I spent the first 7 years of my life living in deep East Texas. When I was nearly 8, my mother, brother and I moved in with my mother's mother (in the country) and we lived there for 2 years. We lived in a small community known as Wallace, Louisiana. We lived on a dirt road about 3 miles from a small two lane black top. We really were in the country. We lived in an area known as Dolet Hills (pronounced Doe Lee Heels). We then moved to Shreveport, La. where we lived ( in 3 separate houses) until late Spring 1974 . In August of that year I was married to the first Mrs The Third (who now and in the future will be referred to as "plaintiff"). She and I moved to Houston, Texas in October 1974 and I lived there until June 1988. I then moved to Tomball, Texas ( a suburb of Houston) and lived there (except from 1990-1992 where I lived and worked in Bakersfield, California) until mid September 2005 when I moved to Temple, Texas. I have to admit here once and for all. I have never felt as if Temple was where I belonged. I have felt the people here are weird but I think that I have never given them a chance. It is the only place in Texas that I have ever been to (trust me I have been to a LOT of places in Texas) that does not have one single good Mexican Restaurant. MY GAWD!!!! Not even one. We still live here. Temple is not North Texas (such as Dallas) nor is it East Texas or West Texas or even South Texas. What it is, is Central Texas or sort of in the middle of the road. We have been here 4 years this month and I have finally accepted the fact that I am a resident of Temple, Texas and not just passing through. It is not completely as bad as I first thought. Hell,it is still in Texas and that is not too shabby.
When we first moved here we moved into an apartment. It was not too bad actually but due to the design of the complex our living room and bed room would flood nearly each time that it rained. Although it rains here infrequently, it still was a royal pain in the ass. I constantly complained and turned into a real prick a few times. But my ranting never stopped it from flooding. About a year ago, one of my brother in laws informed the Mrs The Third that he wanted to rent his house out. It seems his common law wife of about 12 years or so decided she wanted greener pastures and she left him. She promptly moved in with another guy whom she later married. A few days after their not so holy union, he was arrested as a result of driving while being intoxicated. WAIT .....I am am not talking about The Plaintiff for a change. It seems it was not the first time he had been convicted for such an offense. Come to think of it it was neither his second third or fourth time either. So he is currently residing in the care of The State of Texas Penal Housing Authority. No, I told you I am not talking about my first wife. My brother in law Markie Mark, was not too sure he could handle the note on the house, so renting it out was his plan. The idea sounded very good and both the Mrs The Third and I jumped at the idea. Later he modified his offer and informed us that he would remain in the house and that we could split the bills. My brother in law is a good man and I personally never have had any problems with him. Yes, he tends to be manic at times and he talks less than Calvin Coolidge did. He lives by the same credo that most of his siblings do. "The world is on a need to know basis". Or, "If I wanted you to know I would have told you."You only learn of something if he decides to tell you or you ask it of him and he decides to answer. His significant other left him and that alone could make you be in a bad mood. Add the fact that he was broke and then had a small heart attack, and you could see how living in the same house with him can mess your buzz.We lived in a three bedroom house and spent a predominant amount of our time sequestered in a 14' X 12' master bedroom.We have split the monthly bills, (electric, water, sewer, garbage,rent,) He has paid to have the lawn fertilized and mowed etc. I have mowed the grass a couple of times only. We have paid 100% of the cable and internet bill. This amounts to around $ 150.00 per month. I am sure he would have been happy to split that bill but we never asked him to. We also purchased 98% of all of the groceries consumed. But...I am in no way complaining about the financial arrangement. This past year has been good for both of us. Yes, we each had to sacrifice but it has worked. Recently, he has met a woman who has a lot of common interest as he does. For a man who does not talk that much, I can testify that he spent countless hours talking to her on the phone and recently he invited her to move into our abode. I mean .... it is his house. She seems nice enough and her two lap dogs are cute enough as well. The Mrs. The Third and I both felt it was time for us to move into our own place again. Let me say and I want to be clear about what I am about to say. I was ready to move to our own place about 30 minutes before I moved into my brother in laws house a year ago. I knew I would be completely miserable from the moment I moved in. Nothing against Markie Mark, I just want my own place. and......we finally found a place. It is not only ours but it is cool as hell. It is located very near to the historical district of Temple. I admit it is small but it has an amazing back yard with a huge covered patio. It even has a rose garden in a large back yard which surround by trees and a bamboo break. ( the bamboo provides privacy but bamboo can be a real pain in the ass. More on that later in this blog) It has a small wooden storage shed in the back of the yard and a concrete walkway leading to it. The front yard has a huge magnolia tree. The leaves will be a nuisance, but when it blooms it will be worthwhile. We can now get a dog. I want a dog and name him Uncle Bud. It has a one car garage with a garage door opener and now finally I have room to actually brew my own beer. (I predict I will name my first offering Estelle. ( I have decided to name my beers after people. Estelle was my mother's oldest sister.) There is a cat who hangs out on the back porch already. I learned from my next door neighbor, Wayne that the cat belonged to the person who used to live in this house. I am not a cat kinda guy. But I could never allow an animal to starve. The Mrs. The Third is allergic to cats and she wants the feline to simply go away. I put out a watering dish and purchased some dry cat food. The cat has eaten all I have put out thus far. I was going to name her Latifah but what's the use. Cats are strange and I find that I am too old to try to learn how to get along with them. I will simply refer the cat "the cat" and will continue to feed her until she leaves or dies.
I am making a real effort to accept that I am a real Central Texan. Now that I have a home of my own. Now that I am a responsible grandparent. Now I am ready to cast my vote and will actively campa
ign for someone for the governor of the great state of Texas. Who...why Kinky of course. "Why the Hell not!" Now you may think I am falling in the same trap that the people of Minnesota did when they elected a professional wrestler/B movie actor. My personal political philosophy is slightly inconsistent I guess. I first registered as a Democrat (back in 1970). 
The first presidential election found me casting my vote for George McGovern who lost by a huge landslide. I placed a placard for McGovern in our front yard. When my dear beloved Dad came home he went ballistic. He wanted to know if I was on dope. In Louisiana, I tended to vote Democratic since that was pretty much the only choice you had. Yes, Charlton Lyons ran for governor of the State of Louisiana as a Republican. He lost. I was not old enough to vote for him at the time but my vote would not have helped him. My cousin Mike (the one who went to Woodstock with me) ended up marrying Charlton's granddaughter. (Mirian) I have found that I have prospered better (personally and financially) when a Democratic was president. I find that people who serve us in elected office should first and foremost be "of the people". Andrew Jackson was probably the last US President to be "of the people. After his inauguration he opened the doors of the White House and invite everyone to "party". Of course what happened was that the place was "trashed".
We, as a people, tend to fall into the trap of believing that certain families or people are destined to be our leaders. Family names such as Long, Kennedy and Bush come to mind. But I must admit I am at a point that I have seen that the way that things have been have not been that perfect. I could and would never run for political office. I admit I feel I would not be as bad as you may think. Yes, we can laugh at the people of Louisiana who elected not once but twice a country singer by the name of Jimmie Davis. We can joke about Minnesota electing a former Pro Wrestler and comic by who invented the
character of Stuart Smally. Hell we could laugh at California for electing a B movie Western Cowboy or the Govenator too. What about The State of Iowa electing a former Love Boat Star as one of it's representatives in congress.. The State of Tennessee for electing a former star of Law and Order. What about a former Texas Governor W Lee "Pappy Lee" O' Daniel. Those people did pretty good and to be honest I feel it would be refreshing
We have been in the house for about a week and I have already spent more time outside either just setting or working than I have in the three years in our apartment and the year at Markie Mark's. I spent the best part of this past weekend cutting down bamboo. My backyard looks like a war zone. But I discovered that the back yard had more space than I even thought. the bamboo was over ten feet thick from the back fence and had completely covered up several really cool trees. One is a hundred year old or more live oak. I am only about half of the way done. It will take two or more long trailer loads (to the dump) to dispose of the cut cane. The roses in the back yard are dried up and look pretty unruly, but with a little tending the rose garden will look wonderful. I will be placing a concrete statue of Mary in the middle of the garden. the back patio has already become a place for the Mrs The Third and I to set and talk each evening. It is quite pleasant. I feel after I have removed the excess bamboo and have trimmed the roses and watered the yard back to some shade of green rather than dirt colored, added a few bird & squirrel feeders and few more wind chimes, we will have a very nice little "private garden".
When we first moved here we moved into an apartment. It was not too bad actually but due to the design of the complex our living room and bed room would flood nearly each time that it rained. Although it rains here infrequently, it still was a royal pain in the ass. I constantly complained and turned into a real prick a few times. But my ranting never stopped it from flooding. About a year ago, one of my brother in laws informed the Mrs The Third that he wanted to rent his house out. It seems his common law wife of about 12 years or so decided she wanted greener pastures and she left him. She promptly moved in with another guy whom she later married. A few days after their not so holy union, he was arrested as a result of driving while being intoxicated. WAIT .....I am am not talking about The Plaintiff for a change. It seems it was not the first time he had been convicted for such an offense. Come to think of it it was neither his second third or fourth time either. So he is currently residing in the care of The State of Texas Penal Housing Authority. No, I told you I am not talking about my first wife. My brother in law Markie Mark, was not too sure he could handle the note on the house, so renting it out was his plan. The idea sounded very good and both the Mrs The Third and I jumped at the idea. Later he modified his offer and informed us that he would remain in the house and that we could split the bills. My brother in law is a good man and I personally never have had any problems with him. Yes, he tends to be manic at times and he talks less than Calvin Coolidge did. He lives by the same credo that most of his siblings do. "The world is on a need to know basis". Or, "If I wanted you to know I would have told you."You only learn of something if he decides to tell you or you ask it of him and he decides to answer. His significant other left him and that alone could make you be in a bad mood. Add the fact that he was broke and then had a small heart attack, and you could see how living in the same house with him can mess your buzz.We lived in a three bedroom house and spent a predominant amount of our time sequestered in a 14' X 12' master bedroom.We have split the monthly bills, (electric, water, sewer, garbage,rent,) He has paid to have the lawn fertilized and mowed etc. I have mowed the grass a couple of times only. We have paid 100% of the cable and internet bill. This amounts to around $ 150.00 per month. I am sure he would have been happy to split that bill but we never asked him to. We also purchased 98% of all of the groceries consumed. But...I am in no way complaining about the financial arrangement. This past year has been good for both of us. Yes, we each had to sacrifice but it has worked. Recently, he has met a woman who has a lot of common interest as he does. For a man who does not talk that much, I can testify that he spent countless hours talking to her on the phone and recently he invited her to move into our abode. I mean .... it is his house. She seems nice enough and her two lap dogs are cute enough as well. The Mrs. The Third and I both felt it was time for us to move into our own place again. Let me say and I want to be clear about what I am about to say. I was ready to move to our own place about 30 minutes before I moved into my brother in laws house a year ago. I knew I would be completely miserable from the moment I moved in. Nothing against Markie Mark, I just want my own place. and......we finally found a place. It is not only ours but it is cool as hell. It is located very near to the historical district of Temple. I admit it is small but it has an amazing back yard with a huge covered patio. It even has a rose garden in a large back yard which surround by trees and a bamboo break. ( the bamboo provides privacy but bamboo can be a real pain in the ass. More on that later in this blog) It has a small wooden storage shed in the back of the yard and a concrete walkway leading to it. The front yard has a huge magnolia tree. The leaves will be a nuisance, but when it blooms it will be worthwhile. We can now get a dog. I want a dog and name him Uncle Bud. It has a one car garage with a garage door opener and now finally I have room to actually brew my own beer. (I predict I will name my first offering Estelle. ( I have decided to name my beers after people. Estelle was my mother's oldest sister.) There is a cat who hangs out on the back porch already. I learned from my next door neighbor, Wayne that the cat belonged to the person who used to live in this house. I am not a cat kinda guy. But I could never allow an animal to starve. The Mrs. The Third is allergic to cats and she wants the feline to simply go away. I put out a watering dish and purchased some dry cat food. The cat has eaten all I have put out thus far. I was going to name her Latifah but what's the use. Cats are strange and I find that I am too old to try to learn how to get along with them. I will simply refer the cat "the cat" and will continue to feed her until she leaves or dies.
I am making a real effort to accept that I am a real Central Texan. Now that I have a home of my own. Now that I am a responsible grandparent. Now I am ready to cast my vote and will actively campa
ign for someone for the governor of the great state of Texas. Who...why Kinky of course. "Why the Hell not!" Now you may think I am falling in the same trap that the people of Minnesota did when they elected a professional wrestler/B movie actor. My personal political philosophy is slightly inconsistent I guess. I first registered as a Democrat (back in 1970). 
The first presidential election found me casting my vote for George McGovern who lost by a huge landslide. I placed a placard for McGovern in our front yard. When my dear beloved Dad came home he went ballistic. He wanted to know if I was on dope. In Louisiana, I tended to vote Democratic since that was pretty much the only choice you had. Yes, Charlton Lyons ran for governor of the State of Louisiana as a Republican. He lost. I was not old enough to vote for him at the time but my vote would not have helped him. My cousin Mike (the one who went to Woodstock with me) ended up marrying Charlton's granddaughter. (Mirian) I have found that I have prospered better (personally and financially) when a Democratic was president. I find that people who serve us in elected office should first and foremost be "of the people". Andrew Jackson was probably the last US President to be "of the people. After his inauguration he opened the doors of the White House and invite everyone to "party". Of course what happened was that the place was "trashed".We, as a people, tend to fall into the trap of believing that certain families or people are destined to be our leaders. Family names such as Long, Kennedy and Bush come to mind. But I must admit I am at a point that I have seen that the way that things have been have not been that perfect. I could and would never run for political office. I admit I feel I would not be as bad as you may think. Yes, we can laugh at the people of Louisiana who elected not once but twice a country singer by the name of Jimmie Davis. We can joke about Minnesota electing a former Pro Wrestler and comic by who invented the
character of Stuart Smally. Hell we could laugh at California for electing a B movie Western Cowboy or the Govenator too. What about The State of Iowa electing a former Love Boat Star as one of it's representatives in congress.. The State of Tennessee for electing a former star of Law and Order. What about a former Texas Governor W Lee "Pappy Lee" O' Daniel. Those people did pretty good and to be honest I feel it would be refreshingWe have been in the house for about a week and I have already spent more time outside either just setting or working than I have in the three years in our apartment and the year at Markie Mark's. I spent the best part of this past weekend cutting down bamboo. My backyard looks like a war zone. But I discovered that the back yard had more space than I even thought. the bamboo was over ten feet thick from the back fence and had completely covered up several really cool trees. One is a hundred year old or more live oak. I am only about half of the way done. It will take two or more long trailer loads (to the dump) to dispose of the cut cane. The roses in the back yard are dried up and look pretty unruly, but with a little tending the rose garden will look wonderful. I will be placing a concrete statue of Mary in the middle of the garden. the back patio has already become a place for the Mrs The Third and I to set and talk each evening. It is quite pleasant. I feel after I have removed the excess bamboo and have trimmed the roses and watered the yard back to some shade of green rather than dirt colored, added a few bird & squirrel feeders and few more wind chimes, we will have a very nice little "private garden".
So....... fans, things are looking up here. I find I will be a lot more at peace and will be able to devote more time to the actual Brew Chronicles. I can now set on my back porch/patio and work on my future blogs and write to whom ever I need to get my shot at reality television stardom.
Until then I will begin to look diligently for a real job a little closer to home. the Power Load is pretty much petered out. But I am planning to work in Paso Robles, California near the end of this month. It is the home of Firestone Walker Brewery. They make great beer such as DBA or Double Barrel Ale. It rates high on my list.
Back to the cutting.....
The Third
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