Some people have commented to me, privately by email, that they noticed that I had two guest blog posts from straight men in a row on this blog, owned and (mostly) written by a gay guy.

My point all along has been that I am really no different from anyone else, gay or straight. I am a man who cares for his partner, family, and community; works hard in a professional position and enjoys his work; likes to ride his Harley and regrets not having enough time to ride as much as he would like; wears leather garments that he has invested in over the years; and likes boots (and has a rather large collection.) Some guys collect stamps. I collect (and wear) boots.

I most sincerely appreciate the guest blog posts that I have received and posted on behalf of two men with whom I have communicated about boots, about motorcycling, about life, and about similar interests. I have also posted dozens of blog entries from my (straight) twin brother, as well as several guest posts from some other straight guys, here, here, here, and here. And not to leave anyone out, collaborated on a post with a gay man, here, and posted one from a gay cop, here. Just goes to show two things: 1) I look forward to receiving and posting guest blog features that relate to themes of this blog (boots, leather, gay/straight relationships, motorcycling, caring for others). Also 2) gay guys and straight guys aren’t that different — the only major difference is the sex of the partner we have. No.big.deal.

If you haven’t read the comments on these recent blog posts, you should. The comments commend this blog for not going into the gutter with porn-type writing, images, and such. I keep this blog G-rated for a reason. It is a public blog. If you want that kind of stuff, you know where to find it. The internet is full of it.

What my partner and I do behind closed doors is our business — sorta like what my siblings do with their opposite-sex spouses is their business, respectively. We are adults in monogamous relationships. That’s it; ‘nuf said.

We all can get along just fine in this world where we have common ground. We really aren’t all that different, but it IS the differences that we each have that makes life interesting. Gosh, life would be awfully boring if we were all the same.

Life is short: enjoy solid relationships with good people. Sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with it.

While this blog has been “on pause” for a couple days, I am happy to report that I have received not one, not two, but three guest blog posts, and two questions that are appropriate for blogging about.  One guest blog post is cowboy-boot related, another is from a motorcycle police officer, and another is from my twin brother, who contributes here frequently.  These posts will appear over the next week.

I sincerely appreciate that my appeal for ideas worked. I am always open to suggestions for things to write about, questions to answer, or guest blog posts from others who have something to day about wearing boots, leather, or other issues that I deal with on this blog from time to time. It’s great when people contribute and help out.

If you have any questions, blog suggestions, or wish to contribute a guest blog post, write to me using this form or send me an email if you have it. (I do not publish my email address because nefarious spambots find it and then go crazy.)

Life is short: appreciate contributions!

Pardon the pause… I am plumb out of ideas for what to write about.  I haven’t had much time for it. That darn thing called “work” gets in the way (LOL!), as well as some emergencies at home.  (Don’t worry, my partner and I are well… just having to deal with the challenges that home ownership presents from time to time.)

Come back again… or give me some hints of something you would find interesting to read about on this blog. Thanks, have a nice day!

Quickly enough, I have reached the 1,100 milestone for blog posts. Interestingly, five of my previous posts continue to rank highest in overall views. The data hasn’t changed much since I posted about that before.

Number One: Bulges and Breeches. Often people use a search engine to look for images from Tom of Finland, and end up here.

Number Two: Where Do You Find Masculine Gay Guys? Searching for masculine gay men is a common occurrence, and this blog post is most frequently found. It does not provide all of the answers, but addresses issues about masculine gay men that some people may not have thought about.

Number Three: How To Tell If You Have Vintage Frye Boots. There are a lot of searches for information about those classic and nostalgic boots.

Number Four: Cowboy Boots and Jeans. I am convinced: there is an obsession among many people about how to wear cowboy boots with jeans. Lots and lots of people use search engines to inquire whether someone should or should not wear jeans tucked into cowboy boots, as well as what “stacked jeans” means and what kind of jeans to get.

Number Five: Best Motorcycle Boots. Again, it is my opinion that Chippewa Firefighter Boots serve superbly as motorcycle boots, and fit the current custom and style of today’s biker.

It has been fun blogging, and I’ll keep at it. I notice what others look for, but my life is complex and fulfilling, so I blog about a lot of different things — not just leather or gay life or cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. As I was telling someone via email recently, “I have a life.” Yes, I do, and it is reflected, in part, on this blog.

Thank you, my loyal blog readers, for visiting. Come back soon!

Life is short: keep blogging!

Well, friends, as I predicted … my job has picked up in intensity. I find myself working 12-hour and longer days.  That’s fine, I enjoy being busy.  I also have a lot of business travel to do, including a trip that begins today.

That is provided I can get out.  I’ve so annoyed a biker buddy who lives up north that he conjured a Witch Doctor to make it snow, and according to weather forecasts at the time I am writing this post, he has succeeded.  My flight today may or may not depart on time… we will see.  However, being the preparedness guy that I am, I have loaded lots of music into an iPod that I got as a gift recently, and have plenty of books to read.

Because I have been so busy with work, I have less free time.  My free time is committed to caring for my partner, family, and legion of senior pals, and then doing community volunteer work and civic activism.  I also make a big effort to continue my walking routine for health, exercise, and weight management.  I am walking for at least an hour each day.  After all these things, if any time is left, then I compose blog posts. There just isn’t time right now for blogging, as much as I would like.

Further, I have run out of ideas to write blog posts about.  My home life is fine, my work life is busy, my community life still goes on.  But there is nothing of any consequence to write about.  Rather than fill space, I’ll just take a “break for busy.”  However, I am always open to ideas to blog about, so if you have any, let me know.

Thank you for your continual readership. If I get internet access where I am going, I will blog again with some photos and stories, perhaps.

Life is short:  enjoy “busy!”

Every now and then, I check out other blogs and when I see something I like, I may make it happen on this blog.

I really like MC’s blog (motorcopblog.com) for its design as well as some interesting and witty posts from a cop’s perspective.  His friend, “Happy Medic”, is a whiz with geek-blog-stuff, and has helped MC create some interesting features on his blog.  That, in turn, has influenced my blog.

One feature that MC uses on his blog, Wibiya, which creates a bar on the bottom of his blog that enables connections with other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, was something that I tried for a couple months.  However, I found that it was “blogging the blog” — that is, making it work slower.  I also got a complaint from a loyal reader that when he tried to view a post or two of mine, that it caused pop-ups for Facebook and eventually caused his computer to crash.

Wibiya was not bringing more visitors to my blog, but perhaps was making it more difficult for some visitors to view it, so I took that off.

Blogging is an ongoing thing, experimenting with features and functions that work — or in some cases, do not work as I had hoped. 

Enjoy the slight redesign that you see — with a new feature, “slideshow.”  You’ll see that on MC’s blog, too — and his slideshow includes an image of me with a motor officer friend of mine who serves the county where I live.

Life is short:  happy blogging!

Just an update … this blog will be posting a post-a-day from posts that I have previously written for about a week.

The aunt for whom I regularly care was hospitalized on Monday night, and is gravely ill in a guarded condition.  I am focusing on “my calling” to ensure she receives all the care required.  

No more original content for a while until she’s stable and I have time to think.

Keep her in your prayers.  “BHD’s Aunt” will do just fine.  God knows… 🙂

Life is short: show those you love that you love them.

PS:  I say that all the time, but I mean it!  Pay a visit, give a call — show those you love that you love them.  You never know what may happen, so live each day to its fullest and have no regrets.

Well, believe it or not, this post is number 1,000 for this blog.  Who woulda thunk, that when I started writing about boots, leather, my home life, gay issues, motorcycling, community service and activism, and so forth, that I would reach this milestone.

Blogging has been a good way for me to let off some steam and to express myself.  I love to write (obviously… :-))

I am trying not to let blogging become a drudge, sort of one of those “gotta do’s” instead of “want-to-do’s.”  And now as I am really getting busy with my new job, including work-related travel, I know I will not be able to keep up the frequency of a post-a-day.  I will be tapering down and posting less often, but I will write when I have something to say.

Throughout the almost three years I have been blogging, this blog format has changed significantly three times with its design and layout.  Part of that has been that my blog host, Blogger, urges those changes.  But also because some new formatting techniques became available.  Also, I received feedback from some readers about things that they liked about a format, or that they didn’t like and suggested a change.  As of now, the format is stable.

The content has remained fairly consistent.  I have a wide scope of interests and activities, and they show on this blog.  I try to keep this blog focused on my avocations of boots, leather, and motorcycling.  But now and again, I continue to express concerns or commentary about LGBT issues.  I also show my heart as I love my partner so much, and cherish my relationships with my senior pals.  However, I remain true to a promise not to write about politics or religion, as everyone is so divided on these topics, and there are other places on the web for people to express political and religious views.

Thank you, my loyal readers, for continuing to hang in there with me. I appreciate it!

Life is short:  keep blogging!