This blog is four and a half years old. It started shortly after I landed in southern Tennessee, from Idaho. I try not to make it a dumping ground, but more a sharing and entertainment place. I've been blogging for almost twelve years now, and here's my latest:
I had a stuffed omelet biscuit for brunch today at Hardies. I asked them to add some gravy to it, and they did. It was great! $5 bucks, should have ordered two. There were only a few small chunks of ham, that required teeth.
My door is wide open, neighbors on all sides have stuff going on. Jeff across the street is noise polluting with his riding mower, duplex neighbor Drew is transferring his kids, but may drop by later, and Daniel is balling his wife, and may drop by later.
Meanwhile, I sit here and blog...
Our Nashville Christian school shooting was a hate crime. The current balls lacking administration known as Biden's Boys, won't label it as such until they pour over the shooters manifesto, that hasn't been released yet.
It's a nice day here, storm tomorrow. Still questioning myself about why I didn't at least offer Kip a shower and some of my clothes. I haven't landed on an answer yet...
I remember one day when I was homeless and living in a field next to the apartment complex I used to live in. I ran into a buddy, a former neighbor of mine there, before I lost my apartment.
He asked if there was anything I really needed, and I said A Shower! It was the middle of the day, and he had the day off, so he invited me back to his place and let me shower. He was a friend, we've been in each others apartments many times.
His wife found out that I took a shower there, when she got home, and went through the roof. How could he let a dirty homeless guy into the sanctity of their shower?
Hey, I understand, I've let three homeless people use my shower here, to get their humanity back, if just for a few days. That's what it did for me.
Kip was just too far gone. You have to draw the line somewhere, and he was over it. The potential for spreading dangerous germs was high.
When he was here, he moved between Daniel's chair and the open front door. The house began to reek, Kip was in bad shape. I guess I've answered my question.
My Sacramento, CA long time friend Skoge just emailed me:
I feel bad about your turning someone who needed help, away. Sounding like a Real Republican. That’s why I’m a Democrat, I don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks when they need help. The poor kid probably has no one. He may need psychiatric care. He obviously needed clothes.
She also wondered if Daniel was down on people who needed help? I replied:
Daniel was down on me for bringing homeless people into my house and into our quiet dead end street neighborhood. Which I have done several times. This guy needed professional help, way beyond what I could offer, and he was mentally unstable. I feel bad but I stand by my move.
And btw, Kip was mot a kid, around forty I would guess.
I have come to conclude that Daniel was right. I've got to find another way to help people other than bringing them into the sanctity of my little home.
On an unrelated note, I had a YouTube video of Dancing Horses reach 127K views and 74 comments.
I woke up this morning and realized that I couldn't rescue Kip, he's too far gone and needs more than a shower and some fresh clothes. I feel terrible about my decision.
He showed up at my door at 0900, with a big smile, figuring that I was going to do good things for him today. I told him I couldn't be a part of his life, and the hurt look that rolled across his face is something I won't forget. He dropped his eyes, turned and walked back towards the highway.
Now I have to figure out how to deal with Daniel. He said some really hurtful things to me last night, and it's tough when you see how somebody you consider a friend, really feels about things.
Update: Daniel came over and we made amends.
George Washington, the father of our country, wrote his 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation by the time he was sixteen.
Rule Number 88 states: Be not tedious in Discourse, make not many Digressions, nor repeat often the Same manner of Discourse.
Rule Number 80 states: Be not tedious in Discourse, or in reading unless you find the Company pleased therewith.
I hereby proclaim these two rules the Basis Of Jims Blogging Bullshit Basics!
I want to ultimately be with God, join with all of my long gone relatives, and all of my animals, and lovers, and where does it end?
I want to leave my body, knowing that I made a difference. Daniel just reamed my ass about being a self-righteous old asshole who does this homeless rescue stuff to feel better than others.
I do this stuff because it needs to get done. It's way easier to do nothing, but that's not me...
So now I sit here, my neighbor and friend Daniel, is mad at me. It's 1900 and my homeless rescue Kip has not shown up.
Sounds like a damned soap opera to me...
I've met a homeless guy named Kip. He's in bad shape, his clothes are falling off him and he needs cleaning up, bad. We stopped by my place for a bit, but the only thing that came of that, was my now stinky house.
I gave him some money and the first thing he wanted was food, so I took him to Arby's, but he wasn't willing to go inside, because of his condition.
I dropped him off near the square to take care of something, and eat pizza. He's not a druggie or a drunk, just a guy that's run out of options. I've helped out stray animals and people, that have come into my life here, Kip is another. He told me he would come by later.
I came home and thought about it. This is a local boy, getting turned away by everybody around here. He said we met one day when I was driving the school bus carrying tubers a few summers back.
I have decided, that if Kip returns this afternoon, I'll get him cleaned up. A shower first, and I've got some pants I haven't worn in a long while that might fit him, and a shirt. Trash what he's wearing!
I gave Gena my other good pair of shoes, but I've got a pair of boots.
Daniel will be coming over after work this afternoon, around 3:45. If I was in the process of helping a fellow human being, like I've done with other's that he has been a part of, would he jump in to help Kip, or lecture me for trying to help someone so far gone?
Stay tuned to oldmanjim's quiet life in the south, and be not tedious in discourse!
var standards = 100%; var done = NO;
If you want to get something done that meets your standards, you've got to either do it yourself, or find the right entity to do it for you, and if neither gets it done, lower your standards and loop it again.
Ultimately, it will either get done at the standards level that works, or you'll finally realize it was never really meant to be done at all.
Here's a current list of this Summers Gulf Shores participants:
• My son Riley Bangert, his wife Jessica, and daughter Ariella, from Orting, WA.
• My grand-daughter Shelby Hamilton will be running solo from either Washington DC, or Pensacola, FL.
• My daughter Becky from the East Bay Area of California.
• And of course, me.
It't going to be a week in mid-July, with my birthday, the 23rd, within it.
If Becky fly's into Nashville, I'll bring her down and back from here. If she fly's straight there, I'll have an empty seat down and back, and open to offers. :-)
If there are any other grandkids or family members that would love to get involved, hit me up!
I'm going to propose to the family members who are traveling to Pensacola, FL this Summer, that we create a to-do list. When someone finds an amazing thing on the Gulf Coast, put together some words and photos, send them to me, and I'll create a post for it.
For everyone else that follows this blog, you can learn new stuff!
I'll start it off. Out of the internet today came a Yelp link that showed the Top Eggs Benedict in every U.S. State (one of my most favorite meals).
For Alabama, Kittys Kafe in Gulf Shores had the nod, with their Eggs Benedict w/ Crab Cake, potatos and fried green tomato.
You know the crab meat will be fresh out of the Gulf!
I drove by Crockett's Mill restaurant up in David Crockett park this morning around 0900 and they had a decent crowd. On Sundays they only serve breakfast from 0800 to 0945, so people can get to church afterwards.
Sunday is also an all you can eat buffet, and it's great. I thought about going but just wasn't up to doing it alone.
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