Today was a State Holiday in Mississppi

 Tomorrow  I am on the road for a few days in the Magnolia State, crossing the Big Muddy at Natchez, winding my way up. to Hazelhurst, to the State Capitol, and East Ward... 

The road meanders once you get to Fayette, and you head into the Homochitto National Forest. It's a nice two-lane road (MS Hwy 28) passing Pleasant Hill and Union Church; besides an occasional log truck, there isn't much traffic until you get to I-55 North.

I will be reviewing two units between Tuesday and Late Thursday, coming home before sunset on Thursday evening.   One unit is fairly small and compact, 452 souls, the other unit is massive in scope and complexity. approx 4200 Souls, sitting in an enclosed compound of 175 acres, triple fenced, with dogs inside two of the fences roaming, looking, smelling.  

At least I get to visit the Sprinkle Bakery, owned by the KakeKing in Pearl, MS, during this trip.  

Today was a state holiday in Mississippi, but (and there is always a but)  even Louisiana does not have this holiday.  It's Confederate Memorial Day.  All state offices are closed.

Sunday as the Sunsets Random Rants

Random Rants on a Sunday Evening:

 It's here in the Lil City by the Red that I made my decision to become sober after that hospital stay.  

The path I took was the day I was discharged, I came home and gave away the liquor cabinet, gone was all of it from Tanguray Gin to the George Dickel. 

That decision has brought me a clear mind. Sometimes I hesitate to address my other matters of sobriety, the addiction measures or factors that, with the alcohol, brought me to sepsis, that faithful November evening when the local force found me unconscious on my living room floor, with a heart rate of 26 bpm.

In my lil world here in the Lil City by the Red, we once had a thriving gay world.  Social Groups: Wednesday Club, Sunday Club, three bars, and a community of caring men.  That way of life has fallen away to social apps: Grindr, Jack, Sniffles, and a host of others.    We have experienced reclusiveness, abandonment of previous gay mores, trust, etc.  

Some of that took place during Covid; the other factors stemmed from societal changes, the way "We Were,"  which was a tight, exclusive group of men bonded together for self-support.  This is No Longer the Case !!!

Now the Soccer Moms want their little men to be Gay.  They compare notes on which haircut looks best, shirt costs, who is dating whom, etc.

My Soap Box as the Sunsets on the Lil' City by the Red.

This Morning

  I awoke very early this morning. It rained hard and steadily last night. I made a Coffee au Lait (which I purchased heavy cream for yesterday).  It's my favorite coffee when I wake up too early,  my version is far better than the Cafe's du Monde, in the Quarter.  You must heat the cream to the right boiling point without scorching it.  

 I got on Blogger and I did leave a comment on the Mistress blog, and it worked to some extent.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and support.

This site is becoming a Pain

 I am not sure what I have done, but blogger.com or Google is not letting me make a comment from this website.  It goes to an old blogger.com account I had long ago, not bricks on the red, which I have communicated with for years.  I have had this Bricks on the Red since 2006.  

Its a pain in my damn ass now.  I am frustrated to the max, it's almost to the point of testing my sobriety, almost but not quite yet.. close to it.

Yes It Happmed

 Today in Baton Rouge, the violence struck Louisiana, too.

It was the culture of Gangs, The Response was Immediate  (Thankfully). 

Five Individuals within the first four hours were in Custody.

The swiftness of the response indicates that our law enforcement will not tolerate Acts of violence.

Thats all I can Say.  

Sunday Morning

 It's Sunday Morning in the Lil City by the Red. 

The birds are singing their song outside. It's 50 degrees, with a predicted high of 72 degrees.   It rained last night all night, which we needed.

This Morning,  one of my neighbors is coming over for coffee.   As I have begun to enjoy the neighborhood, more old friends are stopping by.  Not by droves, but one here and one there, which suits me fine and dandy. 

The morning stillness is punctuated by the roar of large jet engines from the ICE facility at the Old England Air Base.  It's a total shame that we are now a major hub of ICE holding facilities, with the Airport as the center for departures. It just makes me sick

Other than the above, I am here for a whole week, and after the middle of May, I will be here and not traveling across the Big Muddy for almost two months.  Just managing my consulting matters from here in the Lil City by the Red

Early Wake Up

 When I do return to the Lil' City by the Red, usually for the first 48 hours, I am just tired; the driving these days is not like my driving of yesteryear. For many Moons, I thought nothing of driving to my sister's second home in Teseque, NM.

The Drive was about 14 hours, just a hop, skip, and jump for a 50-something fellow who loved his BMW Z4.

Nowadays, this Old Man is tired after a 5-hour drive from an MDOC facility to the Lil City by the Red.

I did wake up this morning with some renewed energy, looking forward to a day of blowing magnolia leaves and tending to the flower beds.

 

Long Trip Home

 After walking the compounds at the Facility, I loaded up for the 300-mile trip home this morning, after our tour of the outside perimeter of all the units.  We did this "tour" by four wheel drive, we didn't need to kick it in, since it's been dry as a bone in the Delta.

Glad to be home for a little while. The end of April and the third week in May will be taxing, with reaccreditation for one facility and preparation of three other units for accreditation.  

Bringing new structure and the teaching end of the process always gives me satisfaction.  

I think by my iPhone I walked 15 miles in three days inside those compounds. I amaze myself all the time, the critical eye of a Corrections Professional can notice the clear signs of disorganization even from a distance. 

Acceptance:

 The World as I know it is closing in, with folks expousing their opinions on each other, demanding that one accept the other's opinions, conclusions, and decisions.  

Why is it that we as a Nation, A World, Not Accept the Differences with Each Other?  

That is truly my question to myself.  I have learned that it is better to accept a person's differences than to disagree with that person.  By accepting those differences, I become more human, more diverse, just more 

ACCEPTING!!!

I have written about this before:

 Here lately, I have written about the passing of some folks.  

It seems that as I progress down the road of Life, there are certain milestones that all of us encounter.   One being the passage of people in your social circle or a person's orbit of Life.

Jane, John, Beth, and now Dustin. All gone within the last 30 days.  

 I hope that all of these passings slow to a crawl.  Each of them I have interacted with on a truly personal basis, not just as friends. Each had a specific role in my orbit of Life.  

Jane was a lady who went to CA in her youth and developed software in the early years of the internet.  Who came back to the Lil City by the Red to take care of her parents.

John received his master's from Texas A&M. He was one of the first urban planners in this City. 

Beth was raised in the Oil Lease business by her father. She had an artistic flair,  keeping an apartment in NYC,  worked some in the production end of the theatre business, etc.

Dustin was far too young, but he had traveled miles and miles in his short Life. 

I will remember each very vividly and speak about them often.

Hmm The Status of Everything

 It seems that the status of our whole democracy is hanging in the balance, without an end to be joyous about.  

It's the "Status Of Everything" these days.

 He continues to say things that no head of State would even mention under their breath.  The Ballot Box is our only way to confront him.  

It leaves a lot to be thought about, especially!!! 

First to Flower

  In the Bulb Garden, the first to flower is Gladiola. (Gladiolus L.

So as spring is sprung here in the Lil City by the Red.. 

                                                                                

                                                                   Byzantine Gladiolus

Good Friday. Memories Past

Good Friday 

Memories of the Past.

My brother and I would "walk" the creek. It was the West Prong of Thompson's Creek, the western boundary of the  Farm.

 

We would ride our bikes in the early years, through the pastures, weaving in and out of the cattle, trying to make those young bulls chase us, down to the creek.  

Thompson's Creek was known for white sandbars that stretched long on the short side of the creek, which was always semi-shallow.  The deep water was always on the cut bank side.  

Many a day in the spring and into the summer, we walked the creek to fish and just look for fossils and arrowheads, packing our found treasures back up to the Big House.   Momma would always be in some amazement at what we had found down there, wading the creek.

But we always started on Good Friday, never before, always on Good Friday.  

The Passing Day. March 31st

 This is the first time in a very long time that I have not posted or reminded a friend that my Dear Momma passed away on March 31st. It's been 25 years since her passing.  

 We (my brother, my sister, and I) thought it would be very cruel to place Momma in the ground on April Fool's Day.  So we waited till April 2nd. 

Even to this day, I remember the events that surround Momma's passing.   In the Southern Tradition, it was held that folks invited to Dinner (the South's note for Lunch) served after the funeral for invited guests, and most certainly the all-encompassing family.

So again, I make mention of this time in my life that changed my perception of Life and relationships with many.

The year was 2001, times are changing, aren't they?