Spring 2nd Quarter Journal 2025 April - June

 

APRIL

1 April 2025 Tuesday

I was waken several times from a heavy rain pounding down on the roof and when I got up this morning I saw a light dusting of snow on the ground. I dreamt at one point that I was assisting a teacher put on a elementary school play. I haven’t dreamt of being a teacher in a long time and never as just an assistant. Its been10 years  since I retired.

When I went to school every one of my friends were born  in the 1950s... now 70 years later it is as distance from the  2020s as 1950s were from the 1880s. I was 10 years old when the centennial of the beginning of the Civil War was remembered.

The rabbit is a symbol for spring  attributed to several ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman traditions, revered as symbols of fertility and renewal of life due to their prolific breeding habits.

 This correlation made rabbits a fitting emblem of new life and fertility, themes central to Easter celebrations.

 Rabbits are often associated with springtime, as they emerge from their burrows after winter hibernation, mirroring the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter Bunny's significance lies in its role as a bearer of joy and abundance symbolizing the arrival of spring and the promise of new beginnings.

Ashley St. Clair, 26, a gold digging woman who alleged Elon Musk,  man tramp,  fathered his 13th baby with her has claimed she has been forced to sell her Tesla because he reduced child support payments.

She was photographed forfeiting her Tesla in Manhattan. She claimed she was selling the car because the world’s richest man slashed the amount he was sending her in order to care for their alleged son.  Musk doesn't admit the baby is his but “Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5m and am sending her $500k/year."

Tell Republicans to shut the fuck up about Family Values

The Indo China earthquake of 7.7 must be the most in live time photographic tragedy in history from all the reels on Face book I am seeing. I don't think I would be filming as much as running for my life.

2 April 2025 Wednesday

It was a busy day this morning going with Kyle to buy supplies for Bewilder at the Restaurant Depot and the Chef Store.  He wanted to get more than enough so I wouldn’t have to be running around to get supplies they might run out of. Even then I probably will have to get a few things on my own anyway.

                It was a nice day out and in the afternoon Kyle scheduled us to go on a tour of the Governor Mansion at 2. It was a pretty impressive restoration after Mike Leavitt Xmas tree burned it down in 1993. They only let you tour the main floor but still it was interesting what Thomas Kearns silver mine money could build in 1903.

I used to live at the Juel Apartments on 600 East back in the 1980s and always said I lived in an exclusive neighborhood just down the street from  Governor and up the street from mayor Palmer de Paulis who lived around 8^th South on 6^th East. The Juel was actually a small furnished1 bedroom apartment which  I paid $300 a month, heat included lol. That little hovel was one of my very favorite places I ever lived at.

After the tour was over Kyle took me home and I created a Blog on which to start posting my Journals so they don’t get lost, hopefully.

When Kyle came back home he went out to dinner with Adrian at Olive Garden to spend some time together before Kyle leaves for Mexico tomorrow. I am not sure why but I have a kind of foreboding feeling. He’s going to take an Uber to the Airport so I won’t have to take him.  

I heard in the news that the actor Val Kilmer died at the age of 65. I didn’t realize he was so much younger than me.

 I feel so blessed and lucky that I was a teenager in the 1960s in Orange County, California. It was a turbulent time nationally with political assassinations, the Vietnam War, struggles for Civil Rights, race riots but culturally the  Baby Boomer generation born to the parents who fought WWII were in rebellion. Bob Dylan sang you don't need to be a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

I grew up in heavily conservative John Birch Orange County but I had the Youth of California to inspire me so I went to a "love in" back in 1967 when I was 16 years old and I helped make teepees for hippies in Laguna Canyon when I was 17 years old.

At my high school graduation I wrote down my name as Beauregard Williams to be read as I was handed my diploma as I knew the administration didn't know me from Adam. It was my last jab at high school that I hated.

In college I took craft classes to make my own sandals and belts and made a fringe leather purse for my sister Donna who lived in a commune. I learned to macramé, tie dye, and batik...I made antiwar  posters and marched to bring the boys home...the only thing I didn't do as a youth was get into drugs...although psychedelic was my favorite type of music as well as any tunes from Hair.

 In April 1969 when I was a senior in high school... I had a secret love that I dared not speak its name... as being queer would have profane the subject of my adoration, I remained silent and told no one of my love so as not to bring shame on him and disgust on me.

But whenever I was not with him my heart ached. That was how it was to be queer in the 1960s.

My first teenage crush was on Buddy Husky a teenage Rodeo calf roping cowboy from Lubbock Texas in the Summer of 1968. I was so careful not to show my feelings.

He and his cowboy pal Boyd took me along in Buddy's El Camino listening to Marty Robbins Strawberry Roan on his 8 track player. I even took up beechnut  chewing tobacco to be like them and bought myself a cowboy hat. .

My favorite memory of that summer is going to the movies to see the Odd Couple and sitting behind a row of some other boys wearing hats and Buddy complaining "what is this a Cowboy Association convention?" And the boys removed their head gear ha!

We went to a café afterwards where we shared a huge platter of onion rings and had cherry vanilla cokes.

Bill Poore always teased me about my ordering onion rings whenever I could. I suppose they were nostalgia food for me.

I almost moved to Lubbock after high school to attend Texas Tech with Buddy but I met John Cunningham in Orange County and my falling in love with him ended my infatuation with Buddy.

How different my life would have been if I had taken a different path.

Happy 76th birthday Buddy where ever you are.

The Musk candidate for Supreme Judge in Wisconsin lost by a wide margin after he spent $20 million on trying to get his MAGA guy in.  Speaker of the House Mike  Johnson lost trying to stop proxy voting for members of Congress who can’t attend a vote because they had a baby. He was petulant that he closed Congress for a week and sent everyone home.

Democrat Cory Booker filibustered for 25 hours breaking a record to denounce Trump and Musk.

Dementia Don announced, “so-called reciprocal tariffs” on imports from about 90 nations as "Liberation Day." Asian nations will face the worst of the brunt, with Cambodia facing a tax rate at 49% and Vietnam at 46%, according to Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic. On top of China's 34% reciprocal tariff, imports from that nation will also face previously announced 20% tariffs, bringing that nation's total rate to more than 60%.

 

3 April 2025 Thursday

I was woken at 1:30 by the phone ringing but didn’t recognize the number then I heard Adrian get up and go downstairs to wake Kyle who left when I heard the garage door opening. Adrian was woken from a sleep and I couldn’t get much out of him but sounded like his mother called him for Johana saying there was a gas leak at Bewilder.

                Kyle came back home around 2:30 and said that the dryer had caught fire from the cleaning rags and he was able to take the dryer out to the dock. It was almost 3 before I was able to get back to sleep.

                I woke up again at 6:30 and realized that Adrian hadn’t gone to work. I called Kyle a little after 7 to make sure he didn’t over sleep but he was already awake. He was catching an Uber at 7:30 to go to the airport.

                I left the house a little after 8:15 to head down to the Redwood Clinic to see Dr. Stoneburner. I gave him my Billy Big Mouth Bass music plaque that sings Don’t Worry Be Happy. I knew he would appreciate it and he did. He’s an ardent fisherman. I said I wanted him to have it for keeping me alive for 30 years. I had a covid shot and Vitamin B shot as well as an Ac1 test. My blood pressure was high so Stoneburner upped my dose of pills. He also prescribed to me Zoloft for depression which he called “happy pills” lol. I told him I had been depressed over losing Maxx and Lulubelle and since Trump was elected. He had just lost a dog last week and sounded like he is not fond of Trump either. I said the way the country is now I am surprised they just don’t add Zoloft to the water.

                I had to go down after my visit to have some blood drawn for labs and an X ray of my leg which Stoneburner thinks is arthritis. My next visit is May 6^th at 8 in the morning.

                I went to Bewilder and dropped off payroll as well as some other supplies Kyle wanted me to do so before coming home to finally walk the pups.

4 April 2025 Friday

I spent much of the day adding my Journals to a Blog hopefully to save them in cyberspace.  I went to the Chef Store to check on deli corned beef meat and whipped cream but they were still out. I stopped at Deseret Industries since I had the car and found a nice solid night stand for Yolanda’s room there for $10. I just need to paint it and it will be perfect for her.  I did some laundry today and got a hold of Alan Anderson to see if he wanted to go to the Longhorn Steak House in Midvale for our birthdays. He said that it should be good if we go at 4.

                Only thing in the news is the Tariffs that the Tyrant has imposed on all countries except Russia, North Korea, and Belarus.

My sweet 2nd cousin Beverly Gollatz passed away on 4 April 2017.  She was a Danforth.  Back in 2010 I had a major feud with my 2nd cousin Pamela Damron on Face book over her homophobic attitude towards Gay people. She is a first cousin to Beverley, Barbara, and Alan and is a so called “Christian” conservative.  Beverly Danforth Gollatz had posted on her Face book page: “Please put this on your status if you know or love someone who is gay, or just advocate for social justice, equality. My wish for 2010 is that people will understand that being gay is not a disease nor a choice,  people who are gay are not looking for a cure but EQUAL RIGHTS...93% won't Copy and Paste this. Will you make it your status for at least one hour?”  I responded saying, “ Love you cuz.” Pam responded with a bunch of “scriptures” and basically said the same bullshit “I love the sinner but cannot condone the sin.”  It’s really sad how conservative some of the Danforth side of the family have become so conservative.

 

5 April 2025 Saturday

I worked more on putting my Journals on a Blog working backwards from 2025 I am now back in to the early 2010’s.  Kyle needed me to go get some lettuce at the Restaurant Depot but before I went I finally threw out Kyle’s old rug he had discarded in the garage and recycled all the card board boxes he had there as I needed a spot to paint the night stand I bought for Yolanda.

                There was a huge rally at the State Capitol of thousands of people protesting Trump and Musk dismantling the government as part of a national movement in all the states. I hope this is a ground swell of activism because the next step after protests is civil disobedience and after that revolution.

                I am so removed from Mormonism these days that I forgot it was Conference Weekend until I heard on the radio that traffic would be crazy downtown because of Conference and the protest at the Capitol. Andy Dalrymple went and said it was the largest protest that he had EVER seen at the Utah State Capitol Building.

                Well as the Trumpf Tariffs crash the markets around the world, I guess we will eat more rice and beans and people will have to grow their own food like in the Great Depression. It’s good thing ya’ll honed up your bread making skills during Trumpf Covid shut down 5 years ago. Too bad any money  you made in the stock market in the President Biden years is gone now by the Orange Messiahs second term. MAGA = Morons Are Governing America

6 April 2025 Sunday

I finished painting the night stand and let it dry before doing much else today. Kyle didn’t need me to go shopping for Bewilder.  Adrian brought his mom over when he was off work and she cooked up a storm for his lunches and dinners. She didn’t bring Chuito as I guess Johanna was taking him to get a haircut or she was doing it. Milagros came over to visit with Adrian and their mom while I worked mainly on putting my journals on my blog.

I have been working for several days on posting my journals in cyberspace hoping they will be preserved as a historical record of a Gay activist in Salt Lake City and my many observations of Gay life in Utah.

 I have been a journalist, meaning I have kept a journal, nearly my entire life starting in 1968 when I was 16 going on 17.  Some years I was rather faithful with my entries but often I left pages blank when I was closeted not willing to commit to paper my true identity.

The closest I ever came to hinting I might be Gay was that all my intense relationships involved males, never females. After I married a woman in 1977, I rarely kept up my journals as it was what I called a dead period of my life when I was living an inauthentic life just trying and failing to be the perfect Mormon and husband.

Only with the threat of AIDS in the mid-1980s did I decide I had to live authentically. Rock Hudson died in October 1985 after living a dual life of stardom and secrecy.  I believed if I was to die of AIDS I needed to live authentically even if it meant shedding Mormonism and a sham marriage.

I do not regret that decision.  The nearly 40 years I have lived out of the closet has been longer than the 34 years I was hiding.

My Journal from my college years at BYU are incredibly embarrassing to me now, very much like being in a cult with all aspects of my life defined by an organization who hated my true self.

I finished compiling my journals from 1985 to 1994, the 10 years I was a Gay activist in Salt Lake City from my tattered hand written binders that are falling apart.  That period covered my leaving Mormonism and a heterosexual marriage to the starting of many of the organizations that helped  build a community in Salt Lake City. 

 Working on them brought  back to life for me so many of the characters who were leaders of the Royal Court, LGSU, Affirmation, MCC, Unconditional Support, the Community Council, SLAF and APU.  All these organizations built this community and most have disappeared as no longer needed as safe havens for those coming out.

 I  feel privileged to have been a part of that bygone golden age of community building.  There was so much to be done without allies and people with deep pockets. It's a time mostly forgotten but not by those of us still around but every day there are fewer of us.

After becoming a school teacher, I had to temper my personal  activism but at that point I just became an observer and a historian.

I have only posted on my blog from the present back to 2010 so far, so to put them all on line back to 1968 will take some time if I don't croak first.

I don't think I am anything special by doing this but I know from being a history major and a genealogist, historians find meaning in the journals of ordinary people. And I always thought of myself as ordinary living in extraordinary times.

Comrade Trumpf and Evilon Musk want to defund FEMA or even do away with it. You stupid ass Red States better grab the lube because Trump and the Republican sloppy seconds gang bangers are going to corn hole you and grab you by the pussy

Jay North aka Dennis the Menace has passed away at age 73 RIP. My 2^nd cousin Pam Damron always boasted that she knew him.

 

7 April 2025 Monday

Well the most anxiety producing thing that happened today was I popped a tire this morning from hitting a curb entering Bewilder from running around shopping for Kyle today. He sent me a list of 3 places to go get supplies, Restaurant Depot, the Chef Store, and Harmon’s. I only needed four things at Restaurant Depot but when I went to check out they only had two registers opened with at least 15 people in line with each person have at least 2 packed carts some had three! I knew I would have to be in line a half hour or more so I left my cart in the cooler section and went to The Chef Store, bought what I needed there and brought the buns and whipped cream cheese to Bewilder where Milagros and Ruth Valderrama Leon were working. At the Chef Store because I wasn’t paying attention I accidently paid with my red Visa Card, instead of with the Wells Fargo Red  Debit card. Oh Well.

 I went back to the Restaurant Depot and the huge lines were gone so I got my cart and managed to get through in 5 minutes. I wonder if the small restaurant guys mainly Asians, Latinos, and Islanders are afraid that the Trump Tariffs are going to really hurt so they were stocking up now.

                So I delivered the mushrooms. Pickle spears, cake, and milk to Bewilder and then took a chance that the downtown Harmon’s would have all the Brats I needed and I was in luck as they certainly did so I only had to go to one place.

                I was distracted when some ass pulled into left turn lane right in front of me on 4^th South so when I had to make a left into Bewilder from 4^th East, Cody Mc Kendrick was in his truck waiting to leave so as to go around him, I missed judged and my right tire hit the curb hard but I was able to drive up to the loading dock and there after parking I saw that my right front tire had gone flat.

I panicked because I knew I didn’t have Triple A anymore so I called Kyle all frustrated  to figure out what to do. Fortunately one of the brewer guys saw what happened and came over to assist me. He actually changed the tire and put on the spare for me and I was so grateful.

                I was going to drive up to Discount Tires in Bountiful where I’ve always gotten tires but I noticed that even the spare was low and wasn’t sure if was safe to drive to Bountiful so I just went down the street to Big O Tires where Kyle had me put on all new tires.

                So that was my stressful morning and early afternoon and I went home to rest. I was laying down when around 2:30 Rich Butler called me and said he was in town from Mesquite and wanted to come see me, which he did for about 2hours or more leaving around 6:30.  We visited, with me mostly listening as Rich wanted to share about losing Miley, and his  new life in Mesquite and some trips he had been on.  Adrian came out of his room a few times and I introduced him to Rich, who I’ve known longer than Adrian has been alive.

                After Rich left, I fed and walked the pups and then called it a day. Rich really loved Lucy who was so affectionate to him.

                I stayed up rather late waiting for a package from Amazon to arrive but after 10 I called it a night.

8 April 2025 Tuesday

Well nothing as traumatic as yesterday thank goodness. I did have to bring some avocados down to Bewilder and they sure have gone up in price.  While out, Kyle wanted me to go get a cashier check to pay Papi’s rent. He said there was plenty of money so I went to the Wells Fargo branch by the University rather than the one down on 20^th South. Big mistake. There was only one teller and no one else in the place so I thought this would be quick. However the older jackass man, maybe the manager started questioning me if I knew the person to whom I was making the check out too, and all kind of weird none of his business questions. I finally asked is there a problem with this branch saying I have had cashier’s checks made several times without the 3^rd degree.  There wasn’t, he was just being a dick.  So I dropped the check off  and came back home.

                I rested for a bit and then called Banfield Pet Vet at PetSmart to make an appointment  for Lucy to get her rabies shots but when they said I would have to drop her off and she would be down there for much of the day I said forget it so I called the Wasatch springs Clinic and they said I could come down at 3:30. I thought it was ridiculous that I would have to leave Lucy for most of the day for simple vaccinations.  I think the old Vet at Wasatch Clinic Blotter must have given up his practice because a new vet was running the place named Manning that I liked really a lot. He gave me some good suggestions to keep Lucy healthy. So she got all her shots now for $140 and I can have her groomed also later

                Adrian was in and out today. I didn’t see much until around midnight when I was about to go to sleep, he came and asked me to put some Vicks vapor rub on a rash on his back he couldn’t reach. So I did but also got some of the prescription rash cream I still had and said that would help better than Vick’s.

                This evening I sat in the front room after feeding the pups and listened to songs on Pandora of songs by artists of my youth. When I finally retired to my bedroom I watched You Tube’s Kim Russo’s Haunting of shows and then watched some of clips of “influencers” millennials reaction to listening to Linda Ronstadt for the first time. It surprised me how many stated they never heard of Linda Ronstadt nor ever heard the song “Long, long time.”  When it was on the radio in 1970 it epitomized exactly how I felt about John saying we could never be friends again after I shocked him broke down and told him I loved him.  “I can’t say you hurt me because you never let me near.” I have loved John a long, long time and still do.

9 April 2025 Wednesday

I made an appointment to get Lucy groomed this Friday at 8 at PetSmart because when I was walking her she had a difficult time defecating as she was plugged up so I had to give her a good butt washing like I used to have had Daisy when her hair would get so matted.  Then I went and did some shopping for Bewilder.

Kyle came home today around 5:30 instead of 8 like I thought. I went with him to MODs in Bountiful for Pizza and it was a lovely evening out. He brought home 22 bottles of wine from Mexico.

                I worked on posting my 2003 journal for much of the day. It was the year my father died.

I forget how old I am sometimes until I watched some of clips of Millennial “influencers” listening to Linda Ronstadt for the first time. It surprises me how many stated that they had never heard of Linda Ronstadt nor ever heard the song “Long, long time.” 

It was interesting to see how emotional they became while hearing this song and the strength of Linda Ronstadt’s voice.  I was kind of shocked that so many of these music influencers had never heard of her but then that song is from 55 years ago.

I had loved Linda Ronstadt since I first heard her sing with the Stone Pony’s "A  Different Drum" in 1967.  Little bit of trivia Mike Nesmith of the Monkees wrote that song.

When the song Long Long Time  was on the radio in the summer of 1970, it epitomized exactly how I felt about John Cunningham.  After a melancholy night at  Disneyland, we went out for a late night snack and it welled up in me that I had loved this boy for over a year and had never spoke a word to anyone about it until that night. Sitting in the dark parking lot, after I made the admission of my feelings for him, he was quiet and sad and said we could never be friends again. I had shocked him after I told him that I loved him.

He was the first person I ever said those words to and I knew that by uttering them it would end ever being with him again as who wanted to be with a queer?

"And life's full of flaws Who knows the cause?

Living in the memory Of a love that never was"

 I have loved John for a long, long time and still do.

Some songs stay with you forever

10 April 2025 Thursday

Well here it is I made 74 trips around the sun. It was touch and go a few times. However today was a beautiful spring time day in the Rockies.  I spent the morning with Kyle doing shopping at Restaurant Depot and Chef Store for supplies for Bewilders kitchen. Kyle was looking for  better Rye Bread for his sandwiches and we went to different places and finally to Schmidt’s bakery in Taylorsville where he ordered some for tomorrow.

                He dropped me back off at home and I just hung out when Adrian and his mom brought me some shirts for birthday gifts and a small birthday cake. Yolanda took the day off from Bewilder so she could go with us to Long Horn Steakhouse for the birthday celebrations

I had a wonderful, shared birthday with Alan Anderson with good friends and good food although I admit I had onion soup rather than a steak.  I also ordered a loaded bake potato that was too much for me. Those who came were T.J. Otaka, Jim McMullin, Kyle, Michael Romero, Yolanda Perez, Adrian Villalobos, Alan and Kyle G. Daniels. I am grateful to have people who I care about in my life at my age more like family than friends. I sat next to Alan so most got to visit with him. He had a stroke last year and he’s lost 100 pounds since I last saw him as he is taking Monjaro also. He said he heard Chuck Whyte was going into assistant living so I should find out what is going on with him. He also said that Becky Moss has given up her role in the Utah Stonewall Democrats  as well as retiring from almost everything in the community. Sounds like me. Kyle paid for Adrian, Yolanda, his and my dinners. We were there for over two hours and when we left TJ and Jim gave me a bouquet of spring flowers and a bag of jelly beans. Been hanging out with this motley crew now for several birthdays lol

                I gave Yolanda the flowers when we came home as I know she would enjoy them more than them just sitting at the house. Last year the Columbians all had a big fiesta at the house for my birthday and that was sweet but this was better without all  the fuss.

I made my appearance in a farmers' co-op hospital at Amherst near  the town of Earth in Lamb County, Texas 74 years ago. The cotton and maize farm lands were  the building blocks of my cells assisted by  nutrients from all the okra, black eye Peas, biscuits and gravy mom ate which I think are still coded in my DNA lol. You can take the boy out of Texas but you can't take the Texas out of the boy.

My folks farmed in a little crossroad community of Hart Camp so small not shown on the map but south of Olton where they were married in 1946. The farmers co-op was at Amherst.  My Danforth family helped establish the town of Earth a 100 years ago.

Land so flat you could see the sunset on the edge of the earth and the moon rise.

It's been a strange journey from the cotton fields of West Texas to the beaches of Orange County, California to the Great Basin and Wasatch Range of Utah.

I have lived in arid Utah longer than any one place in my life and it's the one place I feel the most alienated from but one that also feels the most like home. How peculiar is that?

I made a life here without any family,  within a culture that taught society to denigrate people, like me. But here I stayed to connect with the other despised and rejected to help build a better and safer life ... I guess it is the farmer in my genes to sow seeds and watch things grow.

It's been a Magical Mystery Tour for sure.

 

11 April 2025 Friday

I walked Lucy, TJ, and Taco early this morning around 7:15 because Kyle was taking Lucy into PetSmart at 8:00 to be groomed before he starts his day.

I stayed home all day while Kyle was out with the car. While typing my Microsoft Word expired and I couldn’t use word any more without renewing at $140. I had too or I would have lost all that I have been working on because it wouldn’t let me save or copy anything. That was frustrating as when it came back up after paying I had lost all that I had been working on from my 2002 Journal that I have been trying to reconstruct. That was frustrating.

I was surprised that Lucy was done so soon because Kyle came in around 11 with her and her new harness.

Around 5 Adrian came to me and asked if he could have someone come over and I said he didn’t need to ask as this is his home also.  So after he had his gentleman caller, I heard the garage door open and I thought holy hell Kyle is home so I met him in the downstairs in the garage to stall but he needed to go back to Papis and to Best Buy so I went with him. That would give Adrian plenty of time to enjoy himself and have his buddy leave.

I think Kyle wanted the company to tell me what is going on with his life regarding his Chinese suppliers, Bewilder, and Papis.

It was a beautiful day rather warm in the high 70’s.

12 April 2025 Saturday

My back yard is so overgrown it looks like range land. I need to have Adrian or Kyle pull out the lawnmower and lift it into the yard because I can’t. My daffodils and yellow tulips are blooming and the purple hyacinths have taken over my from yard.

                I worked a lot on reconstructing my journal from 2002 which I didn’t keep a very good record of my life just events with in the Gay community. It was a zombie time for me with not having much purpose  in my own life except working, keeping up the house, trying to maintain a relationship with Mike Romero, and taking care of 4 pups and a cat.  I really need to do my taxes but I am really anxious because I think I will owe 1000’s of dollars since Kyle drained by 401k last summer.

I rarely stay up as late as I did tonight binge watching the White Lotus from 8 at night until 3 in the morning. Maybe it was the full moon or a diversion from all the Trump shit going on in the world. Nine years ago I was asked to foster a little underweight chihuahua named Zeus...never had a pup so tiny. I was a foster failure and Bill Poore renamed him TJ. One of the best decisions of my life was to give him a forever home. TJ  is such an old man now and so am I. I love this little guy even if at times a pill.

The tariff wars are a great distraction from using an unsecured app to post war plans... how many fires can the Democrats put out while Republicans step on the hose and say what fire?

13 April 2025 Sunday

I was tired for much of the day from only getting 4 hours of sleep from staying up until 3 in the morning watching the 3^rd season of White Lotus. I liked it better than the 2^nd Season. I finally went through all my mail I stashed away throwing away crap and gathering up my W-2 forms. I think it’s going to be brutal. When Kyle came home he didn’t want to miss with it until Tuesday and that is when Taxes are due. Owing taxes scares me to death since the IRS garnished my wages back in 1987 from taxes Fran owed and it took me 3 years to pay it off keeping me in poverty even as a school teacher.

                Yolanda and Chuito came over in the late afternoon and Gabe carried Chuito up the stairs. I gave Gabe a small bag of chocolate caramels to take back for him and Brayan. I spent the rest of the evening on the couch watching some show dozing off with my pups all laying on top of me. It was much cooler this morning while out walking the pups.

                Over 20,000 people were inside and outside the Huntsman Center at the U of U to listen to Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s national tour berating the Trump Billionaire Coup. Kyle was gone all day and I had no way to attend but I was there in spirit.

14 April 2025 Monday

 I tried to do my taxes on Turbo Tax which I have always done but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing. Kyle said to just wait until tomorrow and he will do them with me. I have had many sleepless nights of worry I suppose from the traumatic experience of the feds garnishing my wages in 1987 because of Fran’s errors when we were married. Yolanda was cooking up a storm for Adrian’s meals this week. Then left this evening when Adrian took her and Chuito back to Johanna’s for the week. She only stays here a night or two because Chuito needs looking after the rest of the time when she goes into Bewilder to be the dish washer there.

                This guy named Doug Bali criticized me for posting the emails that Chad Keller had me save from 2002. I replied to him that I didn’t create the history site to entertain but to be a repository for historical records for the Gay community and if he finds what I post offensive he is more than welcome to join some other site. I kind of know who he is, one of those assimilation’s elites.

                When I read anyone on Face Book defending Trump I am not nice anymore and call them liars and stooges. You cannot reason with them and they think kindness is weakness as per Musk saying empathy is what is wrong with Western Civilization.

I sent a message to Utah’s Senators Curtis and Lee both from Utah County and Rep. Celeste Malloy who is my representative but lives in Utah County as I am infuriated that Trump is ignoring a Supreme Court order to return a family man wrongfully sent to a gulag in El Salvador.

"I am respectfully asking you to investigate the Trumps refusal to obey a Supreme Court decision to return a man illegally deported without due process and to investigate those people responsible for this "error".  If the executive branch cannot be curtailed by the legislative and judicial branches it's the end of the Republic and the Constitution you took an oath to support."

Not sure it will do any good

 

15 April 2025 Tuesday

I didn’t sleep well but slept in until 7 and made a breakfast of hash browns, bacon, an egg, and toast I eat out of habit not necessarily hunger. Kyle left to pick up Mike Romero from Lancers but later he told me he spaced it off and went to Lodders in Bountiful instead of Lancers in South Salt Lake. After realizing his mistake he was able to retrieve Mike but Kyle had to reschedule some of his meetings.

                I was home of course all day except walking the dogs and anxious about doing my taxes today fearing the worse. Kyle said he wanted to do them so I waited for him to come home which he did around 3:00. I suggested we go get some lunch and we went to Chubby’s as he felt like chips and salsa. While there Mike called and said Lancer was done with his  truck so after we ate we went to get him. I took most of my chili verde burrito home while Kyle must have been hungry as he ate his entire plate of a cheese enchilada, rice and beans.

                After dropping Mike off at Lancers Kyle wanted to stop at the Restaurant Depot to buy some pickle spears and from there we went to Smith’s where he bought a dozen ham steak slices for Easter Dinner at Bewilder this Sunday. After dropping everything off at Bewilder, we finally were home around 6:30 and then Kyle started doing my taxes on his computer after I had gathered everything up for him. I just left him to it as I was anxious over the amount I might owe due to pulling out all that money from my 401K account. I was expecting to have to owe 1000’s and have to make arrangements to make payments.

                Kyle spent an hour or two and  said that actually I should get around $1500 back after paying $800 to the state in Taxes. Kyle assured me that he did everything correctly so I will just have to trust and hope I don’t get audited for any reason.

                I truly don’t mind paying taxes to live in this country but I hate Trump using Tax payers money on golfing and his war against Latinos.

 

16 April 2025 Wednesday

Nine years ago I was called to rescue a schnauzer from the pound but when I got there I was surprised with two that were bonded and the lady couldn't leave one and take the other so I took them both. They had been living  on the street and extremely matted. I had Steve Bolinder come groom them so they could be adopted. They younger one I was able to find a forever home for...but the oldest one I just kept and named Farley. He died 4 months after taking him in. He loved me and would hug my leg where ever I went. I am glad he had a good life at the end of his life.

Trumps base has always been haters, bigots, and the incredibly stupid so he knew he could lie and grift and they wouldn't care. As he said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and his base wouldn't care. Such an evil man

The orange Beast  in the White House pardoned 1000s of white terrorists, convicted after having  due process and yet his Gestapo agents are abducting actually kidnapping Latinos without due process and sending them to a gulag in El Salvador paid for by American taxes ...  tell me if you are okay with this that you are not an un-American piece of shit racist bigot.

Trump and his MAGA sycophants have created an American Gulag in El Salvador to placate his evil base.  We are paying millions to a reprehensible banana Republic dictator to inhumanly incarcerate people without due process seized by Trump's Gestapo off the street.

Now they would be Fuhrer  wants to deport "home grown" criminals to these concentration camps to the delight of Fascist Fox News pundits.  Forty years later, Orwell’s 1984 is unveiling before our eyes

The American Dystopia brought to you by Republicans slavishly devoted to the Billionaire ruling class's coup to destroy democracy.

This criminal administration is nothing more than spoiled Generation Z children propping up a geriatric narcissist throwing tantrums when told what they are doing is either illegal or insane. These It’s All About Me antics are not curtailed by any older statesmen or seasoned political advisors... look at the ages of these sycophants whose only value is their loyalty to the Orange Beast and not to the Constitution. Notice that the Beast doesn't want anyone around his own age even the pathetic Giuliani and no one from his first term.

Worthless Celeste Malloy sent a form response when I inquired what was she doing to hold Trump responsible to the law... typical Utah County Republican bullshit

Dear Friend,

Thank you for reaching out, your input is invaluable to me. I assure you that your thoughts and concerns have been received and will be carefully considered.

I want you to know that your voice matters. Serving as your Representative is the honor of a lifetime and I'm here to work hard for our community. If your matter is urgent or you require immediate assistance, please don't hesitate to call my office at (202) 225-9730. My team and I are here to support you.

To stay updated on my work and initiatives, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at maloyforms.house.gov. Your engagement and participation are essential to our success. Thank you once again for taking the time to reach out.

Sincerely,

Celeste Maloy

Member of Congress

 

17 April 2025 Thursday

I adopted TJ in 2016 on this day officially... actually I had Mike as the adopter as I had too many pups at home already which was illegal without a kennel license...lol I was a canine outlaw. TJ is all that is left of that canine crew.

It rained hard all day with a few break in the weather to walk the pups without getting drenched. April Showers. I went with Kyle this morning to go shopping with him for Bewilder and when we were done I had him take me to Sutherlands so I could buy three tomato plants for $8 which would have been $8 each.  I can’t help wanting to have at least a little garden. Maybe it’s a subconscious way to honor Grandpa Johnson.

                I had to call Utah First Credit Union because they screwed up taking my HELOC payment from America First and were saying it was late. Supposedly they fixed it.

                Adrian had to do something with immigration today and when he came home at 2 Kyle took him, Yolanda, and me to Zupas in Woods Cross for a late lunch. It was not as rainy and was clearing up by then.

                I want to pay Gabe to come mow my back yard as it is way over grown but need batteries for the lawn mower first. The yard does need some attention for sure and Kyle and Adrian will never do it. It’s not in their nature.

                I watched a few episodes of the 4^th Season of the Righteous Gemstones but I think it’s way over the top now or I have changed how I seeing evangelicals as much as evil.

Just what I expected from a Republican. I received a form letter email response from Celeste Maloy’s office that does not even address Mr. Garcia's illegal kidnapping which I explicitly mentioned,

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was confirmed to be alive by a Democrat. I so admire the courage of Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland going to lawless El Salvador while cowardly Republics lick the Orange Beast's ass.

I am old enough to remember another Democrat Congressman Leo Ryan from California  was killed in Guyana while he investigated abuses of another Cult leader who also thought he was above the law.  He had his cult followers pay a tragic price because of his narcissism but today all Americans not just the orange mad man's cult followers will pay a terrible price and it won't be the cost of eggs.

RIP Congressman Ryan unlike today's Republican Congress you did your duty.

18 April 2025 Friday

I saw the results of my doctor’s visit on My Chart and I guess I do have some arthritis in my knee but all my labs came back looking great so Dr. Stoneburner was pleased and wrote great job.

                 The Criminals in the White House switch and bait constantly to distract...first it to avoid investigation into the leaked war plans by raising tariffs for inside trading, and now El Salvador concentration camps.

This Orange  Beast and his fascist oligarchy has made Latino immigrants the new Jews to be hated and feared as in fascist Germany 90 years ago. Tyrants can only come to power by scapegoating a minority and playing on the fears of bigots and racists.

Who is the real threat to America and should be charged with crimes against humanity... the enablers of this orange tyrant?

The Criminals in the White House switch and bait constantly to distract...first it to avoid investigation into the leaked war plans by raising tariffs for inside trading, and now El Salvador concentration camps.

This Orange  Beast and his fascist oligarchy has made Latino immigrants the new Jews to be hated and feared as in fascist Germany 90 years ago. Tyrants can only come to power by scapegoating a minority and playing on the fears of bigots and racists.

Who is the real threat to America and should be charged with crimes against humanity... the enablers of this orange tyrant?

Well the chickens are coming home to roost in Utah as Trumps onslaught against immigrants deports a BYU Mormon PhD candidate and he’s Japanese! The mayor of Millcreek held a press conference saying that two families there were sent letters by ICE to self deport before they are arrested.

                A White MAGA youth shot a bunch of students at a Florida University.

I so admire the courage of Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland going to lawless El Salvador while cowardly Republics lick the Orange Beast's ass.

I am old enough to remember another Democrat Congressman Leo Ryan from California  was killed in Guyana while he investigated abuses of another Cult leader who also thought he was above the law.  He had his cult followers pay a tragic price because of his narcissism but today all Americans not just the orange mad man's cult followers will pay a terrible price and it won't be the cost of eggs. RIP in people Congressman Ryan unlike today's Republican Congress you did your duty.

19 April 2025 Saturday

There was a huge rally at the state capitol similar to those across the nation protesting the Trump criminal syndicate. I was there in spirit I suppose but much too old and worn out so instead I cleaned out the two large photo albums and reorganized them and wrote on the back of the pictures to eventually send down to James and Denise. I know they won’t mean anything to Donna’s kids. I worked on it all day and did little else although Kyle was home all day and I could have had the car. I did around 5:30 go to Smiths and I never saw it so crowded as they only had one checker working and all 12 of the self-checkout stations were packed with long lines of shopping carts out into the aisles so not sure what was going on except that tomorrow is Easter.  I really didn’t need anything and mainly went to go get some barbeque potato chips LOL.

20 April 2025 Sunday

I woke up way to early this Easter Sunday when Adrian came in around 3:30 and started turning on lights and I was up until after 5:30 before I could fall back to sleep. I finally got up around 7 this Easter Sunday and Kyle asked if I wanted to go with him down to Bewilder to help with his Easter Brunch. I said no. I was too tired and besides wasn’t even out of my night shirt.

                This new Microsoft program I had to buy doesn’t have a read text allowed program that I had used on the old system and that is frustrating.

My planned menu for an Easter dinner was pineapple glazed ham steak, au gratin potatoes, sweet yams, fried okra, buttered corn, bacon bits and green beans, crescent rolls, and a coconut frosted cake. Eggs are too expensive to make deviled eggs this year.

                That was my plan and I have bought all the fixings for it but since it's just me this year home alone I was too tired to mess with it after spending 3 hours this morning planting my tomato plants, squash and cucumber seeds and weeding and hoeing.  I am finally realizing that gardening, doing the yard and keeping up the house is beginning to wear on me. I do stuff out of habit without any appetite. I am growing veggies that I will never eat.

I think the big Easter Dinner parties I used to have are a thing of the past. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak so I think I will eat some jelly beans and call it good.

                When Kyle came home around 2:00 I was napping and he came into the room to take the pups for a Sunday drive. At first I was just going to sleep but I decided to go with him even if I was super tired. Adrian and Yolanda came home about the time we left. Kyle just wanted to go to Baskin Robbins in Bountiful to get a chocolate shake.

                Yolanda, Chuito, and Adrian went out for a fish dinner for Easter as I suppose that is the custom in South America to have fish on Easter.

Well I broke down and fixed a Easter dinner after all just didn't fry any okra... I breaded a boneless chicken thigh for Kyle as he's not into ham.  What I didn't finish Lucy, TJ, and Taco were happy to help. So I had an Easter dinner after all. I called Mike Romero to see if he wanted to come over for a late dinner but he was down at the Giles in Day Break.

                The weather was absolutely beautiful.  Pope Francis died but it was already April 21^st in Italy. He spent Easter Sunday in Italy giving an Easter Mass.

 

21 April 2025 Monday

I woke up at 3:30 again this time on my own. I looked at Face book and saw that I was suspended until Wednesday for calling Taylor Greene supporters Georgia Crackers. I guess Cracker is hate speech according to Zuckerberg but Trump calling Democrats the lunatic left and calling President Biden sleepy Joe in his Easter message is not hate speech. Weirdly however I was able to post and make comments on Face book.  I must have slipped through the cracks.

                It was a cooler day today and Yolanda was cooking and cleaning today while I just lounged around. Michael Romero came over around 2 to visit and I was surprised that Kyle came home about the same time. I had him show Michael the excellent commercials he made for Bewilder. I am just now learning the Brewery is pronounced be-wild-er not be-will-der as I have always done LOL.

                Mike’s coming over on Wednesday so I can go with him down to the Marijuana store with Randy Gile and over to visit a bit in Daybreak.

                This evening Kyle came into my room to visit and told me that the woman that we got Lucy/Emma from wanted to know if we would take the other older dog as he was really lonesome without her. How could I say no, so I will meet her tomorrow to pick him up.

                TJ hasn’t felt well all evening and I had to carry him around the block when we went for our walks. He didn’t eat his supper and has been sleeping all day. I am concerned because he is such an old boy. He will break my heart when he does pass.

                Kyle also said that because he filed bankruptcy he may be eligible to get into another vehicle which would be nice not just to have my own vehicle back but it would feel more reliable to have two vehicles for security reasons.

 

22 April 2025 Tuesday

Well a new pup or should I say rather an old pup became part of our family today. Last night Kyle received a message from the woman we adopted Lucy from, saying that the pup that Lucy was raised with was lonely and missing her. He was a much older  senior  pup and she asked if we would take him as well. How could I say no? So the lady brought him over about 7 and so now after nearly 5 months I am back to having four pups. Taco sure is intrigued with him and playing with him but I don’t think Lucy was all that excited to see him again. The lady said that the pup’s name was Joaquin and she said he was old but he seemed pretty spry. He was up and down the back yard steps followed by the others and he seemed lost in the tall weeds. My back yard needs mowing desperately but I can't do it and Kyle doesn’t seem to be making it a priority.

                When Kyle came in around 7:30 the pup took to him and  we decided to rename him Jack. Kyle told me all about his adventure looking at getting a new vehicle. I just listened because there was nothing I could do anymore to help. I helped him buy the Rogue and the Volvo and he had both of them repossessed and I am still paying on the stupid truck that was rarely ever used.

Jack  was a little skittish around me even snapping at me once but I think it’s just because everything is new to him.

                I went to Smith’s with Kyle so he could get a few things and when we came back I went to bed after fixing some guacamole. Adrian said he liked the name Jack because of Titanic LOL.

23 April 2025 Wednesday

Kyle had me go with Sal down to South Jordan so he could retrieve the vehicle he bought today. He bought the black Volvo so we are back to having two vehicles again and I won’t have to feel so isolated and house bound.

                Mike Romero called and I said I wanted to just be home today with Jack to  help him get used to the house and not be like he was abandoned. So as it was I was home alone all day and managed to walk all four of the pups but not without difficulty as their leashes kept getting tangled up.  Kyle said that Gabe is coming over tomorrow to mow the lawns.

24 April 2025 Thursday

It rained during the night so we didn’t have Gabe come over to mow this morning. Even though I had my FIT back I only went out to Lucky’s to buy some eggs and other items. Adrian was down to just two so I bought a dozen for $5. At Smiths they were $7. America traded their soul for the price of eggs and they were fooled by the devil.

                When Kyle came home he wanted to get ice cream so Adrian went with us in his new Volvo as I held Jack. We went to Petco in Bountiful and bought him a harness. Well Kyle bought him a harness.  It was sprinkling while we were out and the clouds looked ominous like it was going to rain and coming back to house I could see showers all around us.

25 April 2025 Friday

Adrian’s nephew Gabriel came over this morning and Kyle showed him how to use the lawn mower to mow the back yard. The yard was so bad that it kept draining the batteries. However Gabe was able to get it almost all but a small strip done before the batteries gave out completely and had to be recharged.

 I finally mowed the front yard myself with the electric lawnmower. The lawn was covered with Grape Hyacinths and yellow dandelions and really was over grown.

I had Gabe while the batteries were being recharged help me pull up all the rag weed that had grown up on the path I made along the fence line. Kyle went off to work and Yolanda came over to be with Adrian to go shopping so I took Gabe to Mountain America Credit Union down by Lucky’s to pull out cash for him.

Redwood Road in front of Lucky’s is being worked on and it’s a mess and the temporary office for the credit union didn’t have an ATM machine so it was crowded and a mess. That was frustrating. I should have just gone to Lucky’s and pulled out cash there. I gave Gabe $50 which was really generous but he’s a sweet teen and I am sure could use the money.

                 

26 April 2025 Saturday

I had the use of my car all day but didn’t go anywhere. I think I am use to just being home. Yolanda and Chuito were over today and Kyle was gone until around 4. I guess Papi’s is closed now on Saturday since the U of U Fleet cleaning contract was cancelled. That ended Milagros’ kids working there on Saturdays. 

I completed adding the year 2000 to my Journal Blog finally. I mainly recorded news stories and rarely anything about my personal life as I was inactive in the Gay community, in an unhappy or at least failing relationship with Mike Romero and just was drifting with no direction.  I was 49 years old and certainly in a midlife crisis and how my life was going with seemingly without purpose.

I heard from Robert Whyte that Chuck is now in an assisted living residence. I need to call him and see if it’s just temporary or permanent.

                The Fascists arrested a Wisconsin Judge they say for keeping an immigrant from Gestapo Agents. This is all on Republicans.

Despot Trump wants to establish a National Medal of Motherhood for women who have 6 children. Why not a National Medal of Fatherhood then, maybe because they see women as chattel while men are free to impregnate lots of women like Elon Musk did with having 13 sperm babies...

The Orange Demented man in the White House put a White Christian Nationalist named Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Christian Nationalists want to over throw democracy and turn America into a theocracy ran by the Nationalists. He is the main man behind the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 much of which the beast has signed in the over 200 executive orders signed in the 1st 100 days.

During the confirmation hearings, Senator Bernie Sanders questioned Vought about a statement that "Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.”

So think about this if you are a Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, Pagan or not seen as Evangelical like Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Quakers, Unitarians or even Catholic. Yes Elon Musk is dangerous to the economy but Christian Nationalists are out to destroy America.

 

27 April 2025 Sunday

Kyle fixed my Microsoft Word  by deleting my old Word 2007 so that Read Text was restored but then when I tried to pull up old documents it said the new program wouldn’t pull up word documents from the old system. Ugh! Kyle said he would look at it later when he returned from going out.

                I went to the Bountiful Costco to get some doggie treats that the crew enjoys and I was shocked by all the Gentiles and heathens in the store as I know good Mormons don't shop on Sundays.  The Bountiful Costco is so much smaller than the Salt Lake one, which I understand is the largest in the state so Bountiful is easier to get around in but Sundays is not the day to go. A kind woman helped me lift a case of bottled water that Kyle had asked me to buy. It was heavy and in an awkward way.

                It was much cooler today than yesterday by nearly 20 degrees. I think I have been over feeding Lucy so I am going to have to cut back on her dinner portions. She will not be happy as she is such a chow hound.

                Kyle came up around 8 to add a document converter to the computer so I can at least now access my old word documents. He held Jack in his lap the entire time so I think the pup is finally trusting us.

                After I was able to access my old files on the new program but  when I  copied them to the new Microsoft Word it would not let me access them saying a  “Trust Center” program was blocking them from being saved. I finally figured out how to disconnect the Trust Center so I could at least save them now on the new Microsoft 325.  So disaster averted.

                Now if we could just cancel Trump and his 2025 Regime. The Despotic Regime in the Executive Branch has authorized its Gestapo agents to kidnap and human traffic people in the United States without even due process or being convicted of a crime... they are kidnapping even American children born in this country.

The Gestapo agents are now authorized to arrest Judges who defend due process.

It is not time to be complacent and not call out every MAGA supporter and Christian Nationalists as enemies of the Republic. It is not time to agree to disagree.  Bring back Power to the People not Billionaires and tyrants.

                House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senator Cory Booker, hosted hundreds of supporters at the Capitol, sitting on the steps in protest of Republicans’ upcoming push to pass a budget reconciliation bill that will decimate Medicaid while giving another tax break to Billionaires.  It seems like only People of Color are trying to defeat the Republican Billionaire coup.

 

28  April 2025 Monday

This month is quickly coming to a close and I really haven’t done much except at home. I don’t really do anything at Bewilder anymore or at Papis. Since Kyle had the FIT for months I kind of  have gotten used to just staying home.  Yolanda was busy around the house taking care of Adrian’s room and cooking for him. She needed some help on her phone so Gabe came over to help her out but have no idea what it was about except it involved Brayan.

                I went to out to get some gas for the FIT. Prices were high at $3.25 a gallon but I went to Smith’s and got a dime off. I saved 80 cents. Big deal. Redwood Road and 700 north is a mess due to some road construction so it’s hard to turn into Luckys. However I returned from Smiths on 600/700 north to go to Common Cents to get a drink. I said hi to Bryan, the manager who I hadn’t seen since Kyle started using my car.

I went to Smith’s to make a kind of Shepherd Pie from a recipe I saw on Facebook that seemed easy and tasty. It called for instant potatoes as a bottom layer, ground beef cooked with corn, peas, carrots and green beans and a package of brown gravy mix and topped with crescent rolls. It was really tasty and both Yolanda and Adrian had some.

                It was much cooler out today only in the mid 50’s. I didn’t see Kyle much today although he came home twice once in the afternoon and lastly in the early evening. The new pup Jack sure has attached himself to Kyle.

Perhaps the MAGA regime in the White House should read all our founding documents like the Declaration of Independence that as Americans we hold as fundamental truths that all people are equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the 14th amendment to the Constitution... the Declaration was written for all people not just united states citizens..

The Equal Protection Clause is part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It provides that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws" which includes due process. 

Dumb ass Republicans, due process was put in place to protect people from the tyranny of people like Trump and Bondi who would incarcerate people  in El Salvadorian concentration camps.

 

29 April 2025 Tuesday

Having my Honda FIT back hasn’t really  made much of a difference to me as I never even took the car out until this evening around 7 when the pups wanted to go for a ride. When we came back home I took them for a third walk so they had a lots of walks today.

                I worked on by Journal blog for the spring of 1999.   When I my relationship with Mike Romero was falling apart I wrote very little regarding my personal life but mainly was copying Gay articles from the Newspapers. The latter half of the 1990’s into the early 21^st Century I was so unhappy with my life and that I didn’t feel like recording any mundane domestic experiences as well as anything much about work. Mike and I were growing more and more estranged and I had very little to do with the Gay community at the time as the new elite didn’t know me or what I had accomplished. The new clique ignored me so I ignored them.

                I should do some yard work but just didn’t feel up to it. The most ambitious thing I did was start to drain the hot tub and turn it off so I can clean it from the scum it accumulated over the winter.  I have no idea what Kyle intends to do with the big swimming pool that is just a large green pond now and probably home to mosquitos. Oh well.

                I made some Chili Verde which Adrian had a bowl of which surprised me because he generally doesn’t like Mexican food as being too spicy hot.

 

30  April 2025 Wednesday

Well much cooler than it has been but not real unpleasant. I didn’t leave the house except to walk the pups in the morning and afternoon.  I was home alone most of the day as Adrian took off after work and Kyle wasn’t home until after 8 at night.  He wanted to tell me how he suggested to his Chinese business people to avoid the tariff by shipping their restaurant supply equipment to Mexico and have it assembled there and then sold in America from Mexico.

                I made a batch of ginger snap cookies today because I was bored after working on the computer. In the evening after feeding the pups I watched an ABC series called High Potential that starts Kaitlin Olson McElhenney in a crime drama in Los Angeles> I binged all episodes before going to bed.

                All that is in the news is Trumps first 100 days where he is trying to become a dictator by signing over 200 executive orders many unlawful and some unconstitutional.

Journalist Terry Moran tried to call out Trumps lies about Abrego Garcia having M-13 tattoos on his knuckles. 80 years ago we liberated Europe from fascism and the Republican Party now is embracing it... shameful. The most ridiculous portion of the interview was when Moran asked Trump what the Declaration of Independence meant to him after seeing it posted on the way. Trump didn’t have a clue what it said and it was obvious he never read it. He refused the main concept of Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and that all people are equal.

 

MAY

1 May 2025 Thursday

It’s Beltane for all my Pagan friends celebrating the cross quarter day between Spring and Summer. It’s also Labor Day for everywhere except the U.S.

It was a beautiful day and hard to believe that the country is going to shit.  I went out this evening with Adrian and Kyle to Baskin Robbins where they got some ice cream. I didn’t want any . Actually I can’t justify spending $3 for an small ice cream  when I have ice cream at home in the freezer. I just went for the ride.

This bastard Marco Rubio is now National Security Advisor as well as Secretary of State, a  dual position only held once before by Nixon’s evil Henry Kissinger. And guess what Mike Walz was rewarded with? He's now ambassador to the UN and will have ready access to share secrets with Russia on a daily basis.

Marco Antoino Rubio was born in Florida in 1971 to Cuban immigrants who didn't become citizens until 1975. Strange how the MAGA crowd want to strip birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Constitution to other Latinos but are silent about Rubio’s status. He also lied and said his parents fled Castro but in reality they came in 1956 and went back and forth to Cuba.

His grandfather  immigrated to the US then returned to Cuba then came back as a undocumented immigrant and ordered deported which was suspended.

80 years ago we liberated Europe from fascism and the Republican Party now is embracing it... shameful

2 May 2025 Friday

I worked 3 hours this morning mowing down weeds on the southside of the yard as well as mowing the front yard  and digging up the area where the Mailbox used to be next to the Behana’s mail box before Kyle moved it a few years ago. I was exhausted just  after a few hours. Things accelerate a lot faster as you age.    At age 70 I was able to dig up my parking strip by myself one wheel barrow at a time. Now at 74 I am exhausted just pulling weeds and mowing a patch of grass in the front yard. Oh well... Richard P. Butler ingrained curb appeal in my head nearly 30 years ago damn him...LOL. I am so old and tired. Too old to do so much yard work ... maybe I should sell and move into a flat in Mexico

It is disgusting that the despot in the White House could not say what the Declaration of Independence means to reporter... he just rambled about it being a great Declaration and not understanding the meaning of the concept that all people are equal endowed with the rights of liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Now he is defunding Public Radio and television and Stephen Miller wants to indoctrinate school children in order to receive federal funding.

 

3 May 2025 Saturday

Strange dreams lately. I woke up while having to defend a woman’s right to abortion to a bunch of Mormons. Weird.   Today is Davis County Pride Day in Layton.

                I was going to just stay home and work in the yard when Kyle wanted me to bring a credit card Toast reader down to Bewilder for the Punk Band event there. He had Daniel working the grill outside cooking hamburgers so he only had to be at the booth. Sal, Jim Dabakis Mexican friend was there and we visited a bit and got to know him a bit better. He said his girl cousin who he came with at the beginning of the year wants to go back to Mexico as she is unhappy here. Sal will be here by himself if she does.  He’s a young man born in 1998 and is always nice to me. He’s very talented and Kyle uses him for all the graphics for the kitchen.

                Anyway I stayed a bit until the music became loud and obnoxious so I went to the Chef Store and bought some frozen chicken thighs for the pup’s supper and then also stopped at Smiths to get some groceries before coming home to rest.

                Adrian took the day off from work as he had comp time he’d lose if he doesn’t take it. I rarely interact with him anymore but it doesn’t mean I still don’t love him. He’s growing and becoming more and more less reliant on Kyle or me.

                In the afternoon Kyle called and asked me to bring Yolanda Perez down to Bewilder as the kitchen was being slammed with orders and they could use her help doing washing dishes.  So I did and stayed a bit longer listening to another band that wasn’t all that bad. Lots of the folks were tattooed with piercings everywhere that could be seen and most likely where you couldn’t.

                I finally called it a day and came home and was alone for most of the evening while Adrian went off to a birthday party and Kyle didn’t come in until nearly 9. The booth outside barely broke even but I guess the kitchen inside was slammed.

                I saw Cody McCormick while I was at Bewilder. I think he likes me for keeping it all together while Kyle was struggling last winter.

                The orange slushy in the White House posted a AI generated image of him as a Pope. He is totally deranged and propped up by moronic sycophants

4 May 2025  Sunday

Adrian didn’t come home until 3:30 this morning which I wouldn’t care except he bangs around and wakes me up. Friday night he was out all night.  I worked in the yard for about 3 hours pulling weeds in the front yard and doing spring cleanup.

When I am delving in my yard, mowing, weeding I also get to look at the flowers that are blooming and a sense of renewal of life... it helps me to take a break from the soul crushing onslaught of news about the orange  madman who wants to rule the world. He won't live forever and will be forgotten like the  rest of us in time... so I am taking a small mental health break to smell the flowers post dog pictures and enjoy Cinco de Mayo tomorrow before jumping back into the fray. Even soldiers need Leave and some R & R before continuing the battle

Then around noon Kyle called to come down to bewilder because the kitchen was slammed with a Trivia final tournament going on. Even though they had 5 people pushing out orders they had no one keeping up with the  dishes and pots and  pans so this old man was elbow deep in suds.

Finally after about 2 1/2 hours the rush tapered off and I had the majority cleaned up so I went home to walk the pups again and feed them.

I thought I would be able to rest and I was in bed at 8 when I got another phone call from Kyle saying Bewilder was slammed again so off I went in the rain back down there and again piles of dishes greeted me. I made a dent  in it for an hour when it slowed down enough so I could leave. I think I burst a blood vessel in my eye, so pretty. Kyle sure gets free labor from me. I guess it hardly makes up for my ancestors who own slaves.

Well it was a much busier day than I thought it was going to be. I wonder in 1970 when I was working on the line at Taco Bell that at 74 I would still be working in the food industry. I retired 10 years ago this June but you wouldn't know it.

Fifty five years ago I was a freshman in college when students were being shot at Kent State for protesting the Vietnam War.  I will never forget that it was the Republican response to protests and it solidified my opinion of that the Republican party is a fascist party.   Nixon, Agnew, John Mitchell turned out to all be criminals. Now felons and criminals  are elected out right. The Republican Party has not changed only the faces.

I attended college during turbulent times. With all the MAGA  cult leader's American Gestapo  arresting student protesters on college campus and Republicans okay with kidnapping and human trafficking I am always reminded of the Kent State Massacre  that happened on this day in 1970 which may be just a blip in history 55 years ago for some but if you were in college at the time as I was it was devastating and seared into our consciousness

I remember John Cunningham running in to where we worked at Taco Bell in Anaheim California and shouting they are shooting students in Ohio..

Gov Ronald Reagan  said he'd keep the Universities open at the point of bayonets when protestors demanded they be shut down...he back tracked and shut them down for a week...

Cal State Fullerton had "Open University" where classes were ran by students on topics as varied as draft resistance, feminist theory, pottery making, antiwar politics... I attended many as my own college was closed...

An abiding hatred of Nixon, Reagan, and all things Republican was born that day at the age of 19. Tin Soldiers and Nixon coming Four Dead in Ohio...

5 May 2025 Monday

I finally went to go visit Chuck Whyte since he left his condo and moved into an assisted living home at Twin Oaks Senior Living about 33^rd South and 7^th East. I hadn't kept up with him for a couple of months before I heard that his health prevented him from living alone.

When I found him in room 106 I was shocked to see how much he had declined. He was in a wheelchair with both his feet in medical shoes and he looked disheveled and disoriented. The room was pleasant with a few mementoes but it made my heart sad knowing that he left all his furnishings, bedroom furniture that he inherited from his grandmother, and this large stain glass window that he had Ron Johnson make for him. Also his curio cabinet with all his crowns and court treasures left behind.

I had to hold back my tears as I have known Chuck for 40 years and he has been a major part of my life but still it was a stark realization of how so many of my peers are declining or have passed already.  Chuck was rather out of it or appeared to be and couldn’t carry on a conversation but just had these blank moments so I didn’t stay long.

When I left I hugged him and said I love you and he said he loved me too. That is all that really matters and our memories. Few remember Chuck as being a major player in building this community but I always will.

                When I left I drove over to Papi’s where Kyle was working in his office and I was a bit weepy relating my visit with Chuck. Kyle knows Chuck only through me really so it was hard for him to realize what I was feeling.  It was kind of like seeing Bill Poore at the end of his life although Chuck isn’t as bad off at Bill was.

                Kyle and I went out to lunch to the Huckleberry café near Wells Fargo, which took the place of the BBQ place that had been there for years. We only ordered one dish and kind of shared it. I had the macaroni and Kyle had the roasted Brussel Sprouts Yuck. The meat had a good flavor but was kind of tough and I took most of it home for the pups.

                Yolanda was over again cooking but didn’t bring Chuito or stay after 4.  Tomorrow Kyle leaves for Las Vegas.

                There was a gas explosion in the middle of the night at the Chevron convenient store down on North Temple and Redwood Road by China Delight. As it happened at 3 in the morning no one was working so no one was hurt.

6 May 2025 Tuesday

It was a busy morning in the rain. I had to take Kyle to the airport before going to my doctor visit at 8. Kyle went to Las Vegas to meet with the Chinese Restaurant people but will be back Thursday night. He said Sal will help me if I have to get heavy stuff for the Kitchen.

It was pouring rain when I went to the Redwood Clinic at 8 even though Dr. Stoneburner does not even come in until around 8:30 but before he did I had my blood pressure taken and was given a Vitamin B shot. I expected my blood pressure to be sky high since I haven’t taken any of my pills for weeks but I was surprised when it when it about 127 over 80. When Stoneburner came in he said I was too healthy and not to come back until October 10th. He gave me an A+ on my medical report. Stoneburner said my friends should be amazed at what I am doing at my advanced years. I told him I wanted to outlive Trump.

Then I went to Sutherland for their flower sale and I bought $40 worth of red geraniums, and other flowers and two more tomato plants that were still on sale. I planted them in the front yard except for the 2 tomato plants and petunias that I planted in the pots on the front door porch.

After getting them into the ground, I walked the 4 pups as the rain cleared up. That nearly pooped me out.

I rested for a bit and then made some instant chili soup from a package which wasn’t all that good. I thought Chili might taste good on a cooler day like today.

Anyway in the afternoon I took the trash cans to the curb and cleaned up some of the parking on the northside of the garage which had become kind of a catch all of junk.  I don’t want to look trashy as long as I can.

I didn’t see Adrian much today, probably in one of his moods so I felt alone for most of the day. The pups got their two walks in today as well as being fed their grub.

I cleaned the kitchen before finally laying down to watch some TV but nothing seem too interesting and I went to bed around 10.  The weather had cleared up for much of the day and while cool out it was a pretty day.

Eighty years ago the U.S, the U.K. and the USSR defeated fascism in the bloodiest conflict in history.  Now that the Greatest Generation is nearly gone, who will defeat fascism today? Make no mistake fascism is here again endowed by the Billionaires, the theocrats, and the corporate CEO classes who empowered the MAGA republicans

The real Domestic Terrorists are not immigrants seeking a better life under the protection of our Constitution but white Republicans. They want to harm more Americans than any immigrant ever could.

This is why I have no Forgiveness for them who voted for the criminal in the White House... they knew... they knew!.. exactly who he was...and because of their racism and misogyny and just plain bigotry and stupidity, brought fascism into the halls of power.

 I can dream that someday Donald Trump is sitting in an electric chair.

7 May 2025 Wednesday

Beautiful Spring day in the 70’s. I went grocery shopping early around 8:30. Redwood Road is down to one lane by Lucky’s and 7^th North to Smith’s is down to one lane and additionally 10^th North is down to one lane.  What a mess if you want to go anywhere,

                Around 11:30 Kyle called and said I need to go get supplies for the kitchen at Bewilder at Restaurant Depot, the Chef Store, and Harmons. It wasn’t a lot but it took about three hours to go all these places and deliver them back to Bewilder. Daniel and Milagros were the ones working today. Kyle said he wants to fire Milagros for not working Tuesday and giving little notice. He would have but he had to get ready to go to Vegas. Oh well.

                I made a cabbage roll casserole for supper. It was pretty good. It’s like cabbage rolls but just layered in a baking dish like lasagna. Easier and much tastier too.

                In the late afternoon I started in on cleaning the weeds out of the parking strip at the corner of Daleridge and Fernleaf. It’s overgrown with wild mustard and puncture thorn bushes that will turn into goat head thorns if not eradicated.

                I was so exhausted that I only had it half done before quitting.  I visited some with my neighbor Deb who walks her pup Annie and said I would give her some of my irises after they are done blooming.

                Kyle left a message that he’s coming home tomorrow morning instead of tomorrow night as he completed all he needed to do down there.

                A reporter named Scott Renshaw from the City Weekly  called and asked if I would help with the Pride Day issue mainly as a consultant.  Well Pride Month must be coming soon as I am getting the calls for history. The City Weekly wants me to be an advisor for their Pride issues to make sure they don't miss anything because the guy said it "cisgender heterosexuals" writing the features lol I guess they think I am a  Classic Homo.

Also the high school student Alexis who is doing a paper on Stonewall finally contacted me and we will meet this Friday.

The Facebook overlords said I was banned until May 10th for posting illegal immigrant Slovenian gold digger  Melania Knauss' porn pictures calling her First Horehound instead of First Lady. I calls them as I sees them. But as you can see I ain't in the jail house now.

On 5 November 2024 Republicans voted to destroy the Republic that stood for liberty and justice for all by electing a felon who had no intention of honoring his oaths to defend and protect the Constitution and has done all he can to destroy the separation of powers that was put in place to keep an authoritarian tyrant from ending due process. Republicanism is no longer a political party but a crime syndicate tool of the Billionaire class. Goodbye John Q Public. It was nice while it lasted.

This vile man in the White House took an oath to defend the Constitution as he once took an oath to be faithful to Ivanna ... We all know how that went. Oaths do not mean a thing to someone who thinks he is unaccountable to anyone or anything. He is now selling access to the White House by his crypto currency scam    .

8 May 2025 Thursday

I went and picked up Kyle from the airport this morning at 8:30. He didn’t have much to say about his trip. I had been up since 5:30 . It took a while but after about two weeks Jack felt safe enough to have slept with us instead of on the sofa.  Lucy and him were rehomed to the House of the Barking Dogs and I think finally feel like they are home. Lucy is just like TJ attached to me where ever I am. Home is where the heart is.

                I worked for about 3 hours this morning clearing the overgrown weeds from the corner parking strip. That was a major chore but it does look nicer. Victor finally mowed the weed patch that was his front yard. I wonder if someone complained.

                Both Adrian and Kyle took off in their vehicles and I never saw Kyle again until nearly 9 at night when I went to bed. Adrian was in and out all day. Doesn’t say much to me anymore but he’s not mad or anything. We are just distancing.

                I really am not a fan of the Catholic Church but they have a new Pope finally an American born but who is also a Peruvian citizen guy. He picked the name Leo XIV.  He’s younger than me LOL.  I guess he’s no fan of J.D. Vance and the Trumpster so I guess the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

I hope Pope Leo XIV has the good sense to stay away from J D Vance aka James Donald Bowman. Which brings up the question whether the VP will be allowed to vote with the Republican Save Act since I am sure his birth certificate doesn't match his driver’s license. I wonder also  if the Russian Rube is throwing a hissy fit because he wasn't elected  pope! I guess he will just have to be contented with being the Mango Messiah.

9 May 2025 Friday

I have been having a lot of strange dreams lately. Bruce Harmon was actually in one of my dreams the other day. I had a restless night and didn’t even go to sleep until after 1 in the morning. Sometime in the night, Jack wanted up on the bed so I slept like a pretzel with four pups having me trying to untangle my bedding so I could stretch out.

So I got up when Adrian was going to work and gave him the six hardboiled eggs  I made yesterday  to take with him.

                I rested some before getting up, fixed me some breakfast before walking the pups this morning.  I spent some time in the front yard weeding and mowing. It’s springtime and this old man needs to have a pretty yard.

Spent the afternoon at the Day Riverside Library with Alexis McDonald going over the impact of the Stonewall uprising. She's a senior in high-school whose history teacher assigned an oral history project due before she graduates.  She has a gay grandpa who contacted me and asked if I would be willing to speak to her. Well I am a girl who can't say no and so I had an enjoyable time.  I told her Stonewall happened exactly two weeks after I graduated from high school.  Circles.

Afterwards I went to D.I. to look for a wide brim hat to cover my ears while I work in the garden. My caps only cover my head and I don’t want my ears to sun burn or get skin cancer.  I found a nice straw hat, a nice shirt, some doggy food bowls, and nice stainless steel frying pan.

This evening when Kyle came home he informed me that Sal was spending the night downstairs because he got into an ugly quarrel with his cousin and needed to get away from the Stan Rovig apartment they share.  He didn’t want Adrian to know fearing a confrontation even though they are no longer a “couple.”

 Read how Mayor Mendenhall designated 4 official  flags for the city two of which are Gay and Trans to circumvent the state legislatures ban on Gay flags.

Former justice David Souter who served 2 decades on the Supreme Court before retiring died at the age of 85.

10 May 2025 Saturday

This morning walking the pups I saw the first bloom of my orange Oriental Poppies. I love their vibrant colors so much. My yard is coming alive with color.

I fixed Sal some breakfast this  morning around 9 since he spent the night after quarreling with his cousin last night.  Then we all went to Jordan Park to attend the Flower Parade Festival at the International Peace Gardens.  It was a beautiful day this morning for it. There were lots of people there strolling around before the small parade of about 12 entries came pass. Mostly the parade was made up of children with a Faerie Tale theme.

                Adrian Ruiz was the masters of ceremony for the parade and I went up to him to say high and he a first didn’t recognize me with my long white beard and I am so old now. I think he was surprised when sudden it dawned on him who I was.  We never were in the same close circle but had friends in common especially Craig Hunter who was Adrians roommate for a period. Also Adrian was involved with an international dance group and has been with the Slat Lake Men’s Choir for a very long time.

                I enjoyed waking  around the Peace Gardens remembering taking my students there on field trips when I taught Sixth Grade at Orchard.  Kyle took a picture of me at the Park and looked still like a flower child at 74 “get a haircut hippy”.  I looked like a little old man.

                I went with them later also to Walgreens in Woods Cross  so Sal could get some Iodine and then to Common Cents to get a drink.  Kyle told me that they are ending their reward program and I should use up the money we have on our account to buy gas before it all disappear.

                I stayed home for the rest of the day.

 

11 May 2025  Sunday

I was alone for this mother’s day as Kyle was gone all day and when he came home just went into his room. I didn’t see Adrian as when he came home from work he went to his room and Yolanda didn’t come over at all.  Kyle said Adrian was in one of his moods when he did come up to tell me what to expect tomorrow when he meets with his Chinese entourage.

                He also told me about some of the  changes he is planning on making down at Bewilder also. He is planning on letting some of the employees go and bringing the night shift people back into the day. I think he is planning of firing Milagros still. He said that he heard that she is moving out of the apartment at the Grove so not sure what is happening there. Kyle doesn’t care anymore. So I think my little Columbia family is soon to be a thing of the past. None of them work at Papi’s anymore and if Milagros is fired only Johana and Yolanda will still work there and Kyle is cutting Yolanda’s hours back to 6 instead of coming in at 4. Well that is what he is planning as he is switching the lunch menu to just sandwiches and not the regular night menu. Oh well.

                This morning after walking the pups I worked in the front yard. I listened to the Mikado while weeding the pathway above my garden... it helps to have music. The flowers that bloom in the spring Tra la. Since I can't bring flowers to my mom, I worked all morning in my front yard so moms in the neighborhood  can see pretty flowers if they pass  by.  One day I won't be able to keep up my garden but it isn't today. I love to see things grow.

                I looked in the mirror and saw that my left eye is still quite red almost like I have conjunctivitis but There’s no where I could have picked it up. I think a blood vessel just may have broken. I went to the store and bought some eye drops to help soothe it if it won’t actually help it heal.

It looks like the street department is going to do something to the street as a utility truck went by putting out cones in front of the house... oh well  I guess I will be a shut in.

It was very windy out in the late afternoon and I laid down for a nap with the pups.

So this is Mother’s Day 2025. When you reach a certain age Mother Day and Father Day hold little meaning except for the memories.  I only have 1 sister and 3 female cousins out of all the women in my large family who were contemporaries with me growing up.  There's no need to send Mother Day cards or wire flowers. It's just another Memorial Day for me. Memes about mothers being in heaven are little comfort even if well meaning.  It’s even worse for Father's Day as I am the sole survivor of all my male relatives I grew up with.

Still if you are lucky enough to have mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts and cousins in your life, do reach out to them as one day they will be a memory and a stilled voice.

               

12 May 2025 Monday

It was very windy today with gusts strong enough to bring a few trees down and in the late afternoon we lost power for about an hour.

The full moon sets at 5:49 and the sun won't rise until 6:12. It's like a half hour of darkness. So I went  back to sleep . 90 degrees was the expected today and 55 tomorrow ... Utah

Took the pups for a walk and it was already 80 degrees. There were trucks up and down in front of my house so I asked what they were planning to do. I was told they are replacing the Google fiber optical lines and the city is going to put speed bumps on Fernleaf. After 29 years they finally thought we needed speed bumps.   My poor low riding Honda Fit will not be happy

Kyle had me go get chicken at Main Street Meat Market this morning. Driving is a nightmare anymore. Why do so many Utah drivers fail to anticipate they will have to merge into a single lane when there are orange cones and flashing signs telling them well ahead of having to merge . And yet it's like they just realized they can't drive in the lane they are in and try to cut you off.

And here on the West side it seems like every major street is being worked on at the same time. 10th North is blocked off at 13th West  so you have to detour through residential areas. North Temple at 9th West is completely blocked so you can’t go west on that street. I saw some idiot try to turn right on to North temple, realized he was stuck and had to make a U turn in the middle of the intersection.

Redwood Road and 7th North are down to one lane and you take your life into your own hands trying to go into Luckys, Common Cents, or Maverick.

Rant is over. Time to take my happy pill.

At 1:30 follow him to the Radisson Hotel out west by the airport where he booked rooms for the Chinese who were flying in from China.  Salv Mora was with us and Kyle wanted to drop the Volvo off at the hotel and then drop him at the airport to meet the delegation. I guess they took Ubers back.

                By  then it was extremely windy and at the house, Yolanda was there with Adrian. They were visiting in the kitchen but I had no idea what they were discussing. I know Kyle said he fired Milagros. I felt bad for her but then she never appeared to be very loyal to Kyle for all that we did for her family.  When they were journeying north I gave Adrian $500 to send to them to help and when they arrived in El Paso I paid nearly $1000 to rent a van to go get them but because they weren’t released immediately that was a wasted trip and back in Salt Lake Kyle had to turn around and drive back down to El Paso using the Honda Fit to bring Milagros and her three teenagers back to Salt Lake City

                Adrian and I had to work by ourselves opening the Bewilder Kitchen which was a night mare for me.  I took them shopping for clothes as they came with nothing but the clothes on their backs and flip-flops for foot wear. I spent nearly $300 on that. Even before that I paid $3000 for bunk beds and a sleeper couch for them.

                I even asked Rich Butler for help and he sent me $1000 to help for expenses and Jim Dabakis even enlisted the McCarthy Tribune family to help out. That was really hard for me to ask for help.

Kyle and I got Tutu and Luis Jr into West High and right after that Milagros got mad at Kyle and refused to go into work and Lusiana supported her mother so it was just me and Kyle working a Saturday night shift which about killed me.

Eventually Milagros calmed down and she and Luisana went back to work  which they really didn’t have much choice.  Even when they moved out into their apartment I paid the $1000 down payment for them to move in.  I even took her to the emergency room when she had appendicitis.

So I can’t be too upset that Milagros was fired. She didn’t come into work today or get anyone to work her shift. I know her family is moving out of the Grove apartment but have no idea what is really going on with them. Oh well.

Adrian took his mom grocery shopping and while they were out I tried to nap. Kyle wanted me to go back to the Radisson at 4:30 to take Salv up to Bewilder to do some set up but at 4 I noticed I had no internet. I thought at first it might have had something to do with the fiber optic workers but then noticed all the power was off.  My car was stuck in the garage as the pull cord for the garage release had broken and Kyle never had it fixed so I was stuck. I had to call Salv and let him know I could not come get him and to make arrangements to take a lift.

Yolanda and Adrian came home about then and I showed Yolanda how to light the gas stove so she could still start cooking for Adrian. Thank goodness I have a gas stove so Yolanda Perez can cook Adrian's food for the week.  I know they want to outlaw gas stoves but over my dead body. While everyone is chewing raw meat I can still cook the pups their supper lol

On top of all that it was 90 degrees and the strong wind was playing havoc with my irises and sapping moisture from the ground and air. Since I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything inside the house I decided to finish bailing out the 2 inches of water at the bottom of the hot tub and scrubbing it all down with bleach before refilling it.

I called Mike Romero just to see if his power was out also. His wasn’t so it must have been just this side of 900 West.

He came over to see if he could fix the latch on the garage but about 10 minutes before he arrived the power came back on. So we just sat and visited some and he met Jack for the first time.

 

13 May 2025 Tuesday

I was extremely tired today. Kyle came home around 3 to see If I wanted to go get an ice cream with him. I was napping when he called but I said I would. I mainly just went along for the ride. He wanted to touch base with me and I think mainly tell me how his presentation with the Chinese went. I guess he is going to work as a project manager for them and even go to  China in August.  This Friday he’s off to a Restaurant Convention with the Chinese again in Chicago.  I was too tired to comment much on all this but it made me weary just thinking of having to deal with Bewilder and Pappi’s while he’s gone.  But I don’t want to be like mom who was often very negative about trying anything new or unsure.

                The Fiber Optic people have been digging holes all around my yard  so it’s kind of a mess. I bet they were happier working today as it was only 55 degrees with mostly light precipitation

An obituary  reminder popped up on legacy to remind me that  John Cunningham died 18 years ago on this day...As if I could ever forget... I was the only one to write a condolence on his memory page at the time. We were both 18 in 1969 when I fell in love with him... now at 74 he still remains 18 in my heart. He was only 56 when he decided to leave this world behind.  The love I had for him was the driving force behind all my activism to make my corner of the world a better place for people to fall openly in love.

I had lost all track of him for 10 years until 1983 when we reconnected by phone. We stayed in touch during the 1980's, told him I was Gay and that I still loved him.   His veteran application for a marker stated he died of natural causes  but his brother told me he had committed suicide.  He was only 56. He's buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, PLOT SECTION CBI ROW 3 SITE 422.

I still think about him nearly daily.  I became a Gay activist so that young  people wouldn't have the same stigma and shame that kept John and I apart  55 years ago. My first love John Francis Cunningham RIP I hope we will meet again some day

 

14 May 2025 Wednesday

It rained almost all day and it was much colder.  The fiber optic men were digging holes in my yard and on the parking strips.

The grifter in the White House lied about the reason white Apartheid Afrikaans are given special refugee status saying they are being killed and yet ICE agents are kidnapping ,  Latinos and sending them  to concentration camps in despotic El Salvador. The Hague should charge the department of Homeland Security, the head of the DOJ, and Stephen Miller with Crimes against humanity.

Qatar is “gifting” a $400 million plane to the felon and MAGA Republicans are fine with that in violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause

It rained for most of the morning so I stayed in bed with the pups mostly when not on the computer posting information on my history page about the Knight Initiative from 1999.  The pups didn’t get their walk until around 11 and it was the only one they got today.

I went to the new Pride Center for the first time this evening as I had made an arrangement with Roy Zang to meet him there so he could show how to get into the building. While waiting for Roy Zhang  to show me how to get into the building I encounter Courtney Moser coming down the street who was also there to support Kevin. I was surprised a bit to see him in a electronic scooter type of wheelchair that you ride. I guess that is how he gets around these days.

The tiny elevator to the 9th floor was rather cramped with Roy, Courtney and me along with an older guy who was using a walker and I was very claustrophobic but we made it without incident. I never knew I was claustrophobic until the time I went with Affirmation people to explore the Nutty-Putty cave down in Utah County which is closed now because someone died there.

It was both Courtney and my first time at the new center and I have to say I was impressed. It was very colorful and while not as spatial as the  13^th South place it was large enough and suitable but doubtful they could hold large events there  like the old place. It was laid out better with the large, restored library at the east end and the meeting room down at west end.  I was pleased with what they did have but it’s hardly a drop in facility but times change.

The room we met in had about 20 chairs set up but I doubt whether there were more than 10 people who came.  I Saw a few people hadn't seen in ages like Kevin’s partner Ryan, and Steve Woodall. I saw Andy Dalrymple there but he sat a few rows ahead of us. I guess he and Roy are having a spat. I went and said hi to him just to let him know I wasn’t taking Roy’s side just because I came with him. It was good to be out and sees some of the old timers.

Kevin looked really frail all though all spruced up in a UGRA shirt and cowboy hat. He said he was getting deaf however he is holding up rather well considering he’s been HIV positive since 1991.

Jackson Carter was the moderator and hosted the interview and he was excellent and his enthusiasm was fun to watch.  However I had to sit on my hands sometimes when I heard some errors but then it was Kevin’s recollections of 35 years ago not mine. I think I had remarkable restraint being an old school teacher.

The talk was streamed on line however they do that. Kevin talked about his experiences with the UGRA which he joined around 1982 when he came out and when he was co-director of Pride Day in 1991. The chat was from 6:30 to 8 but afterwards there was a Q and A but a lot of it was just visiting. I don’t think  the Center staff knew that between Kevin, Courtney, Roy, Andy and me there was nearly 200 years of Activist experience in that small room.  There were no Lesbians in the audience but Kevin admitted he had little activity with the women’s community. There was one trans man there, young and cute who moved here from Maryland for work. So all in all I had a nice evening listening to Kevin Hillman give a presentation for the Pride Center's fireside History chat.  It kind of rejuvenated me a bit being with the old guard.

Kevin, Courtney, and myself were Dr. Kristen Ries recipients in the room but there was no mention of that. Kevin couldn’t even remember that I received my award in 1991 the year he was being asked about. Oh well. What does it matter?  I did talk briefly with Courtney, who he was going to vote for and he said probably no one as he didn’t know any of the nominees until Kevin reminded him who John Johnson was and I reminded him about Jolene Mewing. Neither of them were outstanding but at least they were community oriented and they have to give out the award to someone.

When I saw the list of nominees I sent Alan Anderson a message a few days ago seeking his opinion. “Do you know any of the Kristin Ries nominees? I don't know a one so may just not vote... I see Connell ODonovan nominated someone .... sure the hell not voting for that one lol. Looks like a lot  of resume building than community service. If you have a recommendations I will follow your lead.”

Alan wrote back “I don't think I'll vote. I only know one of the nominees too”.

I responded “I have heard of Colleen Mewing and John Johnson  but didn't like how he ran the Board of the Pride Center. If I do vote it will be for Colleen and Jolene because they have been around a long time doing good things... the rest seem either Johnny come lately or just in mental health or not a community wide organization... just wanted your thoughts... really doesn't matter much to me anymore”

I came home around 9 and Kyle was still upstairs visiting with Adrian and playing with the pups. Adrian said Kyle was worried not knowing where I was because I didn’t tell anyone that I was going out.  Adrian had gotten a parking ticket for parking in a lot that said “public” which he thought meant ‘free”.  That misinterpretation cost him a ticket that Kyle helped him pay on line. They seemed almost friendly.

Kyle spent much of his day looking for a location for the Chinese to open a warehouse here in Salt Lake. He will leave tomorrow in the afternoon for Chicago to meet with that group so he will be gone until Monday.

Guess who will have to pick up the slack at Bewilder? There’s really a change I feel happening. Bewilder is no longer a place to employ Adrians family and Pappi’s for his brother in law Luis.  Milagros was fired and her family moved out of the Grove apartment and I haven’t heard where.  Jose the Latino that Kyle hired runs Pappi’s by himself Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 doing any car washes and U Haul assignments.

Kyle wants to have Daniel be trained to be the manager of the Kitchen and he is changing the menu again so that only sandwiches are served from 11 to 5 when it’s really slow.  Yolanda and Johanna still are working there but who knows whether Johanna will continue when her hours are changed.  Oh well.

So life goes on with you or without you.

15 May 2025 Thursday

Kyle asked me to go with his shopping for the Bewilder Kitchen this morning. I was tired as I didn’t sleep well and was up in the middle of the night again. Riding with him he told me about his big plans with this Chinese Restaurant company that he spending the weekend with in Chicago. It sounds like if things go as he anticipates he will be working a lot with them and the Bewilder Kitchen and Papi will be secondary in fact he admitted to me if things work out this weekend he is giving up Papis and shutting it down. Well there will go all the money he put into it, maybe close to a $100,000 of my money between my 401k and mortgaging the house.  I think the University pulling it’s Saturday contract was the last straw and the over $2000 a month rent was ridiculous for the amount of business he was getting.

Anyway he said that after this trip he will be going to Indianapolis, the perhaps to Las Vegas with Adrian’s family for a concert, and then to Mexico again and perhaps to China in August. I guess we will wait and see how it all plays out.

I was really tired today so after coming back home I napped again and finished posting articles about Proposition 22 that proposed to ban Gay marriage in California. I am glad that is done because I posted for several days a ton of articles from 1999.

It was a nice day out but rather cool. I hope the fiber optic people are done in my neck of the woods.

It’s so hard to keep up with all the corruption coming out of the Executive Branch of the government and Mike Lee is proposing a bill to ban nationally pornography rather than deal will government sponsored kidnapping, illegal tariffs and the Orange Fuhrer excepting bribes from Qatar.

16 May 2025 Friday

                Kyle and I left for the airport  about noon for his trip to Chicago. After dropping him off I went to Sutherland’s  and bought some weed killer and more flowers for my garden. They had 4 “ potted geraniums on sale  so I bought 8 of them and two perennials

                It was nice outside so I worked in the  front yard. It's good to be out grubbing in the soil, planting and  weeding. My summer squash has started to come forth from the seeds I planted last April. So I know I will have tomatoes and summer squash this year. I love being in the garden in May but most of what I am enjoying now like my irises and oriental poppies will be gone in June but I should have roses by then.

I planted a bed of the geraniums that Sutherland had on sale for $2.50  . They are only annuals but should give me color for most of the summer. I have wild purple geraniums also that  are perennials that I have had for 28 years.  Gisella from across the street gave them to me when we both first moved in. She loved her roses and tulips but she passed away years ago and no one has ever kept her garden going. It will probably be the same with me when I pass.

My Buddha and St. Francis patches are full of color and my petunias and tomato pots by the door are thriving.  I feel very bless to have a plot of land to fool with and that I still can at my age although pulling myself up ain't as easy as it once was.

Adrian was either in his room all day or gone out. The only time he really talked to me was to say around 8 at night that he was bringing some one home to his room.

I had boiled him 4 eggs for his breakfast tomorrow and cut up a cantaloup of his that would have gone bad if I hadn’t.

After feeding the pups their supper, they all laid with me on the couch as I watched about 4 episodes of “Bones”, that I had watched years ago and it still holds up well. Finally around 10 I went to bed and Adrian was still being pleasured by his company as he left sometime around 11 when I heard him leave.  Good for Adrian.

17 May 2025 Saturday

It was a very cool day in the mid 50’s. I am so glad I did so much yard work yesterday because it’s rainy and cold out  today. I  went to Lee’s Market in Bountiful to buy some fritters and kettle corn but that was about the only time I left the house. Kyle called me early this morning to say there were storms all around in the Midwest with lots of tornadoes but I don’t watch the news any more so I didn’t hear about them.

                It was gloomy out all day with light showers off and on. The pups slept for much of the day.

Time flies when having fun. Six years ago I was honored with a Life Time Achievement Award at the Pride Center's Spectacular Gala benefit . It was humbling to see a  video of friends saying kind things about me, especially by Courtney Moser who has spent a life time doing community service himself.

When I was leaving the young Mormon Girl who made news a couple of years ago about coming out as a lesbian in her Mormon Sacrament meeting came up to tell me and said that she had the courage to do so because of me. It's amazing the lives you touch without ever knowing it. I said she was courageous and her action would save lives.

 I thanked the community in my acceptance speech and said what an honor it was for me to know and have known some of the greatest people anywhere.

I worked my butt off at Pride Day that June on a history display booth with Roy Zang which was my last hurrah.. I am content now to let the parade pass me by.

                The Orange Im-potentate called America a “stupid Country because he has to obey the Constitution in a meltdown rant. .

 

18 May 2025  Sunday

The rain is very welcomed. I think we had more rain showers this month more than in all of April. The soil that was parched by the strong dry winds last week is getting a good soaking.

The storms in the Midwest are horrible and I feel sorry for them now that FEMA is under the control of the Project 2025 regime. Even old ass kisser Sarah Huckabee couldn't get help for her state when ravaged by tornadoes. Oh well karma can be a bitch.

I think Musk and the would be Fuhrer are as deadly as any tornado to Americans who aren't billionaires

I didn’t do much this rainy weekend  except go to the Chef Store to get some Belgium Waffle Mix for the Bewilder kitchen otherwise I was home all day. I heard in the news that President Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. That is really sad  news.

19 May 2025 Monday

I thought Kyle was coming home today until got a phone call from him to go shopping for Bewilder. I guess he will be coming home tomorrow. I saw Jose working at Bewilder so I guess no one is down at Papi’s which means he’s probably shut it down. While out at Smiths they had a single layer cake for $10 so I bought one and then at Harmons they had some cakes also for $10. I bought it also to freeze

It looked like it was clouding up so I mowed the back yard, pulled weeds, and cleaned up the pups resting place by the pink rose bush.  I rebuilt the  little brick enclosure so it’s about 6 ft by 6 ft. Tomorrow I need to get some more wood chips.  Buster, Lulubelle, and Maxx are all buried there as well as the cremated remains of Oscar, Saffy, Priscilla, Smokey, Lucky, Daisy, Farley, Buddy and Harley. This is will be their forever home.

I am a tired old man so time for a nap

                Adrian went to work today and his mother never came over. He stayed in his room for most of the time he was home. He rarely ever comes out and visits with me like he used to do so I felt alone for most of the day

20 May 2025 Tuesday

I took the pups walking this morning after waking up way too early. I encountered Deb walking her pup Annie. Lucy was being a bit aggressive but a bit better. Deb and I visited some and when I came back home I had a call from Kyle. He was at the airport and I think a little miffed as he had sent me a message at 3 that he would be in around 9:45 but I never saw the message and when he tried calling I was out walking the pups. He took an Uber home.

                He asked me to go with him shopping but I really think he just wanted to tell me what is going on. He has basically closed Papi’s  and said he  will use Jose at  the kitchen. He said he will take everything out of it and sell what he can. He said that he needs to get the Ford Truck window shield fixed but I said I want it sold even if we take a loss on it rather than be having to keep paying on something we will never use.

                He also said that what he asked for of the Chinese they agreed to so he will just be concentrating on them and Bewilder. He said I no longer have to deal with Wells Fargo and payroll because he said he knows that stresses me out and I half-jokingly said I had Post Traumatic Syndrome but I was also serious from all the times there was no money in the account and I ended having to pay salaries out of my own pockets.  He wants Salv and Daniel to do all the kitchen supply shopping but guess who will have to be driving them as neither of them have vehicles.

                Kyle is going away again three times in June, to Indianapolis, Mexico City, and Las Vegas however Las Vegas is with Adrian and his mother for a concert.  Then in July he will be gone two weeks to China.

I laid down around 2:30 when Adrian came home and slept until almost 5. I didn’t know I was so tired.  I watched episodes of Bones while feeding the dogs.

                I need to make a list of things I need to do. I need to rejoin AAA, call Precision doors to put a new cord on the garage door opener, buy wood chips for the pet cemetery, more treats for TJ, get Jack his shots and concentrate on getting my journals on line as well as finishing post Mike Romero’s family history.  I also need to take the photos to the post office to send off to James and Denise.  If I check off a couple of things a day perhaps I won’t feel so over whelmed.

                I saw this on one of my old Facebook posts and thought I want to save it as its pretty good.

 

Enchilada Chili Gravy:

I add all the dry then add oil then broth and micro wave until thickens ... About 4 to 5 min.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon white pepper (or black)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional

2 cups beef stock

 

21 May 2025 Wednesday

It was a busy and expensive day. I renewed my and Kyle’s membership in AAA roadside assistance, which was about $110, made an appointment for Friday to have Jack get all his shots and I called Precision Garage to come and fix the release cord on the garage opener.

                Kyle then called and said that he had been down at Papi’s loading up all that was coming back to the house and surprised me that he and Jose had emptied all the flowers tubs so I didn’t have to as I had been planning and doing to save them and bring them home.

                He  called for me to come get him at an auto repair shop on 33^rd South and 5^th West where he was having the Ford Truck’s window shield replaced. I did but I was a bit anxious  as the garage guy was scheduled to come between noon and 2 and it was after 10:30 when Kyle called. I went and picked him up but the truck wasn’t ready yet so to save time we went to pick up Salv Mora who is now living down around 53^rd South as I guess he is giving up the place he was renting from Stan Rovig up near the capitol. 

                After retrieving him we went back to the repair shop and where the truck was done but we decided to pick it up later as we had to go to Papi’s to get the U Haul that Kyle and Jose had filled this morning.

                Back at the house I fixed Salv something to eat as he didn’t get his breakfast and about then the garage door man came. He explained that the cord was difficult to repair and that we would be better off replacing the entire rail with new release cords and Kyle thought it was reasonable so I agreed to it.

                Kyle and Salv took off with my Honda FIT as the Volvo was still down at Papi’s and Kyle had a meeting with the Chinese.

                It took the repair guy about an hour to install the new rail for the garage opener  and it cost about $350 in total.

                While waiting I unloaded what I could from the U-Haul all except the really heavy stuff. Around 4, Kyle came back with Salv and he wanted me to go with him to Papi’s so he could retrieve the Volvo.  Traffic coming home was super busy but I stopped at Sutherlands to buy flowers to fill the tubs which there were 10 of them. Sutherland had their 4 pack starters for $1.50  so I bought a bunch of different varieties for color, mainly petunias and snapdragons. I also bought 4 more expensive gallons of grasses for the gravel parking strip. They also had potting soil for buy one get one free so I got six bags because that was all my car could hold.  I spent around $70 on the flowers and soil.

                Back at the house I filled 6 planters with rocks and soil from the left over pile by the south side of the yard on the pad where Kyle parked the truck. At one point Adrian came out and helped a little but because he was wearing flip flops I couldn’t have him do any of the digging in the rock pile that over time had turned hardened. After filling the  tubs on my parking strip with the rocks, I added the planting soil to plant the flowers. I saw that my Mexican Primrose is now in full bloom also . I know I probably will keel over working  in my garden but once a flower child always a flower child.

                Kyle came home around 8 and was surprised that I had already filled and planted the tubs. He had Adrian help him unload all the heavy stuff from the U-Haul and he had Adrian go with him to return it to Papi’s so I didn’t have to go. 

I worked until about 8:30 sweeping the gutter in front of the house even though I was exhausted. It was a lot of work but it made me proud of my yard full of blooming irises, oriental poppies, and so much color. I remember that Chad Keller planted flats of zinnias in the yard at the place he was staying just about a month before he died. I want to be like him and keep things beautiful to the end.

               

22 May 2025 Thursday

This morning the pups were acting so peculiar that I had to take them for an early walk even before 8 and it was already warming up.

                I went down to Sutherland  and bought 6 more bags of top soil and a few more snapdragons. I filled the remaining four tubs that I had placed on the corner parking strip and spruced up a few planters with the flowers.  So I think I am done now with my front yard except for maintenance.

I made as close as I could the Cielito Lindo Taquito avocado green sauce. I really miss those taquitos on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. One of the few things I miss. Perhaps mostly from nostalgia.

For 25 years I had my students perform a skit called Ghost of Plymouth Castle. I did 3 skits a year one called the Animals First Thanksgiving, The Bell Which Couldn't Ring at Christmas, and the Ghost, a Sherlock Holmes skit. I used to have the kids paint all the back drops but as we became more pressed by the Common  Core to stress science and math, I just saved what I could from former years and used them. This was the last time my students performed as I retired in 2025.

 The boys loved playing the female parts of the villain Priscilla lol ... we used to have music, the arts, and drama when I taught but eventually it all became about testing math, science, and language arts with no history, health, ever being taught because they weren't tested. Schools were funded by test scores. Republicans did this.

BTW the plaid green jacket I had the kids wear in the skit, I was married wearing, in 1977 lol and the black dress Lady Plymouth wore, I wore in drag in 1987 for Halloween ...

 

23 May 2025 Friday

I took Jack in to get his shots at 9:30 but they were shorthanded and it was 10:15 before Dr Manning came in to see us. Jack was a very good dog and very patient waiting on my lap mostly.   The vet said Jack was about 10 years old according to his eyes cloudiness but otherwise in very good health.

                At the house I watered some of the new plants and moved some paving stones over to the parking strip that used to be where my mail box was before Kyle moved it. I had already dug everything up there so I could just mow over it.

                I didn’t do much today but watched some Bones episodes and rest. Adrian and I talked at one point after he had some kid come over for sex.  We kind of reconnected as I told him he will always be family to me just like Kyle. He opened up a little about his life in Columbia and his feelings for both Kyle and Juan Pablo but said for now he doesn’t want any relationship just eat, sleep, sex, and work.  Well so everything has changed I said that Kyle and he are still family to me.

                He said that Milagros hadn’t really moved out of the Grove just to another apartment at the complex. He told me about his issues with his sister Johana back in Columbia that he supported her in her relationships but felt like she did not support him regarding Juan Pablo. He admitted that his mother did not like Juan Pablo but loves Kyle.  It’s so complicated but that’s life I suppose otherwise it would be boring.

                When Kyle came home I went with him to Woods Cross so he could get a pizza from Mod. On Sunday the 1^st of June, he will leave for Mexico City again and stay until the following Sunday. After that he will spend 3 days in Indiana before at the end of June he will go with Adrian and Yolanda to Las Vegas for a concert. Then in July he will be two weeks in China.

                The Republicans in the House of Reps passed Trump’s tax cut for Billionaires by just 1 vote. It now goes to the Senate  where if it ties Vance will make sure it passes.

 

24 May 2025 Saturday

I woke up after various dreams of my pup Buddy and also being in a school lunch room. Weird. I saw that it was after 5 and I went to check in on Adrian and he was sound asleep so I roused him to get up. I fixed him a little breakfast while he showered and after he left I went back to bed until I smelled something. I had left the small frying pan burning after cooking him scrambled eggs and the pan was still smoking.  For dumb but it wasn’t too bad so I opened all the windows but the pan was ruined and threw it out.

                I then fixed myself some breakfast.  After walking the pups I decided to clean beneath the deck so that what Kyle brought home from Papi’s could be stored. It needed a real cleaning from over the winter and organize it. While I was at it I decided to clean up the mess on the garage work bench and beneath  it. It turned out to be a bigger chore than I intended. However I persevered. When I was I stopped to rest  and came inside, I saw that Yolanda and Gabe were outside. She came over to cook Adrian’s meals for the coming week.

                Kyle came home about 2 after working cleaning out Papi’s remaining items and asked if I wanted to go with him to get some spaetzle noodles for Bewilder so I did. He was hungry so we stopped at Chubby’s for him to get some take out.

                Back at the house I took a nap and slept until nearly 4:30 when I took the hounds on a second walk. This morning it was overcast out but in the late afternoon blue skies had returned.  Kyle had left when I was napping and returned around 5:30 he wanted to get some shaved ice  and to take somethings over to his new office which he wanted to show me. It’s over near 600 South and Main Street in a brand new office complex. Very new and modern.  So a new adventure for Kyle.

                First there was just finding work, then started a deck building business before transforming it into Build Team which failed, then the Turo Car Rental, that he quit when he went to work doing construction at Club Verse  until he acquired the Bewilder Kitchen and went on to Open Papi’s truck wash. At the same time he tried to acquire Bismark Donuts down in Utah County which was a flop leaving him abandoning the coffee drive through called the MIXX.  That left him with just the Kitchen and Papi’s which he spent over $100,000 of my money renovating it with Frontier Sheds for a while and having a  U Haul business there also.

                Along came the Chinese Restaurant Equipment manufacturers which have hired Kyle as a consultant and set up person. So he gave up Papi’s which was costing him $2100 a month in rent even after all the money he put into it with new fencing, painting the building, repaving the asphalt and striping it.  He barely made any money from Papi’s which he abandoned to concentrate on Bewilder and the Chinese.

                I am kind of sad over the closing of Papi’s after all I put into it myself as it was income for Luis and Milagros family  and Jesus and Johana’s family for a while.  Such high expectations now gone. All this in just the past 5 years.

                 

25 May 2025  Sunday

Kyle wanted me to go with him down to Papi’s to clean out the Hickory sheds he had stuff stored in. He’s going to try and sell one of them. That was an all morning chore and it was rather melancholy seeing the front offices stripped of everything and vacant. The place was a part of my life for over a year trying to keep it vibrant. Another pipe dream gone up in smoke but to live is to dream I suppose.

                Yolanda was over today and when Adrian came home, they seemed to be having fun dancing together in his room to Latin music. Kyle set up the new printer and scanner and I said to him that I never thought in my old age I would Latin music blasting in the house. Kyle has made my finances poorer but my life richer so I guess it all balances out.

                I was too tired to work any in the garage but I did manage to go to Walmart in Centerville to buy some large clear plastic storage containers. After that I was pretty wiped out.

                Kyle took pictures of the Ford Truck to put it on line to sell so hopefully soon it will be gone.

 

26 May 2025 Monday Memorial Day

Adrian was up and gone early this morning by 5:15. I had set my alarm for 4:45 but he was already up by then.  When I took the pups for a walk at 8 this morning TJ was nowhere to be found which made me anxious so I just walked the 3. However when I returned he came out from where ever he had been.

                I spent all morning  sorting through the pile of tools and crap that Kyle piled in the garage. It took me until 1 to organize it all and exhausted me. I was deadheading the irises that have started to shrivel when Adrian came home and I was so tired but I sat beneath the front yard tree and admired my flowers in bloom. It’s been so warm for a couple of days so my spring flowers won’t last long.

                Kyle came home around 4:30 and wanted me to go with him to measure the Hickory Sheds at Papis that he is trying to sell. He said that Milagros invited us to Tutu’s graduation ceremony this Friday. He said we would make an appearance.

                After being at Papis Kyle wanted to show me the different sites he is considering for a warehouse for the Chinese Restaurant people. I was super tired and he was excited but I am just not a business person and so I just listened.

                Today is officially the first day of summer according the meteorologist calendar but the Summer Solstice is nearly a month away.

I had to change my password to Gayflower@1951

27 May 2025 Tuesday

I was up early by 5 so I could fix Adrian a breakfast to take with him to work. I kind of then went back to bed until I spent much of the rest of the morning cleaning the garage and putting things away so I can park back in the garage. That was a chore and exhausted me so I didn’t do much else.

                It was warm today well into the 80’s so I had to water some of my newly planted flower beds. Otherwise I didn’t do much else except strip my bed and finally did some laundry.

                I didn’t interact much with Adrian or Kyle today. No one ever informed me that the hardest part of getting old is clipping toe nails. The struggle is real. I can’t hard bend over anymore to reach them.

I think I appreciate my garden so much because here in Utah, the 2nd driest state in the U.S., .everything we grow we have to nurture and coax out of the ground unlike California and the Pacific Northwest where rain and temperate weather makes it all so lush. My soil is hard river bottom clay also and was a land of rag weed before my house was built 29 years ago in 1996.

Every blade of grass, tree, and bush I planted. Every rock moved or flower bed nurtured I did myself so of course I feel proud of my little section of Salt Lake and now in my old age I sit under a shade tree and water with a garden hose.

Oh Mary it takes a faerie to make something beautiful

I posted a picture of Fran on my Facebook page for the first time ever. On 7 January 1977, when I was 25 years old, I was married by Bishop Darrell Deem owner of Juliette Lingerie on Broadway. I was married  in his home up in the Avenues with my parents traveling from California to see me get married.  I only knew Fran for less than a month while working at the Panorama Room in the Union Building at the University of Utah. I asked her to marry me on New Year Eve 1976 and a week later we were married after getting blood tests which was a requirement back then for a marriage license.

Fran was 31 years old and a Mormon convert like I was with no other family members. We were both trying to regain our full membership having both been disfellowshipped, which Fran jokingly said was on a "morals rap".

We barely knew each other and I only had $70 to my name.  In April 1976 I had been expelled from BYU and in the fall I went to work at the U of U in food services having been expelled from BYU before I could finish my teaching degree. I had graduated, however, in 1975.

To show what a small Mormon world it was back then, I was disfellowshipped by the son of the Stake President who was excommunicated for having an affair with Fran.  We never knew that until after we were married but that's an entirely different story.

In 1978 we were "sealed" in the Salt Lake Temple and we were married for 11 years but separated in 1986 after 9 years when I came out of the closet primarily due to the AIDS crisis. 

Most of my friends from that time knew Fran as she often would attend Affirmation with me.  She would say she loved Fags that is why she married one.

I haven't seen Fran for over 30 years now as she finally chose to let me go and get on with her own life as she realize my being Gay was not a phase.  She became a Registered Nurse.

We are both old people now  as I am 74 and Fran turned 80 this year.

It's been an interesting journey

28 May 20215 Wednesday

I was up before 5 to fix Adrian his breakfast to take to work.  I guess this will be a thing again but it kind of makes me tired for the rest of the morning.  I wanted to take some clothes down to Deseret Industries this morning and while there I bought like a brand new Rache; Ray skillet for $5, a couple of gardening hats with a brim to cover my ears and some other items. I then went to Sutherlands where I finally bought two bags of wood chips to spruce up the pup’s resting place in the back yard and four more perennial grasses to put in the tubs on my corner. It’s been  warming up so had to do most of my gardening in the morning.

                In the afternoon Northwest Middle School must have had their 8^th grade promotion because there were cars parked up and down the street. I sat in my garden and watered some watching all the families come down the street with their kids dressed up and carrying bouquets. Lots of multi-ethic families which shows what a diverse part of Salt Lake I live in/

                This morning when planting the grasses in my tubs this man came from across the street and started visiting with me trying to be friendly I guess. His name was Mel and was renting a room for $700 a month from the folks that live kitty-corner from me on Dale Ridge. He started to tell me his life story after saying the people in Utah are so friendly compared to Phoenix and Los Angeles where he was from. He said he had been homeless and was a recovering meth addict. He says whenever he see homeless people hanging around because they are being moved away from the Jordan River he shoos them away from the neighborhood so there’s that. Like I said I live in a diverse neighborhood.

 Also this morning around 9 Yolanda and Gabe came over to the house with Yolanda pushing Chuito in his wheel chair. Not sure why they came as Adrain wasn’t home and she didn’t cook for him but rather mopped and cleaned the house. I left when they were here to go shopping and when I returned they had left.

                Kyle when he came home said Yolanda probably just wanted to get out of being cooped up at the  Grove Apartments.

                I have been craving Chinese Food so I called Golden Pearl and ordered a Pork Chow Mein lunch special. However when I got there I was shocked to see that it was no longer the Golden Pearl which had been there ever since I lived out this way.  It was now the Tasty Gardens.  They must have taken over the Golden Pearl as they didn’t question that I had ordered off the old Golden Pearl menu I had.  They said they had been there since February, which was weird.  The Lunch Special price had increased by $3 then what it had been Oh well. I also stopped at the Mexican Bakery and bought some treats.  I didn’t think the Chow Mein and Rice had much flavor but perhaps it was just me and my tastes changing.

                Kyle had Adrian help him carry the power machines that were too heavy for me up into under the deck so the garage is finally empty of Kyle’s stuff so we can both park there again.

I posted a picture of me with Courtney Moser  and Pastor Cutis Price from when I attended the 15th anniversary of Michael Aaron 's QSalt Lake held at the old Main Street Pride Center on this, date in 2019.  The QSalt lake is still going strong although I no longer write my Lambda Lore Column but Courtney still writes his. Most of my old columns are still on line is you do a Google search.

                It was 5 years ago today that the demolition of my basement bedroom, bathroom and laundry room commenced. time goes by so swiftly

Under the Democrats NRA meant a chicken in every pot for Americans ....under the Republicans it means every nutcase has a right to a gun...

Don't tell me there's no difference between the Parties and fuck the Green Party, Libertarians, and Independents... If you are too young NRA once meant the National Recovery Act or Administration.

Democrats have been the party of caring and sharing while the GOP cult has always been self-serving and avaricious

Where is the FDR for this generation? Republicans gave us authoritarian theocracy and a Billionaire oligarchy

29 May 2025 Thursday

I spent the morning with Kyle as we went shopping for the Bewilder Kitchen supplies at the Restaurant Depot, the Chef Store, and Harmons at the Brickyard Plaza. At Harmons I bought a few Apricots which are still early in the season. Leaving  Harmons I had Kyle go to Arctic Circle on 39^th and 700 East where I ordered Onion Rings, a raspberry shake, and a Angus Burger. Kyle had a bacon burger combo. I had been craving onion rings and everything was good as always.

When we came back home Milagros, Tutu and Yolanda had pulled unto the driveway . Today is Adrians day off so  perhaps they came to see him and they brought in Tutu’s graduation gown.  I handed Tutu a graduation card with the $100 I pulled out of First America.  I still think graduating high school is a big deal.  I didn’t visit with them but as I was really tired probably from eating too much I went out and sat in my garden. These two middle school boys stopped and asked if I had ever ditched school as they were ditching Northwest. I just laughed and said yes I did and told them to be careful.  I think I would have shocked them if I had told I missed at least 2 days a week sometimes more ditching high school.

                Kyle said there was going to be a party of 150 people at the kitchen at 9 so he had to get a lot of buffet items while we were out and about. He also said that he’s going to recommend renting the warehouse on 9^th South in the Granary District for the Chinese Restauranters.

30 May 2025 Friday

It was a  hot day in the mid 90’s. I worked a bit in the yard today doing little things like mounting  a rack on the fence for the extension cords and digging up paving stones. When it was getting too hot to work in the yard anymore this morning.,  I quit to give the pups some needed attention.

                Later I went to Lucky’s to buy chicken for the pups and to buy ingredients to make lasagna for Adrian’s suppers.

                When Kyle called he said that he sold both tool sheds left at Papi’s so those were the only really large things left there.  He also said that his trip to China had be delayed a couple of weeks in July.

                Adrian went to Lucianny’ s graduation that was held up at the Huntsman center at the U of U for West High graduates. When Kyle came home we went over to the Grove Apartments to Milagros’ new place to make an appearance. First time I saw Luis Negron in a while and even Luis Jr who was stand offish as usual. He is so unlike his cousin Gabe who  is such a good kid. Anyone I brought over the cake I had bought at Harmons but they had two huge cakes already, one for graduation and one because today is Lucianny’s birthday. I suppose I shouldn’t becalling her Tutu anymore as she turned 18 today.

                Kyle sat next to Milagros and they visited and if it was awkward it didn’t show.  Luis and Milagros’ family seems to be doing okay without us anymore although I don’t know any of the details and I can’t ask Kyle because he really doesn’t care and has emotionally moved on.  There were several Latino high school friends over and everyone was speaking Spanish so as the old guy I just sat like a lump as I was the old guy and it was Tutu’s special day as it should be.

                However after about a half an hour I had Kyle take me home as I was tired and he was hungry as he hadn’t eaten all day. We stopped at Chubby’s so he could have a takeout order and I was home by 7:30. 

Milagros had hired an 8 piece Mariachi band that was coming at 8  to serenade Tutu and I know that couldn’t have been cheap. She posted videos of it on Facebook so I saw bits of it.

                Kyle said he was going back after eating but I was content to be home with the pups and after fixing me a tostado I went to bed.

It doesn't seem like almost 2 years ago that Kyle and I got her and Luis Jr registered at West High after they came to the United States from Columbia.

In 1979 I worked at what was then called the Special Event Center setting up concerts and doing general custodial work. I was just 10 years out from my own high school graduation and Kyle was being born in October. So long ago.

                In the news the actress Loretta Swit who played Margaret Houlihan in the MASH series died in her 80’s.

                The New York Times reported that Elon Musk uses Ketamine and other illegal drugs which accounted for his irrational behavior at all Trump’s events.  Also its reported that Qatar didn’t gift the $400 Million golden plane to Trump but rather he asked for it.

A meme posted on Truth social’s media platform, certainly not created by the Billionaire Felon  because he's too incompetent stated he was on a Mission from God, but whether approved or not by him,  a figure on the sidewalk is Pepe the Frog which is an Alt Right symbol for white supremacism  Their motto is Nothing Can stop What is Coming was written at the bottom of the meme also.  This is a "dog whistle" a subtly coded messages  "to be understood by a specific group but not immediately apparent to the general population."

31 May 2025 Saturday

I set my phone alarm for 4:45 to get up and fix Adrian some breakfast for him to return to work.  He’s been  getting up on his own without me having to wake him which is responsible.

                I worked some in the yard this morning . I was out in my garden replanting flowers and moving pavement stones.  I found a baby cactus that  Mother Nature gave me so I put it in a pot to nurture it. A third of my yard is what mother nature gifted me.

 The lusty month of May is over and so are all my irises and oriental poppies for a year. Even if I am not around next year  they will be. Grain and Corn all that falls shall be reborn as the Pagan song goes.

My roses are blooming and snapdragons but my Empress of India  clematis still hasn't yet. In June things will fade and July will kill off everything but the sunflowers. Adrian loves the sunflowers so I grow them for him. By August I should have tomatoes and squash.

 I loved to help things grow, whether it was the Gay community, my students, or now in my old age my garden. I putter around like my Grandpa Johnson who was a real farmer and not a poser like me.

Gabe drove Yolanda and Chuito over to the house and before he left I gave him the box of Lay’s chips and snacks I knew we would never eat and I am sure Brayan and he will over the summer. I also gave them a container of salted chocolate caramels Kyle bought for me thinking I liked them but I didn’t actually.

                Kyle is coming down with a cold just before his big trip to Mexico at 3 we went and picked up Daniel Franco the kid who Kyle promoted to manager of the kitchen.  We needed to show him where to find all the supplies needed for the kitchen while Kyle is away. I will have to go with him of course but hopefully I won’t have to do any of the heavy lifting.  We went to the Chef Store, Restaurant Depot and Hamons.

                In the evening I was home with Yolanda and Chuito who spent the night while Kyle went to some Comedy Store show with a “friend”  while Adrian was gone somewhere else.

                I went to bed really rather early around 8:30. The City Weekly's Pride edition should be out in a couple of weeks. I was asked to write an intro.  People will know it is me by looking for a picture of the old guy. This time of year I often get trotted out then retire back to the rocking chair.

                So  ends another May. Last year’s May  was so desperate financially.

 

JUNE

1 June 2025 Sunday

I took Kyle to the airport at 7:45 . He thinks he has a cold rather than allergies. He asked me to meet this one guy who was buying the signage stands at the Storage shed at 9 which I did. I was hesitant to do so because I had no real clue how to get into it but Kyle did send me the combinations.  It turned out to be okay and the guy paid $240 for 6  of them.

                It was a very warm day in the low 90’s so I didn’t do much yard work as I was tired from getting up at 4:30 to fix Adrian some breakfast.  Yolanda and Chuito were here all day as they had spent the night.

                In the afternoon I had a phone call from my nephew James Clark just checking in on me as he hadn’t heard from me in a while. He has his daughter Abby and her husband, I guess they are married living with them now in Arizona. She has a son and I heard from James that she is pregnant.  We had a good visit and I guess Dennis Wachs is still being his same old self.  James did say that Denise’s partner Heidi has ovarian cancer. He never hears much from Michael who still lives in Wichita Kansas as kind of a recluse.  

                I went to bed around 8:00 but woke up at 10:00 just intime to remember to feed Persephone. She’s my responsibility while Kyle is away. I gave her some affection too.

                Well it’s  the first of June so let the Rainbows fly

2 June 2025 Monday

Up early again to fix breakfast for Adrian and then tried to sleep a little more. Yolanda and Chuito spent the night and before I left to go shopping I put on some Columbian music from Pandora for them. That was lively.

                I brought in the mail and the tickets for the Pride Day came in and also a notice that my water was going to be shut off for a delinquent billing. I thought for sure I had them do an automatic withdrawal but evidently not because they said I owed Over $200! I thought I had signed up for automatic withdrawal but evidently not.  My notice was that they were turning it off on May 29th but they hadn’t so I quickly went on line and paid. I think I over paid but I guess I will find out in July. I saw that my next bill was due on the 10^th so I also went and paid that also which was another $100.  I am not using that much water but that is what the city increased water bills from around $60 now to $100 for the same amount because of all the add ons.  Oh well.

I had to deposit the money at Wells Fargo and  saw at Lucky’s that only one entrance was available to the parking lot as the 7th North entrance was closed. The city has been working on that street in front of Lucky’s now for over a month! What a mess.

                I bought a few groceries and then    I went to the Chef Store and bought a 20 lb. bag of rice for $20 because we use so much and then stopped by Deseret Industries to drop off the old jet printer and scanner.  The printer I had from Washington Elementary so it was over 10 years old but was still good but Kyle replaced it with the one he had from his office at the defunct Papi’s.

                While there I looked around and saw a very nice Queen size comforter with a tribal geometric design that I bought for $8. I also bought some white Christmas lights that I restrung on the banister as the old one I had, had died.  I also bought a new hat with a brim to keep my ears from burning and another tropical shirt.  So that was a good deal I think.

                Yolanda was cooking up a storm today for Adrian and I watched a few episodes of Bones and Perry Mason before calling it a day.

                I fed the pups chicken thighs, rice, and peas and carrots and also fed Persephone before going to bed around 9.

Today would have been Kyle and Adrian’s 2^nd Wedding Anniversary. They didn’t make it quite a year before divorcing.  Those two drive me crazy but love can be crazy.  Families can be crazy.

                Ukraine attacked Russian airbases with drones destroying a 3rd of their planes. Ukraine never told the gangster in the White House what they were planning because the U.S. can no longer be trusted. The Wannabe dictator and his gangster moll KKKristi Noem is using ICE agents as their own gestapo. If they can invade a Congressman's office, arrest a sitting judge, who is safe now from being kidnapped by the Trumpian Gestapo?  New York Rep. Jerry Nadler said a member of his staff was handcuffed by a Department of Homeland Security agent at his congressional office last Wednesday.

3 June 2025 Tuesday

Remembering my mom on her birthday. 1929-2011. She was born in a two room shack that was moved back from the property when Route 66 was built through Shamrock Texas. It always amused me knowing tens of thousands of travelers rode over the spot where mom was born.

                Up at 4:30 to fix Adrian his breakfast. Tried to go back to sleep but it’s hard once I am up.

I went to Walmart and bought three totes to put all of Kyle’s winter clothes that Kyle had strewn all over his couch downstairs. He has way too many clothes like 10 hoodies, 10 sweaters and coats and other stuff.

I then went to D.I. to drop off Papis work shirts and while there  I bought more lights to string on the porch  and banisters and other stuff. I found a black glitter studded jewelry box that I bought for Yolanda. It was in perfect condition. Finally I stopped in at Sutherlands to buy some bark and more discounted plants, mostly vegetables and cantaloup as well as clematis plant that was on half sale.  So it was a shopping day for sure.

Yolanda and Chuito left this afternoon just as Adrian was coming home from work. I guess she goes back into work at Bewilder today. I have been playing music from Columbia on Pandora for her.

In the late afternoon I notice a guy walking in front of the house taking pictures of my Mexican Primroses that have really spread and bloomed this spring. He took some other pictures too so he must have admired my yard and perhaps was looking for suggestions for his own yard.

Kyle called this evening from Mexico. He said he was really sick yesterday but powered through what he had to do down there. He said he felt better today but I could tell he had a cold from his voice.

In the news the Alcoholic Secretary of Defense ordered the USS Harvey Milk renamed and Evilon Musk is super pissed off at Republicans for passing the Trump Big Beautiful  Bill not because it cuts Medicaid but rather because it cut tax incentives for Electric Vehicles like Tesla.

4 June 2025 Wednesday

This morning I went to Walmart again and bought a snow cone maker for shaved ice. It just kind of makes small amounts so not sure it was worth $20. We will see.

                I then spent some of the morning restringing lights on the porch steps and watering the garden. I had been up since 4:30 making Adrian his breakfast.

                I didn’t do much else except said I’d meet Salv Mora this Saturday at 10:30 at Bewilder to give him the Pride Day tickets. He will probably want to go on Saturday because David Archuleta is performing.  The tickets are only good for either Saturday or Sunday but I have two so he could go both days if he uses them on himself.

                I am meeting Daniel at 9:30 tomorrow to do serious shopping.

 

5 June 2025 Thursday

Today was a tiresome and a bit stressful day. I had to take Daniel Franco shopping but he had the list not me so I was in the dark kind of running around at the Restaurant Depot where we spent $750 on supplies . It was the first time we went together just the two of us.  Kyle sent the list to him in Spanish so I had to call him to find out this one thing of hot sauce because I didn’t know what it was but otherwise it was just fine. After dropping them off we went to Bewilder unloaded and then to the Chef Store which wasn’t as adventuresome.  We dropped off the supplies then went to the downtown Harmons to get brats. They didn’t have any chicken and garlic and when I asked about them at the meat counter, I was told that Harmon’s has a new supplier and probably will be eliminating chicken brats altogether as well as ground chicken.  However I drove us out to Millcreek just to see if they still had any and they only had one package.

                It was around noon by then that  I dropped Daniel  off at Bewilder. While riding with me I got to know Daniel a bit better. He’s from Columbia but worked at resorts in Montana before coming down on a visit to Salt Lake and he liked the city so well that he moved here. He’s young probably in mid-20’s and quite good looking.  He’s not afraid to work the same as Maria Hernandez was.

                Anyway I came home to rest although I told Daniel I would go to Costco  and then MainStreet Meat Market to get the chicken breast I had ordered this morning.  At three I got up from my nap and drove down to Costco to pick up a cookie tray for the event of 25 people tonight. The place was packed like usual and in a hurry to get in and out, the car key I had latched  onto my wallet I discovered had fallen off when I returned to the car.  I panicked. I called Kyle to tell him my dilemma and was so upset like something always happens when he goes away. He called Adrian who was finally home to come with a spare key which he did with Yolanda who he was taking to work.

                After having the spare key I went back inside Costco to the lost and found and some good soul had found my key and turned it in. I was so relieved and grateful but I was exhausted from going back and forth from the huge parking lot into the huge Costco, which is the largest in the state.  It was after 4 so too late to pick up the chicken but I went to Lucky’s to get some frosted sugar cookies because Kyle wanted some to add to the platter I had bought at Costco.

                Traffic was bad made worst by all the construction. You can’t enter Lucky’s going north and west except at an entrance behind the entire complex before you could get into the parking lot. Sixth North is down to one lane in both directions and now they are going to be tearing up third west. Ridiculous to have all these projects going on at the same time and downtown Mainstreet is absolutely a joke. To pick up Daniel at American Towers you have to go to second south turn right in a bus lane down on Mainstreet which they have as a single lane and also a bike lane to be able to turn right onto Broadway. You can’t make a left from Mainstreet going north because of Traxx.   The city is spending a fortune building curbs at intersections that force cars to swerve wide to accommodate bike lanes that I never see people using. Oh well.

                I finally was home around 5:30 to feed the pups. Adrian had them shut up in my room as he had a gentleman caller over for sex while I was out. I was exhausted and went to bed early.

                In the news Evil Musk and Dementia Trump are at odds sparring over social media like rich spoiled brats. Their bromance is totally over now that they can’t use each other. Trump is threatening  to end all of Musk’s government contracts and Steve Bannon wants Trump to deport Musk as an illegal alien. Musk exposed Trump as being in the Jeffrey Epstein files and end his contracts with the space agency. Oh the webs we weave when we first practice to deceive.

6 June 2025 Friday

Today is the81st anniversary of  D-Day the landing at Normandy and ICE agent gestapo are doing a mass kidnapping of Latinos in Los Angeles to distract from the Musk and Trump feud.  It was a tiresome day but not as bad as yesterday but a lot of driving.  I went and picked up the chicken breasts I didn’t yesterday and dill. I met Daniel Franco at Bewilder and he said the kitchen needed more brats and Rye bread from Harmons so I went there  and got what he needed but still no chicken brats so that may be history.

I told Daniel I would meet him at 3 to go to the Chef Store and back to Restaurant Depot  then came home to rest.

                However Kyle then called and said he needed me to withdraw $1600 to pay the guy who hauled one of the shed’s Kyle sold to Kamas and drive down to 53^rd South in Murray to pay the guy. I picked up a certified check for $5200 from him and deposited it into Kyle’s Wells Fargo account.

                At three I met up with Daniel and we went first to the Restaurant Depot to get bacon and pickle spears but they had neither so we went to the Chef Store where we got bacon and buns. We returned to Bewilder just as Adrian was bringing Yolanda to work. At the Chef Store I had a minor scare when I couldn’t find my phone but Daniel found it for me. I am such an old dude.

                It was almost supper time when I came back home so I fed the pups, walked them and typed a little on my 1997 journal. I went to lay down but fortunately I remembered to get up and feed Persephone which I had forgotten to do yesterday so I fed her early this morning.

ICE agents going after hard working undocumented workers rather than gang members and criminals because their loyalty is only to a billionaire dictator and power and not to the Constitution and due process. We the People means all the people not just white Christian people. Undocumented people commit FEWER CRIMES than the Trump Administration.

It should be Illegal for masks on law officers,  secret service  or now secret police? Any proof families are targeted? Regular police have families too... he's a liar

7 June 2025 Saturday

There’s a revolution going on in Los Angeles. Trump's Homeland Security masked ICE/ Gestapos should never have attacked Latinos in the 5th largest Spanish speaking city in the world.   Shows how out of touch Eastern MAGA loyalists are with the real America.

It seems to me that only People of Color are doing the heavy lifting to save Democracy from despotism. While White people and their media seem more distracted by feuds between the Billionaires than the revolt against destroying the Constitution by right-wing criminals who would set up a police state using companies like Palantir.

How soon people forgot the Romanian Revolution ultimately culminating in the trial and execution of longtime Romanian Communist Party (PCR) leader General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, and the end of 42 years of Communist rule in Romania.

People have the power to resist tyranny as shown in 1776 when liberal and progressive patriots decided that people should rule themselves and not kings which was supported by conservative loyalists.

Right now I stand for having warrants, due process, impartial judges and justice for all not just those who kiss President Dementia ass and suck up to Nazi wannabe Stephen Miller.

The cruelty of this despotic regime is unpalpable to decent people with an ounce of empathy.

Salv Mora contacted me and said not to meet with him today but tomorrow to hand him off  Pride Day Tickets so that is what I will do. I went to Lucky’s to actually get a City Weekly paper that had my article in it about Pride Days.  While there I picked up some fruit and other groceries for Adrian’s breakfasts.

I checked to see if Mike Romero was home but he texted and said he was in Colorado. My hair is getting shaggy and beard pretty long and white. I don’t want to cut my beard just buzz my head.

While out walking the pups I stopped and visited with Jesus the man who lives on the corner of Niles and Newton nearly kitty corner from me on my block.  I always walk the pups south on Fernleaf to Daleridge then west to Newton. There we turn north to Niles then up east back to Fernleaf.  It’s our daily routine and by doing so I am really getting to know the neighborhood.

Kyle said he will be home tomorrow at 7 in the evening. I miss him.

8 June 2025 Sunday

Today was Pride Day 2025 downtown.  I met Salv Mora at Bewilder and gave him two tickets to enter as Archuleta performed today, not yesterday so that is why he wanted to go today and not on Saturday. From pictures posted on Facebook it looked pretty festive with lots of rainbow outfits. A transwoman was given the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award for the first time. I wonder what Dominique Storni must have thought about that. I hadn’t seen her since 2019 Pride Day and she was pretty disgruntled about the Trans community that she basically championed for 20 years. Oh well time marches on.

                When I went downtown I saw a sign saying State Street was  closed off for  Pride even though the Parade didn’t go down that street. I saw in pictures a few old timers like Becky Moss and Deb Rosenburg but at my age I had no interest in braving the throng. Pride is almost two generations removed from my first Pride in 1986 when I sold Whole Wheat Faggot Cookies at Pioneer Park.

                After dropping off the tickets I went to Restaurant Depot and still they didn’t have  any dill pickle spears.  I was tired from being up at 4:30 to fix Adrian his breakfast so around 11:30 I took a nap and slept until 3 when I woke up to take TJ, Taco, Lucy, and Jack for a second walk. It was warm in the 80s so afterwards I had to water some. I also trimmed some Rose bushes and the tree in the parking strip of branches and stems.

                That was my main project today and I noticed that Adrian must have come home while I was napping as he was sleeping in his room for a long time. Luis Negron and Tutu came over when I first was laying down as they wanted to borrow an ice chest. Today I guess is Luis Jr.’s birthday. I imagine he’s 17 years old now.  

                After fixing the pups their supper I just watched television until around 7. Kyle said he was coming in at 7:15 so I left for the airport to be there when he arrived. However the flight didn’t arrive until 7:30 and because Kyle had to go through customs it was after 8 before I was able to retrieve him. Before that I almost burst a blood vessel seeing a Wyoming car with Fuck Biden, anti-immigrant, Trump as a Cowboy  and other MAGA crap slogan plastered all over their rear window.  NO wonder this country is going to shit.

                Lost in the news of the revolution in Los Angeles is that Abrego Garcia was brought back to the United States after months the Criminal Syndicate said it could be done and Trump banned travel to 19 Muslim countries.

People should be concerned that a massive amount of tanks and troops are being deployed to Washington DC on the pretense of a military parade for Trumps birthday something no President has ever done before even President General Grant and President General Eisenhower.

 It appears to me that Trump is staging a coup in the heart of our nation to finish the insurrection of Jan 6 after he pardoned all those traitors. Major thoroughfares are to be shut down. Shades of Red Squares military parades.

 I hope I am delusional but calling in the military to attack demonstrators in a blue state without the  Governors permission seems like a prelude to war. But hey Supreme Court gave the felon immunity so I guess he can do what his crazed brain wants.

When ICE gestapos start kidnapping women and children resistance is inevitable... hopefully American Courts will  intervene to stop this madness ... the 2nd Amendment is for all people to defend against tyranny not just White Supremacists, isn't that what the NRA  been saying for years?

There’s a revolution going on in Los Angeles. Trump's Homeland Security masked ICE/ Gestapos should never have attacked Latinos in the 5th largest Spanish speaking city in the world.   Shows how out of touch Eastern MAGA loyalists are with the real America.

It seems to me that only People of Color are doing the heavy lifting to save Democracy from despotism. While White people and their media seem more distracted by feuds between the Billionaires than the revolt against destroying the Constitution by right-wing criminals who would set up a police state using companies like Palantir.

How soon people forgot the Romanian Revolution ultimately culminating in the trial and execution of longtime Romanian Communist Party (PCR) leader General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, and the end of 42 years of Communist rule in Romania.

People have the power to resist tyranny as shown in 1776 when liberal and progressive patriots decided that people should rule themselves and not kings which was supported by conservative loyalists.

Right now I stand for having warrants, due process, impartial judges and justice for all not just those who kiss President Dementia ass and suck up to Nazi wannabe Stephen Miller.

The cruelty of this despotic regime is unpalpable to decent people with an ounce of empathy.

Trump has taken over California’s National Guard without Governor Newsom’s permission and has ordered 2000 to assist the ICE Gestapo. Wife Beater Hegseth wants to deploy Marines to attack Americans not defend them.

9 June 2025 Monday

Thinking of my oldest sister on her birthday. She was born in 1947 and  passed away in 2020 at the age of 72. I am 2 years past that age now so my expire shelf life won't be too far off I suppose.  The way Amerika is heading that’s probably not a bad thing.

                Stayed close to home today and didn’t go anywhere but out to walk the pups.  Yolanda and Chuito came over this morning to fix Adrian his meals for the week while I am still getting up at 4:45 to fix his breakfasts that he takes with him.  I am obsessed with Trumps attacks on Los Angeles and Governor Newsom. He has ordered 500 Marines from Camp Pendelton to occupy the city as well as 2000 National Guard Troops

Trump gestapo was sent to terrorize Latinos across America and especially in Los Angeles the 5th largest Spanish speaking city in the world.  It's never about arresting criminals and thugs when family members of drug cartels are given asylum. It's about white supremacy and racial superiority.

Let no one tell me different when the Trump administration let apartheid South Africans enter the country and deports the Latino working class which only wanted to provide for their families.

Trumps fascists by calling all undocumented laborers criminals allow them to be treated as subhuman. Are we America or Amerika?

The billionaire technocrats think democracy is a failure and only they should rule. We must prove them wrong if we don't want government of the people by the people for  the people to perish from the earth.

The fucking nazis who defend the demented  criminal  in the White House must agree with that cretin who in 2023 said Immigrants are poisoning the blood of America,  the same words  “blood poisoning” was a term used by Hitler in his manifesto “Mein Kampf,” in which he criticized immigration and the mixing of races... Seig heil you fascist pigs. Time to Make America a Democracy Again.

Something Trumpf and Hitler have in common; they are and were both convicted felons when they were elected to  power from spreading lies and hate. People need to call out what Trump's white supremacist MAGA cult really is which is ethnic cleansing.

 

10 June 2025 Tuesday

I was surprised that I was alone  for most of the day as I didn’t know when Yolanda and Chuito left and it was after 4 when Adrian came home.  I decided that I would attend Bill Blevins Gay men’s support group tonight to get out of the house.

I have lived continuously in Salt Lake City since 1985 and off and on since 1976 after coming to Utah in 1973  from California. I always quip that I have lived in Salt Lake longer than Brigham Young but have never considered myself a Utahn but a California expatriate. I have never fitted in with Utah Culture which is why I always say I live in Salt Lake and not Utah. Salt Lake is a blue island in a red sea much like Austin, Texas.

I walked Main Street from South Temple to Broadway and back which I hadn't done in years. I am so old I can barely get across the wide intersections before the lights turn. Walk signs are not geared for old people.

I remembered all the places that once held JC Penney’s, Woolworth, Kress, Warshaw’s, the Utah Theater, Crossroads, and ZCMI, all gone. I hardly could walk the 3 blocks where I use to ride my bike and saunter with my friends.

Lots of changes in 40 years. I was downtown to attend the Gay Men's Peer Support Group at the new Pride Center location. I hadn't attended since it was located at the old location on Main Street and 1300 South when Robert Moolman left and the center no longer cared about Gay men or seniors.

I took the tiny elevated up to the 9th Floor and it was good  to see some old acquaintances, hear their stories and be infused with some queer energy from being with my own tribe.

Don't know how many more times I will get to be with those who knew me back when we fought the good fight. Old friends are worth more than gold if you are lucky to still have them as they share the same familiar memories and experienced the same time line.

It was a beautiful warm evening to have experienced downtown once again.

                All the ICE raids in California made me a bit nostalgic for my former home state. I miss the old Taco Bell which the Frankenstein PepsiCo organization has bastardized... gone are the tostados, frijole cups, Bell Burgers and enchiritos. It's all reconstituted beans and who knows what else.

 We used to make everything fresh at the location and only had the flour tortillas, sauces and paper products from the franchise. We fried our own shells, pressure cooked the Pinto beans, cooked the ground beef and shredded cheese and lettuce as well as chopped the onions.

Simple menu with tasty ingredients. I knew it was all going to hell when corporates took out the iconic fire pits and sold off the Adobe brick buildings

11 June 2025 Wednesday

I have been having weird dreams but nothing to actually write about. I was up at 4:45 after being woken from a sound sleep by my alarm so I could get up and fix Adrian his breakfast. If that’s not love I don’t know what is.

I had to change my America First Password again because it wouldn’t let me in so I changed it to EdgarHugh@1951 This is the second time this year I had to change it. I wanted to check to see if my Social Security check had arrived as Michael Romero called me and said that when he went to check his account on line The Social Security is now making people post their driver’s license and other data and given a onetime passcode number that if they lose it they are just out of luck. He checks his statement every month and this is the first time they pulled this crap probably instigated by DOGE to make it more difficult on seniors to access their information. He was furious. I said people thought I was a crackpot for hating Republicans so much but they as just as much collaborators. He said Democrats weren’t doing much and I said that they can’t as long as they are the minority party as Republicans control the Congressional committees.

                I went shopping after feeding the pups. I first went to Deseret Industries to just see what they had and I bought two nice colorful shirts and a radio CD player as the one I bought last year finally gave up the ghost. Then I went to Walmart to buy another tote and finally to Glendale’s Smiths. I came home around 7 and Kyle was home by then because his car was in the garage.

                Lucy has something wrong with her right front paw as she keeps licking at it and kind of limps on it. I couldn’t see anything in her paw though.  I noticed that there was spotting all over my sheets so I had to strip the bed. I think it might be from Lucy being in heat as she is not spayed but I have no idea if female dogs menstruate.

12 June 2025 Thursday

Kyle asked me to go shopping this morning and heard some surprising news. He said that Daniel Franco quit yesterday for personal reasons which Kyle didn’t inquire about. Perhaps being manager was too stressful for him or all this immigration crap is upsetting.  Anyway Kyle then said he’s thinking of ending his contract with Cody McKendrick as he thinks running the kitchen and working for the Chinese will be too much for him. Actually he said for me as he knows I will be the one responsible for getting supplies as Kyle thinks with this new Chinese opportunity he may be traveling a lot.  So who knows what is going on all I know is I put a lot of time and money into both Papi and Bewilder to just see both of them go away but there’s nothing so certain as change. Adrian I heard got hired at FedEx parttime and will start today.

                I spent much of this morning cleaning and clearing out the garage. There’s so many tools and remnants from his construction business that no longer needs to be taking up space in the garage.

                I went to get 40 lbs. of Chicken for Bewilder because Kyle was at a meeting and when I returned I worked cleaning the insides of the two refrigerators in the garage that were getting scummy. Just as I was finishing up Rich Butler of all people drove up into the driveway. He and Brenda are going on a road trip tomorrow to the north west so was up to visit her kids. While she was napping he came over to see me and we visited for a while. I had earlier typed up a lot of 1997 when Rich Butler was helping Mike and me with our then new house. That was kind of a coincidence.

                Anyway we visited for a while just chatting when Kyle came home around 6 and I was surprised that he stayed up and visited a bit with Rich and me. It was also 7 before I was able to feed the pups and Rich left and Kyle went downstairs. I watched a little television before calling it a day. It was in the mid-90s for much of the day.

                A sitting U.S. Senator from California was manhandled and handcuffed at  Kristie Noem press conference for trying to get her to answer questions. He was thrown to the ground. If Homeland Security thugs can do this with impunity none of us are safe under the Trump Revenge Regime. Now Israel has attacked Iran to destroy their nuclear capacity.

 

13 June 2025 Friday

I did very little today except usual routine of fixing Adrian’s breakfast, walking the pups, and doing some light yard work. Andy Dalrymple called me this  afternoon and we commiserated about these worrisome times. He mainly wanted to know if I knew anymore what happened to Bruce Barton’s Pride Flag. I said only that it was lost. He said that he heard from someone who knew about it that after it was displayed during Cleve Jones Grand Marshal entrance during the parade when it rained so hard. It was put away really wet and never allowed to dry out so it mildewed and got really moldy and was tossed.  This would have been during Valarie Larabee’s tenure.

                When Kyle came home he was kind of in a strange mood like something was troubling him but wouldn’t  tell me what.  That always makes me nervous.

Fascist Republicans voted to defund NPR and PBS today by 2 votes. Don't believe the lie that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. How does this make America great again?

If racist ICE thugs and Trumps psychopaths were not targeting almost exclusively working Mexicans perhaps the flag of Mexico wouldn't be so prominent in the 5th largest Spanish speaking city in the world.                                              

Utah bigots have  banned Pride Flags in government buildings to try and erase us.                                                                         Fly Pride Flags or any other flag just like the bigots fly the confederate Flags to show "heritage" or fascists fly swastikas or Trump Flags to show they are haters

Still no repercussions for Noem’s thugs throwing down and handcuffing Senator Padilla from California.

"Trump supporters are ignorant bigots too stupid to know that California was colonized in 1769 by Spanish Mexicans, 7 years before the British colonies declared independence.

New Mexico was founded in 1598 10 years before the English established Jamestown and 20 years before religious refugee immigrants illegally landed at Plymouth Rock.

The United States declared War on Mexico to steal lands north of the Rio Grande in order to establish slavery in Texas which Mexico had outlawed.

Only the fact that the American envoy signed an unauthorized  treaty kept the United States from grabbing all of Mexico after capturing Mexico City and Vera Cruz.

Mormon refugees fled the United States and illegally settled in lands belonging to Mexico during that war.

An ancestral uncle of mine was killed in Mexico as part of the attempted conquest, Robert Wilson Williams died in 1845 in Mexico City.". Michael Romeros ancestors arrived in New Mexico in 1598. His ancestors in 1821 were no longer Spanish but now Mexican and 1846 became American without ever moving.

 His ancestor Felipe de Jesus Romero had 3 different citizenships without ever moving and yet like many other Spanish New Mexicans and old Californians are treated like foreigners because of Anglo bigotry against Spanish speakers.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove Democrat from California proposed on April 30, 2025, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing discussing budget resolutions for fiscal year 2025 that the amendment proposed that the budget "may not be used to hire any personnel who participated in the January 6, 2021, insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol" for a role within the Department of Homeland Security. However, the amendment failed in a vote of 15-17 all by Republicans. I wonder how many ICE agents are Trumps pardonees. I guess we will never know.

 

Rousseau wrote a book about the social contract between the government and those being governed and our Constitution was based on the principles of the French and English Enlightenment not the Bible by our religious framers.

The three most important words in the constitution is WE THE PEOPLE. Our framers wanted to establish a more perfect union NOT a perfect  union.

 It's our duty as keepers of the American dream to help make the United States a more perfect union and provide for the common welfare of the people.

The framers were not perfect in 1787 and we are not perfect today but what they wanted and what we should want is NO KINGS in America. King George III was mentally ill much like the man who would be king in the White House is today. Authoritarianism is just Monarchy by another name. 

There is no Divine Rights of King and never was,  just a way for theocrats to control the masses.

I won't make it to the rally up at the U of U but This old man will be at Pioneer Park at 6 to stand with those who love country over fascism.

 

America was founded on the ideas of the English Age of Reason and the French Enlightenment not the Bible or the Law of Moses as toxic right wing  politicians and toxic Christian nationalists  would have the ignorant believe.

Flawed liberal men in the 18th Century envisioned a nation where all people are created equal endowed by their creator with inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

I had flawed ancestors who fought for a treasonous section of the country whose only purpose was to keep the planter's wealth by enslaving other human beings.

I am not obliged to be flawed by the flaws of others.

Only flawed human beings today resists the American ideas of equality and try to prevent the implementation of them.

I stand with the flawed Abraham Lincoln and with the flawed Franklin Delano Roosevelt who loved America and Americans over a flawed billionaire felon who only loves himself

By the way, Thomas Jefferson, while paraphrasing 17th Century  political philosopher John  Lock, changed Lock's phrase from Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property to the Pursuit of Happiness. That was the genius of a flawed man.

Don’t let Billionaire technocrats and Christian fascists destroy the Age of Reason to return America to the Dark Ages.  Keep the true Spirit of '76  alive in 2025.

14 June 2025 Saturday

This morning I heard it's raining on Despotic Donald's parade. Maybe  it will hide MAGA tears. Thunder and lightning very very frightening me. Lol sorry Donny no coup for you I suppose.

Well I did as much as an old 74 year old dude can do. I parked in the Bewilder parking lot and went inside to help Kyle out because the kitchen was shorthanded with both Daniel Franco and Jose quitting. I guess Jose didn’t care for working at Bewilder after Papi’s closed. Kyle did say he hired Milagros back which he almost had to until he finds replacements for Daniel and Jose.  Only Ruth Valderrama Leon, Yolanda, and Kyle were there and it was a madhouse. I thought I’d just catch up with the dishes but it got so busy that Kyle had me do the fryer while Ruth Valderrama Leon worked the grill and Kyle put the orders out. I was dressed for a summer protest noy work but I grabbed an apron and worked about 2 hours right before six. It was still busy but I left  to walk over to Pioneer Park where streams of people were flowing towards the park with No Kings signs. I walked to the northeast corner where the rally had already started. Some Lesbian Marxist was speaking and I thought I was here to protest Trump not listen to some anti-America talking points. There were hundreds if not over a 1000 people at the protest rally carrying American Flags, Pride Flags, and Mexican Flags. There were lots of No King signs as well as anti-ICE posters and I was proud of the turn out with many more people coming when I decided to return to Bewilder. It was quite warm out, still in the mid-90s and after making my appearance and taking some videos pictures on my phone I walked back to Bewilder. I thought the immigrants i know working hard in the kitchen, needed me  as much as the immigrants I don't know.  The rush had tapered off and Kyle walked over to quickly see the rally also. I worked for another hour or so mostly washing dishes and then decided this old man was tired and needed to go home. I have been protesting since October 1969 when I was a freshman in college so I have done my share has done my share.

                I heard some news about a shooting downtown as the protestors were marching from Pioneer Park to the Federal Building on State Street.  The news wouldn’t say whether it was protest related or not.

                I went to Smiths before heading home to buy Adrian some items for his breakfast and I was surprised to see his car at home instead of being gone to work. He told me that he quit FedEx because it was way too strenuous with lots of heavy lifting.

                I went to bed by 9 as I was exhausted and when Kyle came home he poked his head in to say thanks again.

47 years ago God stopped being a Mormon white supremacist ... the cynics among many always believed the revelation came because Kinte Kunta Kimball was in  the ROOTS found on the Spencer W. Kimball family tree... one drop of black blood doctrine justified bigotry among Mormons

My first reaction to the "revelation" was damn there goes the old Joke that only Mormons got... "Do you know why crows are black? Because they refused to eat crickets in the pre-existence" ... hahaha... don’t get it? You were never a Mormon...Leave it to Mormons to kill a joke and be a buzz kill.

Well Now Mormons at least will have to scrub all of their dead prophets racist comments like Brigham Young saying interracial couples should be killed but at least now no has to turn white and delightsome to a Mormon.

I wonder why didn't the Mormon God reveal anything about how not to be so hateful to Gay people, driving many Mormon Gays to suicide. I guess homophobic bloody knuckles Spense wasn't listening. They still aren't.

A Christian Nationalist Trump supporter was the murderer of Minnesota state legislators and had a list of Democrats to assassinate but yeah hard working immigrants are the problem to this dystopia

Israel attacked Iran targeting their nuclear facilities while Iran counter attacked sending thousands of missiles into Israel with report that their “iron dome” has failed hitting cities. Israel wants Trump to join the war.

15 June 2025 Sunday

It was a weird day that I expected to do nothing but rest and watch television but ended up having to go back to Bewilder in the evening to help out. 

Kyle went in early to open up the kitchen although not sure who works there any more on Sundays. He called me later in the day and said he hired this Mexican to be the kitchen manager who will start on Thursday. Kyle said he was impressed with the guy and expects that he will relieve him of being down there much anymore. He hired Milagros back, which he almost had to as that there people had quit and another named Josef was off for an illness.

                Anyway around 6:15 I get a call again from Kyle asking me to come down to work as that it was only Yolanda Perez and him there. So  I hurried down and got there around 6:30 and started working on the fryers while Kyle worked the grill and put out the orders. Yolanda worked making more fries as I guess they ran out. It was pretty busy not crazy but busy for just two people working the line. By 7:30 it tapered off and so I worked mainly doing the dishes with Yolanda.  The kitchen closed at 8 and I stayed only until 8:30 as I was tired on my feet. I know Kyle would have liked for me to stay longer but I don’t think he realizes how much it takes out of me anymore. Also I have to be up at 4 in the morning tomorrow to take him to the airport to catch a flight to Indianapolis.

                Coming home on I-215  UDOT had the 2100 exit closed so I had to go up to the Redwood exit and circle back down. It’s crazy trying to get around anymore without detours. So I was home around 9 and Adrian took off to go get groceries. I have no idea why he didn’t do that earlier.  Before going to bed I quickly threw a breakfast together for him because I wouldn’t have time in the morning.  I think Kyle came home around 10.

Police said the No Kings protest in Salt Lake City was peaceful and there was no indication of any problems of the 10,000 at the rally until  as the protesters were marching towards the federal building a gun man shot and critically injured a man. Authorities would not confirm that the shooting was political. "The motive for the shooting and the events leading up to it remain under investigation," SLCPD officials said. The attack made national news as Trumper supporters attacked protesters at  other rallies and a trump supporter killed Democratic Minnesota legislators who were scheduled to speak at No King rallies.  I was proud of Salt Lakers and noticed there were protests in Ogden, Provo and even St. George.

Well today I hardly remembered that it is Father Day which has little meaning to me anymore with my father, all my uncles, all my male cousins, and my grandfather's all gone. Only my one nephew James Clark is left to be honored on father's day. For many of us Gays and Lesbians we often had a difficult relationship with our fathers but then who doesn’t? My dad did the best he could with how he was raised by an uncaring father and I suppose Grandpa did also, coming from a family of 12 children. Our fathers contributed their Y chromosomes to us through eons of time so Happy Father's Day to the good and the bad.

Okay this will let people know how old I am.  I don't understand younger people's fascination with tattoos. When I was a kid I only knew one person who had a tattoo and that was my Uncle Milton, my dad's youngest brother. He served in the army and was extremely wild riding motorcycles across country as a young man.

I imagine he had that tattoo while in the army and I vaguely remember it being a jaguar or something on his forearm. I never asked him why he got it but knowing my Grandmother, she would not have been happy.

Tattoos were so rare and usually they were reserved for someone in the military who probably got theirs while drunk or a dare.

When I was in high school WWII had only been over 20 years and William Shirer wrote how those who had interesting tattoos in concentration camps where skinned and made into lampshades.

 And then almost all concentration camp prisoners had numbers tattooed on their wrists. One of plot devices in the classic Harold and Maude was when Maude showed Harold her wrist. Everyone in my generation knew what that meant without being told.

Tattoos were, for much of my life, identified with motorcycle gangs and men in prison.

In 1980 when I worked as a cook in the Montana oil fields with roughnecks this one gal had a huge peacock tattooed down her entire back and had nipple rings attached by a chain. Tattoos just seemed a fetish totally out of mainstream.

Also in the 1980s I learned prisoners were tattooing a tear drop when the man who murdered a Gay friend of mine sported one.

Then came the 90's tribalism where it became the fashion to have body art, like on an ankle or bicep. I knew girls who went from tattooing delicate butterflies on their shoulders to full size designs on their lower backs called Tramp Stamps.

Tattoos went from being a fun novelty song like O Lydia the Tattoo Lady and objects of Freak Sideshows to body art in the new millennium.

Tattoo parlors  once used to be as rare as porno theaters located in seedy parts of town but now in strip malls.

People will spend 1000s of dollars to tattoo as much skin as they can even on their faces. I don't get it unless there is an addiction and a pleasure to showing off how much pain a person can endure.

I am often amazed how many homeless people are tattooed when I know it ain't cheap. Well live and let live but if I want to see art I was go to a museum.

See I told you I am old and face painting as a hippy was about as much body art I ever did. Once in high-school my friend Jerry Smith accidently stabbed the palm of my hand with a sharpened pencil. The lead broke off beneath the skin and I had a black mark of Cain on me for years. Does that count?

I'm really not liking Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton. Now he wants to remove Harvey Milk Boulevard in Salt Lake City. Doesn't he have more important things to do?

16 June 2025 Monday

Today is Grandma Johnson’s birthday. I will always miss her and her orneriness . I slept until around 3:30 and thought I better get up and not fall back to sleep. I got up and cleaned the kitchen and put away the grocery items that Adrian had not.  The news said they found the Christian Nationalist that killed the Minnesota legislators and one of the men shot at the march yesterday died. It’s being reported he was an innocent victim from shots fired by a “peace  keeper” who was deterring a man with an AK15 rifle which I am kind of hearing but it’s all being investigated.  Kyle was ready to go by 4:15 and drove us out to the airport not saying a word. At times like this when he’s stressed it’s better not to say a word.  When I came home Adrian was showering and I went back to bed around 5 and fell back to sleep until almost 8:30. I got up to walk the pups before it gets too hot and after that I watered all the front yard plants thoroughly as its been in the 90s the past few days.

                Kyle messaged me that I need to go get 50 lbs. of flour at the Restaurant Depot so I went and did that around noon. Ruth Valderrama Leon and Milagros were the ones working the day shift. On the way home I stopped and got some groceries for Adrian and the pups. Yolanda came over by herself to fix Adrian some food for the week but not nearly as much like she had as she asked me to take her into work at 3.  After that I tried napping as I was pretty tired from being up so early.

                Adrian had a gentleman caller this late afternoon and some man came to the door saying he had a package for Kyle that had to be delivered to him. That sounded suspicious especially when he asked for Warren and said the package was for Papi’s One Stop. I told him that he was in Indiana and only stays here periodically.  I will probably go to hell for all the lies I tell for Kyle.

                Adrian was in and out all evening so I was basically alone with the pups. Lucy must be in heat as Taco won’t leave her alone even though he’s neutered.

George Conway wrote about the Trump birthday bash "tried to play Kim Jong Un for an afternoon, but he’s still just Kim Jong Loon.

Republicans against Trump wrote "The look on your face when your $45 million military parade flops with a tiny crowd, and on the same day, millions of Americans march against your corrupt administration."

Governor Gavin Newsom wrote "Trump's parade is nothing more than a vulgar demonstration of just how weak he is. It's the kind of thing you see with Kim Jong Un, Putin -- dictators around the world that are weak and desperate. It's as small as it gets. But that's Donald Trump."

Rep Marc Veasey of Texas wrote "Trump is throwing a $45 million birthday party in the style of Stalin, Kim Jong Un, and Putin. We’re not a dictatorship. That’s why I introduced the PARADE Act—so presidents can’t use the military as props or abuse taxpayer dollars. Happy birthday, Mr. President."

It seems odd to me that none of the spawn of beloved President Daddy Dearest Trump were present at Donnys big, beautiful military birthday parade. I guess since Jared got his billions from the Saudi princes,  Ivanka doesn't need daddy dear anymore. The dumb and dumber boys i guess are too busy counting their crypto cash and snorting cocaine to be bothered with daddy and the new trophy  mommy. But where was lord Barron? At some frat party trying awkwardly to get laid?  Poor bastard child Tiffany probably wasn't even invited... America take out the trash it's starting to stink up the place

                Senator Mike Lee is taking national shit for posting ugly comments about the Democratic Legislators shot by a Christian Nationalist lunatic. 

17 June 2025 Tuesday

                I woke up at 3 again even though I tried to go to bed later last night. I heard someone coming up the stairs and it was Adrian  so he must have spent the night with someone. He didn’t say boo to me all day so I just left him alone after fixing him his breakfast. Kyle had me go get some romaine lettuce and buttermilk at Restaurant depot and while I was out I stopped the liquor store and bought a Margarita Mixture and some Sangria Wine. At Apollo Burger I bought some Onions Rings that I had a hankering for. I was home for the rest of the day except for walking the pups.

                I worked a bit on recovering my 1997 journal that I barely kept up mostly from January through May and a little bit in October. Spring of 1997 was when I planted a lot of my trees and shrubs some I still have. I didn’t’ write anything about the collapse of the Utah Stonewall Center so I just had to add my memoirs of it.

                I don’t know why I am even bothering with this now with Trump preparing to aid Israel bombing Iran which will  certainly bring about World War III and all will be lost anyway.

The MAGA death cult gave a senile, racist, delusional madman access to the nuclear codes. The Republican Senate gave him no competent cabinet people to restrain him and put an alcoholic white supremacist fox news anchorman as secretary of defense who uses an unsecured service to share war plans. I don't think this bolds well as his Christian Nationalists are gleeful that these are the end times.

The administration axed all the competent generals in the Pentagon leaving lackeys and flunkies. None of them capable to deal with the crisis in the Middle East.

This is what you get with putting business men in government who love money  instead of statesmen who love diplomacy

More information on the shooting during the No King March. Private armed security at yesterday's protest observed Arturo Gamboa, 24, (the perp) separate himself from the crowd and produce an AK-styled rifle. They confronted him.

The perp raised the weapon to a firing position. One security personnel fired three shots.

One of those shots hit an innocent bystander, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, who died later at a local hospital.

The perp was also hit in the left side of his abdomen, resulting in a non-life-threatening wound. He ran away and tried to hide in the crowd. The crowd pointed him out to police. The perp was arrested, treated for his wound, and booked into jail for murder.

SLCPD said the perp did not fire any shots at all. All three shots came from a security personnel's hand gun.

This was not discussed at the press conference, but in Utah (and commonly in virtually any jurisdiction), a perp may be charged for any crime committed or harm resulting from a perp's actions while committing a related crime.

Also not discussed at the press conference,  some video posted on Facebook by witnesses indicate that SLCPD was told prior to the shooting that someone was seen inside a downtown Maverick with an AK-styled weapon. This detail has NOT been corroborated or verified.  It remains a question. A valid one.

You can easily find and watch the press conference video.

The photo I've attached here is a screenshot of a Fox13 news report from yesterday. It shows the perp during his arrest.

Today, SLCPD said the perp is a Utah resident with no prior criminal activity.

18 June 2025 Wednesday

I think this is the reason I often quit writing in my journal during the summer when I was still teaching. All days seem to blend together with not much to write about but dribble like this.  I took my bed spread down to the laundromat by Lucky’s. It’s a queen size heavy comforter and I didn’t want to risk washing it in my washing machine. It has been spotted by Lucy so I was hoping to get the stains out which it really didn’t. Oh well. Lucy is more important to me than a comforter I bought at Deseret Industries. Still this is the first time I have gone to a laundromat in probably more than 30 Years.

 Otherwise same old routine, fix breakfast for Adrian, walk the dogs, fix breakfast for me, work on the computer, take a break, fix lunch  take a nap, watch televisions  walk the dogs and feed them and then watch more television.  Then time for me. Only real difference today was that I scrubbed and mopped my bedroom floor really well today as it was getting scuzzy with 4 dogs and me.  I could almost write ditto for much of the time.

19 June 2025 Thursday

Today is Juneteenth the most recent federal holiday which trump refuses to acknowledge.

I picked up Kyle at the airport around 9:30 and that was about the only time I left the house. When I was at the airport Mike Romero called about the Romero research I am putting on a Blog. His niece Ana was interested in it so I spent much of the day completing it up to Joe Modesto Romero.

                Israel wants to drag the United States into its war with Iran. When did Benjamin Netanyahu become president of the United States to dictate foreign policy. We give $3 billion dollars a year to Israel now they want American blood?   Since when did Israel become a National Security issue for the United States?

Christian Nationalists believe in some end of the world Biblical fantasy because they think we are linked to Israel.  Jesus is not returning to Jerusalem, Jews are not going to convert to Christianity, the rapture is a 19th century fantasy.

Religion only cares about the "Power and the Glory" not about the safety of the world.  "Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war"

The Abrahamic Religions have always been a warrior cult, beginning with Yahweh/Elohim  playing favorites between brothers causing one to murder the other. And ordering a father to kill his own son as a test of loyalty.   The Ten Commandments said Thou Shall Not Kill and yet Moses slew an Egyptian.

That story more or less proved that so called leaders chosen by God "the Devine Rights of Kings" were above the law and could kill with immunity as long as it was for Yahweh/Elohim.

So Israel slaughtered the Canaanites, the Fascist Romans slaughtered the Jews, Islam slaughtered the infidels, The Crusaders slaughtered the Muslims, Catholicism created the inquisition and slaughtered the Pagan Indians, the Reformation slaughtered both Protestant and Catholics, the Age of Reason tried to end religious wars by the American and French Revolutions and we stopped killing each other for a while until Fascism started killing Jews again.  Now even India is  pitting Hindi against Muslims.

Three great "peaceful religions" Christianity, Judaism, and Islam seem ready to destroy the world over Jerusalem the city founded by the warrior king David.

It seems all so stupid as everyone in Utah knows that Jesus is returning to Independence Missouri not Jerusalem because Joseph Smith said so, as that the Mormons are the true House of Israel.

Heaven help us from the cult of Warrior Religionists who believes a talking shrubbery on fire is a source of morals and ethics .

A Space X rocket exploded on the launching pad, kind of like Trump and Musk bromance.

Utah Senator Mike Lee mocking the death of Minnesota legislator and her husband and Trump Jr spreading a lie that a Democrat was the killer instead of Trump supporter show Republicans still think this kind of rhetoric is acceptable. The son of a bitch even killed their Golden Retriever.

 

20 June 2025 Friday

                Adrian went back to work so I was up again to fix him his to go breakfast. It was super windy today because the temperature is supposed to drop tomorrow by 20 degrees. It’s been in the high 90s here and have baked all my roses.

                Kyle wanted me to come down to Bewilder to meet his new Kitchen Manager a Latino named Kyle also. We  visited a bit because I will be going with him doing the shopping on Thursday when ever my Kyle is away, which he thinks he will be a lot for the next 3 months.  The new manager is from Dallas Texas originally. So I am enlisted to keep the kitchen supplied even though I don’t have the same interest in it as I did when it was mainly a way to employ Adrians family and Maria Hernandez.  I really don’t interact with the new hires much at all and with Kyle changing the kitchen and menu I really don’t know what is what down there anymore.

                When I came back to the house I worked on finding out information on Bill and Faye Romero.  In the evening I was restless and wanted to get something to eat as I didn’t want to cook anything, The frozen dinners I have been buying were just not satisfying and truly kind of yucky.  As I was getting to leave Mike Romero called me to visit about the Blog Site I am doing on the Romeros of Rawlins that his niece Ana is really into.

A personal observation is that in my old age I lost my appetite for eating. I eat because I get hungry but not so much out of enjoyment. Nothing seems to taste the same as my nostalgic recollections. I went out late at night, for  me, just to get something to eat that I didn't have to fix and drove around and around looking at places with nothing appealing to me. I finally stopped at a Carl's Jr on North Temple which I haven't had in probably 40 years but I used to like in California. I ordered a junior kid meal and an order of onion rings and it was over $11 and it was tasteless. They didn't even offer fry sauce! Lol well I think that was my last hurrah for Carl Jr. Or for any hamburger joint for that matter as they just don't taste the same as I remember. One exception is I still enjoy Arctic Circle but the nearest one to me anymore is 5 miles away or more. Oh well First World problems.

Kyle was gone and didn’t come home to way after I went to bed.  Adrian was dancing around in his room making loud thumping noises so it was hard for me to even try to sleep

Did not make the news much but Lou Christie died June 18th ... lots of hits in my youth like Two Faces Have I, Lightning Strikes, Rapsody in the Rain, and I'm gonna Make You Mine. His songs were played a lot in Southern California in the 1960s. RIP

21 June 2025 Saturday

To my Pagan friends Merry Summer Solstice ... the longest day of the year and shortest night in the northern hemisphere. It’s also Mike Romero’s 69^th birthday.

I was up by 4:30 to fix Adrian his breakfast to go and around 7 I took the pups for their morning constitutional. It was quite a drop from yesterday’s high 90s and it was only about 70 when we went out. I was working on Bill Romero’s history when Kyle called me at 10 to see if I would come down to help him as it was only him there this morning until Kyle A came in. So I went down there at 11 and worked with him until 2. We were pretty steady and it would have been too much for just one person.

                When I came back home I was super tired and  laid down to take a nap and I was getting Charley horses in my legs. No fun.  Adrian came home about the same time I did but he  really doesn’t visit with me  very much anymore.

                I slept until 5, got up fed the pups and decided to go to Chubby’s for dinner. I ate out for the first time by myself in over 30 years. I usually fix dinner at home or go to fast food as I always felt eating by one self at a restaurant seemed so lonely as the purpose of going out to eat was more about the company than the food. Things change when everyone you know is busy with their lives, so as an old man, I ate an early dinner at Chubby's at 6.  Glad it's so close to my home.

Interesting observation about dining alone. You kind of get forgotten. I was sitting

just waiting for a server to bring me my bill so I could ask for a to go box. All the servers have sat down and are visiting lol so I just sit and wait. Lol no one else  is dining right now just me by my lonesome.  I finally had to ask for my check and a to go box and the bill was $13.00 so I only left a $2 tip as not once did anyone come to check up on me and when I paid the bill I wasn’t even given a thank you which kind soured me on the whole eating out thing.

 

22 June 2025 Sunday

It rained during the night, which is the first real rain we had in in weeks. I went to bed last night with the news that Trump ordered three Iranian nuclear sites bombed.  A felon generally cannot join the military but the Republican/ Fascist Party has put a felon in as commander in chief of our nation.

I fixed Adrian his breakfast and I had to wake him up as he was sound asleep. Later I worked on adding pictures I had of the Bill and Faye Romero’s family on my blog for much of the day. I was tired so I stopped and watched some episodes of Bones, finished off my enchilada from yesterday and took a nap.

It was considerably cooler today than yesterday when I walked the  dogs. At 4:30 Kyle called from Bewilder to ask me to come down to help with the dishes saying again it was just him there after sending the new Manager home. I don’t know who he has scheduled Sunday nights but this is really getting old but at 6 I was down there. He said it had been slow all day and so I started in on all the piles of plates that hadn’t been done all day and a lot of pots and pans when around 7 we began to get really business so I had to stop with the dishes and become his fry cook helper. It was super busy even going through 9 skillets of sauce pans after I had done them all up before and 3 huge tubs of dishes that I had emptied before. We worked right up until 8 when the kitchen closed pushing out food and the place was a  mess when the kitchen closed. I stayed until 10 doing up dishes again and scrubbing the pots and pans while Kyle cleaned the grill and fryers and put away the food. It was a lot to do for 2 people  and I was exhausted. I can’t do what I could do even two years ago. I was upset that Kyle depends on me to staff the place without help and compensation. He just expects me to work myself to death for free I suppose. I was pissed thinking about Adrian how I get up at 4:30 to fix him his breakfast and half the time have to wake him up even and he rarely ever helps around the house and expects me to  do all his dirty dishes.  What’s a mother to do? Speaking of mothers Yolanda and Chuito came over in the late afternoon and the house was filled with laughter from them. I had no idea what that was all about and I had to leave to go to Bewilder after having fed the pups.

                It was nearly 11 when I finally was able to sleep. My hands were cramping up so much I couldn’t hold my tablet to look at Facebook so just went to sleep with 4 pups all comfy next to me.

Am I the only one who thinks these fucking ICE cowards are cosplaying play station "Call to Duty" against civilians because they are too chicken shit to join the military or can't because of Felony convictions? So many of these Gestapo warriors look like they are dressed in Army/Navy Surplus clothes or whatever they could find clean from their mother's basement where they live.

They think they are patriots but following a petty demented Tyrant  that allows their White Supremacist ideology to surface is not Patriotism. Its treason.

ICE Agents are collaborators with turning the United States in to a police state.

Judy Garland died on this day in 1969

23 June 2025 Monday

I wasn’t going to because I was mad, but I got up at 4:30 anyway when my phone alarm went off to fix Adrians’s breakfast. I don’t know if he slept with Kyle some of the night because I heard him trudging up the stairs around 3 this morning.  I was not so upset with my boy to deprive him of his breakfast but at 5 I still had to go wake him up as he was sound asleep.

                I went back to bed to sleep some more but I really don’t like a second sleep because it gives me weird dreams and I really don’t feel any more rested. So I was up again at 8:30 and took the pups for a morning walk and it was really cool out in the mid 50’s.I noticed that Lucy had a really bad cooter/ butt so back at the house I threw her in the shower and cleaned her up.  I guess it’s time for a grooming appointment.

                I was still tired for most of the day and had cramps in my hands and charley horses in my thighs so I ate a banana thinking I was low on potassium and being on my feet for 4 hours yesterday.

                For lunch I thought I would go to China Star in Bountiful for lunch but when I arrived there, the place was closed for Mondays! So I just drove up to Centerville to go to Walmart to buy treats for the pups. Since China Star was closed I felt like a shake and onion rings from Arctic Circle so I went to Deseret Industries  on Main Street in Bountiful because across the street was an Arctic Circle.

                That Deseret Industries was packed. I have no idea why it was so busy. I so prefer my Deseret Industries on 8^th South. I was looking for a pair of shorts as the one I bought last week was too large at a 38 inch waist. I found one I liked at 36 inches and purchased it but I won’t ever go back to that D.I.   

                I went across the street to Arctic Circle where this woman with kids were ordering and taking forever asking her kids what they wanted while they wandered around the place. She basically had her kid cut in front of  me so I waited and waited and finally thought this was ridiculous so I left intending to go to the one down on Orchard Drive only to find that one closed for remodeling. The one on 1700 south is 8 miles away from my house the same distance as the other one in Bountiful. I like Arctic Circle but not enough to drive all over the place. Oh well first world problem. I just went home and had a tasteless frozen dinner.

                I just watched some television, fed the pups, and took them for a walk before calling it a day.

This is the last week of June and next weekend Kyle, Adrian, his Mom and perhaps Chuito are going down to Las Vegas for a concert. I don’t envy them as it will be hot down there for sure.

24 June 2025 Tuesday

I think i am done going out to eat. I was in the mood for some chow mein and I know I used to really like China Star in Bountiful when I taught at Washington. Well either the cooks changed or I have, as the food was not what I remembered. It wasn't that it was bad just not what I was nostalgic  for. Besides they give too much food to eat and I take most of my food home. Nothing seems to taste the same as I remember. Maybe my appetite is just kaput. I am getting more like Grandpa Johnson just give a plate of biscuits and gravy in my old age. Well at least I am still eating. Grandpa Williams gave up eating all together at the end.

                Anyway Kyle was sick all day throwing up and vomiting. He didn’t know whether he had e-coli again or the stomach flu.  Around 3 I had to drive him to do some errands as he was too sick to drive. We went into the city to his office where he had to print out some things, then to Well Fargo to deposit a check, then to the Restaurant Depot where I went in to get Romaine and mayonnaise, and then finally to Bewilder were Kyle dropped off something for Cody and I delivered to Kyle A the kitchen items.

                Fernleaf between Niles and Daleridge is blocked off as the city road crew tore up a chunk of asphalt in front of Carlos’ house. I had to drag my refuse cans as well as Carlos to Daleridge in order to be picked up tomorrow. Before going to China Star I worked trimming branches off the trees in the parking strip on the southside. That filled up the yard waste container as well as one of the garbage cans.

 

25 June 2025 Wednesday

I finally responded to an email from this individual wanting information of the Restoration Church. I spent much of my day extracting my 1986 journal to send to him.  Kyle was feeling a bit better today and went off to work and Adrian when he came home said that he was working Thursday and Friday so he could take off Saturday, Sunday and Monday to go to las Vegas. So I guess it will be early mornings for me again.

                Today is my sister Donna’s 76^th birthday but I didn’t call her.  I don’t know why I didn’t except birthdays just don’t mean that much to us anymore and I just wanted to remember us as kids not estranged adults with nothing to talk about of any real substance.

 

26 June 2025 Thursday

The speed bump is finished on the street but the road is still closed off for the concrete to dry. I was up at 4 this morning as I couldn’t sleep so I fixed Adrian his breakfast and then worked on sending extracts from my journal to this person working on a time line for the Restoration church. 

                I did a bit of yard work cutting branches off the Blue Spruce and pulling up the Larkspur that is drying up. I also took the pups for a walk while it was still cool out

                This morning I went with Kyle to open a new account at Canyon Credit Union of 5^th South and 5^th East. It used to be the University of Utah’s Credit Union. Anyway the person we were supposed to me was not in the office so Kyle did what he could over the phone but we had to come back later.

Kyle asked me if I wanted to go with him and Kyle A to buy supplies for Bewilder but I declined as when he’s gone to Mexico and China I will have to be the one.

. About  2 Kyle called and asked for me to meet him down at the credit union at 3 but at 2:30 I had a surprise visit from Jim Dabakis who was back in town. I could only visit for a short time but Taco was so happy to see him and I think Jim was happy that Taco remembered him as Jim has been gone a year and a half. We are going to go out this weekend to the movies and dinner when we really can catch up.  I think he came over to ask if I would babysit a dog of a  friend of his. I said I would consider it.

At the credit union I signed all the paper work. I am no longer the owner of Kitchen Operators as its now in Kyles’ name and I am just the manager for reporting purposes. I guess we are done with Wells Fargo now. I went down to Lucky’s to get some groceries for Adrians breakfast tomorrow  He came home early from work because he had a bloody nose down there.

 

27 June 2025 Friday

I went shopping this morning at D.I. and Walmart where I bought a Belgium Waffle Iron as Kyle said he had dropped waffles from the Sunday Brunch menu and there were several bags at Bewilder I could have. While out I stopped at Pet Smart and made an appointment to have Lucy groomed on Tuesday the 1^st of July at 11:30.

                Kyle was so excited that his Visa to China came today and he was approved. He was so worried that he might not be approved as being a felon.  Kyle worked at Bewilder last night and when he was up we went to Chubby’s for lunch. Much better service when there’s two people. After eating I went with Kyle to run some errands. He needed to get a key for Salvador Mora so he can access the office, get a haircut downtown at the Barber he likes. He said yesterday Adrian, Yolanda, and Adrian all got a spray tan for Vegas LOL.  Anyway we went down to 5400 South to drop the key off and while there went to get his oil changed. His Volvo can’t be down at Wal Mart as its foreign so we found a Valvoline place that could.

                It was after 5 when he took me home and he had to run off to Bewilder to work tonight training people.  I gave Adrian a cooling hat for Chuito to have down in Vegas as the heat may be harsh on him.

                So tomorrow I will be all alone for 3 days as they all won’t be back until Monday. Then on Tuesday Kyle is off to Mexico and then later off to China. He informed me that he may be gone away from home for maybe three months and he’s worried about Persephone being lonely.

28 June 2025 Saturday

I was up around 6 to straighten up the kitchen and Yolanda was up shortly after that. I fixed us some coffee. She and Chuito spent the night.  I went and took the pups for a walk and worked in the front yard while the rest were in a fury to get ready to hit the road which they were by  a little after 9.  I said Caio and off they went. So am home until Monday by myself.

                Kyle said that the Bewilder Kitchen needed Rye Bread so around noon I went to Harmons then he said that Ruth Valderrama Leon needed a key for Bewilder so when I dropped the bread off I just gave her the one I had on my keyring. Theres more at home.  Kyle A was interviewing some guy so hopefully there will be plenty of people to work this weekend with Yolanda and Kyle gone.

                While I was out I went to this place on 33^rd South that Kyle told me about to have the chip in my window patched before it spreads. It didn’t take long.

                After all that running around I was content to stay home and watch some episodes of Bones. Sometimes they get so graphic with the corpses that I have to fast forward  those parts LOL

                I found some more stuff in my journals about people I once knew in the Restoration Church and emailed what I had to the guy researching it.

                I went to bed around 10 after going downstairs to spend some time with Persephone and feed her.

Kyle sent me a picture of Adrian, Yolanda, Chuito and him in Las Vegas at the Shekira Concert that still hadn’t started yet when it was 9 Nevada time. He said that it was so crowded that while the hotel was only 10 minutes away it took 50 minutes to get to the arena. Now I am ready for bed with TJ, Taco, Lucy, and Jack.

 I once worked at the Special Event Center at the U of U setting up concerts when I was about Adrian's age. I also worked the color lights gels for the performers. I remember doing set up for the Beach Boys, Donna Summers, Johnny Mathis, and Ella Fitzgerald. I remember getting bitch at by Fitzgeralds manager for using a purple gel light as I was informed you don't put a purple light on black performers... what did I know lol

I did even more concerts but can't recall them all off the top of my head.  It was hard  work even with roadies because we had to build the stage, help bring in sound equipment and set up chairs in front of the stage. Even before all that we had to roll out carpet to cover the basketball court.

 It was worse when the basketball coach would often demand the stage be dismantled, chairs removed, and the carpet rolled up so the team could practice the next day. There  were only about 6 of us with a couple of teenagers helping and we would often work 16 hours setting up and tearing down concerts. Never been much of a concert fan after those days back in 1979 when Kyle was born.

I read that the Special Event Center which was built in 1969 is to be torn down and replaced with a student activity center. The sports complex will moved somewhere else.

The Trump/ McConnell super majority Supreme Court made some egregious decisions lately including against Planned Parenthood, Birthright Citizenship and Gay Rights. Not since Chief Justice Roger Taney's court declared that a Black man had No Rights Which the White Man Is Bound to Respect has a Supreme Court been so incompetently cruel and bias as the one Mitch McConnell installed to keep President Obama from nominating a replacement for Antonin Scalia

 

29 June 2025 Sunday

It was kind of a do nothing day  except when the kitchen manager asked me to go to Restaurant Depot and pick up some mushrooms, tomatoes, ketchup, and spring greens. I was home alone all day just kind of picking up the place and doing dishes. I made a lemon bundt cake and that is about all the excitement I could handle. And binged watched episodes of the old crime show "Bones" drinking margaritas with 4 pups piled on me. Not a bad life in my old age. Sadly summer is killer of spring flowers in Utah when everything bakes and dries up. But sitting under a shade tree is still nice.

Republicans toss around a Billion like it has no meaning. 1 million seconds is last week. 1 billion seconds is the late 1980s... Elon Musk’s' 400 billion in seconds is like over 12,700 years. A trillion seconds is 31,710 years! Times that by 4 and that is how much the Big Beautiful Bill will increase the debt. There is no reason for any society to have Billionaires when hungry people have to go to food banks to feed families and people die because they can’t afford medical care. I am convinced extreme wealth is a mental illness like the mythical dragon hoarding gold it can never use but killing anyone trying to retrieve any.

 

30 June 2025 Monday

This morning I took Jack to PetSmart groomers to have his nails clipped as when I felt his paws yesterday one vail seemed to be curling cack into his paw.  I was a bit worried how he would react since I had never taken him in before but he was just as good as he could be for the car ride and at the groomers. After bringing him back home I decided to take the dogs papers up to Bountiful’s Petco’s groomers  just to have them on file in the two places. However once there, only one groomer was working and she was so busy with a pup that I was asked to wait about 10 minutes but after waiting 15 I didn’t want to wait any longer and thought I’d try another day. So I went to Lee’s Market and bought some treats for myself.  Kyle had called me after bring Jack home and said they were in Cedar City and would be home around 2 which they were.

                I was told they all had a good time and even attended a showing at the Sphere. Kyle said that cost more than the Shekira concert  but was well worth it.  Anyway while Yolanda did laundry and Adrian rested, Kyle asked me to go with him to Walmart to buy toiletries for his trip. I was tired but agreed, however, when someone almost cut us off I made a comment about how bad Utah drivers are. Well then Kyle said that Utah Drivers aren’t any worse that drivers everywhere and that I was also a bad driver. That really pissed me off because first of all Kyle seems to just contradicts me all the time and I resented being called a bad driver. In 57 years of driving I only had three accidents and three tickets and I am a much more observant driver than Kyle who is distracted all the time on the phone. More than anything else it made me not want to carry on a conversation with him if he has to criticize. It would be nice if he ever once said “You’re right”. It makes me feel a superfluous old man.

                Anyway we went to Quick Quack, then Chipotle, and Walmart in Centerville and I just kept quiet except to respond to his questions. My hip is hurting also when I walk some so I just moseyed.

                After dropping me back at the house he was gone the rest of the afternoon and early evening taking care of business I suppose. He came back home around 7 and asked if I wanted to go with him and Adrian to get ice cream. I went because it might be weeks or months before I see Kyle again. I know Adrian is really upset about Kyle being gone. I think I am also but can’t process  how I actually feel.  Perhaps abandoned to take care of Adrian, Persephone, the pups, and the Bewilder kitchen. It’s too much for an old man of 74 but it is what it is I suppose.

                All that is in the news is a Idaho MAGA Youth shot and killed to firefighters and Trump is demanding the Republican Senate  pass his Billionaire tax cut by July 4^th.  My Facebook page is lit up with warnings about what the bill will do to harm millions of Americans as well as give Trump more dictatorial powers.

                So ends Pride Month.