The Entry

Here I am ... in the Lil City by the Red.. on the Red Brick Street....

2018 was a Year to Learn.....

About Myself.......

About Others................

About rejoining old friends.................

About making honest decisions .....with all the information.... not partial whims ......

About What Friendships truly mean....... and who deserves the Friendship.....

About Giving Advice ......

About Receiving Advice.............. and What Not to Do with It......

All in All 2018 was in most aspects was meaningful on most fronts...

I Learned ..... and that is what counts.... ...Hopefully I am better for it.. and Continue.....

Life is a process, if you quit learning..... then.... you give up....

I have a better appreciation of my close friendships, more than ever..... and what they mean to me ..!

So, on to 2019... I wish my blog buddies ... Happy New Year....

Last Day of the Working Year

Today, here at the Courthouse, is the last day of the Working Year.....

When I walked into the office, I was met by the blue horizon of skies out my windows, the shadow of the Courthouse casting across the street..........

Later on, I'll write toward the end of the weekend, bout things and events of this year... ..

Here's to a bright day in the Lil City by the Red

Wednesday in the Lil City by the Red

Its Wednesday in the Lil' City by the Red....

When I drove into the parking garage this morning... wasn't anyone here except the Big Boss and a few staffers.....

The lunch cafe is closed... but the coffee shop is open...

Its a slow day here at the office....

So here is the grey skies of late December.... almost a monotone landscape except of the few colored roofs.

25th of December Twenty Eighteen

As a day of remembrances ......

Today in 1920, in Shreveport, La .... my Momma was born on Fairfield Ave... delivered ...
by a mid-wife...

Momma passed in the spring of 2001... which I have written about previously...

so..... it was a quiet day on the red bricks... the Lil City by the Red

Christmas Eve 2018

Christmas Eve Today.....

The Eve of Our Country..........

Will it be Continued .......................

I hope All will be Well................................

Please Dear Lord................ Please.................................

Under the Weather..... and the Setting Sun

I have revisited  my thought processes for with  decision to give GW the web site........

I made the correct decision................... Period... !!!!

I came home from the office at 9am yesterday, fell into the bed and just arose.... .. chest congestion...

Almost pneumonia ......

If I had passed GW could and he would (i haven't given him the password, but he can figure it out) have written the final passage... its important not to leave friends, in this world and  the  cyber world, wondering .....

What Happened........

I rose up from the dead today,..... late.... I have spent a better part of Friday and Saturday in bed... 

I did manage to make the laundry run............

As I was sitting on the porch as the sun set over the Lil City by the Red.... I notice as I have for years that the Sun.... was setting at the edge of the great White Oak Tree.... in the mid summer it sets over the northern boundary of a bayou named Rapides... that's (Rap ped ssss).

Here is the setting Sun... on the 22nd Day of December on the Red Bricks... in the Lil City by the Red

Yes ........... Yes........

Tonight I said Yes...... Yes.......

To Long Time Friendship.......

To a Man that I will call GW.......

To Honesty.........

To Forthrightness..........

To The Ultimate Trust........

I gave my blog address to a dear friend, a very dear friend, whom I have known for over 24 years....

Who doesn't reside in the deep deep South......

Why was I compel to give, to trust, to convey, my private web site, to GW......

Was it the bottle 2014 Pomerol....... naw....

It was the abiding trust I have in my fellow Man.... ...He is Truly  my Friend.... A Trust  Friend....

I know matters of GW.... he knows matters of myself... the dark longings of kinship... the need to be bound with a Man of similar upbringing... a Man who knows himself..... and has a curiosity of Life...
and is reaching to the Other Sphere.....

Yes... I gave the address out to Him...... To GW.....

He escaped the geographical boundaries of the deep deep South.... and Looked ...Forward to the Future....

He had the Courage....  not many Men of the deep deep South has that.......

As Horace Greeley said Go West Young Man Go West...... GW said ......  I will go Where I want to....

He Did... and He was Gone....

Yes..... Yes.... I did it for the first time since I began this blog....

Yes.....................................................................................................................

Winter Solstice Tomorrow

In preparation to the Winter Solstice that will happen tomorrow.. December 21st....

We should cook Mustard and Turnip Greens, braze some Turnips in a sherry sauce...

Kill a Hog.. .. just buy a lil pork....

and drank a lil good Scotch....

Its a rainy day.. cold misty.... damp to the bones... Great Louisiana Weather.... makes you build a fire, smoke a cigar.. sip a lil bourbon or really nice 15 year old Scotch......


I am going to make sure... I take it easy, slow, and carry through the Holidays.... in the appropriate manner..

I stopped at the Hokus Pokus yesterday, before the Hordes descended on the best lil'  Liquor Store in the Lil City by the Red.. and its name is Hokus Pokus..  picked up the necessary supplies...

School Girl .... in me.........

Monday .... here at the office.... taking care of business....

There is a guy... call him RB.... that is really my type.... and there is a story there.. which for the current time.... I won't go into the details.... ...

He is so nice, he is a bartender at one of the more progressive cafes here in the Lil City by the Red....

He's had a rough road in this early 20s... and he is now 35.... he is also an accomplished baker... which is one of his better multi talents.....

I have a school girl crush on him........ school girl crush.... one that you only dream about....nothing else.... that gets you tickled when he walks into a room, tickled when you see him across the aisle . smiling.... and when his image floats through your mind... giddy, no reason, just giddy.. cause I'm a silly school girl.. when his name is mentioned....

He brought some cupcakes to the office today... he knows some of our upper management staff.... he said this is for JL MM and you.... naturally we shared them with the entire office....

I know that the school girl crush is never turn into anything... He's too young, but it also gave me the opportunity to divulge my status in a nonchalant way... so if we ever had a date... which will in all probability not happen.. it won't be an issue... preparation is the key here... even if I am  think nothing will bloom.

Other than that ... all is fairly quiet the week before Christmas... I hope the weather stays fairly constant... mild cold weather is good for the deep deep South.

It's Wednesday... ...

Wednesday Wednesday..

After the 65th celebration... its been quiet at the house... its been quiet at work.... ... quiet quiet...

I take Uloric for my gout.... as u can tell in the video, I have put on some weight over the last six months.... I have to get back to the gym... I use to have a gym partner but he when to a lesser expensive gym...than the one I have always gone to....

So, the point of the matter is I have gained almost 20 pounds in the last year... partially due to the decrease in the viral load, partially increase in coming home and just eating.... and partially due to my taking of Uloric, which one of the side effects are a 7 to 10 pound weight gain... as indicated in the warnings on the prescription pamphlet given at the pharmacy.

I stopped taking Uloric for a brief period two weeks ago... I have taken it for the last 5 years.. and the Gout returned.....  I first got Gout when I was on the Atkins Diet .. meat and veggies... and it put me in the hospital ... in 2004...

So, I have decided to hit the gym... firm up the fat ... maybe maybe loose a lil weight..the meds I am on has a side effect of moving the fat cells around...... s

Anyway....  I decided this morning for work .... it would be a Blue Wednesday....

Blue Suede Shoes....

The Video

Here is a video from the Birthday Celebration on Saturday.

The Day....... !!!

Yesterday, was a High Holy Day of Obligation........

I did not make it to light a candle..........

I woke up with the Gout attack...... I haven't had one is years, I hadn't been taking my Uloric.. Poo on Me... I reaped the consequences..  I hobbled most of the morning....

Until.........

Two of my dearest friends came by, said .... Lets Celebrate .... This Feast Day....

Cause at 6:23AM, in Baton Rouge La.... I was birthed by My Momma.... on the High Holy Day... December 8th, 1953.......

Yep..... Sixty Five Years......

As we were sipping a lil  bubbly on the front porch.... I heard in the distance ..... that rag tag sound of a trombone and bass drum........  belting out "When the Saints Go Marchin' In"...... the Louisiana Theme Sound, played by every high school band.....

The sound boom boom boom.....came closer.... I hobbled of the Porch.... Bubbly Flute in my hand and an Ashton Grand Cru Cigar in the other.....

To witness a crowd following a  draped coffin in black cloth,  along with the CenLa Brass Band.... Second Lining Down the Middle of Albert... That street that I live on and more than likely die on...hopefully later than sooner.......

So .... my friends, especially Sara and Catherine, wanted me to realize that this Old 65 Year Old Curmudgeon is LOVED.... Beyond the Bounds of this Earth and Cared For by Many.....

So, My Birthday Celebration was a Total Surprise... and lasted from 2pm till 9pm Yesterday.... Lead by and orchestrated complete by Sara and Catherine.

It' Thursday

Thursday, before Pearl Harbor Day......

It's Black Boot Thursday here at the office..........

As with all fair minded Courthouse Crowds in Louisiana.... certain days of the week... you just got to wear ya boots.

It just happens that Our Office, commends that we wear a good maker of Boots... Quality...

So, we declared today as Black Boot Thursday..... I'm sure we will have Brown Boot Friday one day soon........ but Never a Boot Day on a Monday... tacky tacky....

Its Monday ..... Again

Well .... after an almost sleepless night...

Then final sleep at 4am.... then last few hours was  a vivid dream......

When I woke up... I decided that this was a Brown Shoe Monday......

and Richard ask how the Albert Street Photo would look in Black and White..

Here are both.....

Last Night............

Last Night was a Street Night........

It was one of those balmy nights in the Winter time... in the deep, deep, South....

In the upper 60s, damp, light rain falling from time to time.......

So, I got out the tripod... the camera.... and shot a few photos of a neighbors house, which is across the street and a street light scene on the Red Bricks......

A Lil Trip Down SouthWest La

As it begins to be this time of the Year....

I travel down to a Lil town named Pine Island, La. (Jefferson Davis Parish).... look it up......

It is in the prairies of Southwest Louisiana......

Rice Country..... 

Since I am not too much of a gift giver... I have traditionally for the last 21 years or so... 

Given Christmas Rice... the popcorn variety .. grown by David and Lorriane Bertrand.. 

with a Lil saying from My Kitchen to Your Kitchen... etc etc..

This is Lisa's second trip down South with me.... and then we ventured over EastWard... to a Lil town ..... named SunSet, La.....

Got to go through Basile, then Eunice, turn south... along the rice furrows and muddy roads (sugarcane harvest is ending)... along the Smoked Meat Trail of SouthWest La.

To Cafe Josephine' in Sunset.....   Grilled Oysters, Crab Cakes with fresh tomatoes.. Lil Malbec

Here is some photos.....

Tide always Rolls In and Out....

On December 3rd, the Lil City by the Red will inaugurate its first African American Mayor....

All Eyes are on City Hall.....

Its just down the street..... a few blocks....

The rumors Abound.... will the New Mayor has a racially balanced Cabinet, who will hold what position...

The New Mayor has Five Directorships, all appointed, there are Ten Mayoral Assistants, all appointed.. and Unclassified...all of them. ...

The old Mayor had two African Americans in his current cabinet,... Director of Human Resources and the City Attorney..... major positions that hold sway in numerous areas...in the past, the old Mayor had upward of Five African Americans in his cabinet at one time, during the Twelve years of his being in office.. Three Election Cycles.

So as the Tide Rolls in at the stroke of Noon on December 3rd... it Rolls out also.... carrying with it the regime that Was in Power.. ... A lot of weight on folks who can Make or Break the Lil City by the Red.... ..

Time Shall See....

He and I

In the last post, on this blog, I cited that I traveled back to the Place...

Today, He turns 38, He has made My Heart Cry, He has made My Heart Joyous Beyond any Dreams I could have had.


He has the weight of a Family on his Shoulders.

He and I were watching His Son, the 2 Year Old play in the backyard... actually the back 10 acres.

I am Proud of His Journey, his Service as a US Marine, I am Proud of him as a Patient Father, I am Proud of Him as a Provider for His Family, I am Proud of Him for the Home he established for His Family and His Offer for me to Return and Build my Retirement Home.

So here is He and I

Back.... Back to the Land of my Birth

Today, at the urging of my Lil Sister.....

I traveled back to the Land .. the Land of my Birth... the Land that was purchased by my GFather

 in 1877....  yep.. he was born in 1846....

My Brother, My Sister, and My  Son....... all live on The Place....

My Nephew I am sure will be there .. within a year or two.......

There is always.... always ... when I travel Back... of when is Tommy coming Back....

Its a constant reminder of my youth, being Back There.. ... the memories... the Years that have Passed By...

And its speaks to My Past Also.........

As soon as I cross the new Mississippi River Bridge... headed back to the Lil' City by the Red..

My mind is removed again from thinking of Coming Back...

But as I lay here in my bed.... there is some thought of being Back... Back to The Place...

and that is where my .25 mg xanax takes hold.

Yesterday.... Today..... and a Lil Hope for the Future..

Yesterday, on November 19, 1962, my Daddy passed away..... Daddy was 59 years old at the time of his death, born in 1903 in rural East Feliciana Parish.

56 Years ago... I was small child, the oldest of three... left my Momma, a widow, with a very large farm....... She never remarried, devoted her life to "raisin' her chaps" as she always said.

Today, I received word that my that my first cousin, who was the first born son of my Momma's brother, dropped dead, at his office, this morning, in Houston.  .. he was 66......


I better get to riding my bicycle more.... and looking toward the future..

Hangin in the Hall

I finished the Courthouse photographs...

I had the studio I do business with print "Lady Justice" on board and then on Staniless Steel... The Stainless Steel is a much smaller one and is cropped (second on the line-up here). I kept it at the house.

The third photograph is that of the two gracing the main hall of the office.

Blogging.....and Sometimes the Lack Of....

Well.... I know that bloggers in general hit a lull sometimes.... take my blog... in between 2011 and 2013 I had only 29 post... and in 2012  I had only one post... .. Gee.. talk about falling off the beaten path.....

There are some passing of bloggers, which makes me sad.. There is one on my blog list.. I have kept his blog up there, due to the fact, he born in Louisiana, gave me advice on some matters of the heart, years ago.... it saddens me sometimes to know that Wayne has left the bounds of this Earth.. and he will not write any more.....

Then there is Tommy from NYC... he always had a gut wrenching true to life blog.... I'm not sure what happened to him.... whether he passed or just moved on.. or decided not to write any more....

I feared Doug up in Tennessee had met some life event that might have upended his world and he choose not to return to the written word.... But he appeared the other day... I am glad to have him again in my "readings"..

All in all ..... you get to know folks not by face, but by the written word, the silent voice, your read their words, and they speak to you... each time..

Its Monday and Yesterday it was . Gumbo Weather and a lil Pecan Pie

Yesterday .... it was  slightly above 40 degrees, possilbity of rain on the horizon, and its time for


Gumbo, Crystal Hot Sause, and File'.....

So, do I make a seafood gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, and which Parish reciepe should I try to   emulate ... or a variation of it....

I have some Gulf Shrimp in the freezer, that came in from Venice, La.. and crab meat brought at the local market..

Take the Mirepox' out... roast the veggies, garlic, throw in the bay leaves, maybe a lil of this and that.... I think I will do a Kary's Dry Roux .. so it will be a lil bit .. lil bit more healthy...

Always in a big black iron pot... and no water... only stock ... shrimp stock, chicken stock, and a lil white wine... and a touch of Dry Sack Sherry....

Out on the Bayou, Bayou Rapides, that is, the best Pecans are sold....and one of the guest last night brought a Pecan Pie.. made with Pecans from Bayou Rapides

It's a Friday

It is Friday.... and there is big court upstairs....

Out my window its raining and sort of a Louisiana Winter Day.. Raining .. 51 degrees,.. and its time to smoke a cigar.... drink a lil whisky.... and relax by the fireplace this evening.. as the temps drop to the upper 30s...

O' please smoke the cigar on the front or back porch.

Another One...

It's a Wednesday night.....

I got a call today from a young man... who had an hiv test where he became positive... He is not a close friend, but a friend....

What do you say to a young man, in his 30s who is now positive.... he reached out to me.... I assured him that ... it was ok... that all things could and will be ok with his life, if he takes care of himself.. there are certain responsibilities that one needs to ahere to....

He spoke of some of the elements of some of what I have describe below......

Having the status certainly at first "sets you free"... so to speak.. .. most it tis an unbridled rampant sexcapded  .... a willingness to try "what ever comes to your mind" ... to experiment with an open abandonment of a gay man's life.......

Then... it hits you.... really.....  the infections come, the lil cold that won't go away... the bump here and there that turn into a pus boil ....

Then... you realize that your Health is the most important matter upon your mind.... ....

Another Young Man.... who by his own admission was not safe. .. pushed the limits of safe... and became unsafe......

Life continues tho... and I hope I gave him some comfort in the facts that Life will be OK.... if he takes his meds.... follows his doctor..and knows that he is among a group that knows Hope, but also Reality....

Monday Monday.....

Well I took a small trip on Thursday of last week, back the the ancestoral home... saw the little sister and others....

I stayed in Baton Rouge... and came home Saturday... it was good to leave the Lil City by the Red for a few hours.... get out of town....

Tomorrow about 9pm, either the Champagne or the Crying Towels will come out.......

With all the electronics and web apps, here in Louisiana you can download "Geaux Vote" it will give you up to the minute information with the Secretary of State web site for electoin returns  I am sure we will all be very attentive to that site...

Somehow I picked up a lil eye infection on my right eye .... not sure where it came from ... but I am headed to see the eye doctor tomorrow on election day.......

A Continuation ........

Yesterday afternoon before the late afternoon bike ride.... I decided to got down to the Courthouse, when no one was downtown and take some photographs... one for my Corrosion Series and some more for my Florals' series ....   I had been interested in the wild weeds growing from the granite base at the Courthouse.....  We have two granite relief carvings on the front of the Courthouse.  As I have mentioned previously the Courthouse was a Work Progress Administration Public Works Project building in 1939.  ... Some of the Art Deco features are still evident...  I had to get up on an eight foot ladder to get the first photograph.. almost eye level..

Here are three photographs I am publishing:

Once You Reach Out

A Gay Mid 60s Man...... on Reaching Out....

For the third time in my blogging career (if that is the appropriate term for it) I reach out by personal email to a Blogger.... I revealed myself to the Blogger... by informing the Blogger of who I am.... "Google me" I said...giving the blogger information to find out and do a lil research on me.... only three times in the since 1999 that I reached out in that way......

For the Third time.... I have Not Regretted the Decision.....

Even tho, I remain semi annoymous .... Semi... is the optimum word... I have been rewarded with another person, who crafts his entries well, who speaks from the blogger's Soul...

I am fortunate, very Fortunate,  to trust in my self, to trust in the World, to have made the decision to be aline,  to bring someone, into a better prespective of my lil world here.. in the Lil City by the Red..

Reaching Out... .... Reach Out... .. We should somehow Reach Out to Those Who listen to Our Written Words... ....SomeHow....!!

The Doctor Visit

Well.... Its Friday.... in the Lil' City by the Red......

I had my infectious disease doctor appointment today..... early ... 9am....  its a every Six Month Visit...

He assured me when I came into his office ... All was ok... He is a young doctor.. one of the best in the region ..... and he is an Episcopalian.... goes to the same Church, his wife serves on the Vestry with me.....

So, when he comes in the room... ..... he says.... "Mr Your OK".... which tells me ....

It Ain't OK.....

We then go into our usual hey whats going on... gossip in the neighborhood.... and then calmly..  he rolls out that I have went above the undetectable line....... he says a slight bump... I'm at 80 now... not under 20 like I was... he says no big deal.... .. Yer.... so if I am "chatting" with a guy... I now can Not reassure him I am undetectable.... all I can say is that I am HIV Positive....

Years ago... 80 was undetectable.... but It is What It is......

A Lil bit disheartening .... but maybe it will move me to get back to the gym... ride the mtn bike more.....

Other than that ...

Well.....

Well.... come on November 6.......

I will be ready.... to put Election 2018 behind me Hopefully with some conclusion at about 9pm on November 6th.

Its a Holiday for us..... the Courthouse is officially closed .. No Court...


Also in November we have November 1st off too.... All Saints Day.... if you have a grave of a family member, dear friend, etc... go to Mass and then go clean cemetery ...... its a fairly big day here in Central Louisiana... and Southward... to the Gulf.

The recent polls places CD, the Good Friend in second place... most folks wouldn't have given her a plug nickel to even 9% of the vote early on..... she is in second at 33%, with the African American Male at 37% and the other lady at 30%...  if polls are correct and no one makes a mouthy slip up.. she could be the first Lesbian Mayor in Louisiana....who is married to a Creole French Canadian Lady....

But I am just ready for the politics to be over with Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As Discussed Previously

As previously discussed ..... The Old Jail on top of the Courthouse which is a WPA constructed building, circa 1939.  On the top floor of the Courthouse was the jail.... it was abandoned in the early 1970's due to the cruel and unusual punishment of the incarcerated being housed there. The Warden was indicted and was brought to justice.. something that was unheard of in the 1970s.

Last year, I was given access to go into the Old Jail, allowed to take some photographs, here are some of them which I have published with the commentary below:


Corrosion of the Human Exsistence arrives in many forms. Nothing hits home more that the reminder of the treatment of human beings, who have been incarcerated.  Corrosion of the Spirit, the Mind, the Physical Body..... it is here in the photographs:

So... I am going to post a few more..

I'm going to post a few more photos in the collection I have done for the office.  I have them mounted on Epson Color White Photograph Rag Paper, Lustre Paper, and one or two Gloss Papers... all where taken with either a Canon 40d or Canon 6d Mark II. The below are some of the florals... in the next couple of days, I will post the "Corrosion Series", which deals with the now closed 1939 Jail.  It is certainly a contrast as they hang on the walls here at the office.

Part of the Collection

Here is one of the photographs ... taken on a Swamp Lake about 24 miles above the Lil City by the Red


Below is a floral, this flower comes up every spring and are the size of a quarter of an US Penny

Making the Folks feel Good..

In the last few months, the DA has allowed me to grace our office walls with photos I have taken.  Its been my privilege to help cheer up, bring thought, provoke discussion on several topics that I have zoomed my lens into.

There is a couple, who live in France, one of them, actually both of them post incredible photos... I inquired as to the camera...

I found out the manufacturer, type, etc.... I have been wanting a new camera..... I got me a

Canon 6d Mark II... Full Frame Sensor.... etc......


I really like taking my Macro Lens and reproducing small florals and fuana...


Here is my latest

Hmmmm

Never Never... Never say Never.....

But I did learn a lil lesson.... dont try to push or enlighten folks about  a canidadate..   Period.

San Antonio Photographs

On a ligther note... When I go to San Antonio, I have my lil' routine, I stay at the Omni near Warzbach Road.. its a direct avenue to the MARC Center... the center where I get my care at...

I eat at least one supper meal at Wasabi ....

I like to take photographs of the SA skyline, cause it gives me a broad view and the skies are so vividly blue, clouds add a contrast.......

So here are a few photographs from my recent journey to SA

Goin' to The Parish

In the Good Ole State of Louisiana... we don't have counties.. we have Parishes... its just one of those unique lil' things,  I so most Love about my State.....

For folks that live in the Lil' City by the Red....  most say if they are going to where the Wagon Wheel broke in 1794  (its a bit of history if you want to look it up) ... they say they are "goin' to The Parish"  ...

Avoyelles Parish that is... and please don't try to pronounce it.... y'all wont get it correct...

So, yesterday, Lisa (the Number One Lesbian) Friend and I traveled to The Parish to make our annual run to pick up Sweet Potatoes....   Its an annual trip we make... down La. Hwy 1.... down to The Parish.. and out into the countryside to Slim Lemoine Road....

Anywho.... we pick up the boxes of sweet potatoes for everybody.... and then go out to eat at one of the local cafes.... we picked the Cajun/Lebonese new one to try.... the rack of lamb was execellent.

Here is a photo of the 4x4 loaded with Beauregard Type Sweet Potatoes from The Parish

Well.... Certainly it Could be a deep Subject

Let me see..........

On Saturday, I traveled to Houston, stayed at the Hotel ZaZa in the Museum District, had supper with friends... Uber to the bistro.. only second time in my Life to Uber ....  met the friends.. and had a great conversation.... and meal.... it lasted 2 hours....

Sunday, September 30, I got up ... hauled my self to San Antonio... 

When I called on Friday night to see how the weather was doing...the friends said....No Way Bring the other vehicle.... So, I didnt take The Beast... according to my friends in Houston... rain had set in on Saturday...and I took the Ford 150 4X4.... its a nice ride.. especially with the new inch taller tires.... you can certainly see "down the road".....  

I had tests on Monday Morning,  results back on Monday afternoon.... for the first time in 9 years... 

I recieved a report stating there "no focal spuspicious prostatic lesion. all fields were normal"...

My vitals taken was 110/71 and the resting heart rate was 59.... must be the cycling for me.. I had a wieght gain... which is sort of not new... I tend to put on weight before I go for my bi annual visits.. I hope to take a few pounds off.. but all in all... it was a good report... 

I got up this morning and drove the 489 miles home.... through the back roads of Texas and La....  it took 7.5 hours.. ... so I am sitting in bed about to take a Lunesta and take this body to the Land of Nod.... 

Weekend Recap

Really its not much of a re-cap......

I biked on the new mtn bike the Levee(gravel) and city bike paths for a total of 11.42 miles in One hour and 7 minutes... fairly good speed for an old man on a mtn bike...

Went to the local meat market.... got ribeyes for Saturday supper, picked up the laundry, cleaned the kitchen... Lisa came for supper on Saturday night... did some porch siting over the weekend.... stopped by the local hardware store and took the 4x4 to the carwash... I had new tires put on it, the tires that came on it only lasted 28K.... its three years old.. and paid for.. so I had a lil more aggressive tread for the new tires......

I would think it was a good week... I am really not looking forward to the trip to San Antonio this coming weekend.... I have been going over there now for the prostate cancer for 10 years... but all in all.... I am ThankFul for my health at this point in time.... I have had a lil bit of a weight gain in recent weeks... not sure what to think about that.. maybe the biking will help...

Other than the above... all is ok

Tis Sunday Morning ....

Politics Politics.... its such a blood sport here...

When Huey was in office.... he developed the tactics that are in play today.... but He... did it on a broader scale.....

There is a Parish Seat. up north next to here, .... Huey felll out with the state senator or was it the state representative, doesn't really matter.... one of the main roads during his highway construction in the late 1920s was moved two mile over .. most new roads ran into the middle of the towns.. who had Parish Seats.. that is where the Courthouse is located in all 64 Parishes.....Thus isolating the residents, and no commerce moving in and out of the town.... and bascially the Parish is still the same... no real companies are there... if you need to get to the town.... you have to drive a backroad...  and in almost 100 years... no one has wanted to change that punishment.... Amazing how the Ghost of Huey still lingers...

I booked my hotels for my trip to San Antonio this weekend....  the trip begins the last weekend of September and runs into the first October. I am  to stop in Houston on that last  Friday.. see old friends and stay till Sunday morning ...arrive in San Antonio Sunday evening and have the appointment on Monday at 2pm.... then rest up and on the Road back to the Lil City by the Red on Tuesday.

I am going I believe this time to take The Beast... for a road trip.........it will be the first out of state travel for the Lil Monster with its 485 horses jumping around in that black aluminum skin....

Brown Shoe Tuesday....

What can I say.... when I got up this morning.. woke up feeling fairly good... must have been the 3mg Lunesta .. it was 5:07am.... or could have been that hint of semi cool air... when I opened the front door..

So, with a lil bit of thought... not much.... It had to be Brown Shoe Tuesday......

So, here they are.... from the local men's shop.. ..  and the new socks too.

The Bike

I went by the Bike Shop here in the Lil City by the Red.... The Shop is a family operation that has been in business for over 20 years now... the owner Mike is a great guy.... I have brought about five bikes from Mike and his shop....  

This is the new Bike.... its Specialized  full suspension bike, 29 inches, RoxShox its call a short travel bike also....I outfitted it with light, better seat, iphone holder etc.. so I can gps track my rides and calories burned ... and yes miles rode....

I rode Saturday and today....... it was good to sweat and get back on the Bike... I rode by myself... with gave me time to reflect... .. and think of recent events.... I plan to ride four days a week..

I just have to be cautious about the compression of the C4/C5 vertabates.. and remember to stretch before a ride.....

It's Thursday.. and It Ain't Tuesday....

Well.... one's personal actions sometimes with the intake of spirits of the vine and the upper highlands of Scotland dont quite mix .....

Thats all I can say....  maybe its the approaching 65th B day.... maybe its just an old man that is frustrated with the gay life in a small rural city in the middle of La. ... or it could be a combination of many factors....

But lets say..... I am glad its Thursday......

And here is a photo for a Thursday............

O.... by the way.. the Bike Shop called and my new mtn bike is in... its a Specialized Short Travel Full Suspension ... I hope to be riding my stress out ...

Can We... Could We.... Maybe.....

The above is a topic that hit me this week....

Actually it began about two months ago, when I was approached by a local guy, who said he was gay, he works in the restaurant business here downtown.... he described himself as open to dating, friendship, etc.....

He approached me... ..I'll call him ..Edward, which was flaterring since, I don't get approached that often in the Lil City by the Red...

As we began to have the discussion on a possbile date/meeting, I knew I had to inform him of my status....  when you are in politics, when you hold a position of recognition in a small local area, it makes you very aware of the pluses and minuses of informing a person... cause your status is going to be broadcast ... whether you like it or not....

So, in the last two months..... I have continued to talk to the guy... but I also have been allowing myself to communicate my status to folks in a way to bring awareness, openness to myself, and just plain honesty.  It certainly has been an eye opening experience...

Yesterday, Edward, text me and wanted to say hello, (I havent as of yesterday, told him, nor had I meet up with him).  I told him I wanted to speak/meet  with him about something before we had any private time.. .. cause Edward has expressed a lot of desires in having an encounter (before this point in time).

I told him I was HIV +, ... Edward said "O"..... the conversation fell off after that....

Edward started the conversation two months ago with "Can we get together for fun"..... then it was "Could We".... Now the "Maybe" got washed away by the "O".....

I am glad that I did begin to open myself up with folks.. I have openly spoken about my status with my Boss the DA, the immediate upper management of the Office (which I am third in rank), selected staff, my CPA, the State Democrat Party's endorsed candidate for Secretary of State.. (venturing into the state political regime, and a Sundry of other folks....  

So, when it came time for me to disclose with Edward, I was comfortable at that point, and I did yesterday... I will see him I am sure within the next few days, as I eat twice a week at his establishment downtown... I wonder if the "O" was the last word or will there be a Smile and Hello the next time.

DisGusted..... at Being Ingested.

Well... The Weekend.... went and went.... for me in the bathroom....

On Saturday, I make my normal "rounds" shop at the local hardware store, shop at the local men's store, then local meat market... all owned by hometown folks... everywhere you go.. Everybody knows your name....

Since we have no local grocery stores... we are at the hands of Krogers and Albertson's ...

Kroger just updated there store here in the Lil City by the Red....

So, my last stop was Krogers....

Around noon time, I made it home, I was a tad bit hungry.. so I opened up the Kroger Brand Mustard Potato Salad.....

ate two large spoons full..... and drank a beer.... hmmmm 45 minutes later I was on the toilet... spewing .... it wasnt pretty.... all doing the day and night I spewed waste....

Late in the day, as I was trying to regain my composure .. I went to check on the Kroger Brand Mustard Potato Salad....

I took a spoon and examined it... in the middle of the tub ... was what I found... a fungus infected potato..... I called the main number of Kroger's .. got a nice customer assistant... she took my info... then told me to call the store.... the new manager David... answered.. I told him my story... he wasnt really concerned.... he said he would check into it.... Damn.... no sympathy......Shit... Whole Foods here I come in Lafayette... or Albertson's...

Wednesday down the Hall

Some years ago.... I published a series of Floral Prints.... sold to local doctors' offices etc..

I was up in the top of the Courthouse the other day, wandered into the old jail.....the old jail and Courthouse was a WPA (Works Progress Administration) Building... built in the era of FDR.. 1939...

The old jail is abandoned now..... the last administration to use it was in the early 1970s and they were indicted for cruel and unusual punishment....

The photographs are hung down the hall at the Office... for all to see and for the thoughts that are provoked....  the comments sometimes are forceful

Here is my narrative on a series of photographs I am publishing now..... all taken and developed by myself....


Narrative:

"The photographs are meant to provoke thought concerning how the Nature of Law affected the Human Condition.  The feelings of dismay, powerless, the Power of Corrosiveness in Our Society and how We do Not deal with it.  Each photograph is explained in Emotions, not statements."