Wanting Things to be Different

This happened on one of those nice afternoons in April. I was leaving the Kenton County Library on Scott Boulevard in Covington, Kentucky and they were coming in. 

It didn’t take me long to figure out they were twins. No, they weren’t dressed the same, but they looked exactly alike—graying black hair, round faces, slim noses and high cheekbones. I’m guessing they were about my age, in their early 60’s. 

“I don’t see many twins going into this library,” I said with a smile on my face. They smiled back and we stood and talked for a minute outside the entryway. 

To read my latest column in CityBeat, “Pretending,” click here.

(Photo from WordPress)

Walls of Memories

See that wall? It’s to the left of my writing table in my studio apartment in Covington, Kentucky. Have you counted the pictures yet? I’ll do it for you. There are 14 hanging up.

My son took a picture of this wall a couple weeks ago. Since that time, two more have been added. Now, on that wall, there are 16 pictures.

I’ve always been like this—have always liked pictures hanging up of family and friends. I add to my walls of memories all the time.

On the wall facing my writing table, I have 18 “frames.” I can’t say picture frames, because some of the things hanging on that wall are writing awards or service awards or posters of events I want to remember. Of course, there are pictures there too.

Outside of the photo I’m sharing here, I got two other walls full of pictures of family and friends.

I’ve probably got more pictures of my kids than anybody else. I just counted how many pictures of my twin brother I have hanging up. I’ve got six.

For a long time, I didn’t feel like I had enough photos of my father on my walls. I’ve corrected that over the past year or so.

Sometimes I wonder when I die who will get my walls of memories. Will anybody even want all those picture frames?

They’re included in my will. I’m not telling who is going to get stuck with them.

(Photo taken by my son)

Al

Despite the fact that I’m getting older, I still have a pretty good memory. One day last month when walking home from the corner of happy and healthy—that’s the Walgreens in Covington, Kentucky—I heard someone say, “Hello, Larry.” 

We had the light, but we were also in the middle of the street. I stared at the man for a few seconds before saying, “Al?” 

To read my latest Living Out Loud column in CityBeat, click here.

(Graphic from CityBeat)

An Historical Home Tour of Covington Kentucky from EconCat88

I don’t know who EconCat88 is, but I came across his video on YouTube over the weekend and I kind of like what he’s done here—showing us a lot of the great old homes in Covington, Kentucky. What the hell. We’ll just make it our post for today.

This was shot in February of this year. See that snow on the ground? Do you miss it? I didn’t think so.

I’ll be contacting EconCat88 soon. Maybe we can get a video tour of the corner of happy and healthy here in Covington.  You know, Walgreens.

(YouTube video)

P.S.  GO REDS!

Just Having a Little Fun in St. Mary’s Parking Lot

I’ve said here before that the view from my window in the apartment I’m in here in Covington, Kentucky is St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. It is a dead on view. If you were a religious person, you would probably pay extra to get what I have. I’m not religious and I didn’t pay extra. It was just dumb luck.

Sometimes when I look out my window, I’ll see cars and people in the parking lot of St. Mary’s. They’re looking at the cathedral with their cameras taking pictures. I can tell they’re serious about it, because they’re not using the camera on their cell phone. They’ve got the real deal and I understand that. You don’t see a church like that every day.

Also, every once in a while when I’m heading down to the corner of happy and healthy (Walgreens), I’ll cut through St. Mary’s parking lot. On occasion, I’ll run into people who are out there with their cameras. Sometimes I’ll approach them.

“Where would you like me to stand?” I’ll say.

Some people know that I’m joking. Some look at me like I’ve got two heads. One time, an older couple with a camera let me get into the picture. They got my tiny little joke.

What the hell. I mean it’s not like I’m trying to hurt anybody. I’m just having a little fun in St. Mary’s Parking Lot.

(Photo from WordPress)

 

Misery Loves Company

One afternoon last summer, we took an elevator ride together up to our floor. Dead silence all the way up, of course. When we reached our floor, I turned left and Beverly turned right. As she headed towards her apartment, Beverly, ever so slowly, uttered this word just loud enough for me to hear: “A-s-s-h-o-l-e.”

To read my latest column in CityBeat, “The Instigator,” click here.

(Image from WordPress)

He’s a Fast Shuffler

A version of this story was posted on Facebook on February 24^th, 2014.

There’s an older man who lives in my building just down the hall from me. If we’ve told each other our name, I don’t remember doing it.

I’ve seen him in Covington, Kentucky ever since I’ve lived here. Even in the spring and summer, he always wears a lot of clothes. He sort of has a mean look on his face a lot of the time. I’ve been told that myself in my life, but I’m not mean and he’s not either.

It used to be the man would walk around in Covington on crutches. Now, he’s in a wheelchair.

He’s an odd one when it comes to that chair of his. He never uses his arms and hands to get those wheels moving. He shuffles around in it with his feet. Those feet are always moving. He’s a fast shuffler.

When we had all that snow earlier this month, I’d see him outside shuffling out there on Madison Avenue, right there in the street in his wheelchair, cars going around him. It made me nervous to watch, but he was just doing what he had to do.

He has a bit of a southern accent to him. He’s always as nice to me as he can be and he never whines about his situation. Never. I can probably learn a thing or two from him, but first, I need to find out his name.

(Image from uk.queryclick.com)

Covington is Still Snowy

The temperatures are starting to get a little warmer here now—at least during the day. We’re starting to get above freezing. Maybe some of that snow on the sidewalks here in Covington, Kentucky will start to melt, but Covington is still snowy. I have a feeling it’s going to be a slow process with the melting.

The sidewalks here in Covington are, for the most part, still useless. I can’t walk on them and a lot of other people—older people—can’t either. We have to take it to the streets. The main streets here are mostly clear and safer than the sidewalks.

Walking on the street  is trial and error. Most of us who have to do this have learned to stay off Madison Ave. because of the automobile traffic. Scott Blvd. has less traffic so that’s where most of us walk. We walk towards the traffic, of course.

My ventures out is mostly to Walgreens. My daughter took me grocery shopping last Monday and I stocked up. I mostly go to Walgreens to pick up things I forgot to put on my grocery list. I only go out every few days. Sometimes it’s a relief to know that I don’t have to walk those streets. Yep, it can be a little scary, but so far I haven’t encountered any pissed off drivers. They know that some of us older pedestrians are just doing what we have to do.

I’m ready for spring.

(Photo found on Google) 

Every Day

Every day, here in Covington, Kentucky, when the sun starts to come up, I look out my window in my apartment. I look to my right and look at that flagpole on my building’s property. If the flag is blowing, I know I’m facing a windy day when I go outside. If the flag isn’t blowing, walking may be a little easier for me. Yep, I’m using that flag and flagpole as my wind gage.

Every day—should say every morning—I make my bed. Some people have asked me, “Why bother?” My mother didn’t raise me that way.

Every day—again, should say every morning—I have two cups of coffee, no more than that. My father drank it all day, every day. I’m not my father.

I don’t shower every day these days, may skip a day here and there, but every day I still brush my teeth.

Every day, I wash dishes. I like where I live here in Covington, but I wish my kitchen had a dishwasher. It don’t and it won’t, so I’m doing the damn dishes every day. I don’t like having dirty ones in my sink.

Every day, I drink water.

I go and check my mailbox every day and almost every day I don’t get any.

I recharge my e-cigarette device every day. Who would have ever thought I’d be plugging in a cigarette.

Every day, I read. When I say that, I mean books. Right now, I’m finishing up “The 13 Clocks,” written my James Thurber. The last time my son was over, I asked him if he knew who James Thurber was. He didn’t—no surprise to me. I think that’s the case with most younger people these days. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Every day, I put my keys in my pocket. I’ve never, ever—knock on wood—lost a set of keys and I’m going to keep it that way.

Maybe next time, I’ll write a post about what I don’t do every day, but don’t get your hopes up.

(Photo from WordPress)

Scary Cold and Rambling Thoughts about It

I live in a high rise building in Covington, Kentucky and from my window and over to my right, I can see Madison Avenue. Despite it being scary cold, I see people walking up and down the sidewalk. The cold doesn’t affect some people—they just go out and about and do their business as usual. I used to be like that. I’m not anymore.

I worked for a pharmaceutical company located in Pleasant Ridge (Cincinnati, Ohio) back in the late 1980’s. I had a boss who never, ever wore a winter coat. The weather could be freezing, there could be snow on the ground, and everything could be pure shit outside—it didn’t matter. No winter coat. His reasoning was that he was only going to be outside for a minute or less—to and from the car—so what was the point in wearing a heavy coat? I’m wondering with this current cold weather if he still feels the same way.

Sometimes in past winters and bad weather, I had to go outside to go get cigarettes. Now, I no longer smoke, I “vape.” You know this already. My son got me enough “vaping” supplies to last me probably until the end of next summer, so this is a bit of a comfort to me as I listen to the wind blow.

I like to eat soup when it’s cold outside and my cupboard is full.

I have a friend here in my apartment building who, like me, likes to read. He knocked on my door over the weekend and gave me a book. One time last summer, I told him I used to read Patricia Cornwell murder mystery novels but hadn’t read one in years. He gave me her “Cause of Death” novel. I started reading it yesterday—damn fine book. That got my mind off the scary cold weather.

The next novel I’m writing is set in the winter, so writing those words in the actual winter season makes more sense to me than writing them in the summer. This is keeping me busy too.

OK, enough rambling thoughts. I shall return here on Thursday when maybe the scary cold will be gone. Try to stay warm.

(Image from tumblr.com)