2609 A blues Song

I don’t remember how this came to be, but I said to someone that the lyrics in a blues song we were talking about were not so good. He said to me that I shouldn’t complain over a song’s lyrics because I couldn’t write lyrics for a song. I drove home and wrote this song in 15 minutes and sent it back to him.

July 16, 2001

‘Ma woman done lef me’

Woke up dis mornin’
Feelin’ kinda bad
Ma woman done gone away
She da best wom’n I eva had.

Look out da winda, fell on da chair back
woman done lef wit my big red Cadillac.

Ma woman done lef me
She da best woman I eva had
She took ma shoes and ma Cadillac
I’m fraid da woman gone bad.

If I don’t fin dat woman I be singin da St. Louie blues
Don’t know how I gonna fin her
cause da woman done took my shoes

Woman don lef me an ma big ole lonely bed
Ma whiskey bottle empty
An da dog an been fed.

I’d go look for da woman in Memphis
But I gotta somet’n ta dred
Da man I done shot dere
He still listed as dead!

Dat Big Mama she older dan dirt.
But when she see a man she done want’n
Big Mama she know how ta flirt.

She drink a mans whiskey
She share a mans bed
Den she take da mans Cadillac
Afta she clack him in da head.

Da whiskey done lef me blind
Da blow ta ma head done made me a cripple
If it weren’t fer da feel a da bottle
I wount know it were da ripple.

I’m looking for da woman
I’m on da southbound train
Done tryin ta change ma image
So I don end up in da Memphis jail again

Hope I don end up in da Memphis jail again
Don wanna die old an wrinkled
In da company a all dose bad men.

Ma woman done lef me
She da best woman I eva had
She took ma shoes and ma Cadillac
I’m fraid da woman gone bad.

Well that’s my first and original Blues song. I wrote it in about fifteen minutes after reading the enclosed rules for a Blues song. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did composing it. If this should get into the hands of a recording company, I sure hope I’m not dead in the Memphis jail when it happens.

I wish you love and hope and peace in your lives tonight and tomorrow.

Bill

260830 Out of Luck

This old man ran out of enough money to pay the rent and was evicted!

I grabbed my backpack, loaded it with food I had left and headed out.

I was walking along when I saw a sign that said: “Ethel’s cat house.” I thought a cat might be a good companion on my travels. It turned out that there were no cats there, just a lot of women with not enough clothes on to stay warm.

I left there and headed toward a wooded area to find a place to sleep. What I found was two big men who robbed me. They took the last $40 I had and all of my food. The next morning I woke up sore but okay.

I started walking down a street when I saw an old woman weeding her flower bed. She looked at me and said that if I finished the weeding in the front and her back yard, she would give me $10. I said okay and I finished weeding front and back. I knocked on her back door. She came to the door and asked what I was doing in her back yard? She picked up her phone and said she was calling the police if I didn’t leave now. I walked away from her home, thinking when a man is down on his luck, people want to beat him like a dog.

I walked down an alley and a man there said:”Hey you want to make $20? I said: “Hell Yes.” He gave me a bag and told me where to take it and then bring him back $100. I walked to an apartment and knocked on the door. A big man opened the door. I handed him the bag and said:”$100 please.” The man said ok and reached into his back pocket, pulled out a badge and said I was under arrest. He spun me around and put handcuffs on my wrists. Another policeman took me to jail, processed me and put me in a cell. Things were looking grim, but at least I got a meal. I hadn't eaten in a day and a half.

In the morning I went before a judge. She saw that I had no priors on record. I told her I was an old man with no home and no money and did what I did to feed myself. She released me and told me where I could get a free meal.

I went to a soup kitchen and had breakfast. I picked up my tray, walked to the scullery and handed it to a man working there. He mentioned the kitchen always needed help. He directed me to a woman who ran the kitchen and scullery. I told her I had experience working scullery and cooking for large groups when I was in the navy.

I told her I had done both jobs on Guam and at Pearl Harbor. That experience finally paid off. She hired me and I was back to working a grill as I did 61 years ago in the navy.

260828 On The Way Home

The first part of this post came to me as I walked home from the Aldi's store this morning.I had to finish the rest of it this afternoon.

A woman’s looks can be deceiving.
Leaving a man forever grieving.

A woman’s heart will tell you more.
Of what a man has in store.

One never knows what a wedding will bring.
Many happy years or many tears that sting.

A man’s looks may be deceiving.
Leaving a woman’s heart forever grieving.

The door can swing either way.
It can happen any day.

A marriage isn’t like a brand new super highway.
It’s more like a country road with a few bumps along the way.

Then along comes that fateful day.
When one of the spouses passes away.

That brings grief beyond repair.
I know it’s true, because I’m there.

260827 Haves and have nots.

Haves and have nots.

This picture was taken in 1951. That's me on the left and the girl next dooron the right side. Her name was Fran. It may have been after our first communion.

Have nots.

I don’t have Alzheimers, yet?
I don’t have dementia, yet?
I don’t have a car.
I don’t have a wife.
I don’t have the vision I once had, or the vision I had a year ago. I’m okay with my glasses, but they have their limits.
I don’t have the memory I once had. I haven’t lost everything, but I have lost a lot. On the farm I had over 100 different species of flowers. I can’t remember the name of a single one of them. I can picture them, but can’t name them. Here there are only 2 flowers I see on my walks. Those I know, Chicory and Queen Ann’s Lace. The spring flowers, I see them, but don’t remember their names.

Technology has ramped up so much, I’ve lost my ability to keep up with it. My computer with all the updates has me hanging by a thread trying to do the things I could do even a year ago. My TV doesn’t ask me if I want a butt load of new things for me to look at and then get me to sign up for ever more channels to watch. There may only be one series I want to watch on a channel that offers 40 other things.

Depression. That’s an interesting word. It comes and goes for me. It comes when I have nothing to do or when things don’t go the way I want. It shows when I’m lonely. I get tired of talking to myself.

Haves.

I’m happy when I have something to do. I shuffle things around; I move furniture and I’m happy. I sit down and start thinking about what to move next time.

I’m happy to have a nice place to live where I am now. If or when the old folks home opens, I’ll be happy to see and tour it and happy if I can afford to live there.

I’m happy to see Annie and Rhett. Funny thing here, I always say Annie first. With Rhett’s family they would say his name first. When Joyce and her family were alive they always said Joyce and Bill.
I’m happy to have good TV to watch and the apartment complex provides the internet, which saves me money.

I have a good memory of childhood and a good memory of my time in the navy, but in the other decades my memories are few.

Brother Bill

260825 Weight Gain

145 to 166

My normal weight is 145. It’s been between 140 to 145 for my adult life. Now after the last hospital trip, I’ve gained all the extra pounds. I’m not sure how I got so flabby, but I don’t like it.
I’ve been working out and I can see the increase in muscle tone. I have more muscle than I’ve ever had, but the fat is covering it up.

I went online and found that if you go to build protein, you lose fat. So I’m giving it a try. One thing I’ve started with is non fat Greek Yogurt as my breakfast. The first carton I opened and tasted it, I thought this isn’t going to fly; by the time I finished the cup I was hooked, it’s wonderful! I have my morning cup and I’m not hungry for hours. Today I had my yogurt at 9:15am. Now it’s 2:45pm and I haven’t eaten anything since this morning. All I was doing before was eating constantly.

I haven’t tried the cottage cheese yet, I thought I may not care for that as is, so I’ll add fruit.
I’m eating a lot of meat and beans. I read that black beans are loaded with protein. I never ate them for a decade or more. I tried them 2 days ago and they taste great! No fat, lots of protein.
One last thing on foods, I found eating a tablespoon of peanut butter before bed makes me sleep better.

I was thinking about my Navy shipmates. When I was in an aircrew flying, everyone in the crew was years older than I was. Working on the flight deck of the Kitty Hawk, they were all a decade or more older than me.
What I’m getting at is, all my shipmates are likely dead and buried. Imiss them all.

One last note, Trucks! When I was a boy, the only people who had a truck was a contractor. Now average men are buying trucks, they are very popular but the buyers live in apartments and homes that don’t really need a truck. It’s just the fashion I think. The new trucks are very nice and I’d join the herd if I could.
I’ve always liked and bought Fords and they gave me good service. Now I see many Ford Broncos and I have to say they are the ugliest vehicles I have ever seen. They are made so you can go off-roading, but the city boys never get in the dirt. I apologise for my opinion if any reader has a Bronco.

Brother Bill

260824 Moving

I moved perhaps 100 yards to a different apartment.

Despite the short distance, it has taken me 5 months to get everything changed address wise and I still have troubles.

The electric company has been supplying my electricity well, but while I live in G11 they seem to think I’m still in D3 for some reason. The company provides good service, but when I go online to pay my bill I have to go through this 2 step verification to pay my monthly bill. Like someone would break in and pay my electric bill for me. Once I manage to break into my own bill to pay, sometimes it says I owe 0$ the next time it says 49.24$. I was on the phone to a nice woman at the company to solve my issue. She gave me a way to pay that was so convoluted, I couldn’t keep up with her. I still haven’t paid. I tried to pay on Saturday and Sunday over the internet, but their system doesn’t take payments over the weekend. I opened the payment site a few minutes ago and it says I owe 0$. I’m good as long as they don’t shut me down.

When I was a young man I could do anything necessary, but this old brain doesn’t work like it used to. Many things seem beyond my comprehension. I think I need to go into the old folks place to sit and watch tv until I pass away. If they ever finish the place and I move in, I’ll have to go through the whole cycle again with changing addresses. I’ve been here 5 months, sent a change of address to all and they still send things to the old address. For the past 5 months I still get mail for the previous tenant on a regular basis. I send things back with a clear: “Return Addressee Unknown” mail still comes from the same places.

At the old folks home I can sit in my chair outside and watch the grass grow. Maybe I’ll watch the maintenance men and let them know there’s a better way to do that.

I’ve been practicing different voices, I’m pretty sure people will like the different voices. They’ll really like my Sean Connery voice. I can also use a gay man voice; that should be a hit. I’m also very good with my old man, no teeth, pointing my finger at someone while saying;”don’t F with me cause I can still kick your ass.” That’s my favorite voice.

I better be careful, those places may have separate areas like prison for unruly old farts. Maybe they’ll just kick me out, but no, they want their monthly tap at my bank account. They could just kill me and rent my room to somebody else. That’s not unheard of.

It seems like I read somewhere that some old folks' homes have seniors hooking up and even doing the nasty.
As Toby Keith sang in his song, “I ain't as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”
I’m only 81, I imagine some of those men might be in their nineties, making me look pretty good!

Old men can get cranky and feisty and mean. That could set me up for a pugilism conflict.
I’ve been working out these few months and I think I could handle some old fart if I had to.

Brother Bill

260823 The Way Back Machine

I was sitting outside again last night.

This picture was taken a while back, but it is me, or was me.

This memory goes back 72 years ago. My home was across the street from a public school. Our neighborhood was majority Catholic, but we all hung out at the huge public school playgrounds across from my home.

There were 2 confectionaries down at the corner. One was run by a nice old woman. My mother gave me a quarter every day to go down the street and buy her a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes.

The other one was a confectionery/ small grocery. The people who owned it, their surname was Nabb. The mother and father ran the cash register and they both were miserable to any child that went into the store. A kid didn’t even have pocket change; so the Nabbs didn’t like kids and we kids didn’t like them. Any time I had a dime, I went there to buy a sodapop, hoping to see their daughter who was simply gorgeous! The parents kept her hidden.

I was allowed to be outside until dark and I had to be indoors before the sun went down. There was one exception; in winter I could go out and play in the snow after dark. There were usually other neighborhood kids and we had snowball fights.

On that night I was all alone and sad nobody was there; until that is, she showed up. Nabb’s daughter was here and we two were alone. She was a little older than me. My heart was pounding so hard she may have heard it. We threw a few snowballs and talked a little. I was standing at heaven’s gate.

It couldn’t have gotten better, until it did. She said:”Let’s go down to the store.” We walked down the hill and into the store. She walked over to the cooler and got us both a cold PepsiCola. She was so beautiful and older than me, but we were talking.

I’ve been halfway around the world, seen every shape, size and color there is, but none could match the girl I didn’t even know her name, or the one I married in 1964 and Joyce was her name.

I’ve lost both of them, but they are still in my mind and in my heart. GOD bless them both.

260822 Sitting on the side of the road.

8:30 pm, outside last night.

Darkness had fallen. I went out on my little patio with my folding chair, opened it, sat down, cracked open a cold beer and I was watching my little world go by.

The sound of the Cicadas was deafening. The males were singing to attract the females. I’m no expert on bugs, but I noticed the jabbering diminishing, so I assumed the males and females had all hooked up for the night.

I sat there and thought I was like some old man with nothing to do but sit by an old gas station that had been shut down years ago and watch the cars go by.

This morning I decided I would walk past Aldi’s and see what was being built in that area. I was surprised to find out there was nothing being built, it was a new road being added to connect to a cross street.

I walked back to Aldi’s, picked up 2 items and walked out of the store. I heard someone yelling. I turned, the person shouting had caused an old woman to stop and turn around. The person calling looked at the old woman and said: “Not you, him!” I thought there was no sense in turning down a ride. After all, I didn’t think she would rape me. I realized who it was. She had given me a ride 2 days before. She lives in the same complex as I do. She’s a nice woman, less than half my age. She drives an old truck. I gotta say I admire any woman who drives a truck.

260821 Crabby

Crabby Old Man

Well I’m about to give up on Hampton Manor. I’ve hoped every day for more than a year and got nothing. I’ve called the company to get an idea when they might be done. All I get is a robot that says:”give us your email and we’ll contact you.” I’m very disappointed.

I suppose I’ll stay here for my one year lease; after that I don’t know. I have a nice apartment, with a lot of room (more than I use). It’s the same layout as the one I’ve lived in for 5 years now.

I want a change! I don’t know what I want. I don’t know where I want to be.

I just want to whine for a bit; but I have no one to whine to. I just want to eat some worms; but there’s no worms here in this rockytop place where I live.

Well I’m going to end this. I’m going to get my folding chair, sit down on my patio, and have a beer while I remember my navy years and how much I enjoyed them. I’d love to go aboard ship right now as a crew member, but I don’t think they will take an 81 year old man.

Brother Bill

260820 A Day like No Other

The second USS Forrestal was the first aircraft carrier with a new angled flight deck. The ship had a lot of problems.

This picture is Joyce’s mother and father on her Indian motorcycle. (Today, an Indian motorcycle would be hard to find and cost a fortune to buy.)

This link below is an example of what can happen on an USN aircraft carrier. This is just one thing that can happen on a flight deck of an aircraft carrier. I did two cruises working on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk. Bad things happened, but none like the link below.

This occurred on the USS Forestal. It could happen on any day on an aircraft carrier. The link below is only 11 minutes long; if you just want to see the grisly horror, you can fast forward to the 8 minute mark when everything explodes into a massive fire where many sailors died trying to fight the fire. Future senator John S. McCain was nearly killed in this explosion and fire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GVeH2ePy8&t=2s Every sailor in the USN was required to watch this film. What you see here was only part of the carnage, we sailors saw all of it. 134 men were killed fighting this fire.

Brother Bill

260819 Bug Juice

Bug Juice

I was watching TV today during a half hour program about foods served in the United States Navy. It brought back memories and even some surprises. 1963 navy bootcamp mess hall food and drink. One staple was a greenish like Kool Aid which recruits labeled “Bug Juice”. I never drank it; I either had milk or water. I found out today that “Bug Juice” was served from World War 2 through Vietnam. I remembered it in Vietnam.

The next familiar dish served in navy galleys around the world was chipped beef in gravy poured onto a slice of bread. Sailors ate it, despite the fact that the common phrase for the dish was; “Shit on a Single”.

The one thing that was always popular was called a “Slider” which was a hamburger. On the USS Kitty HAWK there were 2 galleys. One had meals like you would have at home. The other had hamburgers, hot dogs and French Fries. That was my favorite place on day shift, 7am to 7pm. I, unfortunately, worked the night shift 7pm to 7am and had no hamburgers. I usually ate in the midnight hours, called “Midrats” midnight rations. The food wasn’t the best, but when I was hungry I ate what was available. The beauty of Midrats was there were no lines to go through.

On my daily trips to the Aldi’s grocery store, I’ve usually walked sidewalks and then on the highly trafficked road to the store.

There is an open field across the street from my apartment to the Aldi’s store. I found that walking over open ground is better for walking than on sidewalks and streets. The open ground exercises leg muscles that are not exercised on pavement. Going over rough terrain has strengthened my legs well.

2026 Time passes

Time goes by, somethings change, some don't.

I had my first cool breeze seep over me this morning. It was well appreciated.

I noticed that sundown here is 8:00 pm. Now that’s a big step and I’m happy. We are moving toward September and cooler weather (Hopefully).

In the late 80’s Joyce and I were going to the casino in Miami, Oklahoma. We loved the card tables and the dealers there. Sometimes we won and sometimes we lost, but we always had a good time.

One day it got late and I said to Joyce that we needed to head for home because we hadn't booked a hotel room. The pit boss was a friend and she said she could get us a room if we wanted to stay. Joyce loved that place, so I said get us a room. She did and we were set.

We were drinking beer and playing cards all day and into the evening. Joyce could drink and never seemed drunk, while I was different I showed I had a load on.
I had to leave the table and go to the restroom which was a hike and not close to where we were gambling. I left the restroom and on the casino sound track came Gloria Estefon and her big hit song “Conga.” I never was much of a dancer, but I heard the song and started doing the conga dance. As I went down the aisle (passing the slot machines) I was in a happy place. What I didn’t know was all the women playing the machines left their machines and fell into the conga line behind me. The line got pretty long and I was nearing the card table where Joyce was sitting. The card dealer said: “There’s a man doing the conga and there’s a whole line behind him.” Joyce turned and said:”That's my husband.” She turned back to the table and said: “Deal some cards.” When Joyce was playing cards for money the rest of the world didn’t matter.

September 4th 2026 is the 63rd anniversary of my enlisting in the United States Navy.

September 14th 2026 is the 5th anniversary of Joyce’s passing.

My first days in the navy were dreadful, but as time went by I loved it.

My first day of Joyce’s passing was dreadful; as time has gone by, I cry a little less but not much less.

2608 A Tree

This was my favorite autumn view from the highest spot on our farm

A tree…

I see a tree that’s fallen down
Laying upon, woodland ground

I look to side and see a thicket
And wonder what creatures may live in it

I continue to drive along my way
Wishing somehow I might stay

‘Have to get to my job today
‘Have to earn my meager pay

Sometimes I think that it’s a sin
Living like we do, in the world we’re in

We should spend more time outside each day
Time away, from the maddening fray

Some peace and quiet in the local wood
Would do a body a lot of good

You live in a city so it just can’t be?
Never saw a city without a tree

Just kneel yourself down, upon the ground
Be still a moment don’t make a sound

Don’t utter a single verse
Just be a part, of the universe

Just look ahead and see that tree
Witness how beautiful nature can be

You’ll be much happier, I guarantee
And best of all, God’s gift is free

Brother Bill

260815 Long Ago But Not Far Away

It was a bad day at black rock.

As I remember, it was 20 years ago. The boss announced an unscheduled all hands meeting. We all gathered and sat down in the warehouse of Litton ACD, waiting to hear what the meeting was all about.

In came the clowns from California. The Californicators climbed up on the stage, they said the plant was closing and everyone would soon be out of work. They turned on a dime, left one woman to explain the bad news while they left for the airport and flew back to California.

Everyone was in shock, tears were shedding all around. Some had been working at Litton for 40 years. Others graduated High School, walked down the street, went to work for Litton and had never worked anywhere else.
The woman the Californicators left to explain everything to us was very nice and explained what we would get in severance pay and how the plant would slowly shut down.

I remember driving by the site months later; the building was razed and buried underground. That day was almost as bad as the day we were told we were out of work.

There were a lot of good people at Litton. They were friends and many of them still read my blogs. I worked there for 19 years and 6 months. Many others worked there a lot longer than I did. It was a good place to work.

Brother Bill

260814 Nice Day

When is Seprember coming?

This picture was taken back in the happy days on the farm. I loved that woman, I still do.

I walked to Aldi’s after not going there for 2 days in a row. In the store, I was walking down the aisle and this huge woman was wider than the shopping cart. I was trying to slide past her when she said: “Your shoelaces are untied.” I thanked her for possibly preventing me from tripping and falling. The woman was very nice and there were two others as big as she was in the store. When I see someone that big, all I feel is sorrow for their condition. I don’t know what caused their issue. It could be their mothers over feeding them when they were little. I know about that first hand.

I was outside returning my shopping cart when a very nice older woman there lamented that we were going to have another 100 degree day. I agreed with her and we parted ways. I understand how sensitive I am to the heat at my age. I keep my apartment cooler than I used to. I don’t go out walking in the heat anymore.

As I walked home, my mind took me back to the sixties onboard the USS Kitty Hawk operating off the coast of Vietnam. Working on the flight deck in the daytime the low temperature was 100 degrees, mostly it was 110-120. I was 21 back then and the heat didn’t bother me at all.

The last big shed the construction company had at Hampton Manor was being loaded onto a big flatbed truck. I went into the grocery store and when I came out, the big shed was gone. With that gone I could see a construction company churning dirt and gravel and parked right by the entrance of Hampton is a big industrial dumpster parked right at the edge of Hampton’s only entry driveway.
It kind of ruins the look of the old folks home.

260813 WHY?

It'S been a good day so far.

I didn’t go to Aldi’s today or the day before. I had gone there daily for more days than I could imagine.
I get annoyed looking at the Hampton Manor Home that looks like it’s ready to interview people and start moving them in. It looks like the only thing happening is one man monitoring how well the water sprinklers are working. In truth, the sprinklers aren’t terrible but they could be directed better.

I’m starting to become intrigued about the construction that’s going on right up to the driveway entry of Hampton manor. That could be something that may interfere with the Manor, especially if it pulls in a lot of traffic.

This town is growing more and more. The first time I came here the population was 14,000, very small. Now the population is likely well over 140,000. The new Amazon distribution center brought a huge influx of people. Every open space now either has a house under construction and the number of big apartment complexes keeps growing.

Today I had planned to shuffle some things around and that’s what I did. I worked from 8am until 3:45pm. I haven’t even had a beer yet, but that will change. I started shuffling furniture to kill time and keep myself strong after Joyce passed away. I had to have something to do. I couldn’t just sit and watch TV.

I hadn’t moved furniture since my last hospital stay in which I nearly died. I did have my heart stop and I fell out of the chair before the phlebotomist could draw some blood. I don’t know what they did after that. The LORD wasn’t ready to take me that day. I’m still here to do something, maybe HE just wants me to suffer. Maybe I’m here to help someone. I don’t know, but I’m here for a reason.

260811 Chance's Last Day

Chance’s Last Day

She was an old dog when she showed up on our back porch about ten years ago. She already showed her age then. I talked to everyone I knew and even put an advertisement in the paper to see if anyone had lost her and wanted to claim her. No one responded.

She came along after our dog Alley had died and I felt then that I didn’t want to get attached to another dog. I tried to never get attached to Chance, but even though I tried my best, it was impossible. She was the smartest and best dog I ever had. She could interpret hand signals and respond well to vocal commands. She would come up and politely place her paw on my knee when she wanted affection. The one thing I could never figure out was that she would never enter a building, even the open garage. There was much better shelter for her in the barn or garage, but she would never enter either. She slept in an open wooden box I brought home from work and put on the front porch. In her later years I would try to bring her into the house on exceptionally cold nights, but she would never enter.

We could see the end coming the last few days and my heart ached for her. She was nearly blind, very nearly deaf; her hips had given out, making her walking painful and on that last day she could no longer make it to the porch when her hind leg seemed so dramatically out of place. I knew the end was here and her time had come.

I picked her up and put her into the SUV and drove to the Vet’s office. I cried as I removed her from the vehicle and into the Vet’s office and laid her on the floor. The Vet picked her up from the floor of his office but she showed no fear as she usually did around people she wasn’t familiar with. She seemed to sense his kindness and gentle care on her last day. Those requests for end of life services must be the most difficult tasks Vets have to perform, knowing how attached people become to pets. I cried all the way home and years later as I review this story I am again on the verge of tears.

This is why I’ll never have a dog again. You get so attached that your heart is broken when the dog dies.

The End

260810 Interlude at Aldi's

I was shocked this morning at Aldi’s.

I had finished my shopping and I walked out the doors. I turned and headed for home. There was an old man who had just parked his shopping cart and was headed for his truck.

I looked at him and said:”Hello old man.” He was short and stocky with white hair and a white beard. He looked like the jolly old elf one might see at Christmas. He asked me how old I was. I replied:" older than you." He said that he doubted it. I told him I was 81, he replied that he was 88! He looked more like 78 to me. I asked, what do you eat? He pointed at a tall elderly woman beside his truck and said: “whatever she cooks.”
I extended my hand to shake his. His grip was stronger than any man’s I had ever shook hands with.

I never know what I’ll say or what I’ll see at Aldi’s. I enjoy seeing all the people there. It’s a panoply of humanity and I never tire of it.

Brother Bill

260809 Church???

It’s Sunday and the churches are full around here.

Someone told me I’m living in the buckle of the Bible belt. I have no reason to deny that.
I suppose people feel good by going to church once a week on Sunday. I did get an invitation in my mailbox to the local Baptist church nearby. I declined the invitation.

I wake up in the middle of the night to say my prayers. It’s quiet, dark and peaceful. I’m pretty sure the Lord is on duty 24 hours a day.

260809 The Home

The old folks home looks finished.

There’s only one man working now and all he does is check to make sure the water sprinklers are working as they should. The lawns are beautiful, the small shrubs were planted well and the trees they planted are doing well now since they are getting water.

The only thing missing is me. The place looks complete and very attractive. The only way I can contact the proprietors is over their internet and all I get there is a damn robot that says enter your internet and we will contact you when we are ready.

I may or may not be able to afford living there, but I want to at least see everything inside compleated and all polished up and looking pretty there.

I’m quite content living alone in my apartment, but in the home there will be people close to my age and me with a private apartment, I can decide whether I want to be alone or be sharing stories with other old folks who want to talk about things that with both of us at nearly the same age will be nice for me.
When this happens, I don’t know. I’ve watched the home since the first load of lumber hit the ground. You may remember my event when I just walked in the manor and walked around when there were two men working and I found an apartment like the one I’ll have provided if I get to live there.

As bugs bunny would say,"that's all folks."