The Last Day of the Year. and a Thanks to All

 I was sitting here all day, it rained, and is raining again now...... its damp, cold .....

Three of my dear friends are down with Covid.... two are doing well.... one is not.... but hopefully she will be on the mend here soon.

No real celebrations, no festive parties, its seems that time is slowly.. passing by.. .. 

Almost at a standstill here... folks are starting to take heed ... of wearing mask... of staying home... we lost our Congressman Luke Lutlow to Covid even before he took office ... at 41.. such a horrible   time.. 

I hope we all can survive ..... period... 

Thanks to all the regulars and casual folks who run into this blog.... that stop by and comment... I have enjoyed chatting and engaging with everyone.,

Morning on Albert Street

 Morning of The Day Before..... 

I was sitting here in the kitchen and thinking of past days or days passed.... 

Its that time of the year .. to reflect upon those days of this year in the  Lil City by the Red......  

So, I stepped out into the brisk air, this morning, as the Sun rose to peak at the roof top of The Camp on Albert..... and pointed the camera to take a photograph of Upper Albert... Since The Camp is located on Lower Albert... .. being on Lower Albert is much more community than Upper Albert...  the 17 houses on Lower Albert are a tight knit group... we have all been here most of our working lives.. and have watch the  transformation of our lil street... from cut up duplexes and triplexes.. to single family homes.. restored..the National Register Historic District designation...   So two photographs... one looking towards Upper Albert and the second on as the Sun tips the roof and chimney of The Camp on Albert......

A lil while till Closing time.

 Sitting here at the office... its a slow day here at the Courthouse.... not much going on... 

We are closing down around 2pm today.... and will have the next two days off... 

I did stop by my favorite men's store, one of two in town... locally owned.

I have always had this idea, which I have held very close to, in that if you are a Pubic Servant, who is paid by tax dollars, you owe it to the Local Businesses in town to shop at their establishments...  I hope I do my part.. both men's stores are locally owned, the liquor store is locally owned, the hardware store I shop at is locally owned...   I don't go to Homo Depot, Dillard's, etc... I buy my seafood from the local seafood store, the meat, poultry, pork, and such come from th local meat market....   

I do however miss the local grocery store.. it closed some years ago.. it was right down the street near me...  So I have to buy from Kroger's ... and I do that by Instacart... and have them delivered.... 

So, Y'all have a good Holiday... and I might take a few photos .. 

Sunday .....

 Ever Since I took the Juice that He (his name can not be spoken anymore) took at Walter Reed I have felt like Wow... it was a Wonderful Infusion

That Juice, that IV Drip, whatever they dripped in me has given me a burst of energy and brought me Alive!!!! Again!!!!

So, Lil Mr. Good Doctor is coming over tonight for Supper ... I am fixing Lemon Fish, which is from the Gulf of Mexico, caught by my friends the Ayres Boys.... they are bachelors who fish all the time... 

As I was thinking.... the Lil Mr. Good Doctor is in a residency here at a local hospital... he is friends with my closet attorney friend...    He's from New Orleans and is about as close to any Free Spirit Gay that is ..that we have here in the Lil City by the Red......

He is coming to supper tonight... nothing more.. .. he has Never made nor I of any overtures to anything but a friendship... I intend to maintain my distance.. Period... 

But (and there is always a but)....  I decided to build a fire in the fireplace and have me an Old Fashion, Markers Mark, Not Stirred, Not Mulled.... layer on layer..... 

Here is it with the Kirt Kempter Hand Canvas behind it on the Counter......... 

Saturday.... Very Very Late Afternoon.......

 Sitting here by the fire, Barbara on the Sonos and House Speakers.... Quiet... Quiet......

I FT'd with a few old friends earlier..... Opened up a 2016 Giogandas ... sipped the afternoon away... 

Then The Stillness crept in...... Silently..... as a Ghost slips into a room, shadows... of the evening begin to come alive...... 

Its Raining here..... which begins to incumber the evening... ....  thoughts of the past ... the past life ....

Barbara is singing "The Way We Where".......... 

Photo of the Late Afternoon ... on Albert .... at The Camp..... Remembering the Passed Lives of Those... 

Remembering the Situations of Created, of Happenings so far .... but so recent in the Mind..... Of the Fire that flickers and the embers glow..... as the Late Afternoon... turns to Evening... .... 

So Goes the Day

of

Break Out Friday...... Its Good to Be Alive!!!

 Its Friday Morning, here in the Deep Deep South.... Its Clear, Its relatively cold today as this area would know it....

The Sun is coming up over Albert Street.. casting shadows from the Crepe Myrtles and Big Oaks down the street... St. James looms in its Glory.... towards Bolton Ave.. the CM has lost all their leaves, golden, reds, tans, light browns... scatter the ground....  The Sasanquas are nearing their bloom cycle... the Camillia is about to bloom....  

 Photos are not in order... But (and there is always a but) ... Its time to Step out the Door.. Carefully!

All is well.... and I am Alive.... Thanks to the Higher Power in Life... Blessings......

Thursday.... Update as the weekend approaches

 Well tomorrow.... according to the rules... I. can come out and stand on the front porch... enjoy the brisk sunshine... and say Thank You to all....

I got the call to come back to work on Monday December 21, 2020.... which is always good.....

I have to be careful not to get overconfident on my quarantine and get out in the cold weather....

Don't push it is the message   being sent to me  by all... especially the Good Doctors....the   message is that all is not ok.... almost  but not really ok... take it easy.. don't go biking in the National Forest on Saturday... what I can say.....its that I will make me a fire in the fireplace, have me one toddy... and chill for the weekend...

Not much else is happening here.. I want to get the vaccine soon... I am told that I will have to wait 90 days from taking the antibodies... the only other thing I have to be concerned about is catching pneumonia ..which is sometimes, I understand, prevalent with antibody treatments.. I have had my pneumonia shots but I am not sure how much protection that gives me.. I will be careful tho... no relapse or side missed steps for sure.

Here I am on a Tuesday.....

 Its been a week since I first had the real symptoms of Covid... 

This morning I woke up and I was feeling a lil bit queasy ... sick of the stomach......

From the amounts of Vitamins and the Docxylene Antibiotic I am taking to ward of pneumonia ... 

I should have had a queasy stomach long ago.. however......its just another day toward getting out of quarantine .. for sure..

I have been working from home this week, turning in the daily activity reports etc that I did when I was participating in Stage 2 of the pandemic ... So, I can prove that I am a valued member of the team . etc etc etc...

Sunday.... Update

 Just a lil brief update......

I woke up this morning with vim and vigor....... like a bouncing baby boy... tickled that I felt good....

Breakfast .. juice and bacon and the big handful of meds... 

I am thankful on this Sunday for friends far, long away, close, and closer for checking on me.. 

I feel like I have rounded the corner, that so many don't with this illness...... 

A reminder of that came this afternoon with an attorney friend of mine who had it about a month ago...he woke up this morning with chest congestion, couldn't catch his breath, etc.. he went to the Urgent Care clinic... he had the first symptoms of pneumonia ... he had been finished with Covid for a month... the effects crawl back into your life.. .. I have to be very careful as time goes on that it doesn't happen to me... 

For today.... I feel good.. and healthy.. 

Tuesday.... and I will gladly pay you on Tuesday... as Per Wimpy It all started on Tuesday

 Well Tuesday December 8th was my birthday.... and it was the day I became symptomatic . for Covid and thinking it was a just a touch of being run down or the flu, I thought nothing of it...

I left the office told them I was not feeling good and came home jumped in bed... ..Wednesday the progression was a lil chest congestion and a clear runny nose.......

I dialed up the Good Doctor.. told her what I was experiencing and she said Wednesday night I had Covid.. . I said no.... no way.. I have been careful... the Good Doctor said.. its the clear runny nose that tells the tale....

So, on Thursday, as you know ... I took the test and the rest is history.......

I feel a lil fatigued, jittery from all the meds, but overall I believe that I am one of the lucky ones.... was it the antivirals that I was on to begin with ....and the Infusion helped in so many ways..... and maybe its was my birthday... 8th of December.. High Holy Day... the Feast of The Immaculate Conception. 

I'll have to have a hamburger next Tuesday.... 

Part II Late Saturday Afternoon.....

What does a 67 year old Gay man do ..how has Covid do on a Saturday afternoon... Change the bedsheets,  vacuum the house, do a load of Covid infested laundry... ya ya da da......

I have to say I am surprised by some of the circle of friends,  not close friends, but friends.. who have said "who gave it to you"..... Dum Ass...No One... I caught it somewhere in the air or putting my fingers in my mouth or scratching my nose, or touching my eye.... .. 

Thank the Good Lord for the Food App, Waitr, and the Grocery App InstaCart.... both saviors for me. 

Its med time.... so I am off to swallow tons of vitamin D3, Zinc, C, etc... take Doyelyine for pneumonia exposure, ... Brom something for to keep chest congestion away... etc etc etc...

Update on Covid

 I do have symptoms and they are no so nice... they don't greet you with a smile...

I just finished the newest infusion treatment, I'm the 71st person to be given this treatment of antibodies in the region... I drove my self there and back home from the Center.

The name of the injection, delivered by infusion, is bamlanivimab .. the lab guy told me its what Trump got .. its made by the Lilly company.... I did not ask the price... my insurance owed it.. so I took it..

You have to qualify for it with certain factor... I hit three of the five and went straight to the table.

I am waiting for the onset of the infusion treatment. .. its said to have a fair fever... and then u are up and at the the next day.. . lets hope so...

The Test

 Well..... yep for the second time in my Life I have tested Positive ........

Now for Covid..... .. Amazing the reactions when you tell people... that you tested Poz... "are you trying to give it to me" "why are you telling me this" "when did you find out and when was I at your house, thanks for sharing fuck up"..... 

Then you have the dear dear friends who are worried, concerned, and want to help out.. 

I am to quarantine for 10 days now.. I will keep the blog posted on

Late Night ... with the Camera and a lil bit of Malbec..

 Part II 

To the Night on the Red Bricks of Albert Street......  The Windows are of Glow...  

Elements of a Friday at the Office

 As on some Fridays, I take a photo of the boots, shoes I am wearing for the day....

As I reviewed the photograph this morning I noticed the elements of the Times are there:

Hat... cause my  bald head is cold ....

Mask..... needs no explanation....

Stack of Files....Peoples lives that some decision must be made to help or correct....

The old Warden's Chair from years passed............ 

The State Seal of My Office in the Chair..........

The autographed Photo of a Noted Reporter........ 

And other sundry items of no consequence..........

December 1st Passed

 December 1st passed, I did make some statements around the office, but it actually fell on deaf ears, if I was really truthful with myself.

It's somewhat disappointing when folks continue to stick their heads either in the sand or in the clouds, never acknowledging World AIDS Day.... 

I think next year if I am going to be around I am going to borrow one of those Red Ribbon Posters from our organization, place it on my office door.  Maybe I could get more of a response.  At lest some discussion.  

I remember when the HIV/AIDS first appeared in this part of Louisiana.  Guys were coming home from Houston, Dallas, NYC etc to be with family for support and to die... most families reacted to lock them away from old friends, supportive family members, let them die a lonely death. 

Its still disappointing that my boss never recognized yesterday except a pat on my back and shoulder, but no words.

Still a sign of the times we continue to live in

World AIDS Day. December 1st

 Yesterday, I sent out to a select group of friends, fellow staff members, etc a reminder, a text,  for World AIDS Day... 

I was somewhat surprised as to some of the responses, every one who I shared the news of World AIDS day, knows that I am living with HIV.  

I feel that I am here to break the stigma that surrounds having HIV in this rural central Louisiana area..  that by my actions I have at lest tried to make sure the face of HIV is from old to young, unemployed to career successful, working person, ...... we are all Human.

The stigma of living with HIV is still out there.. and most people in normal life don't want to face it when they don't live with it... 

This is the text I sent out:

December 1st is World AIDS day. There are approximately 500 people living with HIV in Rapides Parish.  

This is something that is ever present in Our Society. 

I want to thank you,  for allowing me the privilege to confront and be a part of the community living with HIV. 

Your support means so much to me each day.  

twt

From Fall to Winter... all in five days

 Well.... typical Louisiana Weather..... 

Rainy during the weekend..... Fall dampness and then..........

Tonight we will hit 27 degrees..... Winter has arrived.... 

Its Monday at the Office and Covid is lurking around... spray spray, spray, wash, wash wash, ...mask, mask, mask..... 

Isolate Isolate... !!!

The Time of the Year..... Almost forgotten hearing the sounds of the Geese...and You better Call the Dogs

 Every year... along the Mighty Red..... you hear sounds of the flocks heading south.....

The last four years the flocks didn't sound out..... 

I was sitting on the front porch, sipping an Old Fashion, Makers Mark, when I heard the honk honk honk, those calls that send chills through my soul, that brings back memories of walking the fields of the farm on dreary winters afternoons,,,,, ..... it warms my soul.....

I stepped off the porch to see the first flock of Snow Bellies flying South..... in a mangled formation, but flying South, Honking their tunes..........

It brought tears to my eyes, I cried.... to know that I had survive another year, to hear the Sounds of Geese flying South...  its a Louisiana Day here in the Lil City by the Red..... A Wondrous Afternoon.....

Make a fire in the fireplace, fix another Ole Fashion,..... and Call the Dogs... Yes Call the Dogs

Today Yesterday and Foward....

 I have not been in a writing or posing mood lately.. no thoughts or even a trail of tidbits have floated through my mine in the last days of November.  

We are suppose to feel the cold temps of a Louisiana Winter here in the next five days... its been raining on and off all day..... 

I had two young gay doctors who are in a residency program here fore supper on Tuesday night, we had a Shrimp Creole, plenty of wine, and some Trappist Monk's fruit cake... 

I spent TG here at the house, later on in the day, towards sunset, I went down the street to Bob and John's home to have a light supper .....

I have the house open presently, screen door latched on the front and the back door open to the back porch..... The Barn Yard Owls are cooing to each other .. as I hear... it was reported the other day that foxes were roaming the outside limits of the city.... Wildlife is coming near.. that is the only things I have to report... 

Life is ok.... Its just Me.... which might be the Best Thing... for It to be Just Me... I don't have to worry or be concerned about any one else. 

No Fall ... Limp Season.... Covid is Lurking

 Here we are the 21st of November ..... 

One fire in the Fireplace... ... Balmy Weather to say the lest..... 

No Frost on the Ground.... ... Not even a chilly rain.....  its a Limp Season for sure... maybe we might have some winter here soon.. we count on having a few freezes to kill the mosquito and spider populations.. since we are a Buggy State... the semi tropics for sure.... now days.

Its Summer time out there.....and the Mosquitos are in droves.... Raid Yard Guard.. by the cans are sprayed each evening if you don't have a screen porch... thankfully the back porch is screened.. I am thinking I might have to invest in screening the front porch as well

2020..... has not been a good Year.... over the last week, three people I work with have come down with the Covid..... .... All have small children... which might explain it........... but who knows.. one is not doing so well.... but I am told he will pull through..   

I fully expect that,  the Governor,  as Limp Dick as he might be.. I hope he has enough nuts to pull the plug and send us back to at lest a "stay Home Order" soon....  say for 3 to four weeks... it's getting very bad out there.. My Dr Friend says most hospitals are at capacity .. in the ICUs

Pine Trees and Po' Folks

 The title of this post says it all.........

Isolation ........ due to Geographical Location..... 

No Life..... The young barely graduate high school... 

Vo Tech School.....Its hard scrabble...... 

College.... they usually don't make it past the first semester .. lay up on academic probation the next semester and kicked out..... can't come back..

Post du Rapides .. has a population of 129,122 according to recent figures.....

Post du Rapides has a geographical size of 1,362 square miles..... so less than 100 people per square mile

More Pine Trees ... Pine Trees and along with Poor Folks... so isolated... 

Our airport has an "International" designation .. due to our link to the US Army at Fort Polk...and The ICE services provided by Airplane Contractors . Con Air... that flys deportations out each day...

AEX is our notation on any flight log.

I ran into a young man that has never been further Baton Rouge.. even tho he has played cello at Northwestern La University.. 

I mentioned the Pine Trees and Poor Folks in a comment to a friend in another state that lives in a very Metropolitan Area.... .. 

At lest we have Waitr... Thank Goodness for Viet Thai Bistro.. but even when the pandemic is nearing its end and I want to go to Viet Thai Bistro... they don't serve liquor... a sign of the Conservative Beast that Rules............

Post du Rapides

This is Not a Bitch Post. We Do Have Clean Air... Good Water.. Virtually No Traffic.. You can get thru a traffic light in one cycle....

Its Just a Statement of how the Gay Population is being isolated...   no jobs for the young.. and they can't go no where... !!!!

The 3 ......Time and Time Again....

 Time and Time again over my lifespan here in the Deep Deep South. .... 

I have been reminded of the 3 Rules of Gay Dating... and now even Friendship.... 

Have a Job

Have a Vehicle

Have a key to where you rest your head at night

These 3 lil guidelines, rules, or whatever you may want to recognize them as, known to me as The 3,  seems to work here.  Breaking either one of. the three or not requiring all three.... usually places a man in a situation that only will ... cause him to be manipulated, hoodswaggled, or ask to help out, lend money to, pay cell phone bills, or help with the rent or hotel stay...

I was chatting with a friend the other night, a guy in his fifties, on his plight to find a romp in his bed.  I warned him about who he was about to invite over... the guy hit the list for two out of three.....  true to The 3... it ended up not a good night .. and an awkward situation for my friend.......  

Whether it is dating or the beginning of a budding friendship... the 3 apply.... 

Is it the economy down here, is it the semi tropical climate, the overly hot summers, the culture of the Lower South, what is the root beginning in the Gay Population here.. ... I see more and more guys falling into The 3 circle... sooner or later they all make the pitch to ask for something... We seem to have much more than what I read in other blogs... or is it just as prevailing in other parts of the country.. and why is it so pronounced here.. it seems......

The V is back in the Office....

 The Election Party was mostly the staff.. all masks .. however we had some folks who didn't wear masks

The Virus has come back to the office.. . one of the staff is out with the V....

On another topic... all is well.. stood my ground with some of the NN....  .. it has seem to work.. don't know how long it will stand....

We are experiencing a very hot Fall... its not nice.... three hurricanes.. the V.. and now hot humid weather..just not working  .... out for a lot of folks.. we all want that  brisk wind to face... just a lil brisk. 

The People

 The People Spoke........ 

The Hype lingered........................

It was an Uneasy Feeling.........................

Then George B called to congratulate Joe and Kamala...........................

All Then Knew it Was Over............

The People Spoke............

Today is Today

 Today is Today.....

The Rubber meets the Road........ 

It's going to be tighter than Dick's Hat Band............

or 

Will it be Finer than Frog's Hair spilt four ways

or 

If it is Going to be Peaches but the Can.........................

All Saints Day.....

 Today is All Saints Day.......

Better go whitewash the graves if you live in South Louisiana... 

Around here most folks visit family plots etc.. tell the tales of long ago.., etc.....

It brings back memories of days passed... 

All is well on the Red Bricks in the Lil City by the Red today.....

Its a great Fall day here.. bright sun.... blue skies...... and brisk 68 degrees with a slight wind... 

The stain glass in the front windows ... are brightly highlighted...

Part II 

Sunday Evening.......

During the day, I saw my neighbors scurrying about.... we have a wonderful mixture of elderly, young, gay, straight, haven't actually declared it, Demos, Reps, No Parties, Independents, that reside here on the Red Bricks... its a nice group of nosey muther fuckers in the worst sense of the word...and on the other hand its nice to have neighbors that see a suspicious person lurking around your sidewalk...  

You sometimes have to take the Good .. with the Nosey... 

I have already Early Voted...at the Courthouse last week:

Biden Harris... I dont want to even say his name....  For the Sake of God and Country!!!!!

McCallum... Yes Not Gremillion... Louisiana Supreme Court. McCallum does wear a Bow Tie

Chelette.... Not Fuller... Councilman at Large

Hopewell ...Not Rachal.... City Marshal Race

Williams .... Not Sanders...... Minority Judge Race

and

 I voted No on all the amendments to the La Constitution .... except for bring on Sports Betting.... Please let the Betting Parlors reappear.....

We need the tax dollars..... some years ago, there was a vote by Parish (we dont have counties) that let the individual Parishes decide whether or not to have Gambling, etc... these Stupid folks here in the Great Parish of Rapides.. (and you can not pronounce it like we do).. made the choice to Vote it as a Dry Non Gambling Parish.... The Parish lost ...approximately .. 4 million dollars in revenue. that was coming into the coffers of the Police Jury.. Yes We have a Police Jury.. (its your County Commissioners) but we like still to be a Lil Bit French..C'est Bon!!!!!

A Lil Road Trip with some Friends

 Today is Halloween.... Yuck.... Lil Nasty Goblins and their Wild Eyed Parents will be roaming the Bricks... around 530pm till 730pm.... Yuck Yuck Yuck!!!! it cuts out front porch sitting ..but (and there is always a but)

The back porch.... will be just fine for an evening..........

I will be in my backyard... cooking and sitting around the fire pit...

This morning I am heading South to the Broken Wheel area of Central La... down to Avoyelles Parish.. please don't try to pronounce it.. ... I'm picking up sweet potato boxes for everyone ....these are 40lb boxes of "dry cured" sweet potatoes grown in the red alluvial soil of the Red River Delta. ..The Dugas Farm is where I go... they only raise sweet potatoes.. . Mom and Pop operation.... on a lil Cajun Farm... down in the heart of "The Parish".  My riding buddies are three friends.. banker, airport manager and a teacher.

So, stopping at Juneau's Meats.... specializing in Chicken Cracklins', Hog's Head Cheese.. and other delectable food specialties... brought back some stuff chickens with boudin and some hog head's cheese for supper..... smoking the chickens  on the Egg....... Green Egg that is. Hog's Head Cheese for appetizer.

Have to let the sweet potatoes "cure" another week to ten days more.. in dry cool dark place .. then they will be baking good on a long Sunday afternoon, when the chill of the winter is approaching.

It will be a nice Fall evening.... here on the back porch... away from those Nasty Nasty Lil Goblins...and their Wild Eyed Parents.

Zeta Passed.... Now the big E Day is approaching

 Zeta passed real fast through the New Orleans area.... Some damage.. my friends in Metairie suffer a lil bit.. friends on the Northshore had minimal damage also, not like Laura did to Lake Charles....

Other than the above... Life is about the elections here... Local that is.... .. The Boss's election is a not brainer... please.... but the other local elections are going to be interesting...

We have Three Slots on the City Council, all incumbents are running, all have good multiple persons opposition.

The City Marshals' races on this side of the river and the other side of the river, is one incumbent with two opponents .. then there is an open race where on the other side of the river the City Marshal chose not to run.... multiple persons there ..  Its an interesting note that a City Marshal in the State of Louisiana is the highest compensated elected official.... gathering a salary and then a percentage of service fees from serving papers, evictions, etc etc... which comes to about $260k to $290K a year depending on geographical location of the office.  

I held to the Party Line... as a Yellow Dog Democrat on the Prez.Election.... but I veered away on the At Large City Council race and voted for a dear friend of mine who is a member of the GOP.... 

On Tuesday, the Boss is having his victory party... I surely don't want to go get exposed.. so I will mask up and make my appearance at the big warehouse and socially distance...for a brief time... eat a lil jambalaya and sip a Coca Cola...   Then back to work on Wednesday.

The Repeat... History .. .... It Always Does....... Doesn't It

 As we approach one of the major points in American History in 6 or so days, we should take notice of another event that happened yesterday...... 

ACB became an associate Justice of the Supreme Court...  she has a very certain conservative bent to her thoughts and reasoning.... 

History repeats its self so, so, many times.... 

I harken back to the year 1894, when Edward Douglass White, was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, by President Cleveland, then in 1910 President Taft elevated Justice White to Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice White was born and educated in Louisiana.. and he had a very, very conservative bent to his thoughts and reasoning.........

Amy Coney Barrett, was born and raised, educated in her  early years in Louisiana.

White and Barrett practiced and deemed  faithful to the Catholic Faith... .. 

Both has and had Irish ties in their lineage.  

The similarities are numerous when you begin to compare Edward Douglass White and Amy Coney Barrett.... 

White gave the United States "equal in quality" upholding segregation .... in Plessy V Ferguson 

My thoughts are now turned to AMB... I wonder what she will give to The People of This Country... in her rulings... 

Time will tell, History repeats itself time and time again.

As a side note, EDW served on the High Court from 1894 till his death in 1921... .. As with ACB, EDW was educated in his later years outside the State of Louisiana..  EDW attended  Georgetown University at one point in his educational life.

The similarities run deep when you delve into the Repeats of History..... 

Monday ..... Monday

 It's heading to the big day...... the almost final decision..... hopefully.... .... 

Here in the Lil City by the Red we have City Council elections.. .. local elections have a day to day impact on the citizens here....  Not discounting the National Elections... but (and there is always a but) ... the we are electing or voting for incumbents, new folks running against the incumbents, to three seats on the 7 member City Council....   its my hope that we can unseat all three incumbents... and restore civility to the City Council...

Restoring Civility, Compassion, ... and True Decorum.. is a must for us here locally.... 

It's Monday here in the Lil City by the Red.... All in my lil world is ok........On this Monday Monday

On Saturday, I washed down the front porch and front side of the house... while sitting on the porch one of the street people was walking through the neighborhood... and I snapped a photograph... 

It's classic ........ for a Fall Day in a Lady Walking down the Bricks....Framed Up.......

The Beast...

 Today, I writing about what I have seen in the last month or so.... and the nature of The Beast...   Its a two headed  Beast.. linked by a human body.....

Hiv and Meth, . as we say down here ... Poz and Tina..... and the the Human form... Two Headed Creature

I am seeing more and more of my brethren fall into the crevasse of addiction fighting The Beast..

In some instances Poz comes first , in others Tina is first.. but they link together to form one of the most powerful, ugly, dominant, Forces that totally ruin a Gay Man's Life... Most can not escape The Beast .. 

Some just view This Creature from a nearby fence, only having crawled into the field and was kicked out of it..... while others crossed the fence and was gobbled up, eaten, and became impaled by ....The Beast.......becoming One with It... 

Time and Time again I have seen this happen, The escape is not easy... the lucky ones only have to experience The Beast are scarred by rejection, outcasting, ... then slowly regaining theirSelves .. knowing that The Beast can knock on the door anytime... Just don't open the door....

Others are totally consumed ... never to leave that dark world .. to be leeches off each other... to be manipulating their selves and others to reach for another High, another fix... 

The damage can never be replaced, fixed, helped, .... The Beast finally lays its Men...down... one way or the other.....

Its a terrible feeling that one can not help .. that you see the End coming for these folks..... 

It the last month as I have mentioned.... all in Vain ... except for the Lucky Ones......

Passin' ... Headin' ...... to the Big Day

 Here in the Lil City by the Red, there is not much concern for the National Elections........

Louisiana is a solid Trump State.. ... just facts.. nothing more... red neck.. backward... not many liberals.

My eye is cast on local elections for City Council... its where the rubber meets the road.. . 

What happens here locally has all the bearings in the world.. it speaks to property taxes, brick street repair, utility cost... etc etc.....

and My Boss is up for his next 6 year term... which he is geared to win.. by at lest 64 percent.

Visits... Today and one tomorrow.... and a few ramblings.

 The day is being consumed by work, the eye doctor, the therapist and tomorrow is the every 90 day PSA test

New eye prescription from optometrist .. then to the Therapist to worked on Momma issues, Invasion from the neighbors issues, and a lil of this and that...

The hankering of a new car.... went by the wayside....   if I am to stay... in the Lil City by the Red... I want to improve my house with a larger kitchen, I have a commercial gas range now.. it cost $3700 ten years ago. I have the original kitchen hood.... which is aesthetically great for the home, but doesn't function well with a larger commercial range....you can't grill inside.. not enough suction for the uptake in the vent.. actually none...... 

The front bathroom has the original 7 foot tub with side controls.. I am certainly not changing that.. its historic actually.. and it all works.. the back bathroom.. might need a walk in shower instead of a tub with shower

Something to consider if I am staying here... and the therapy is helping me cope very much with the intrusion of the lesbians, I have set boundaries, they tried to cross them and got turned around and went the other direction... which I am glad... I stood my ground..   used the tools and phrases that the therapist suggested ..

But how knows.... what might happen... I am a lil bit anxious about the PSA test tomorrow... 180 days ago it was .8..... then 90 days ago it spiked from .8 to 3.8... I think there was some activity there but I am waiting after tomorrow with the blood draw and I will have the results on Monday...   Then I will see...

All in all.... its fairly ok here in the Lil City by the Red....

Curiosity ..... Yep.... It helps Sometimes

 So, most of the bloggers I know have some sort of counter, stat tracker .. etc...

Blogspot has one.. but it wasn't giving me the details.. was curious about...  

Let me lay out the facts here...  I wanted to know if someone else here in the Lil City by the Red was nosing around my blog....   I wanted to find out if someone was and if not.. ease my mine.. my private thoughts are for myself, trusted bloggers, and one friend in NYC...  and  I am not searchable from the web.

Its been cozy here, some of hidden from the world... but in the recent month or so, I have noticed from one person's text that .. the person might be reading my blog... who lives in the Lil City by the Red.....

So, while I was roaming about my daily reads today, I notice some one had StatCounter..   so I researched it... its a paid stat counter service.. about 90 dollars a year... that can give me some piece of mind that I have no one from my neighborhood.. snooping, looking at my blog.. 

Damn it.. its my thoughts, my private thoughts... I have certainly come to know a few .. I read their comments.. I think of their comments..   

So, as of now and through the day I check my new gadget .. and did not notice any one from here... which give me comfort .... to continue to write my thoughts... feelings.... and an occasional flare up of the red ass.

Conversation......

 Sometimes when folks chat.. converse ...   .. when you have a friend ... and the conversation last and last and last... catching up, just talking.... its a Cosmic moment in time.....

You realize certain elements ...  the voice, the notes, the infliction of the rhythm of the flow......

It was all very noticeable today ... .. It was a good Sunday Talk...

Delta... She Came..... She Rained Rained and More Rain.... She Went.....

 Yesterday and up till about midnight I stayed up to monitor the Tropical Storm Delta.. She spurted out from a Hurricane Cat 1 to a Tropical Depression by the time She hit the Lil City by the Red.......

The as the rain swelled on the brick streets.... the water rose..... Here are two photos... the water rose up to the sidewalks... we have 18 inch curbs due to the brick street being laid in 1903 .. carriage height to step off and out of your carriage at curb level.... 

The City didn't lose power heard a few transformers pop, but this house and this street never lost power....

Here are a few photos from the deluge of last night.... The bottom photo is as the rain was gathering notice the storm drain is still visible in the bottom photo, also you can see the bricks still visible on the bottom photo...  ... the top photo indicates the curb to curb... I waded out into the street last night in the top photo, the water was about 20 inches deep, flowing fairly fast. 

Sunny skies today with the temp at 79 degrees and a lite wind... nice day in the Lil City by the Red

A Perspective ...... The Creation of a Glass House .... The Conflict and Stress ... The Resolution

 This is a Perspective ...... 

First a lil bit of history... to establish a base line... 

The Career in Public Service began in 1974, as a  lowly student worker at the college I graduated from...

Then .. as a deputy sheriff in a small parish sheriff's department.... then a Major step into State Civil Service that lasted 30 years.... rose to the pinnacle of power and obligation in 6 gubernatorial administrations....  lauded as a top corrections professional ... commanded a work force of many ..

Then.... after that era... went on to serve as Chief of Staff, Director of Public Works, Commissioner of Public Safety for a city..... deep, deep in the heart of Louisiana......  after 9 years.. I had enough of sleepless nights, heartbreaking decisions that affected many... and occasional pleasures ... but all in all .. I enjoyed serving the public and helping people... that was the key for and into my inner self.

In the last year or so of serving at the pleasure of the Mayor... the political winds were stirring and rustling up ... the responsibility of all that weighed on my shoulders...  . an offer came from an unlike public official.. . to join his newly elected staff that had been in office for 18 months... that had four and half years left on that term of office.... I was ask to join this  elected official's staff as the Executive Administrator.....  and that is where ..... the story takes on more of the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" theme.....

I have always been comfortable in my own skin, during the years of state service I lived a quiet life as an Out Gay Man.... .. then the time came with the City Service . the Glass House was building its foundation...  A few eyes began to peer into... ask questions, few rumors of who is visiting you last night etc etc etc... nothing I couldn't handle holding the position I held at the City...

When I ventured to the Administrator's position, that I currently hold for one of the most powerful offices in the State.... the Glass House was finished..... and there was no curtains.... all Glass all open.... in a Metaphoric Way... 

Whomever visited my house, who ever stopped on the porch... whether it was for pleasure, politics, and down right Hot Heats Passion... all eyes peered in.... I tried valiantly to ignore all.... I told my self its my private life.... what I do in my house, how I run around naked.. whom ever is in my bed is My Business...

No So....... Not So..... when you live in a Glass House... Metaphorically.. (In actuality  its was build in 1923 of heart red cypress).. You have No Privacy.. when you partake of any pleasures.... l

My neighbors, gathered, talked, conversed, Gossiped, .. in all the years I have lived here... during the State Civil Service and City Service years.. I never had nosey neighbors.. O, let me back up... Nosey is my term..their terms are.... that They Are Worried, They are Concerned...let me digress for just one Statement... I think even one has my site now... Which I am considering leaving blogspot and finding somewhere else to continue my blogging. I will monitor the web sites on my counter to see if any one from my city checks this site out.. before I actually run off to another site... 

All to say that the  entanglement, pleasurable or otherwise,  I have made is no more... what I do I can't write about.. who comes over ... is Known within a matter of time.... I have built a Glass House in an affluent neighborhood of attorneys, doctors, lesbians, gays, engineers .... etc... and some federal officials.. 

I built the Glass House... I created my own Conflict and Stress...  I have to solve it... the first steps was about a year ago... I started therapy ... with a LPC. then Covid came... and I had a time of Regression ... I fell off the Wagon in several ways...   

The Conflict is within in my self...  I have determined with the help of my therapist... that I am going to remove my self from any discussion by anyone of Politics in General, Politics as it pertains to elections, etc.... and how can I perform that task.... The answer is .... Make the Statement to All... (which by the way has been accepted by the elected official I currently serve) .. That I am a Civil Servant.. I am here to Help All become a better individual through the programs I manage..

In seeing the therapist on a weekly basis there are key elements to the next part..... one is to resolved my Total Anger at those Peering Eyes of Those Concerned Friends.... the other one is to help myself guide myself to where I want to be in the after the next retirement in 36 months.....

the third is to relieved the STRESS that I have caused myself by ................................

Living in this Glass House that I built.......

Here Comes Delta....... Heading Toward Us

 Here Ms. Delta Comes.... A One on the scale ...... of One to Five.... 

I stocked up.... charging all the devices... got the flash lights and candles....  wine, whisky, ice... and a lil soda water......

The outer bands of rain are now here... I am sure will continue for a lil while....   Get Ready.. 

The Trip ......... The Return

 I'm back from my visit to the Home Place.

It was on of the most pleasurable experiences that I have had in my many years of being away.... was it the Therapy.. .. Had everyone matured... gotten old... less worries.... we all are passed 60 now... and all the children are heading towards 40...... so it makes a difference ... for sure.... 

When I returned, I had a few questions on where I had been... I am not divulging any information on my satisfaction level, my future plans, etc........

I believe as time marches on... that I could return one day,  not in the short term.. say 12 months, but (and there is always a but) wait till I retire again on October 1, 2023... I will be 69.... headed toward 70.......

If I had a position offered in the Baton Rouge area, it could speed up the time line some.... but I have not worked on getting one....however, that is a possibility out there .. some what way out there. but its out there.

When I returned back to the Bricks... I was tired... my friends down the street ...had me for supper .. and we chatted about my enthusiasm on my plans... 

Here is Sun Rise over the Woods behind the Sister's Home......in the Left  lower mid corner, you can see a lil bit of the Creek... which is the Parish Line between East and West Feliciana Parishes.

The Trip..... Back.. !!!

 I am here... I made it back to the family farm which has been in my family since 1875...... My grandfather brought the farm way back when.... long ago.... TWT Sr was born in 1846.... I'm the Third... there is a Fourth.

I am here at my sister's home... which is on the north end of the farm.... 

Tomorrow...... Yes...... Tomorrow.

 On Friday..... I will venture out of the Red Bricks ...... From the Lil City on the Red.....

Back to the Place where I was born.... back to the elements of my family.......

To visit.... to spend two nights.... to venture back to a time that holds so much meaning.. both good and hurt... to Family that I have spoken too continually but not faced... one on one... 

A time that for many things still remain the Same... but so much has changed.. .. People have Gone..People have changed... Yes ..... We all have Changed.. Modified .. become accustom too.. 

For ME..... this is a milestone event.... is it a beginning of a new era.. a new passage..  .. for that I am not sure.... I am willing.. I am ready......

I am willing to gather new meaning.. to find some reasons.. to ensure with honesty ... Feelings Emotions!

To Walk among The People .. I left 35 years ago... .. 

I am Open... that is all I can say... 

Wednesday...... at the Office....

Its Wednesday at the Office..... 

Tomorrow I make four years here, full time, there is only three years left till retirement again.... you are vested at 7 years here....  

A second retirement...  in just 36 months... if my health continues to hold up......   sometimes I doubt it.... 

Rambling Thoughts.......

There are other factors.... some of it is the neighborhood stress.. in some cases I want to move to another part of  the city, in some cases I want to re-locate back home to the farm or back to Baton Rouge...   I still have friends there.... home (the farm) is only 45 minutes north of Baton Rouge.... ... then in other thoughts I want to just live my life by my self, not having anyone... becoming a solitary person... with very few close friends... I think I have achieved that...to some point ... no large numbers, .. dinner parties of four including myself.. nothing larger as in the past.. 

My career has seen its bumps, lows, stressors. and so many achievements ...  ..  at this point I am at a mid point... I have gone back into therapy.... I think its time to begin making plans for after the second retirement... what will I do to occupy my time... . 

I have in the past isolated my self up here at Post du Rapides..... over the years... in Feb 16, 2021 I will have been here 30 years... there has been stretches that I didn't leave the area for a year or so..  I use to travel a lot.... the years wained on... and travel lost it luster... I became sedimentary ... I might need to pick up the pace and start leaving on the weekend... 

You never know what might find you or you find something ... out of the Parish...

Conclusion........ It's Wednesday... 

Yep its Wednesday at the office and tomorrow is October 1st... time passes on... 

 

Saturday..... So Quiet

 Yesterday I left the office and headed to the house, I have been needing to tidy it up...get a head start on Friday Afternoon.... Which..... turned into almost cleaning the entire house ...

Then it was time for .a lil supper, its seems that I am alone more now than before Covid... No on visits like they use to.... 

So before I turned in I sat on the front porch.... ... smoked a cigar, FT with the family member, then went to bed...

Woke up around 4am... the back to bed... 

Then up and at 'em on a Saturday Morning.... Not much to do.... 

Its a reflective day... 

Today..... is so very Quiet here.... in the Garden District........

Quiet .... Still..... Tranquil ....... No Movements........ 

Easy Day.... drifting into the mid - Afternoon 

Friday.... and the temp was 70 degrees ..... Life on a Friday Deep in the Heart of Central La.. Nothing Better

 Just a lil bit cooler on a Friday... that becomes hopefully an easy weekend....  

Friday Footing is by Lucchese Boots . Full Quill Ostrich .... Desk Book is written by Mitch Landrieu... with various objects d' art on the desk..... 

Almost Sour Mash Whisky time... but just not yet... too many mosquitos still buzzing around. especially in the back yard by the fire pit.. but soon .. will be watching the lights of the airplanes streak across central Louisiana.. 

Part II

May Ruth Bader Ginsburg Rest in Peace.... 

Let's Remember Her Accomplishments and Her Faith... and Her Strength . Yes.. Her Strength .. !!!!

Sitting here at the Office... Time is passing ... Things that come along .. To Think....

 We are suppose to have a slight bit cooler weather here in the next few days....  

Hurricane Laura did enough damage for a long time to come.... 

Hurricane Sally... missed us... Thank You .....

Father Heflin called today ... he seem to realize that I had lost two good friends here in the last two months...   Albin and Bill... both older than me... but each had a very particular role in my governmental and personal life.... It was nice of the Father to call... I appreciate his concern..  I did get a lil stuffy in the nose and a tear formed in my eye ... when he was asking if I was ok.. alright.. doing good.. etc..  He re-counted Bill's last few minutes on this earth... it was good to hear how peaceful and serene the passing was....  

Albin's death was tragic. he was out on one of his boats.. decided to swim to the bank of the lake... who knows what happen.. but he didn't make it.. 

I will cherish the memories of Both... 

Memories.. just memories.. and Life progresses on... Yep.... it progresses On......

Back in the Office Again.....

 It's Monday..... Red Beans and Rice. Monday .... 

Its time to get back to work.. review a few files.. help folks out... and carry on Life 

Mask it up.. Thats the hardest thing.. every time I leave out the office walK the hallway.. I got to Mask it Up... I'm doing it .. making it a routine... 

Here is Socks and Shoes.... Allen Edmonds .. Wilbert.. 

Phase 3.. Back to the Office Yesterday

 Yesterday,  even tho it was the anniversary of Nine Eleven ....  it was also the First Day of ......

The beginning of Phase 3... for the State of Louisiana as Proclaimed by Governor John Bel Edwards....

So I gathered up my self, washed the Beast... told whomever was in my parking slot to vacate it, and I arrived at the Courthouse at 745am yesterday.......

Had my sanitizer, mask, gloves and all appropriate equipment in tow.. 

The Courthouse is a maze of socially distancing signs, on the walls and floors, directing you to plexiglass walls, narrow document slides etc.... 

I was greeted by happy employees to see that the upper management staff .. the semi sickly ones actually (that is what 40 plus years of government can do for you) return to be among the staff and add support to the organization .. 

They had prepared my office with Welcome Back... Etc.. and ... placed the below sign on my door, knowing I would require everyone entering my office to be Masked Up

Tomorrow .. Oh.... Tomorrow

Our Governor.... under increasing pressure .....

Has issued that Louisiana will begin Phase 3 tomorrow... on the anniversary of 9.11


I will walk up those stairs tomorrow at 7:30am to get in the Courthouse .. for the first time since March 15th.... almost six months ... of working from home.....

I will have my mask, my hand sanitizer, etc... I have consulted with my doctor... she says that since the Governor issued Phase 3, not too much anyone can do.. it talks about vulnerable persons and interactions  to take precautions, wear a mask. etc .. the only thing is if he falls back to Phase 2.. then I come back home....

So, washed the dust off the car this afternoon.. drink me a scotch.. enjoy the late afternoon and....

Hope for the Best Tomorrow.... Oh Yes...... Tomorrow.....

The Biggie Over the Hump

Today...... I got a notice from CVS that I could schedule a Biggie Over the Hump Flu Shot....


So, I went online right then.... scheduled it . for today at 11am....   Within 10 minutes had the

Biggie Over the Hump Flu Shot... its for folks older than most people...

I am well on track .. with my vaccines ...

The pharmacist said it was for all of us over the Hump of Age. ..

That Cynical Snarl

The cynical snarl of people..... especially friends as Doubt crosses their minds.. can just give me the

Fuckin Red Ass


As I have written about in this blog my experiences that occurred after my diagnosis of being HIV +, my use of certain drugs that the Poz World uses to numb the pain, use as an equalizer, to escape from the burden, and so many other excuses... That I freely admitted too.. went to therapy about ..

I came away with a true assessment of who I was, not that I didn't know going into therapy. .. I have been seen off and on by three therapist over my life time, as a factual point in this entry.

All along the way, I have ran into good guys, bad guys, trashy guys, low life guys... and the list goes on... etc....

While most men that I have meet on this journey (After Poz) have not been friend quality . a few have.. . they tend to have three typical similar qualities.. job, vehicle, home or apt.

Some of these men, still come by and sit on the front porch... some come by and venture to the bed room occasionally ,. leave in the morning's dawn daylight....

When my neighbors see a car associated with one of these men, they automatically assume that "something is happening at Tom's".. that a bowl is being blown, that a snort is happening...that some form of regression. has taken place ....

I can guarantee One Truth.....  Me.. Yes Me.... . that I AM having  true uninhibited sexual pleasure...   I would hope that the other Man in the bed with me is having himself a good time also...

Then as they leave and see the neighbors gathered on the porches with their faces having that Cynical Snarl.. o... these men turn to me and say.... "Tom, I'm sorry for stopping by".. My reply always is .....

"Suga, if they only knew how much fun we had.... they would be watching at the window.."


As the week goes on... I see these same folks.. walk pass my home, say a pleasant hello.. and in their lil small minds... I see that cynical snarl...

Once this neighborhood was pleasant to reside in ... No one questioned who was leaving out the back door to the alley as the husband was coming home from the office.. no one wanted to know who was in who's bedroom and What were they Doing....    

The Righteous As I will now call them.... Should look inward to their own lives....  Then I should cast that cynical snarl their way...  NO I Can Not do that.. because Karma teaches us Not to do that.. but to give them a loving hello as they pass the front porch.....

Alton.......

Alton... 

It speaks of a man from Bentley, La..... a pine tree and po' folk area of Grant Parish

It speaks to a Man that has had to come home, to live among his Kin.........

It speaks to a Man I have Known... before he left some years ago... and Now on His Return ...

Alton.. 

The ever so strong bonds of friendship have endured.... over the years.... 

It speaks to his return and how he has had to cope in his daily existence .. 

Livin' among his Kin Folks....  being the first to graduate high school... to graduate College...

To become a success.. not in the Pine Trees ... but out in the world, over in Texas. .. H Town 

Now his return has brought old feelings, old emotions .. ..  a rise in hedonistic ways.. Again.... 

To Re-Start the Friendship.... . to re-kindle ... the Answer is Yes.. to Satisfy the Raw Urge... the Answer is Yes... to set the friendship moving towards a New Level the Answer is Yes......

The Text.........

Alton..............

"I know the chemistry is there for the nasty cum filled sex, but (and there is always a but) my mind is Venturing to another level

The essence of a Man and his ability to share and give it to another man is paramount in the forming of a deep and abiding friendship and the emotions that are connected with that sharing"

The Winds in the Pine Trees will tell the Rest of the Story

The Mundane of It All. Simple Life... Rolls On... Which is Good.......

Life is getting back to normal here... the slow pace of All... is creeping back into place......

I busied my self doing Parole Dockets today.. writing letters of objections etc....

The Mundane of it All...

I would rather the Mundane than having a stress.. I did get to go out and purchase a new iPhone case.. I .. the one I had for three years.. wore out....  Also ordered a protective cover for the iWatch.. so if it slips off the wrist it won't break into pieces ....

As stated previously the Courthouse is closed until Thursday morning ... they should keep it closed until next Tuesday.. after Labor Day.. ..

I have moved out of the home office to the dining room table.. just to have a lil break from the room..

I was FTiming with the Fourth .. yesterday.. he was working from his Great Grandfather's desk.. in his home office... . amazing.. we all have the same small eyes.. that folks take notice of when we are intensely in a conversation....  I was very proud that he was sitting at the desk that his GGF used in  1882 until his death in 1905.. .. its the Mundane ... the Simple Pleasures of Life.. that one notices most.....

Roll on Life...... Roll On.........

The Ebb and Flow.... and the Approach of Fall

As September approaches....

I am hoping that we here in the Ll City by the Red get back to the Ebb and Flow of Life.. the daily routines... the pace of Life in the Deep, Deep South...

Labor Day is the official end to our Summer.. its also the beginning of Hunting Season.

The Wing Shots will be popping at Noon Time on Sunday... making the doves a hard target to hit.. but (and there is always a but).. I won't be out there. ..  I haven't shot a shotgun in twenty years except for qualifying for certification on the Range with a Riot Gun and Pistol... .

The act of hunting doesn't excite me, I lost that when I moved away from the Home Place.. .. Now I do fish a lil bit from time to time...  Burning  powder, sweating in the Noon Day Sun, popping a top on the Budweiser Can,  Fall in Louisiana will be here shortly...

I am ready to get back to that simple pace here in the Lil City by the Red.....

Aftermath of Laura

Here is a photo of a Water Oak tree that was about 100 feet tall, snapped into by the wind of Laura.

There are three vehicles under the top of that tree.. notice the telephone pole in the foreground and you can judge the height of the tree.

Yuck.... Saturday Clean Up

Today... at the crack of dawn... I was awoken by the buzz of blowers, chain saws etc..

I ground my coffee beans, placed them in the French Press... poured the cream (not half and half please).. tad natural sugar.. and black coffee....

Slipped on my short pants, canvas shoes. t-shirt and out the door to face the new world of buzz saws, blowers....and the every presence of gas/oil mixture.... filling the still humid air of a post hurricane first morning....

All the rain has gone... the blow flies are zipping around from one garbage pile to another.. Yuck Yuck.....


But If you know anything about cleaning tip after a hurricane, folks here in Louisiana know.. .. first and foremost if you are into Self Clean Up, which I am... cause the Price Gouging Crews are out there praying on the newly arrived, no hurricane experienced folks...

You let the leaves and small limbs dry first... its easier to rake... u haul to the curb the big stuff... then as the leaves dry.... and they dry fast... like tomorrow will be better than today...

So, I hauled the big limbs to the curb...  blew off the from yard.. which is postage stamp sizes..... and mainly brick.. made a neat pile on the curb.. and tomorrow will tackle the backyard in sections... starting from the back heading to the front of the back yard...

Then the City will come along with its debris contractors and number the piles, arrange the order of pickup, etc etc....

I am fortunate to have had some friends who have a business and who allowed me to trash the contents of my icebox in their dumpster or I would be like all the others on the street, fighting the blow files... zipping from pile to pile....

I sprayed insecticide on all of my bricks and limb pile to keep the flies away ..

So, goes Life in Louisiana after the Hurricane.. .. Laura . Oh she was Nasty... but At lest she is gone..

I hear tho that we have two more lurking out in the Big Pond... Not Good... Stay Away from Louisiana

Laura ..... She Came.... She Went... and Left some Nasty Taste

After almost three days without power..

The Air Conditioning is back on... and the Candles and Flashlights are put back on the shelf.

We have low water pressure.. but the Electricity is On......

The freezer stayed frozen... the Icebox.. was an entire lost.....

I opened the wine cellar to give air flow.. hopefully it saved the ChD Pape....

Drinking bottle water ... took a shower... the simple things of Life.... no leaves on the trees.. back yard will take days to pick up...

All the folks in the Garden District are ok....

As one of my old friends always says...... "Blessed Be"

Five Months Four Days. Random Thoughts.. Wizzes and Etc

It's been Five Months and Four Days... since I harkened the 3rd Floor of  the Monolith that I work in.... I work from Home now...

I had 87 page views on my blog yesterday when I checked the stats... I usually don't check the blog entry page only to create a new posting.. but I went wandering through the blog site... I have yet to crossover to the new blog site... its not too user friendly I think... so I am on the old blogger site.. hopefully Blogspot won't kick me off any time soon......

Since I have been working from home, my last haircut was March 1st... I have now.... long flowing White Locks... from a semi military cut to Flowing White Locks... . all the neighborhood women love the Flowing White Locks......

The retired La State Trooper has gray locks.. who lives seven doors down.. But I have White Flowing Locks....but he has me on the length... I will catch up with him... maybe one day...

Maybe one day if I last.... till then... I might take a photo.. since that is what some of my blog friends are doing these days.. my bald head with my side White Flowing Locks...

So, its been Five Months Four Days.... since I have seen my office and the downtown sky view of the Lil' City by the Red from the Granite Monolith I had worked from ...   my burnish brown leather chair, my longleaf pine table/desk, my lil' memorabilia on my shelves . counting up the years of public service...

What I miss more than anything is the interaction with the staff... the people who make government run..  checking the jail roster.. helping folks with new court date ... the daily interaction of who's buying chicken wings for lunch.. did John at the Cafe across the street have enough Red Beans and Rice for Monday's lunch.... What cases are being on the docket for the week... etc..etc....etc.......etc.

So, I sit here in the dining room of The Camp on Albert ... typing an entry for this blog....

Five Months Four Days.... Random Thoughts ... Wizzes ..... and Etc ... .... .... ... .... ..... !!!

Tuesday.... I will gladly pay you on Tuesday said Wimpy of Popeye's Fame with Olive Oyl

Wimpy .. was the Master of the Hamburger ...

He would say, I will gladly pay you on Tuesday....

A lil' while ago, several weeks, a friend from out of town, who has the had some ups and downs came  and asked for a loan... I never loan money... if I believe you are deserving of it.. I will give it to you, if you paid it back the so much the better.. but I never loan money.. it creates disappointment in a friendship...

And ultimately will destroy the friendship..

So, here is what I say.. "I will give you what you are asking for.. don't say a word, don't  promise me you will pay it back, that you will come next Tuesday and give me half of it..... Keep your mouth shut.. (you must not use any tact.. upfront blunt honesty works the best).. here is the check.. go cash it.. do what you need to do... "


So, I kept waiting for the check to clear.. and clear and .... clear....

Finally it did.. and with all the markings on it.. looks like he cashed it in some far away place.. naturally I haven't heard from him... Nor will I ...

But at lest he cashed the check and I don't have to wonder why he didn't ... the bank said he waited  and waited.. then he cash it out of state... ..

I helped in a small way... I hope he can return the kindness to someone else.. along the way in his life.

Today is Five Months

Today is Five Months from Working from Home.... here in the Lil City by the Red.....

I took down my post of yesterday... it was too Morose... .. too Pity Party..

I needed to feel better.. and I thought that writing about it would help me... the more I re-read it the worse I got ...... hit the delete button ... "for sure.. as Colin A.. would say".....

So, today I celebrate .. working from home.... Five Months.. its seems so surreal .. truly surreal.

On Monday, I will be having one of the Judicial Candidates for the November election, for one of the Judicial District Minority Slots here, he is stopping by to sit on the porch and meet/greet folks .. socially distancing is a requirement..  basically he will be waving from the front porch.. then he will walk with his campaign staff down the street.

He is a young African American attorney that I have known for some time....   He has the qualities that I believe a Judge must have.. to show human kindness, to uphold the law in tenuous times, and be fair to all parties that come before him.  The Judge that held the position is retiring ..

I hope he does win... his opposition is a young African American Woman.  Both are young and vibrant .. ...

So,   It's Saturday here in the Lil City by the Red....

The New Phrase... Touch Starvation... Suffering from TS

Touch Starvation ..... coined by One from the Best Group of Bloggers that I know.

TS is real...  Touch is important to the survival of the Human Condition.... Period....

I have had limited Touch... Bad Touch... No Touch..... all three categories lead to miserable human mistakes ......  

So, if you have a friend who is in the TS mode.... please, Please, please.... Go Touch Them...

Its Been .........

Its been a lil while... since I posted...

I went Stark  Raving Mad.........

I have now came back to my senses... and so today continue to work from Home, limit my interactions ......

Since August 1st .... I made a couple of errors.... .. no details but just Errors... my exposure to Covid was heighten... due to the physical connection... several times...

And then there was a two more errors..... the lack of self control....the need for the human touch.. lead me down a path that I will not walk down again... for many reasons....

This isolation that has happened is concerning to me...I am having to work on the actual reasons for my actions of the last nine days.... Part of it.. was that I have worked from home for four and half months....

I will keep all posted.

Early at the Office...... just a few steps away............

This morning I woke up ..  got going fairly early....

I opened the office at 745am..... a few steps away from dining room.. .. I move from the home office table to the dining room table to alternate the view ...

I FT with the staff this morning .. checking on them...

Completed documents.... set up hearings for August....

It's surreal actually.. thinking for the last 46 years I worked in an office... now I work at the dining room table or in the home office... some times the home office is just too small... I tend to look out the window with the neighborhood foot track on the sidewalk....seeing who is going by ... who is biking by... but its still within the confines of this house... .  

Time just ticks away.....   I am glad the weekend is here... "for sure"... as my old friend Collin Andrews always said... "Fo Sure Tommy Fo Sure" ..

Update!!

A lil update on the medical guy......

No Go Hosea'

Nada

No Way

Bust

Player to the Max...

Full of Shit

Nothing I hate than a Fuckin Tease... who says one thing... then runs off....

I should have known.....

Age... sometimes makes the brain irrational .......

But (and there is always a but).. only for a brief  moment..

Reality ... sets in... and the Mind Clears...

Related and UnRelated Matters

Its been 11 days since the last post.

I am still home working while the major contingent of staff are at the office ......

They have Covid lurking around each corner, I am very lucky to fall into one of those categories that
have the privilege of working from home... I more than likely would have fallen victim to Covid if I had been at the Courthouse.  We have had five staffers come down with the Covid from a mild case to almost at death's door... fortunately no one in our office has passed away ..... Yet!

Its strange working from home... up until this week, I have maintained a fairly regular office hours, dress in a T Shirt and short pants barefooted.

This week has been different..... .  I had the sweats last night, which is not unusual given the heat outside and we are about to begin August 2020... .. I am just a lil bit  discombobulated .. I have rose from the bed after 9am... rather than the 715am usual time for me to get up... I don't know what to cook these days.....  I have run out of Chardonnay ... I must call Hokus Pokus to get more here soon.

Its all I think related to Covid....


Now for the unrelated Matters


The other day, I succumb to the physical need of the Flesh, better put.... I tried to succumb to the physical need.... tried is the optimum word... .. I did meet a 34 year old.. who works in the medical profession that has some of the same status marks as I do.  We have had long conversations about his desires and my teaching techniques in the realm of Hot Sweaty Stinky  Monkey Love.... it has nothing to do with any emotional connections..   I think him and I might be on the path to find out how much he desires/wants  to know about Hot Sweaty Stinky  Monkey Love. To fill His Desire... I think I am willing to make that happen If the time arises...

Comment turn to Post

Today, I commented on a friends blog that I have read for many years.  I tend to comment on his blog some.

My comment centered around keeping a home up for a life time, or finding Elder Living in a small complex that offered kindred hearts...   my home here is about 1900 sq feet, its a classic 1923 bungalow... I love my home, its a part of me, but (and there is always a but) one must realize that within 13 years I will be 80 yrs old.  That fact remains constant, I have no partner, who wants one at my age......anyway.

Should I be setting goals of moving into a small complex that has the upkeep of a unit built in  it, that I can call a repairman, that there is no maintenance, I can choose my colors inside, that I have a teapot size yard.......

My health is stable at this time, which is good, I have no pre-drawn conclusions that it won't continue to be good.. I can still bike 10 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes..

But (and there is always a but) Do I want to continue for the sake of pride and ownership a home ... the upkeep is sometimes taxing on an almost 100 year old home.  . is it worth it... if I could find a setting that I could move into for fair monthly price, shouldn't I begin to consider that.. Not an apartment building, I detest those high rise boxes. Or buy a small condo in a small gated community with Kindred Hearts . ..

Not like what I saw in Santa Fe, old gay men rolling around in wheel chairs, living in concrete bunkers in some Gay Elder Living Complex where they had a Hearst stationed in the back entrance... That suck the life and money out of the occupants..

I would not want assisted living arrangements, I am not there yet, a long way off I hope,

One must begin to approach the idea, if you are single, of the downsizing of one's life.  My Momma didn't do that, she lived in the home of my ancestors, she really didn't have a choice.. I know she toyed about the idea of moving to a small place, but the Matriarch couldn't leave the Hill, the Farm.

So, I am beginning to just think, have thoughts, 13 years is not too far off,

Friday.... and Yes its Hot ... Humid...

I walked outside for a brief moment this morning, a slight breeze hits me at the door..........

Its Humid, its uncomfortably Hot, that Breeze... it was like a opening the dryer door, the heat hits you... but its Wet Heat not Dry Heat....

I'm not complaining .... statement of facts... I have lived all my life here in Louisiana... have traveled and had a use of a second home in Santa Fe.... for a number of years.....

You just can't get use to the Humidity of the State... the sweat sticks on you after about six steps out side of the front door......

We should raise a statue to the Man who invented Air Conditioning ... he is the one that started to equalize everyone... He made us all Cool.... Comfortable..

And the Covid continues to Rise here in the Deep Deep South..... so much for the false hope of the Heat killing the Germ.

On to the Weekend

Saturday After It All.......

The events of life, through trials and tribulations, one must continue.

When out of the shadows of the blog world, comes a person, who reads the narrative of time in a Life, then comments on that narrative, it brings Life to a Purpose....  in every sense of the Word.

This blog was given that High Honor... and it is an Honor and a Privilege !!!.........

The last few days here have not been as pleasant as I would like them.. but never the less, I live with my surroundings, nosey neighbors, critical friends, and the Sorted Lives of Past and Present.

William Faulkner once said all he needed in life was "a lil pen, paper, tobacco and a sip of whisky" to accomplish Life's Tasks.

Lyle Saxon, the best Louisiana Author this state has produced and Forgotten About, said it .......

"Life is hot, hollow, and handsome"

So, between those authors.. I tip my hat and Say Thank You Blog World for reading....

It's was a Privilege, My privilege to expose and tell the Life I live in an Open and Honest Manner!!!

And I will Continue.... with the breath and life that passes my way .... !!!

Out of the House... A New Experience

Today, I had an appointment at the bank, its a regional bank, serving three states, been here for ages. The new manager was calling old clients, doing what new managers do, ... he asked if I would come in and chat with him.... So I did, nice guy, all masked up, so was I.... it was a new experience...

He made an appt time for me, I drove up, called him, he came to the bank's door, unlocked it, we sat with plastic screens between us.... chit chat chit chat....

So, it ended, he unlocked the door, I got in the truck, sprayed my self down with alcohol spray and took off the mask......

Back home to write the entry.....

I have been grilling hamburgers of late for dinner and supper..  so I might cook something good later on today ... shrimp something .. maybe I'm not sure but maybe...

A Very Long Time Has Passed....... Years Ago

Back in 1999, when I first blogged on DiaryLand.com, most of the writings and postings centered around fucking, sweaty encounters, balls to the wall, ..... etc... exploits of the Sorted Lives of  A Cloister but ......emerging Gay Population.....

Now, as you read the blogs... with the exception of a few, everything is so mundane.... so subdued ...

 Tranquil, SubDued .... Homogenized.... ... Its A Fucking Shame

Sometimes I long for the descriptions of Hot, Sweaty, Stinky, Monkey Love ... set in the dripping Sweat of a mid afternoon Hay Field.... on a Partly Cloudy Day... as you stood at the water cooler attached to the bed of a pickup truck... and that Red Headed 30 yr old dropped to  his knees and

Serviced You.

Period.....!!!

Tis Raining a lil bit, Thundering even More

Friday started off fairly well...

Hot, Humid, then the Rain came..... HOT HUMID

I had instacart deliver the groceries today, on the front porch swing..  I sanitized them before bringing them in the house......

We top 1758 new Covid cases here in Louisiana today... 

Rising is the only word you need to know...RISING

I'm back to caution, I took the cypress table off the porch to make it look more stark.. uninviting ... 

Its that time... to get serious.. Again.. Serious Again..... 

I had a fairly successful week at the home office, wrote a few letters of objection.... researched some on other matters...  all in all it was good... I think I am grilling again for supper and might have a non traditional Fourth.. I might boil some shrimp... the Shrimp man came this week and had some 9/12s for sale... for  folks that don't buy fresh seafood, 9/12 shrimp is 9 to 12 shrimp to a pound.. got them for $7.50 a pound heads on.... they are big enough to grill also.. and they are Fresh right from the Boat.. 

Its Friday... People... and its HOT HUMID in the Deep Deep South...

Where....  Arrogant Ignorance has US by the throat...... !!!!