The other day my mother asked me to take the baby off of her. She said it was laying on her ribs. Her portable EKG machine was in her smock pocket where it lives and I thought that the weight of that was what she was referring to as a baby. But it was sort of weird that she said baby. Then the other day she told me that she continues to hear a baby…
Ever since T and I met we have talked about how we want to give back to the community some of our bounty. One of the things we always come back to is nutrition and feeding the hungry. We’ve talked about a bus converted to a moving restaurant for the poor, breakfast for poor kids, you name it. But in the end every time we think we have come up with something a friend “in…
T is in the final days of finishing her book and was out watching one last film. So I had an evening to myself and started reading a new book – Ned Sublette’s Cuba and its music from the first drums to the mambo. I was instantly hooked as this is my own history he is writing about as well as my own soul stirrings. When I went to Cuba in 1999, on my 40th…
Around this time of year, I try to set some goals. And here are couple along with perplexing issues that govern them: 1) I’ve put on weight the past two years – around 15 lbs. I was not a person who could stand a few extra, much less fifteen extra pounds. So I took up step class twice a week and a spin class once a week and wala – nada! Wala – nada is…
After the gym, I’m off to see Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell their Tales at Tulane. I was recommending it to a guy friend of mine and said what interested me the most is that I find it hard to tell who isn’t gay in the South. Most Southern men I know are effeminate and so it makes it hard to really tell. Even the ones who don’t look effeminate –…
A friend was telling me that ten years ago when his father was dying of cancer, that his brother was a cheerleader for keeping his father going. But after several horrendous bouts of chemo late in the game, even the doctors said that the family would be better off helping him make the transition of letting go. Another friend told me that while his mother’s dying was over a long period of time, that she…
Walking through the park this morning, I noticed a tree with chattering blue jays and decided that would be my theme for the day – happiness.
Yesterday when we were visiting my mom I drew the privacy curtain between her and her new roommate. But while we were chatting with my mom, the woman was moaning in pain. I called the nurse who came in briefly to assist her, but then when she left the woman was pathetically moaning and so I went over there and rubbed her legs and said, “It’s alright” and that seemed to calm her down. She…
This morning we walked to the park with our young neighbor and Loca and when we got to the Big Lake we went and stood under the big oak tree with six huge wind chimes and the sound under the tree was magical!
This Friday we’re headed to the Healing Center that Sally Ann Glassman started with a bunch of like minded people after Katrina. They’re having an annual Halloween bash with music and crafts and food and lots more. Then Saturday, it’s hand out candy to the kids – or maybe this year I might do moon pies instead. Meanwhile the entire weekend is Voodoo Fest right down the street. So much going on in one weekend…