Prayer

Hello,

 

I would like to say a prayer for the Romanian man who picked me up in his SUV going northbound on I-5 from Red Bluff to somewhere near Weed during my trip to Northern California these past 2 months.

 

Luke 19 

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

After the man dropped me off at a gas station which was outside one of the small towns along I-5 near Weed, he gave me $20.  I told him I would pray for him the next time I read the Bible.

You are the salt of the earth

Thank you for your gift

I hope you will find the house of the Lord

And dwell in it forever

Amen

Peace to whomever would like to say a prayer for this gentleman also,

Frank

San Jose February 15, 2011

Dear xxx,

 

I am back in San Jose.  I owe xxx, the owner, $366 in back rent.  We are working out an payment plan, but now she is letting me stay there until I get caught up.

 

You don't need to bother calling me to assure me you are my sister.  They can scour the U. S. and Canada to find a woman with a nearly identical voice print as yours, and she could learn facts about our lives to convince me you really are my sister.

 

I sure could use some money.  I will pay you back when I am able.  Remember, it's better to give than to receive.  But only contribute if you can afford it.

 

You can send a check by mail, or if by Western Union, send me an email to give me the necessary info.  I have California ID.

 

I know you keep very busy raising your family, so I don't really expect you to help support me, given my history of homelessness for so many years.  It's a good thing I stayed in the Southwestern United States.  I never got so cold anywhere that I didn't get enough sleep, even in Colorado.  I always seemed to have warm clothing, etc.

 

Don't recommend a life on the road to anyone.  I do not want to maintain a journal (blog) on the internet because I do not want to endorse this lifestyle to anyone, unless they are looking for adventure and willing to take chances, chances which might cost them their lives.  The cities and highways are getting much more dangerous in this country, e.g. serial killers, gangs, etc.  If you wind up somewhere broke, it's a miracle if someone helps you.  You might be forced to hop a freight train to get somewhere, and that could be a deadly mistake.

 

I don't want to paint a really gruesome picture.  I always knew what I was doing, and I was lucky.  I'm not going to give away my secrets, though.  But I always was able to get enough money panhandling, food at soup kitchens, etc., but there were some very, very close calls.

 

That's why I'm not glamorizing the on-the-road lifestyle.

 

Take care,

 

Frank

Another on Feb 9, 2011

Dear xxxx,

 

Can you give me your phone number so I can give you a call sometime?  I have a phone card with enough time on it.  I also do not have your street address.

 

I was just thinking about that head-on collision you had with that tractor trailer in the Kern Valley.  It's a good thing you're okay.  Did you get cited for that?  I remember when that school teacher hit us head-on when we were all going to play tennis in La Sierra.  I don't remember if you were in the car.  Cathy was driving.  When I got out of the car after the crash (I thought it was going to blow up), I saw a gallon jug of wine, partially full, between the lady's legs on the front seat.  She was obviously drunk, but got off scot-free.  The highways are definitely not safe.  What a convenient way to kill someone or commit suicide.

 

Dad said, when he had to investigate a motorcycle accident, that you had to scrape up the flesh of the victim from the pavement with a shovel.  I hope you are driving a good, solid vehicle (that isn't a bitch for rolling over, like those late model Ford SUV's.)

 

I shouldn't bring all this up to you, since you're now Mom and apple pie.  But wait until your kids are in high school, and be sure they know the dangers of the road.

 

That $20 you said you put in my account was not credited.  Don't worry about it.  I should have enough to eat, even though I sleep on the streets.  I've been stabbed once, nearly beaten up 4 times (once in Mexico), and then there was the time a semi went out of his way to run me over from behind, when I was walking on the opposite side of the street.  His truck mirror almost decapitated me, had it not been for a few inches.

 

The police no longer ask you if you are okay.  They say, "Are you lost?"

 

Be sure you send me that info, please.

 

I'll be waiting for it.

 

Scratch that.  I am sure you really are my sister who I am corresponding with.

 

Yours truly,

 

Frank

 

P. S.  T, baby, tell you what I'm goin' to do.  I am going to ask you to trust in God.

Yreka Feb 9

Are you hi,

 

I have paid Social Security back every penny I ever owed them.  Therefore, I must be sane.  I have the opportunity to realize the American dream and go back to work.  I am no longer a fool who just wants something to eat.  Forget about WWIII.  I am looking for a wife to share my life with and raise a family.

 

I must have taken a wrong turn in Albuquerque, and I'll see you in St. Louie.

 

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.  Can I use the bathroom

Sorry for the fragmentation.  The Thought Police are virulent.

Back at ya,

Frank

From Yreka, CA

There is a peculiar mountain formation just north of Shasta City.  It looks like Alice, my former girlfriend, and me lying side by side.  Alice is the mountain, with her curvaceous features, and I am the ridge, smoking a cigarette (I think it's a telephone pole in the middle of the ridge).

 

A relationship meant to be, but only in spirit.  That's okay.  Man can still not put that asunder.

I need Money

Dear Family Members,

I am now living in Yreka, CA, some 3 score miles north of Red Bluff on Interstate 5.  They do not have a homeless shelter here, at least I couldn't find it.  It seems people in small towns kind of freak when you ask them directions, kind of like the proverbial Vermont farmer saying to the wayfarer asking directions, "You can't get there from here."

But I have found a suitable, but cold, place to sleep during the day.  There are chairs in the lobby of the jail, although it is not heated.  I asked a man who looked important, and he said they leave the lobby open at night.  I am not sure if this is veritable information.  But it does get very cold here at night because we are very high up in the mountains.  An unusual warm spell has kept me reasonably comfortable so far, but who knows how long it's going to last.

There are several locations scattered around town where you can get a meal, each one a different day of the week.  I just got back from the Greenhorn Grange.  The had soup and cheese-covered garlic bread.  I also got two small loaves of donated bread, the kind in the paper sack; but the bread went fast.  It's only one meal a day, but I can satisfy my appetite with the bread.

Here is why I am writing all of you now.  I have never asked any of you for money, but I would like to rent a cheap hotel room for a week until I get paid on the 3rd of next month.  Could any of you please help me?  I don't have a place to shower, but there is a bathroom in the jail lobby where I can take a bird bath.  It's a small town and people are talking.  I have no way of getting out of here, unless I illegally walk on the Interstate and risk getting another $278 fine.  I hitchhiked up here and tried again this morning but no luck.  The nearest town north in Oregon is about 200 miles away.

If any of you could possible send me anything you can via Western Union, I do have CA ID.  Just send it to Yreka, CA and I can pick it up at any check cashing place or other outlet.  I will pay you back when I am able.

Thank you,

Frank

P. S.  Write me by email to tell me that you have sent the money (if you can.)  Thanks.

Jan 21 Message

Everyone,

How are you?  I am fine.  As soon as I have enough money


saved by living in the church shelter in Red Bluff, CA, I am


moving to Portland, OR, a favorite city of mine.

Best wishes,

Frank