1985-05 (May)

May 16th, 1985

Drove to Buster’s liquors got a case of Beefeater Gin and one bottle of Venmouth. Also visited Poplar Hollywood secondhand bookstore, but found nothing I really wanted. Back home, read Plutarch’s “Alcibiades,” an interesting study of a shifty leader, the deadliness of “charm.” After lunch, went over to France shop and picked up (for $26.94) the board-mounted profile map of Paris. Made airline reservation on Delta for New York: mon. 27TH, 8:50 AM., ar. NY 11:55. Return Wed. 29th, 5:35 pm., ar. Mem. 7:11. Cost $450; but no matter, 20th Century pays for it.

Before sundown we drove down to Tom Lee Park, where the barbeque contestants are setting up their cookers. Ate ribs cooked by the Pork-I team including Lila Saunders and Billy Reed. I walked around for a look at all the setups; I’ll be judging the contest Saturday- my fifth year at it. Weather blustery and much cooler.

May 17th, 1985

Haircut. Also went by Stewart’s and picked up some screws and washers for fastening the mounted Paris map upstairs over the couch in Huger’s sitting room. Came home and did it, though with difficulty because the drill wouldn’t make small holes for the inch-long screws. Finally got it, though, and it looks just fine.

Weather still cool.

May 18th, 1985

Barbeque Contest, my fifth or sixth year as a judge. Enjoyed it, as I always do. Got there by 9:30; home by 4- filled to the gills with delicious smoked pork. My “category” as always was “whole hog,” but this time I was an inside judge, meaning I ate in the headquarters tent, meaning I had the barbeque brought to me, instead of going out to sample the cooking at the various booths.

My cold hangs on,-not serious, but bothersome. It gets worse as the day progresses, I start to thinking I’m over it; then after a while my head starts feeling stopped up and heavy. Alas.

May 19th, 1985

Out to Lucy Fisher’s for poolside hamburger; took Tunkie with me. Mary Ann gone and her two daughters were there, and she is suffering from a cold (awfully) similar to mine. Home by 4, feeling average bad. TV in evening. Terrible movie, “Tank.”

May 20th, 1985

Library; purchased various egghead magazines, but found little of interest except a couple of pieces on George Garret, his two historical works and the short biography of James? Jones.

Walker called with news that he and Ruth have themselves a new dog, a welsh corgi. I looked it up in the dictionary and sent him the following message on a postcard. “I found the definition rather startling. It’s derived from two welsh words: cor, meaning “dwarf,” and FI, meaning “dog.” So it turns out you’ve got yourself a dwarf dog. Goodness. All best anyhow- Shelby.” He told me too, there’s an all right article on my Civil War in the current Southern Review; he’ll mail me a copy.

Walked two miles; played early Beethoven string trio, op. 3. Steak for dinner – a rarity.