15 posts tagged “family”

The thing about this piece is that some of us think like this regardless of being a mother or a father. We worry about making ends meet, having a clean house, making sure our friends are okay and ensuring we are there for those moments when fears come to the surface and they come quickly. It happens, it's part of life. Which, in my opinion, is the reason we should love and respect one another regardless of our differences and be on the ready to ensure that "the kids" (whatever that might mean - an elder left behind needing care, the kids, the dogs or fish or cats and birds, the family heirlooms, the home, the garden that nourishes a community that one person keeps planted for all the neighbors and need to come gather food when in need. But then life takes hold and we tend to not think further than ourselves....but we should return to it often to help us reach our goals.

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What to write about? Hmm. Let's see? Hahhaha. A VERY full weekend was enjoyed!

We started by heading out on Thursday night to Atlanta where we met up with our friends, Terry, Wayne, Jody and Eric and we made the rounds from Burkhart's, Woofs, Friends and then Eagle. Home by 1:30 though so a good time was had socializing and cutting up with friends.

Friday, Keith and I went to dinner at our favorite local restaurant here in Gainesville, Seabones. He got a bit toasty on his new favorite cocktail, Bombay Sapphire and Tonic with lime. And let me say that the shrip and grits ROCK!!!

Saturday, up and about, cooked some homemade sausage that was given to us by our friend Ro, who's uncle has a farm and makes his own. We get it occasionally, along with double yolked eggs. Love us some Ro! Then, we ran to the store, got the ingredients for a potluck up at the River's Edge, which is a local gay campground in north Georgia. We made our famous beans, and a green bean casserole that I decided to fix up a bit this time and you know what? IT ROCKED!

We packed the car, ran to the liquor store for beer and coctail mixin's and then hopped on the road to drive north. And even though a bit chilly, it was a super drive. We found the campground with very little trouble (only passed it doing 50 by one house).

Once in, we drove over to find our sis's Marsha and Pinkie's trailer where we found Pinkie and Six Pack Sally putting on their final touches--you know, wigs, jewely, shoes. While they were donning their completed looks, I mixed us all up a fantastic bloody mary, and they hopped on the golf cart, holding drinks the to side in one hand with a cigarette between the fingers of the same hand, driving with the other and off they went. Beep Beep!

Sally Us Jo

Don't ask me what I was doing in this photo. I think I saw another flash somewhere or something. Or maybe I was trying to avoid looking directly at the camera so as folks wouldn't see my crossed eye! Not sure which. LOL

We finally found the crew as we searched for them all over the camground. And they were all coming home to chill before the potluck and the show. I took a great pleny of photos from this event, however, I lost my camera after the batteries died and I had no need to hold on to it any longer. LOL Hopefully, someone will return it if found. I mean it was around the clubhouse so it HAD to be there somewhere. And if they find the photos on it, they'll surely return it to one of the girls in the photos, hopefully. I think they will.

We met a great may wonderful folks and are so looking foward to returning again soon for a day trip. With Penny, we can't really stay over night, due to not being able to have her around the pool. They have to be in the trailers or whatnot, so we'll have to hire a babysitter.

The festivities ended up lasting well into the evening and we were very surprised to find out one of the visitors in drag was our friend Aaron from Woofs. What a treat! Marsha and Pinkie did thier numbers, but my camera batteries died too early for Pinkies number, which I'm none to happy about, but other folks will have photos. I'll try to snag them. We ended up the guests of Sixpack in her bunglow since we had too much to drink and give a big thank you to Sally, Pinkie an Marsha for making sure we had a place to lay our head if even for a few hours. Thank you!!!!!

The final event to the weekend was our trip to Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega. We met my friend Tara from highschool at about 2:30 and it was a beautiful day for it. Sunny, the mountians behind us, the food, which was pretty damned good and the wine that Keith and she had, the Plenitude was quite the divine wine! I loved it. White, crips, similar to a Pinot Grigiot, but so much nicer in my opinion. I'm definitely going back. I need grab a few bottles!

We did have one run in with the table next to us making derogotroy remarks and looks in our direction. I started to say something but decided to ignore him and take the high road, but I really wanted to sit ther and make kissy faces at him while calling him foul names just to give him a tast of his own medicine. Regardless, we had a lovely time, because "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!" LOL

Peace, Drag and Wine, y'all!  
 

Folks, I just found this lovely gem on YouTube while searching for something to let my friends and family know how much they mean to me. As I listen and write this, I shed a tear of thankfulness for all that I'm blessed with in life. It is ALL about the Journey! Thank you Casidy! I hope to see a major release from you sometime very soon! I feel good things are in store for your future in music!

While my childhood was full, years of drug use and drinking has riddled my memory bank and I had the realization this morning..."What a great idea to write those memories down as they come to me!" So I started a list and there are many more that I can't think of right this moment and probably because I'm tired, and have holiday decorating to do, but I started a list of the memories about which I wish to write.

My family is extremely funny! We are all a bit crazy and laugh hysterically when we get together. We use humor to keep things fun, rather than angry and hateful. Just like my brother, who broke his neck in a recent car accident, from drinking and driving (the second of this nature) and this time he lost the use of one of his arms. The other is just okay. So when Keith and I arrive at the house, I always want to throw something at him and say "Chris, Catch!"  We all bust out laughing because it's so damned rude, but it's family and hysterical at the same time. One of my character faults is that that I have developed a rude sense of humor and I can be sometimes insensitive. I know this, but it's a part of me and hard to change. I still find things funny that sometimes should not be.

But here's the tentative list about things you may see my write about here in the near future:

Doug and the Missing Eyebrows and Lashes
The Oranges and the Snake
Fishing Land O' Lakes
Doug and his Rife Shell Shotting Targets
Cleaning Worms
Sound asleep...then.."Mooooommmmmaaaaa" (very quietly, five minute breaks, and louder with each time until Mom gets up)
Chris and the Gun Cleaning
Playing Soccer - Feeling Left Out
Private Art Lessons
Dan Hassaik
Music
The Tennis Shoe Roller Skates - Christmas Day - Snow, in Florida
Dookie-Balls on Dad
Drew and The Runs
Doug and the Curious George Doll
"Hi! I'm your new neighbor. Do you have kids?"
Doug's finger hair.
Fish Hooks and Bicycles
Holidays at the Ginn's

This weekend was a very wild ride for sure. I found out Saturday that my Nanny moved on from this world to the next, it was our friend Scott's birthday, and my friend Richard's birthday (I missed it for obvious reasons). But the weekend was full and I've missed my blogging, for sure. This is my space to stay centered with myself, to be real and to just enjoy and celebrate my life.

Let me start by saying the birthday Saturday was great and lots of fun. We reconnected with some old friends with whom we fell out about a year ago, so thank you, Scott! It's amazing what an "I'm sorry." can do.

Sunday was the viewing of my Nanny and Monday was the funeral service. The service was beautiful, the grandchildren were all ushers, and my grandparent's church prepared food for us all and held a dinner in her honor at the church. It was lovely. And the food rocked! I want that cabbage casserole recipe!

And you know, Keith went with me to this family event. It was the first every I'd taken any of my partners (I've had a few - kissed many a frog (as did they, I'm sure), but they accepted him like he was family, no sidways glances or anything. I can't tell you what this made me feel. I can't tell you how it made me feel. I wasn't really apprehensive, because I didn't care. He's my partner and I wanted him there, but for my family to not think a second about it, no comments, nothing. I was flloored. They all included him, they all talked, my cousin Barry, with whom I was closest growing up, and his wife, Laura, we're getting together soon for an evening out in Atlanta, where they live, near my best friend. So, you know, all in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

For now, I"m going to make some coffee, I'm out of filters, but I've got a paper towel somewhere! More later...

...so I now I have coffee in the brew station, and I was going to wash dishes and clean kitchen, however, I just can't bring myself to do it just yet. It's cold and I'm barefoot and I'm not feeling like doing anything more than crawling under my down comforter on the sofa with my cup of coffee and my morning helping of blue brie on french bread. So, that's what I'm going to do, then read, then nap, then get up and do some chores. I just don't feel like it, right this minute. Sorry, life, I'm hiding out for a bit longer!

You know, I'm a lucky...lucky...LUCKY man! I get to wake up each morning with Keith. I get to spend my morning waking to Keith giving me a goodbye kiss and the great day starters, like "Have a great day.", and "I love you.". I get to wake to the beautiful sunrises, like this morning's, out our bedroom window.

I get wash dishes while coffee is brewing. I get to make a strong coffee with half cup milk and a teaspoon of sugar. I get to snuggle with my pup Penny on the sofa. I get to turn on the telly and sit down with Discovery Channel's Sunrise Earth (as if my own sunrise wasn't nice enough), I get to read the good news from online friends/neighbors and I get to write about it and share what I experience with the world.

I sit here this morning and I'm, quite obviously, being gracious and thinking about what I have in my life to be thankful for and as you have read above, I have much. It may not seem it to some folks, but for me, my simple life, isn't so simple. I struggled many a day to find something to be happy about a while back. I went through a relationship where I loved someone enough to allow them to emotionally cripple me with abuse and it took about two years to get over, but I did it and I did it with the love from my partner, Keith. I came through and to this day, I can say, I'm VERY thankful I am able to forgive Until I could forgive that person, I could not move forward. It was the second most difficult thing I'd ever do in my life so far. The first was forgiving my parents. That took about 15 years.

So, today, I have this life, where I don't need much and have everything I need, plus a few extra bonus things to make our lives a bit more comfortable, but we live simply and within our means. We live on cash so we don't have, nor do we need crazy credit, we only have a mild amount of debt compared to some folks, and we get to spend our days like this together.

It does get better as you get older, too. Well, I can only speak for myself, but I hope that in sharing, folks find inspiration in my outlook and from my experiences. That is, truly, all I wish from writing all this for the world to see. I may be considered a romantic, but ask Keith, he'll tell you I'm not. But I do find myself at peace with where I am and with who I am and that wasn't always the case. I thank God for that. I could be a bitter, jaded, and hateful person from my experiences, but I chose not to be. I've known folks like that and they are not pleasant to be around.

My wish for you all today, is that you wake up, can take a deep breath, see things in a positive light, and take in the little things and not take them for granted. Don't let life get in your way of life. Peace to you all on this day and every day.

With Love,

Derek aka JD

I was watching Brothers & Sisters tonight, as I've done religiously since it first aired, and there is much that this show causes to come to the surface in my life, as I'm sure it does many of the show's viewers. For those of you who have not given the show the chance, please do. It's humorous, crazy, real, dramatic, and well worth the time spent watching.

This show reminds me of family in many ways.. Family is a hard thing to take at times, but we love them because they are family and we just do. We can't help it. It is innate. That's why families hurt us so badly when they do harm us, but it is also the reason we want our families when we are hurt by others--their innate love and ability to comfort like only a handful of friends can do if any in our groups of friends (luckily, I have several of those too).

We go through our lives trying to find those people we can build friendships with that grow into families by extension. We search for those folks who are like minded and totally opposite who compliment us, who we trust.

We all get hurt by those who we hold closest. They have the ability to cut us the deepest. It is unavoidable. To expect that a family member will not hurt us is unfair and simply not fruitful. It's a pedestal that most assuredly I wouldn't want to be placed upon. They are human, as are we and we all will make mistakes. This show is a full-blown comedy/tragedy of errors in judgment and lack thereof sometimes, which makes it real to me.

What I love about this show, is that it shows these parts of our character, in each of the family members, and yet, they always manage to still remain family—close with love and respect for one another. The show reveals all sides of the relationships between its characters—the good, the bad and the ugly and I love them for it. I keep coming back because the writers keep giving me what I long for in my own family—with all its faults, disgraces, humiliations, and the love that comes right along with it. The honest and sometimes crazy and outlandish way this family interacts gives us visualized, on national television, a view into many of our own families and that is what I enjoy about Brothers & Sisters.

Okay, much has gone on today, with my finishing my coming out story, finding out I was published, (even if only a small essay) and now going to Karaoke at Buffalo's tonight down in Oakwood. So, It's a full day.

But most imporatantly, Keith came home for lunch and he was so cute holding Penny I had to take some photos of the outdoors. It's so absolutely goreous outside and fall has hit. I'm excited as I love fall, the weather, the camping, the sweaters, the sweatpants, the warm socks and the long lounging britches.

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Keith with Penny

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Oh, I'm out I'm out! Sun is good. Where's the chickens? Come on Chickens! Come to Peanut!

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Tree Hugger!

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