dughlas

Who's good fortune? I've noticed the folks who say a bird capping on your head is good luck are always the ones the bird didn't target ...

I suppose the Caterpillar needs sustenance too. Makes for a stark photo. I like it.

I would consider it a wonderful boon if you sent him 'round my neck o' the woods. OOHHHhhhh, you meant Boone the fella in your new story. The one everybody should be reading. When does the new chapter post? In answer to the question you posed, yes, yes indeedy.

Maybe Morgan will rub your feet ...

That's because you're such a cosmopolitan bon vivant.

I don't like Ohio State either and truth be told I only actively cheer on the others when they're playing against Ohio or in a bowl game. I suspect from his response that Papa Mann was also unaware of Cole's feelings about Sam. I suspect that sometimes parents see distance forming between their kids and their friends as part of growing up and going separate ways. I think Cole did an exceptional job of hiding what happened between himself and Sam. Of course they're your characters so you should know them best. "I gave birth to you" isn't grounds for winning an argument, neither is "Because I'm your mother" but it is grounds for respect. He could have expressed himself without the cussing and still made his point. Part of my feeling on that may stem from the fact I wouldn't speak to my mother that way.

G'day y'all. It's mostly overcast and we have a high layer of smoke from the western fires. At midday the temp has reached 70/21° and is slightly more humid than the past few days making it feel a bit damp. Expecting a front to pass through late day and bring a return to cooler drier weather. I've been feeling out of sorts this week. Headachy, lethargic and my blood pressure has been running high. I blamed it on the after effects of the Ajovy injections but this is lasting longer than I expected. I'm going to pay particular attention to my diet. I've gained back some of the weight I lost and need to more cognizant of how much sodium I've been consuming. Less sweets and potato chips to start. Blessed be.

But the story hasn't ended. This was backstory to provide more depth to guys we've met elsewhere. Thanks Carlos.

YES! Time for some spice, the ginger has arrived! I know Def, I know, back off 'cause you've laid a prior claim.

And that's a sad commentary on our society. I grew up in on a one block long side street in a small town. Everybody knew everybody some not as well as others but immediate neighbors certainly. The older couple in the other half of our duplex had teenage sons the youngest acted as my surrogate big brother/uncle. His parents became like an extra set of grandparents. Now I know the folks in the folks in the house to the immediate east of me. The folks to the west I know to say hello and wave to. Beyond that I don't know folks and I've lived here 35+ years. Though I must admit that the guy two doors to the east is a drool worthy slighty built dark ginger with chest hair that glistens when he sweats. What ?!? He works in his vegetable garden shirtless and I've got functional eyes. Oh, and I do know his name, it's Brandon.

But you best treat the BIG10 with all the courtesy and respect we deserve.

COLTON MANN! I don't care how big a boy you think you are, you DO NOT talk at your mama like that! She may be having a difficult time accepting you're gay but she bore and birthed you and cleaned up after you and has not rejected you. Consider if you might the dreams she had for you growing up, the grandchildren she imagined and how those dreams changed. She is a product of small town America. She likely grew up having every fault or transgression discussed on the public grapevine and loathes how it made her feel as much as you loathe how Sam's rejection made you feel. She lives here among these people and likely doesn't relish herself and her child the subject of derision and gossip. This is where her life is she isn't leaving to go back to New York. It's not so easy for her to say "fuck 'em" and what they think. She invited Sam and his family to dinner because he had been your best friend and she didn't know what fell out between the two of you. She thought you would be glad to see him just as she would be to see one of her childhood friends after such a long time being so far away. I hope that once you'd both settled your emotions you at least had the courtesy and respect for her to apologize for your langauge. I'm not saying you should ever apologize for being who you are and you definitely need to make that clear to her but you don't talk to your mama that way. Am I clear? I hope this visit to his parents was as cathartic for Colt as its seems. He definitely needed to exorcise some demons. As a side thought, I know his life isn't in Iowa but I wonder how people's attitudes might have changed once they realized that Colt as a man isn't so very different from the boy/teen they knew and admired. So he's gay, he's still Colt Mann. Maybe just maybe realizing he's as "normal" as they are would make some of them stop seeing gays as the frightening "other". Great chapter by the way.

I seem to recall an earlier picture with our intrepid explorer and a companion creature. Is this their initial meeting and basis for establishing a partnership?

Jimmy is a well-bred southern boy, his maman taught him manners and he used them as both armor and weapon. Maddie should have seen the hint of Jimmy's strength in the way her dogs responded to him. Perhaps she did but wasn't prepared to accept an equal let alone stronger will. Maddie best adjust her attitude. Jimmy isn't going anywhere and Sawyer is on the cusp of making decisions for himself. Her little pack of dogs will be small comfort if/when she pushes too hard. I rather enjoy the speculation that she may be a non-shifting alpha. It would explain a few things. A well executed chapter.

Hi Page.

G'day y'all. A brief bit of autumn arrived today. Woke to a chilly morning, 50/10°. The day is bright though cool, it's only reached 64/18° at mid-afternoon. I'm home alone. Thistle is having his teeth cleaned today so I dropped him at the vet at 8am. Apparently Yorkies and Yorkie mixes are prone to dental issues requiring regular dental cleanings. It seems inordinately quiet without him here. I spent a couple hours clearing some saplings from the far lower yard this morning. My dad is renting a chipper for the day Saturday and we're going to work up a large brush pile. I needed to create a space to blow the wood chips where they can cure over the winter. Next spring I will use them as mulch under my pines. I feel good about the progress I'm making cleaning up the outdoor space around my yard. It looks really good. Gonna relax now. I have a nasty migraine developing. Blessed be.

I'd say poltergeist but don't they come through the tv? Truly, I am sorry you were freaked and glad it didn't happen during the night. That would have been disconcerting to the extreme.

Scents evoke memories, the scent of your chosen spices carry memories of warmth and comfort. Thank you.

I grew up watching westerns too so for me they're nostalgic. Though in the ones I remember the cowboy was heart set on some pretty school marm. This one has an interesting twist. Look forward to seeing where you take us.

G'day y'all. Yesterday was lovely but as the day drew to a close clouds and humidity increased dramatically as a system from the southeast brought in warmer moist air. This morning we woke to a temp of 65/18° and 100% humidity. Cooler drier air is expected as a cold front passes through today. The humidity has already begun to improve. I should spend time working in the yard but I just don't feel like it. I'm coping with the general malaise/lethargy that seems to follow in the first 24-48 hours following the Ajovy injections. By tomorrow I should be better. Blessed be.

Well apply some of that liniment to your sore neck and try to think happy thoughts when you slip betwixt the sheets. Maybe of something like this ...

You finally found yourself a gym buddy ... Seriously, looking forward to where you take us with this story. Though I must admit to cringing a bit when sex got mixed into the business proposal.

Hi Page. The weather is lovely, an early hint of autumn. Thistle is well. We had a nice walk this morning. Me, my head is still achy but I could be worse and in another couple days should be better.

I think she's referring to the smell of the liniment we apply to our aches.

Why little sleep bro?