lil bit of pleasure to have his paintings in the house....

Or maybe I am just feeling good...

Numbers !!!!

I got my numbers in .. well,  7 panel test  data today...

I'm back on track on the V-Load, at the beginning of treatment it was 56K on 6.15.17, after 90 days, with the meds, it fell to 75, then the set back came when i was juggling the time for meds, working and forgetting to take them at the precise time...on 10.19.17 the V Load went to 601, now with routine set  it fell again to 42 on 11.29.17.. just 22 clicks away from non detectable.

It's been a learning experience for me for sure....

So, basically in five and half months I am all most there..

My Absloute CD4 cells are gaining ground also, I began the process at 457 on 6.15.17, now i am at 1059 on 11.29.17 and hoping to get to 1400 soon.  Which would be great... not sure if I will get there..

But its all progress I am becoming closer in to normal in the 7 panel test, even tho, I am only in the normal range with 2 test... on the edge of normal with 3 others, then 2 are still out of range..

For me its, how and what not to do and what to do....

My good doctor, tells me it will take about a year, so we are five and half months into the process for all 7 test to be in the normal ranges.... just have to see... and hope for the best.

A View from a Window

A view from my office window at the Courthouse...I am very lucky to have two windows.  The leaves are changing fast here in the deep, deep South.  You can see the red tile roof of the Missionary Baptist Church and the green tile roof to the far right of the Catholic Catherdal in the distance.  On the skyline is one of the two big hospitals in the Lil City by the Red.

Saturday Evening....

Its Saturday Evening .....

As usual... at 5pm ... on Saturday, I am always summoned to Joe Betty and Dick's home for the Saturday at 5pm cocktail.... this has been going on since time immoral ....... walk down rain or shine, cold or heat..... at 5pm... after they come home from 5 o'clock Mass... its drinks, snacks, and the local gossip.....

JB and D... are now in their mid to late 80s... I've been in the neighborhood now for almost 27 years.... this 5 o'clock walk has some ceremonial tone to it... folks are out on their porches chatting as I make that block and half walk... seldom do I reach the JB and D's door at precisely 5 o'clock due to the conversations...from the porches..

I turned down John and Bob's invitation to supper tonight, I stayed in... fixed grits and homemade smoked sausage for supper and retired to the bed at 7pm....

I have a blog that I have now read for 17 years... Brain Dump....... it's been a journey in Life's happenings ......to read his blog now for all these years...

When I first found his blog I was on diaryland.com ... I had had a blog on that site for about 5 or so years...then in 2006 for some reason, I changed to blogspot.com.. I wish I could link my old diaryland.com  site to my blog... but I think it  has disaapeared from the cyber world.... I always thought it was some of my better postings..the diaryland site.

Well... about to have an nice Tia Maria over ice...splash of soda....and chase the tv remote around the channels....

here in the Lil City by the Red....