Well, tonight really fell through. It was supposed to be a big Poker game here at 1800. But nobody could make it, and Shelby got sick from something.

Suddenly, the night became fun! Crystal dropped by and we smoked from my new pipe out in the Cave. She's really into Health and Wellness, and she and Dan have a studio, or two.

She loves to compare me with her dad that died from Parkinsons and alcoholism. I'd love to know if he died happy?

Shelby recovered and Jennifer showed up. The two have settled into the couch, watching a movie, and I'm in the Cave.

My son Riley and family arrived yesterday at a timeshare in Daytona Beach for a little vacation time.

It's 450 miles away and takes about 8 hours. Through country I don't remember ever having been through, and we leave Sunday to go hang out with them.

Shelby was running around the house yesterday showing pictures on her phone of a young cat that needed adoption. She would be perfect for you popa!

A beautiful eighteen year old virgin girlfriend, with money, who adores me, would be perfect.

It made me think of my last pet, my cat Piper. She was with me for eleven years, from the moment she posed on our hottub deck in Idaho, to the time I laid her down at my little house in Tennessee.

As I patted the dirt and said goodbye, I really knew she was my last pet. I was telling Shelby that I heard her from the other side, a couple weeks after she passed. It was a loud meow that emanated through the house one night. Maybe she's waiting for me there now.

I decided to not go to the DMV this morning. Not because my body wouldn't make it, but because my wallet couldn't do it. I've got two weeks before my SS check comes in, and if I gave Florida the money they demand to license a vehicle, I would only have a hundred bucks left.

How pathetic and depressing, but it is what it is. I need to focus on food, and to afford that run coming up with Shelby to see the kids when they fly into Florida shortly.

At least I'm licensed, so I can split the driving with Shelby, if she lets me drive the Benz. Probably not, but at least I'll have gas money.

I figure if I keep my driving real local I should get away with Tennessee plates that expired in June.

Hell, I expired a few years ago, and they haven't caught me yet.

Ok, tommorrow morning I mosey down to the backdoor entrance of the County Tax Payers office. I've got it down now, get there at 0800, stand in line for a half hour, and beat the crowd.

Hopefully I'll get Rona, show her my new Florida insurance, and finish this project.

My body may be going to hell, but I can still drive. I felt alive today as I followed my GPS to Danny's place.

Tomorrow, me and my truck will be driving around as a licensed Florida driver. The truck will be a Washington, Idaho, Tennessee and now a Florida licensed vehicle.

She's got a quarter million miles on her and she's purring like a kitten. I thank my mechanic Thomas back in Lawrenceburg, TN for the fine work.

So what now?

I am now an official Florida resident. I visited the License place this morning for the second time. I was armed with everything I thought they needed, or might need, to get my drivers license and my truck registered, with new Florida plates.

I brought my SS card, my Medicare card, my Birth Certificate and a couple of mails with my new address on them. I was lucky to get the same lady I had the first time, a nice person named Rona, at station seven.

She had me sign a bunch of stuff, even some electronic Q/A on a tablet with a pen. She made electronic copies of everything I had. She walked me back to a room and took my picture for my Drivers License. Then we went outside to my truck parked in front and she acted as notary for the VIN verification.

Finally, back at station seven, she handed over my new drivers license, which cost me $56. Then, as I anxiously awaited my new License Plate, with a new tag, and a Florida vehicle registration to stick up in my visor, she said: but there is one problem!

Then she handed me back my Farmers Insurance card, based in Tennessee, good untill December, and said I need Florida Auto Insurance. I told her I needed a gun to shoot myself.

So I called my Farmers agent Chad up in Lawrenceburg, TN, while standing right there in front of Rona. I said I've had a perfect record with Farmers for over twenty five years and I wanted that record, and account, passed on to a Farmers agent here, now.

The problem is, there are no Farmers Insurance agents in Florida. The whole thing is going electronic and straight to hell. Chad told me it takes an hour for him to reach corporate.

He said the best he could do is cancel my insurance now, today, and the balance of $67 will go back on my card. I told him I shut that Lawrenceburg bank account down and there is no card anymore, just mail it to me. He said he couldn't, but when it bounces from the card, the computer should issue a check. Maybe, OMG...

Fuck Farmers Insurance. I had a business card on my table here from an insurance guy named Danny I met at the Z the other night. It took me an hour but I drove there and got six months insurance on my truck for $296.

Tomorrow I go see Rona and get my vehicle plate, sticker and registration. I will officially be a Florida Resident with a Voter ID card coming in the mail.

Not some scumbag that crosses our border illegally, rapes our women and children and votes Democratic multiple times without any ID.

We're having a poker game Thursday at 1800 with the new Poker Table Shelby gave me for my birthday, either in the Cave with no legs sitting on the big round table, or the living room, with legs and A/C.

So, if you know us, drop by and play a few rounds on this new table. You know the rules, $10k buyin, but if we need to raise that, just let me know.

Actually, that was a joke, there's no money involved, just fun.

So here's the lineup, Shelby, Todd and me. If Jennifer and Chelsea can come, cool. Dan and Crystal, welcome! John, if we could meet your wife over a poker game, great!

My long time friend Skoge just sent me some words.

When you live a life of love for others and peace with your neighbors, you are amassing your spiritual fortune.

Live fully and be happy while you're here because, From here you won't take what you have. You'll only take what you gave.

I'm making a new friend named John. He and his family moved in a while back and they are a great addition to this backyard neighborhood.

His wife is from Mexico, she's lovely and adds to the group of beautiful women that make up our backyard, and that Old Man Jim gets to enjoy visually from his mancave.

John's a former Network IT guy that eventually got into Real Estate and has done very well, several properties, a couple of businesses. They have two kids, a boy 10 and a girl 7. This is a great family folks!

John wondered over to the Cave today as he got home to an empty house. The kids are back in school and his wife is at work. He sat in my guest chair and we got to know each other.

We are of similar political positions, and I shared with him this wild idea I just had about being a Vote Certification volunteer this coming election.

Then he talked about how Mexico inks a persons finger to prevent voter fraud. The fan was going hard here in the Cave and I thought he said eats a persons finger.

We had a good laugh.

So, the way I'm perceived in this life, is just an old drunk, and I accept that. I really wish people that care about me saw more, but it is what I have created, and deserve.

I have no idea what to do anymore. I wake up in the morning with my body vibrating like crazy. I'm really dizzy when I step out of bed and it takes everything I have to keep from passing out and hitting the floor.

I make it through the morning and have a drink at noon to calm it down. Then the alcohol becomes the culprit. I smoke a little bud, and suddenly I'm a drunken stoned loser.

What I really am is an old man trying to survive each moment, anyway I can.

btw: Shelby still likes me, and that's all that matters right now.

Our life in the end is defined by our successes and failures, by our wins and loses, and ultimately by our wealth and possessions.

I really believe it should be defined by our soul, that magical place in our heart that holds who we honestly are.

I've been a crazy and smart mixed up man since I was a kid. As such, I've had an amazing life.

But every time the shit hit the fan, I found a core of honesty and decency down in my soul, that always saved my life.

I believe it's a gift from my ancestors in this country, that goes back centuries. I am a good man, it's in my blood.

I hold no ill will towards anyone, and I love a few.

I finally had a girl in bed with me last night. It was pretty romantic, I carried her up the stairs, laid her out on the bed, and kissed her good night. I tried to talk her girlfriend into joining us, but she was crashed out in the downstairs living room.

So here it is Sunday morning, they're still here and we had breakfast together. Shelby's heading back from New Orleans shortly so I better straighten the house up.

I woke up this morning to an empty house, with two small dogs sleeping downstairs. The dogs didn't budge as I walked by towards the mancave, which meant they weren't hungry and didn't need to relieve themselves.

I was up at 0500, usually up at 0600. I have two things to accomplish today, take care of the dogs, and make sure our nurse friend Jennifer gets a good day sleep after a long night shift.

Jen showed up around 0745, took a leak, and then headed straight to Shelby's bed upstairs. It's almost 1400 and I assume she's still sleeping, or maybe she's gone?

As to the dogs, I couldn't get their little asses up this morning. They hadn't done their business since yesterday evening, and I didn't want any inside accidents.

I finally got Zinny up, gave her breakfast and meds, and let her hangout in front of the cave, where she soaked up some sun.

Then the three of us had a great walk under the 110 freeway on ramp.

Along the way, stops were made. Zinny even dropped a big load on the sidewalk as we entered our back parking lot. I have bags, and I cleaned it up.

Then I secured the dogs in their little air-conditioned paradise, and walked over to the Z. Wearing just bathing trunks with a Crockett Shoals Tubing staff tee shirt stuck in them, I needed a Pensacola cocktail.

My favorite bartender Brooke had whipped up some Sloppy Joe mix over in the corner, but I passed and stuck to one drink.

And now here I am, in the mancave alone with the fan blowing cool air over my very tan, skinny, sticky body.

I hope Jennifer drops into the cave for a minute, before she leaves (and if she's still here).

I would ask her how her shift was last night, she looked pretty beat up when she walked in this morning. Hey, she skipped a fun time in New Orleans to pull a tough shift and then slept in a friends bed.

I've been hanging with medical professionals lately. Chelsea is a Pediatric and Intensive Care Nurse, Jennifer is a Labor and Delivery Nurse and Amy is a Surgical P/A.

Chelsea is tiny and fits right in with the Pediatrics Ward, Jennifer delivers babies that aren't hers, and Amy injects clitoris pleasure enhancement drugs into older women.

They're beautiful, intelligent and successful. I'm very glad I've gotten the opportunity to know them.

I think about the time I spent down in Tampa recently, when my brain was still badly damaged. Shelby introduced a bunch of great, good looking successful people to me down there, but my memory was running in the Off mode.

Hey Shelbs, make me a list of the great people I met there and what they do!

Some folks I've met lately say they were born and raised here in Pensacola and lived all their life here.

I lived for forty years in California, almost half my life. All across the State, from the mountains to the beaches, from the big cities, to the sticks.

On my fortieth birthday I was sitting in a downtown Oakland bar. Colleen had just moved up to Kent, WA, just south of Seattle. She took my son Riley with her.

My software business was crumbling around me, and one of my Jewish partners wanted to buy me out. I said buy me a plane ticket to Seattle and give me some cash.

The next day I was gone from California and never looked back. Over the years Riley and I would travel down the coast and see people and things, but I never lived there again.

Since I'm watching the dogs this weekend, I have to be on good behavior. So I walked the two blocks down the road yesterday to get my bar fix on at the Azalea.

The place was moderately full at 1500 in the afternoon, there's a bunch of day drinkers in this town, and the Z opens at 0800. Tina was working and set me up with a good corner seat at the bar.

In a bit a guy named Chris sat next to me and we struck up a conversation. He seemed like a solid guy, with a wife and a couple kids, and he likes to have a drink or two after work.

I always go in there alone, but I decided to show the bar crowd that I wasn't just an old loser with no women in my life. So I texted Shelby and invited her to drop in for a drink.

It turns out she was running around town with Jennifer, the hot Labor and Delivery nurse who played board games with us recently.

Shelbs said sure, and shortly two lovely ladies were sitting between us at the bar. I was on my second drink, which is my usual limit there, but suddenly drinks were being bought and I don't really remember leaving.

Jennifer came back this morning, trying to decide if she was going to New Orleans with Shelby. I had just banged the top of my head on a half closed garage door, so it was nice to have the nurse look at it while Shelby patched me up.

Anyway, Jennifer is staying behind this weekend and sleeping in Shelby's bed tomorrow during the day. She's got a night shift happening Saturday and needs a place to crash.

So shortly I'll have two dogs to take care of and a beautiful nurse sleeping upstairs tomorrow. I don't think I've ever put those particular words together in a sentence before...

I just turned down a weekend jaunt to New Orleans with two hot blonds. Shelby and Chelsea are leaving tomorrow, be back Sunday.

I think it's a brief work gig for Shelby, along with dealing with Apple over her phone, and the nurse is just going for the fun, and to look pretty on Shelby's hip.

I've been there three times in my life and I always had fun and usually got in trouble. It's only a four hour drive so maybe I'll do my own road trip in a couple of weeks. It's time to vault that pole.

In the meantime, I've got the place to myself, with the responsibility of hanging out with two small dogs. I take this very seriously, I love these two little punks and I'll take good care of them.

Shelby bought herself a new bed, and gave hers to me. I've been sleeping on a foldout bed with memory foam, which has been great, but this one's bigger and better.

Her birthday gift for me arrived, and she put it together inside the house yesterday and I wasn't allowed in until it was ready.

I love it, can't wait to get a game going out here in the mancave. Dan dropped by a couple chairs the other day, so we're all set.

Ya know what's interesting about this blog, I always tell the truth. Sometimes I tell too much truth and I have to bring a post down. A few people might see them as they float through the cloud, and I now realize, it doesn't matter, I should have just left them up there.

My die time is eminent. Shortly after that happens, my web host IONOS will retire this site because there's nobody to pay the bill.

Which means that every word and thought that has traveled from my brain, to a keyboard and then on to the world, over the last almost twenty years, will cease to exist. Right along with all the code I've developed and put online.

So why do I worry about things that I've expressed in the cloud? I only have a very few people in my life that understand me, and they still like me.

And soon I'll be gone, along with my blogs, so my final words to the cloud are good night, and thanks, it's been fun.

I'm doing good down here in Florida. I continually meet great people, my brain is recovering from the damage of a few months back, and my health is improving.

I'm finally shedding waist fat, and if I worked out, I could get some abs back. I take great walks around the neighborhood, in my shorts and sandals, at least twice a day.

The rest of the time I get drunk and stoned, and blog. That Jelly Roll song keeps rolling around my head. "Somebody save me, me from myself, I've spent so long, living in hell", and "They say my lifestyle, is bad for my health. It's the only thing that seems to help".

So, I've been saved by my grand-daughter Shelby, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. I've got my drinking under control better than it's been in a while, although it has it's moments.

I smoke a little bud in the man-cave, which is totally acceptable here in Florida.

So, I don't know how to explain it, but my life is going great. I'm taking care of business, got my new Medicare Advantage program going today, thanks Leighton. By next mid-week I'll have myself licensed, along with my truck.

I feel alive again!

It's tough being old, especially if you're a dog. I have two friends that identify as old dogs, and they're exactly that, and they accept it.

I was walking both of them down the road yesterday, tied to a split lease so they could do their own thing. Both of them were prancing high, heads up and proud to be a dog in this hot humid Pensacola neighborhood.

All of a sudden, a blue Mercedes came to a stop in the middle of the road in front of us. There is only one sexy blue Benz in town, and it belongs to one of the dogs owner. We were busted.

Our wonderful jaunt around the block came to a screeching halt, as Zinny recognized the car and the driver. It was her momma Shelby, heading home, and Zinny had to be there, right now.

The walk around the block was over. Zinny positioned herself in the direction of home and would not budge. She has a choke chain that I can pull on, force her to walk around the block with me and the little white dog, but she wasn't moving, so we went home.

Shelby's new I-Phone has died on her, and she needs it for work. Nobody calls me, so I gave her mine, but that don't work for her either.

She went to Stormy's son's birthday party last night that I should have made, they made mine, but I've missed it, sorry guys. I'm not good at socializing, I really need to work on that.

I just wrapped up my Florida Medicare Advantage package over the phone with my new agent Leighton. I'll be getting a package in the mail about a week from now, that I can use as my second piece of mail here. Which I can then use to finish up my vehicle and drivers license registration downtown. Florida has probably the strictest ID requirements in the country.

Shelbs may be going to New Orleans next weekend and I'll be watching the dogs. She hinted that I could go if I wanted, but I've been there three times in my life and got into trouble each visit, so, no thanks.

As to this picture, it appeared in the corner of the mancave yesterday, and it looks like a ghost to me.

It's a beautiful clear blue sky Saturday here in Pensacola. I got in a great walk this morning, it's hot, humid and Florida. Then Shelby burst through the door and said The Boat Trip Is On.

Ummmhuh, a tropical storm is moving up the Gulf and the best place to be is on a boat? Anyway, I'm watching the house and Zinny, until she gets back tomorrow evening.

I'm in an interesting place in life. I just watched a beautiful young redhead that I've never seen before, walk in front of the open garage door carrying a small bag of garbage to the dumpster. We made eye contact and we waved as she walked by. I enjoyed her ass on the walk back.

I've been a good roommate while Shelby boat hops. The kitchen is sparkling, dishes done, garbage dumped. Zinny is well loved and intact, thank god. I'm not supposed to give her chocolate ice cream, but sometimes it falls from my plastic spoon onto the floor, and before I can find a paper towel, it's gone.

I love a good massage. My previous partner Steph gave amazing ones, she even bought a padded massage table when we moved to Idaho. I would return the favor and it usually turned into a love making night.

Roatan, Honduras offers up an amazing row of mostly women masseuses along the beach. Last time I was there it was $20 and hour but I never dove in.

Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. It's also an hour out by boat, so you need to plan your visit. It's not like a drive down the freeway.

Here's what they offer, the Just Relax Massage parlor.

My friend Crystal mosied into the Cave yesterday and I showed her this shot. She and her husband Dan have a booming massage therapy and Yoga business here. She was telling me that they just had an offer on an additional 1000 sq ft to expand their business, at $1.00 a foot, and they're jumping on it.

As we puffed on the pipe I was telling Crystal about all of the dynamic successful women I've met since moving here, including her. Than a friend of hers showed up and pulled up the folding chair to the table. She was very pretty, another successful woman, and they were both visiting me in the Cave.

Shelby was hanging out with a new friend of hers inside on the couch. Another lovely woman that I just met today, a labor and delivery nurse named Jennifer. So I gathered up my two Cave buddies and we burst into the house, with me yelling out that I was bringing my girls in!

Suddenly the kitchen was alive with female energy, a couple of introductions were made, and I just stayed out of the way.

The girls left and then Todd, Chelsea and her little brother showed up for a night of board games. I sat in for a couple of rounds, but I sucked at it and went to the Cave.

Just another day in Paradise!

That's Jennifer on the left.

The top of my head has gotten pretty burned with all the sun I've been getting lately, so I'm wearing hats when I'm out and about. Last night at the wine bar, with my hat off, one of the guys we were hanging out with commented about my head a couple of times.

He said I should keep an eye on it, and protect it. Normally you don't get medical advice from someone you've just met, so on the way home I asked Shelby what kind of work the guy did. She said Oh, he's a Dermatologist!.

I find this happening all the time down here. You never know who you're meeting and what they do.

Like tonight, I was sitting in the little red lounge chair at the edge of my mancave, facing the street as the sun went down, falling asleep.

I'm used to a quiet night on a dead-end street, but all of a sudden I heard a woman's voice in front of me. I opened my eyes and it was a beautiful blond hanging out of a car window in front of me, asking if I was heading downtown to hear her man sing.

Hey, I didn't know Dan was on tonight, and Crystal said, throw a shirt on and let's go!

I was trying to work on old photos, so I passed, next time guys! Here's some favorite shots from my thumb drives, and I've still got three hard drives to go through. I'll present them here as I encountered them.

We'll start out with my young friend Maddie. We feed ducks together.

Daniel and I playing with handguns.

Bought some of my friend Farmer Katy's eggs from the market.

Daniel comfortable in his chair.

Some bug embedded in my skin.

Actually I'd never do it this way, too messy.

The lost love of a child.

A really old direct relative on my mothers side (Joe Simpson). I picked up his lazy left eye, so did Shelby.

My first born grandchild, Chris, with his son, what's his name.

My friend Pam when she won the 1974 Miss Chinatown USA contest.

Colleen, the last time I saw her at Riley's.

It's been a crazy Wednesday down here in Pensacola. I started the day downtown at 0800, sliding in the backdoor of their DMV to get an early place. I needed a vehicle plate and drivers license but was not quite prepared, maybe tomorrow.

Then Shelby and I scrambled to get a Medicare Advantage program going for me, as my insurance ends at midnight. I was missing a Medicare number, so I have no insurance for a month.

Shelby's got some shit going on, so we decided to go out. We hooked up with Chelsea and her young brother at a cool beach place with live music.

Here's some raw video, hanging out at the seafood place with Shelbs, Chels, and her younger brother.

Then on the way home we stopped at the wine bar downtown to see Homer and his lady, and all of a sudden pretty women at a table were saying Hi Papa! to me. Turns out we've partied before.