1. I started using multiple programs to post to the blog.  Not only can I post directly from WordPress, but I can also post from the Blogwriter app on my phone, Windows Live Writer on my laptop and the upstairs computer, from some add-on the other half found for Firefox, and I can now use Microsoft Word to turn documents into blog posts.
2. I have started a third story, one of which will not last much longer.  This time, when I say short story, that’s exactly what it will be.  I have two other things I want to complete before thinking of another.  I shouldn’t have started this one, but I will finish it on the blog instead of leaving it hanging.
3. I have started a more sincere attempt to keep this blog updated in a timely manner.  I know now what it takes to do multiple posts in a week and sometimes in a day.  It’s not like this is a news blog where I want to help keep the gay community up-to-date on activities, but it is something I would like to stay dedicated to for a long time.

I have been thinking about a lot during this month.  I have realized that some things may not be going in the direction I originally planned.  It’s sad that it hasn’t been what I wanted it to be, but times have not been the best…especially since August.  There have been so many other things I’ve wanted to do and I probably could have.  Sometimes, my brain and my free time do not work together to accomplish goals that my brain likes to hide from me.  I have wanted to go hiking and I probably have had the time to do it.  It takes more than time…money.  I am by far not the most wealthy person and the money we have already has a place to go before we get it.

Who knows what might happen within the next few months.  I am trying to keep my mind open and my spirits high. 

Until later…..NaPodPoMo and NaBlogPoMo are through.  Amen!

“Have you still not heard from Carol and Mary?  They’ve been at the site all day.  I can’t honestly believe that it would take that long to find out what this thing is.”  Carl was beginning to get irritated.  He wanted to know things now.   He had no time to wait for information.  There were more important things to investigate than something making women sexually agitated.

The man on the phone, sounding calm, said “I haven’t heard anything yet.  I realize it has been a few hours since they arrived there, but I have all confidence in their abilities.  They will get back with us as soon as possible.”

“Well, to me, that isn’t quick enough.  I’m headed up there.  This time, someone will get there in time.”  Carl pull out his cell and dialed.  “Frank, I need you for a little while. Are you busy?…Yeah, I’ll need a chopper….I’ll meet you at the field.”  Carl closed his phone and stood.  He grabbed stack of papers from the table and walked toward the door.

“What makes you think you’ll find anything more than others who’ve been there?”, the man on the phone asked.

“Since I’ll be in the air, I’m sure I’ll find out more than anyone else.  Seems no one has been smart enough to do that before now.  I’ll call when I get there.”

Carl walked out the door and to his truck.  He turned on his radio as he sped down the highway.  The announcer on the local station mentioned the large gathering of women in the local clearing.  He was taking phone calls from listeners.

“Yes, you’re our next caller.”

“My name is Wayne and I am concerned about this thing.  I wanna know what it is and nobody is saying anything except that it’s unknown.  That’s not answering my question or the questions my friends have.  All of our wives and daughters are headed up there today.  We’re in the right mind to go there ourselves and see what the hell it is.”

The announcer broke in.  “I hear ya, Wayne.  There are many out there who want to know what’s going on there.  I just want to know so I can stop talking about something I don’t know anything about.  I can’t tell you to do anything and it’s my place in broadcasting in this area to tell you to leave it up to those who can handle these situations.  But if you do something, call and tell me.

“You got it man.  And I’ll say if anyone wants to go with me, they need to meet up in the parking lot of Harper’s Store in town.”

Damn idiots, Carl thought.  Everyone wants to be the police when something happens around this place.  There’s no telling what can happen if a bunch of men barge into that clearing where all those women are.  And if it’s true, all those men might find themselves in a bit of a sticky situation.  Carl chuckled as he turned onto the gravel drive leading to the shed where Frank kept his helicopter.

Frank was waiting inside when Carl opened the door.  They grabbed their goggles and head sets and walked out the back door to the landing pad.  He walked around the aircraft and opened the passenger door.  “I hope we can get a clear site of this thing you’re interested in.  I’ll be glad when all this mess is over.  I have had more women trying to seduce me in the past week than my entire life.  Most women understand that it wouldn’t get them anywhere.  This thing is turning women stupid”, Frank said.

“I’m the one who taking a chance at getting attacked by going up there.  I hope the only people this thing affects is women.  I’d hate to know you might lose control and seduce me!”  Carl saw the look of shock come across Frank’s face before he ducked to avoid being hit by Frank’s flying goggles.

“Oh yes, I would love to see what I could do to my own brother-in-law.  Maybe then I could see what there is about your body my sister seemed to like enough to marry you.  Now get your ass in the helicopter.”  Frank stepped into the helicopter and put on his head set and motioned for Carl to do the same.  They closed the doors and Frank, after switching on multiple buttons, lifted off.  It wouldn’t take long to get where they were heading.

….To be continued

Stand Your Ground
By Wes

Every day, we see people who get weak and downtrodden because of those who make fun of them and those that refuse to stop the badgering and the intolerance. It is very easy to say, “I can’t deal with this anymore. I can’t go on. I must stop and take another track in my life.” How are we supposed to become a respected society in this world if we keep backing down and accepting the views and opinions of others? Is our fate held in the hands of those who cannot seem to tolerate people of other beliefs and opinions? Are we that dependent on the whims of those who constantly abuse our rights and those who would rather we not even exist? For those who think the day we see equality will never arrive, they’re the ones who need to look deep inside and find their faith.

In a wonderful gift given to me by my Sunday school teacher, I read a passage that really hit me in a soft spot. If you have been keeping up with my articles, first of all, thanks! Second, you are pretty aware that I have quite a few soft spots. It states, “True faith and courage are like a kite – an opposing wind raises it higher.” The meaning of this is so clear and present. I can almost feel myself taking flight! Let’s think about this for just a second.

Let’s take, for instance, this big guy walks by and shouts “Fagot!” Well, that can do two things. First, with my temper, I would probably spin around and shout something very rude and degrading to him. The sensible thing to do is to walk on by and let him bask in his ignorance. He will get his later on! Second, it could totally get you depressed and make you start feeling sorry for yourself. Hopefully it will not lead to anything worse than depression. If thoughts of suicide do become an issue, please talk to a friend or call a hotline for help. Suicide is not the answer to any problem.

When you obtain true faith and courage, which will come sooner or later in your quest to total acceptance, you will be able to hear obscenities or comments and let them pass over without a second thought. That is the basic concept of this passage. Think of yourself as a tree in the large forest of the GLBT community. Let your roots be faith and courage. With these in place, you are sure to be a strong person and able to stand up for your beliefs. You will also be able to master depression. I had to learn this the hard way. I did not know what the power of faith could do. I had no reason to have any before. When I did sit down and discover faith, it made my life so much more bearable. I think with only a pillow and a chair to listen to me, I turned out pretty darn well!

I want to leave you with this verse from “Anywhere Is”, by Enya:

“I took the turn and turned to; begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer; I cannot find the finish
it’s either this or that way; it’s one way or the other
it should be one direction; it could be on reflection
the turn I have just taken; the turn that I was making
I might be just beginning; I might be near the end.”

When I decided to come out to my friends and family, I had a new beginning. I will forevermore be looking for answers to my life’s questions. There is no turning back to when I was not aware of my feelings. Forward is the only direction to travel and help others with their journey. I might be just beginning in the fight for equal rights, but we may be close to the end. Find your faith and courage and that will pave the way to your future.

“What is the matter with you, Mary?” asked Carol, holding onto the younger woman’s arm in an attempt to keep her standing upright.

“Cramps!  These cramps are kicking my ass.  I don’t get them like this on a normal cycle, and that was just last week.  I think I’m getting sick from something.”  With every pain, Mary’s face contorted, her eyes closing as she held her hands tightly against her lower abdomen.  She wondered if she was alone in this large crowd, but every now and then, a lady would pass her with a pained look on her face as well.  “I honestly don’t know what could be causing this.  I haven’t eaten anything today and dinner last night couldn’t be.”

“I think I may have some ibuprofen in my pocket.  I get headaches a lot and need them.  You’re welcome to one or two if you want them.”  Carol pulled a small tube from her pocket and tapped two pills into Mary’s open hand.  Mary popped them into her mouth and swallowed.  She couldn’t care less if she had water to wash them down.  Something had to change and quickly.

Within a few seconds, a hand touched Mary on the shoulder.  When she looked around, a blond lady, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, was standing behind her in what looked to be a group of college aged girls.  They all looked overly excited and carefree.  Mary looked at her with a concerned look as though she was a parent wondering what their child had done during spring break.

“You must be a newbie!  I know how you feel.  The first few times you come here, the pain can be unbearable. But by the time you get there, it’s not pain.  It changes and it changes you.  Your eyes open and so does your body.  Those drugs will be the farthest thing from your mind.”  The lady was instantly surrounded by the girls with her, all hugging in agreement and jubilation.

Carol and Mary looked at each other in total disbelief.  A newbie?  How many times had these women been here and what could possibly have lured them over and over?  Carol, as she always did, spoke up inquisitively.  “What exactly is this feeling you’ve all had?  Are you into pain or something?”

The women shook their heads in unison.  The blond took the lead and replied, “No, not at all.  You know the feeling you’re having.  You should have it every month.  That is, if you still HAVE that time every month like normal.  Or, in your case ma’am,” looking at Carol, “you may have already passed that time in your life.”

“I’m so glad you noticed.”  Carol rolled her eyes and looked at Mary.  “What are you making of this?  It’s your body.  You’re the one having the pains.”

Mary shook her head.  “I don’t really care what this thing is, but whatever it is, it has control over everyone here…except you.  You don’t seem to me to be affected in the least.  I have noticed that you are one of the oldest women walking around here.  The others near your age have looked like they were dressed for the night club.  I just couldn’t see myself dressing like….”

Mary’s sentence was cut short as she let out a scream, causing all the women around her too look in the direction she and Carol, along with the young women, were standing.  Mary’s knees gave way under her and she fell to the ground.  She lay there at Carol’s feet, shaking uncontrollably, while her mouth was held open in a look of shock.  Carol quickly knelt down beside her, asking her if she was OK and how could she help.  Mary could hear her but she was totally unable to speak.  Her brain was speaking but she had no control over her lips.  She looked toward Carol and held her hand out to touch her leg.  Her eyes were bloodshot and sweat was pouring from every pore on her body.

The blond lady, standing upright after checking on Mary from a distance, turned to the crowd with arms stretched out and screamed, “She had one! This lady had one!”  She looked back at Carol and said, “It likes her.  That doesn’t happen much here.”

There was a noise of wonder and cheer coming from all directions.  The sound of applause lasted for minutes and had started worrying Carol.  She held Mary’s hand and brushed some dirt and hair off her face.  The look of shock had turned into a look of wonderment mixed with a look of embarrassment.  “What in the hell was that?  Mary, have you gone bat-shit crazy on me?”

Mary tried to sit up a little and propped herself on her elbows.  She was now smiling and holding back laughter.  She looked at Carol and said, “I just had probably the most intense orgasm in my entire life!  This is unbelievable!  If this happens again, I won’t be able to walk much afterward”

…To be continued.

If you have been keeping up with the blog, you have probably seen, and hopefully read, the posts titled Miracle in the Woods…in parts, of course.   As I have said in the past, on here and on the podcast, I love to write.  I have two novels in progress.  Why are they in progress?  Because I have something that hits me like an old station wagon called writer’s block.  YES!  There’s a block!  It’s not a concrete block.  It’s not a Lego™ block either.  No, this is one of those invisible blocks that seems to be sitting in my mental path and I can’t get around it.  It’s a bit tall…I know this as I have tried to climb it!

*** bears standing by, looking serious and sexy, waiting to take me to the loony bin ***

Umm, I’m kinda scared now.  But, you may be asking, “Why, if you can’t finish TWO other works, why are you starting a third?”  Because, I am a writer.  There are stories floating around in my head and instead of losing the thoughts to time and age and regular brain deterioration, I am writing it down on here.  At the same time, I am placing it into a work that I do plan…I say “PLAN”…to finish. 

The scenes are playing like a movie in my brain as I write Miracle in the Woods and it looks amazing.  I can even hear the people talk.

*** handsome bears place cuffs around my wrists and throw me into a white truck.***

You silly bears, always looking after my well being!  But anyway, I can hear them talking and it makes perfect sense.  I can see two women walking down a trail with others, all trying to get to the same destination…a clearing in the woods with something mysterious awaiting them.  I can also see men sitting in a dark room and they’re talking about something important.  The hard part is trying to get that scene onto the screen of my computer and make sense in the process.  Another hard part is getting the maze of the story to, in the end, get the doggy to the bone.

*** bears open the truck door, remove the cuffs, and push me away ***

You bears used to be so much happier and lovable to me.  What happened? Is it because I left LiveJournal?  Oh well, I’ll live.

I hope you are reading and enjoying the blog.  I’ll try to explain more of what’s going on in the story later.  Like a director’s cut!  LMAO!

“Is this thing that was found made from rock, metal, or some kind of hard wood?”  A man sat up in his chair, propping his elbows on the desk while lacing his fingers together under his chin.

“We don’t know yet.  We’ve sent two agents to the site to get a closer look.  I’m hoping to have much more information by tomorrow.  I haven’t heard anything from them today.”  The voice was coming from a telephone sitting in the middle of the table.

The sound of exhaling filled the room and the tension in the room became thick.  Each man resituated himself in his chair.

The man asking the questions, Carl Bolen, moved a few sheets of paper, looking for a report he was given on his way into the meeting.  “Says here that tons of women have been flocking to the site in droves.  People have been reported from two states away.  What in the world could be causing people to drive that far, only to end up in the woods behind a gas station?  There aren’t any campgrounds near the location and clearly no forest because their ending up in a clearing.  Unless there just happens to be an all female Woodstock taking place, there shouldn’t be anything to it.”

“I feel exactly the same way,sir”, said the voice from the phone.  “We sent two of our best female agents.  Carol is an older lady in her fifties and takes charge of situations.  Mary is in her thirties and stands back in observation until something happens.  Then she’s like a bomb of energy.  I have all faith that they will get some answers to help us out.”

“Do we know anything at this time.  I would hope that whenever someone calls a meeting, at least a reason should be presented.  I feel I’ve taken time to come sit in a room and not learn a damn thing.”  Carl was getting restless.  There was nothing he could do since he couldn’t get any answers.  “I’ve got other business to take care of, so I’m going….”

“Don’t you think that it’s pretty crazy that only women are going to this place?  I mean, even women who are married are showing up there.  We’ve received calls from husbands who’ve come home to no wives, only to find out that their friends’ wives were gone too.”

Carl stood and placed his open palms on the table, accompanied by the rest of the men as they placed all their belongings into their bags.  “I’ll be more concerned about all this when I hear something more than a normal trip to the mall by a couple of women. Until then, you know how to contact me.”

As all the men walked toward the office door, the voice from the phone made a last attempt at keeping the men’s attention.  “Would it make any difference that all these women went back to their husbands and sexually attacked them?  Doesn’t sound like a trip to the mall to me.”

…To be continued.

The old man sat in a chair, leaning back on the south wall of the local quick mart.  It was a plain concrete block wall, not painted.  The owner felt it wasn’t necessary in such a remote area.  As the old man sat, dipping tobacco, he watched people as they walked by; some went to the fuel pumps, some went to the bathrooms around back, and some walked right passed the mart into the woods surrounding him.  Two women had approached him, seeming confused and wondering what was happening.  He figured they were there for the same reason as all the others he’d given directions.  The women were dressed differently than all the others, he noticed.  These women looked professional and even though they looked lost, they knew why they were there…just maybe not WHY they were there.  He sensed a feeling as if they had been forced to go appear against their will and better judgment.

“Thanks.  Has there been many to come here today?”, they asked.

“There are tons every day.  I don’t understand it, and quite frankly, I don’t want to.  I keep to myself and don’t worry about anybody else’s doings”, the old man replied, wiping sweat off his forehead.  The temperature in the area had risen a few degrees within the past couple days, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

“Is this the only approach trail or is there a way to get to it from another direction?”  One lady acted as the spokesperson as the other gazed around her at the other women who were walking passed them.  “This is a pretty steady flow of people.”

The old man, putting his chair back flat on the floor, stood and walked to the end of the building.  He could now see the line of women entering the woods, one after the other in single file.  “From the looks of it, one would think this is the only way in.  There’s a road not too far through them woods.  This trail has been here for years.  Used to, someone every now and then would walk down it.  I used to walk on it when I wanted to get some fresh air.  It goes back in there a ways.  It was nice until a little while back.  There was some disagreements in the town when the owner of the land decided to clear-cut the timber.  It messed up the scenery and it destroyed the trail.   No use for me to go back there anymore, but obviously there’s something these women want to see.”

“Well,” said the lady.  “That’s what we’re here for.  Our bosses have heard about this stream of women and they want to know what’s going on.  People have complained about an unusual amount of people coming into the area.  For this size place,” she said as she looked around, “you wouldn’t think people would be driving in from all around.  Not saying it isn’t a nice place, but just doesn’t seem to be the vacation destination to me.”  She gave a small smile that had no effect on the old man.

“If you need something else, just give me a hollar.  I’ll see what I can do.  There’s bathrooms around back and coffee inside.  Seems like those are the two most important things here the past few days.”  The old man turned, nodded his head, and walked inside.

The two ladies walked toward the trail head at the edge of the woods.  There wasn’t much talk in the crowd, but for some reason, there were a few women in tears with others consoling them.  They decided that the crowd was moving at a steady pace and they would probably avoid confrontation if they took their place at the end of the line.  Looking around, they noticed some women had looks of discomfort or pain in their faces.  When asked if everything was OK, the ladies only shook their heads and averted their eyes.

Ahead, in the distance, a clearing in the woods could be detected.  The daylight was visible through the trees as they walked further down the trail.  The trail had been going uphill for a short while before taking a downward slope and continued downward for the length of the trail in site.  Sounds of crying, laughter, and loud talking filled the woods ahead.  Whatever was in these woods and whatever their bosses wanted to know, the two women were completely unknowing.  Hopefully, within a few minutes, they would have answers.

With only a few yards left before the clearing, one of the ladies, without warning, began to cry.  Not hysterical, but a steady stream of tears were rolling down her face.  Her coworker looked at her with bewilderment as she handed her a napkin.  They laughed a little bit at the idea and took a few more steps.  The temperature had increased as the day progressed, making the women hotter than the heat they were already feeling.  Shirts were beginning to disappear and there were even a few who were a bit bold and were walking bare-chested.  Thankfully, someone had brought along a box of tissues as more and more tears were being shed and everyone was drenched in sweat.

The woods opened and the smell of freshly cut trees and upturned roots filled the air.  Not a tree was standing for at least a half mile.  A wider road was entering the clearing from the opposite side.  The entire clearing was in a gulley or depression with a small creek, barely flowing, at the lowest point.  Whoever cleared this property, the two ladies shared, had no respect for environmental laws regarding clearing around streams or creeks.  That was the least of their concerns as when they reached the clearing, they were stunned to see just how many people had gathered.  A multitude of thousands of women were grouped together in what seemed an organized circle  around a midpoint.  Because of the crowd’s density, they could not see what had drawn everyone’s focus to that point.

“The trail leading to this place wasn’t so bad, but it’s going to take us forever to reach that point.  We’re in for the long haul”, said the spokesperson to her coworker.  “We might be here till tonight.”

…..to be continued

Today, The Gay Life of a Country Boy has spread its scope to include the Google+.  That’s right, friends!  You can click on the Google+ symbol on the webpage (http://thegaycountryboy.com) and it will allow you to add the page to your circle of friends.  Help me out by spreading the word to all your friends and lets get this page out there in the world.  I would love to see TGCB take off.  I know it can be a lot more than it is now.  George and I are definitely working on new things.  We’re bringing ideas to the table and hope that it proves positive as a way to gain readers and listeners to the podcast.

The age of social media is upon us and it has taken the world by storm.  I would have never thought of this idea 10+ years ago….maybe even 5 years ago, at least, not at the level it has achieved today.  Whether you’re on your computer or on your phone, social media is at your fingertips.  Facebook, Twitter, GetGlue, LinkedIn, Foursqaure, and many others are there to get the most beginning computer user hooked up and ready to go.

As an unpublished, unknown writer, I would love to see my work get out to the masses.  This blog and my LiveJournal page (look for nmybriefs) are really my ways of writing to the world, but I do have aspirations of writing more on a novel scale.  The only reason I haven’t gotten that far now is the big WRITER’S BLOCK!  It happens on here too…just not as heavy.  As George and I were discussing this past Sunday on the podcast, I have bouts with blocking even when I sit down with my laptop to blog.  You have an idea and then open the laptop to feel your brain let off steam…along with all my ideas.  No, it’s not the same kind of orgasmic feelings I get at other times and not even close to the feeling I get when I clean my ears.  Let’s not get started on that in this post.

If you would, go over to the website (if you are reading this on something else, like Google Reader) and read for a while. I love to write and you’ll definitely notice that.  Then, before you leave, if you make use of the Google+, click on the link at the top left and add me to your circle.  While in that vicinity of the page, click on the Twitter links for George and I and add us.  PLEASE do us a favor if you add us to Twitter, send us an email on here to let us know you have added us so that we know you aren’t a Twitter bot or spam.

I wanted to get him on the show to talk about his experiences with the unknown world.  Of course, I am one of the people who question this type of thing all the time.  It’s one of those gray areas in life that I don’t give much thought.  Who knows what lies out there for us never to see or understand.  I will let Ken attack that field of study!  LOL.

You can find Ken Summers at his website called SPOOKED!  Check out his stories and thoughts.  I am sure he would love to have you visit.

I hope you enjoy the interview.  If you do, let me know.  I would love to hear from you.  Also, click below where you can find a copy of Ken’s book.

The following was a post I placed on there for June 22, 2009 when I was thinking of the podcasting thing.  See if you can see how much I love bears!

Hi!

*** waving hands so people look back over here ***

I know that it has been a really long time. I have been here, there, but not everywhere. I live the vanilla life! Travis and I have been spending a lot more time together. I think it has been really great. He might disagree somewhat, but overall, I am not that annoying to him. I annoy him because he WON’T TALK! Yes!

*** bears descend from the clouds with fingers to lips….Shhhhhhhh! ***

OK bears, stop encouraging him! Where was I….

I am thinking about doing a podcast! YAY! I am trying to come up with a good base topic for it. I could do underwear, but that is my friend Tim’s job at www.underwearnewsbriefs.com (cheap hocking of his site..you’re welcome!) I am thinking GAY FROM THE COUNTRY! I mean, think about it. I don’t know another podcast or program made by a gay man about hiking, camping, fishing, and even sometimes hunting. Why not start something fresh and something that men like. Even some of them that like other men. I think it could work. Plus, I am opinionated as some of you well know. I could do this!

*** bears change quickly into camo briefs and hold up their rifles….POW! ***

You guys kill me! Ka-Ching!

Obviously, the podcast would not be all outdoor stuff. It would be reviews of movies I see, stuff going on in my life, and things from my past from the country. I would have some of my friends join me from time to time to add some other personalities to the mix.

*** bears take out hand mixers as they growl ***

I love you bears….but lift your beautiful hairy asses back into the clouds!
Later!