"I Thought You Were Some Kind Of Weirdo!"

A Giddy Up coffeehouse regular...

Good "Lecherous" Monday morning, all bodies.

With a first cup here at Giddy Up, I started one of my "Matchbox Hole" posts when I came upon Larry who was sitting alone chewing the fat on his cellphone.

Having done a sketch of him from a photo I took a few weeks ago, it seemed we were doomed to never coordinate my gift to him. I wasn't really sure it was something he'd even want being the lecherous "badass" some women labeled him as. A sign of the times, I guess.

This time the stars were aligned.

I intercepted him as he hung up his phone and moseyed pass me to the back door.

"Larry, Larry, I yelled, I got something I want you to see."

"Well, hey there, youngster... How ya doing?

"Doing great", I said as I showed him the sketchbook drawing I created.

"You did this? Of me? Aw, this is great... Looks just like me and you even got me with my blue mask!"

I didn't want to assume that he liked it enough to ask for it, so I didn't offer it to him.

"Wait till me wife sees this," he says. "Can I take a picture of this?"

From that point on he tells me why he can only come over to GiddyUp on the days that a nurse comes to sit with his wife. Apparently, she's been suffering with Parkinson's Disease for quite some time.

He told me how abusive she becomes when the sun goes down.

"The things she says, she really doesn't mean, ya know?

"It's the Parkinson's Disease," he says.

"Aw, Larry, I'm sorry 'bout all that," I said, thinking of a way to offer the sketch to him.

"Larry, you don't have to take a photo of it for your wife," I said as I ripped the portrait from the sketchbook.

" I drew it for you, anyway, man!"

"Maybe, showing it to your wife during one of her rants will help change the subject," I laughed.

After expressing his gratitude and elation at receiving the gift, he leaned over close to me and said, "When you first asked me to pose for a picture or two, I wasn't too sure!"

"I thought you were some kind of weirdo!"

Second cup, now!

Copyright 2021/Ben Bensen III

"Just Be Glad!"...

C'est La Vie!

Good Sunday morning, y'all.

I'm early this morning for a change.
I don't see why not. I'm sitting here with that old matchbox hole trying to figure out exactly what I accomplished yesterday. I slept a lot!

Brings to mind when my dad use to say things with a bit of a twinkle in his eye that I should be grateful for having shoes with no holes in them. Though I know it was probably true that he experienced stuffing paper in his shoe to keep the dirt and water out, in hindsight, he could always make light of such things. 

My retort was, sardonically,"Sounds like a pulp fiction to me, Dad!"

But nowadays, especially since it nears Thanksgiving, we all need to be a bit more grateful. Thinking rather disgustedly at all the nothing I did yesterday, dad words ring true.

Be glad you could take a nap. Many people can't sleep. 

I did pay a bill and begrudgingly drove it into town. Again, dad's mantra reverberated. "Be glad you have money to pay it. Many folks are robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

I know, dad, and a car with gas in it to take to town.

I managed to take the dog for a walk 'cuz I felt I needed to do something. Be glad that you have a dog that demands you get your fat ass out and walk. 

Be glad that you can walk! Some folks wish they could.

Naturally, as it always occurs in nature, naturally, my walk shows me all the branches and weeds that need to be addressed. Well, be glad you have a really nice home and weeds to pull out. Many people only have concrete!

Leaning over to grab a few chinese tallo saplings that are not native to Louisiana and yank them out of the ground, my hair drops down over my face. I know, I know, I need a hair cut and... 

Okay, okay, I get it. I'll be glad that I still have hair to cut!

Pouring my first grateful cup...

Copyright 2017/Ben Bensen III

"That Old Matchbox Hole In My Clothes"...

Just saying...

Happy Dappy Humpty Dump Day, y'all. Here in 'da Bayou, it's gonna be a beautiful day... weather wise. 

"I'm just sittin' here watching that old matchbox hole in my clothes, I ain't got no matches but I sure gotta a long way to go!"

So true.

And, it is all in the details, or so it seems. Because of my wife's new dietary concerns, I'm gonna try a frittata "quiche" without a pie crust. It will be more like an egg custard thingy. I think I'm gonna have to find a recipe and STICK to it... I never do, though. We'll see.

On another detailed note, the color house that took pro pictures of my Pierce Arrow poster called yesterday as we were lounging around in the sun at Giddy Up. Because I felt a bit guilty for spending more time creating the poster than I should have, I felt I needed to get the digital copy to the designer for printing, ASAP, but I really didn't expect it to be ready for pickup so soon. When they'd call, I would have an expeditious plan prepared.

I had a little over three hours to drive into New Orleans pick up the painting and the cd, make one copy for myself on the laptop and dupe another copy to send to another partner, throw them into some cd mailers which were already pre-addressed and deliver them to the NOLA post office.

It was gonna work out perfectly, but I forgot to bring extra blank cd's because the covers didn't fit the mailer. So, I brought two of those poorly designed plastic cases with me but not the blank cd's that they come in. When I got the original cd, I ran into the car, opened up my laptop to copy them, but also forgot that this laptop doesn't have an internal dvd drive in it.

"I can't believe it. The entire world is conspiring against me... Including Donald Trump!"

I returned to the color house desk and beg them to make me a copy. Waiting for about twenty minutes, now had me under the clock. The last pick up for mail ended at 4:30 pm. Now, it was screw the other partner, for now. He'll get his cd later. I need a copy of the original cd for myself.

I threw the one cd into the mailer and took off for the post office. I made the deadline, but all the while the desk clerk at the color house's comments kept ringing in my ear...

"You know, you could've just used a Dropbox!"

First "Doh!" cup o' CDM...

Copyright 2017/ Ben Bensen III