Off and running early

These paintings are by my favorite artist, Beverly Dolittle. I hope she doesn't mind me posting them. Click on it to enlarge for there are always images hidden in them

4/5/06 Friday
It’s another bright morning. Woke up well, running a 7 on the Bob scale. We will see if that continues through the day. I need to call Jeff to make sure we will meet its morning. Then I will take Barb and perhaps some of the others in her complex to Pilgrim Church for the “Feed your neighbor” program.

Just got back from the breakfast with Jeff. I just talked about Texas, our hopes and dreams and what we will have to do. Because Jeff runs the Temp agency Cherie works through he would appreciate knowing when Cherie will be leaving. We don’t know for sure at this moment. There is much to do.

Time to go pick up Barb. I may go visit Allen when I get done with that. He went to family services yesterday so I want to check on that because it is through them he will get medical help. Got to go now.
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12:52 - I’m at the Pilgrim Church now. This time I took a total of four people. Not sure I will have room for everything in the trunk but probably will. This Buick’s got a large trunk. There is a crowd here so it will probably take a while.

Got some more written on The Love Story. It brings up memories that are now sweet. I went back to look at some of the old E mails we had exchanged when we first were carefully getting to know each other. I don’t have the first ones unfortunately. I will search in case they are hidden somewhere else. I will put some of them in the story as they say more than I could convey myself.

As you can see the girls got a fair amount of food. There were even some stuffed animals Dee picked up. When I asked her she said she was going to give them to her dog. Barb is the blond in the white T shirt. The other two women are a couple one of whom Barb met in jail. Barb told me how this woman was hitting on her at the jail. Barb did six months, for what I don’t know (probably drugs), and said the dyke (for lack of a better word. Didn’t catch her name) was in and out of jail three times in that period. Don’t get me wrong here, I am not being judgmental in talking about this, just want you to understand the people I help. Whether I approve or disapprove is irrelevant. Everyone has problems and make different lifestyle decisions. I have less sympathy for the ones who choose to continue destructive behavior without trying or wanting to improve. They reap what they sow. Anyone who desires to overcome what keeps them down will get my attention.

Here is the place these folks live. Dixie is the one out in front wearing red. She is schizophrenic. Her particular mental illness has her paranoid of germs. Barb said Dixie flushed her entire prescription down the toilet when some one touched one of the pills. They went to a restaurant and Dixie spent forty five minutes in the bathroom scrubbing her hands and then washing everything from the sink to the floor. Barb pretty much had to talk Dixie out of the bathroom by telling her that she was scaring the kids who came in.

Most of the residents here have mental health issues. There are many who don’t understand these things and look down on those who have these sort of problems. Many of these problems have roots in childhood abuses and circumstances beyond their control, others are a result of poor choices and excessive drug and alcohol use. Regardless they are people and need some help. It always gets me to hear “Christians” talk about folks with disgust, especially when the Bible has more references (Some 830) to helping the poor, maimed, infirm, weak, and downtrodden than any other subject it covers. I won’t help someone kill themselves but I will help them eat.

I took Barb to cash in her cans. She got six bucks for four large trash bags. I let her know this was the last time I would do this but I know she will collect more and talk Fred into having me do this again. That’s the way it is.

I called Allen cause he wanted me to come over and bring my grill to cook some steaks he needs to do something with. No answer so he is most likely still asleep. Gives me time to do some cleaning around the house and some writing. Stay tuned cause I may add to this post as the day progresses.