Out at the hive

A few years back, our neighbor, Mr. Bill, stopped by the house to alert us about the bees that were hanging around the north wall of the place. 

"It looks like you have a bee invasion," he said. 

That began my relationship with these fascinating creatures. They caused me to rip out a large portion of our living room, where I found more than 70 lbs of honeycomb. These bees may have been residents in our walls for well over a year, but that's a very uneducated guess. 

After a few trials and errors, I managed to keep a hive out in the backyard beyond the trees. 

Today, they're thriving. We harvested the first batch of honey a few weeks ago. Yielded more than a gallon worth. 

Just like farm fresh vegetables taste better than those bought in a store, this is the sweetest I've ever tasted.

The all night diner

They're the American overnight icon. The all-night diner. Tonight, I've stopped by our local 24 hour joint: KD's in Lake Charles. 

It reminds me of the old Murrel's in Shreveport. Or Juanita's, which used to exist just outside the old hometown. 

The smell of pancakes and hamburgers fill the air. 

The hardworking ragtag staff from all walks of life, all creeds and backgrounds. 

UPDATE: After reading through past editions of this blog, I find that I have written about my experience here before. It's like deja vu all over again. 

New phone? I'm a little lost.

I use technology every day thanks to work. I'm quite comfortable with a laptop and an Internet connection. I'm even good with whatever app you throw in front of me on a smart phone. Today, I finally had to upgrade the phone. Learning it has been a humble reminder. Things that are unfamiliar will scare you away. You've heard the saying, "always be willing to try new things." Easier said than done. 

I'm slow now. I make moves that I'm unsure of. I feel like I've wasted all day and have been unproductive. 

All part of the learning process. I'm trying. 

All these things

I've been a DJ in one form or another since the late 80's. Some of it was on the radio. Some of it in dance halls, bars, churches, and banquet rooms from Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast. I've always been fascinated by the challenge of keeping the music going and the people on the dance floor. 

I've learned that people in South Louisiana will stay out there and dance to just about anything you play. 

Two songs that are guaranteed to fill the floor down here are Ronnie Milsap's "The Freeze," and "All These Things," by Joe Stampley and the Uniques. 

The people here not only love Milsap's 1980 B-single.  They LINE DANCE to it. 

Down in Louisiana, this is common knowledge. Anywhere else, it's a strange phenomenon. 

"All these things," has been cut, re-cut, sped up, and so on; but the origin remains a popular slow dance. 

I can't leave out my amazement that, for all Clarence Carter accomplished as a musician ("Patches" and "Slip Away"), he'll be best known for the vulgar dance tune "Strokin'."

The iconic all night diner

KD's Diner is iconic in Southwest Louisiana. Most towns have a Waffle House or even a Pitt Grill. Lake Charles has those too but KD's is unique. One of those mom & pop 24 hour joints. The bar crowds frequent it. The old men with their coffee come to talk politics at 6:30 a.m.  The hippies and the cowboys actually get along in here over coffee, waffles, or skirt steak. 

I prefer the grilled shrimp po boys. When I order to go, I play the game of "how many beers can you drink while they make your sandwich."  My record is 4. Tonight, I didn't feel like playing, so I only had the one. 

KD's Diner reminds me of the old truckstop from my hometown. Juanita's never closed. It was everything a greasy spoon, choke & puke, cafe should be. Except for the beer. De Kalb remains dry to this day. Instead of guzzling games, my cohorts and I would pick the most annoying songs on the jukebox and play them over and over. 

Juanita's is gone now. KD's just re-opened after a fire and will probably be open forever. 

A $50 tooth

Two of my children have no carried on the tradition of losing their first tooth to the hands of a dentist. 

The same thing happened to me. My mother was too chicken to pull it. So was I. We let Dr. Hillis do it with a pair of pliers. He did it with speed and precision. 

Mama referred to it as a $50 tooth after that. 

I had an idea then what she meant. After Riley Mae and Robb sitting in the dentist chair, I have more than an idea. 

Branching out

I looked at some of the technical stuff on the back end of this blog and according to the numbers in the analytics, this blog has been viewed more than 1,000 times.  That impressed me at first, until I realized I keep silent for around 10 months at a time.

Someone else I know started up a blog on this platform.  She's writing it in support of a new series at work called "New Family Tree."

Here's a link to her dispatches:  http://britneyoffscript.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-new-family-tree.html

Unlike the confinement of time and space on a television news broadcast, Britney Glaser spends a lot of time sharing her personal feelings.  I like that side of her.  I wish more people would open up like she does.  She's one of those members of my staff that keeps me honest, motivated, and on my toes.

Enjoy the reading.