Keith Mosier and Rudi Bertrand

[00:01] KEITH MOSIER: All right. Hi, this is Keith Mosier I am 64 years old. This is October 11, 2023. We are in St. Louis, Missouri. I am interviewing or having conversation with Rudy Bertrand today. And we are longtime friends and colleagues at food outreach.

[00:20] RUDI BERTRAND: And I am Rudy Bertrand. I am also 64. It is October 11, 2023. We are in St. Louis, Missouri. My interview partner is Keith Mosier As he said, we are longtime friends and colleagues at food outreach. Wonderfully.

[00:35] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, so there. And you've answered one of my questions right now. This is something I have always wondered, because I've heard it both ways. Your last name, Bertrand or Bertrand?

[00:46] RUDI BERTRAND: Bertrand.

[00:47] KEITH MOSIER: Bertrand.

[00:47] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[00:48] KEITH MOSIER: Second syllable.

[00:49] RUDI BERTRAND: 1St.

[00:49] KEITH MOSIER: 1St Bertrand. Okay. I always wondered. Cause I've heard it both ways.

[00:54] RUDI BERTRAND: I respond to either. It's okay.

[00:56] KEITH MOSIER: That's good. That's good.

[00:57] RUDI BERTRAND: I respond to anything, actually.

[01:00] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I kind of do, too. I kind of do, too. So to kind of like to start off with a little bit of the connection with food outreach. How did you come to food outreach originally?

[01:12] RUDI BERTRAND: Good question. I was working at Barnes, and I transferred out to Missouri Baptist, and the lifestyle was just a little different pace. And it was time in my life that I needed to give back to the community. And I talked to a social worker at the hospital, and she suggested a couple organizations, and food outreach was one of them. And I went to the orientation and went, oh, bow fit, total fit. I knew from that moment on. So I have the same question for you, because I really don't know where you came from before food outreach. I don't have that history in my head. Who you are and who you were.

[01:50] KEITH MOSIER: And why you chose food industry, it's a great mystery. No, no, I was. I had done previous to food outreach. I had done just some, you know, paycheck type jobs. I was immediately with schnucks grocery stores before food outreach, and I was volunteering with the AIDS foundation of St. Louis. Do you remember them? They used to do the walk. They used to sponsor the AIDS walk when we still had one in St. Louis. And I was volunteering with them because I was just wanting to start getting into giving back, and I wanted to do something with the AIDS community in St. Louis. And so I started volunteering with them. And at one point, the executive director of the AIDS foundation said, there's an opening at food Outreach. Get over there now. And I was like, go run like the wind. Okay. And I went over interviewed for the administrative assistance job to the executive director, and that time was Mark Utterback and didn't get the job, and I didn't know that. No. Did not get the job the first time around. Then the person that they hired turned out to not work out, and they called me back.

[03:06] RUDI BERTRAND: Excellent.

[03:07] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. So it's kind of meant to be. So that's how I got to food outreach. And I've been there for 28 years now. So in July, it was 28 years that 1995.

[03:21] RUDI BERTRAND: Paul was volunteering before I did, and I started volunteering shortly before you came on. That means I've been involved with the organization 28 years. And, man, time flies.

[03:33] KEITH MOSIER: Yes, it does.

[03:35] RUDI BERTRAND: It's been a great relationship. I mean, I've gotten a lot of. From food outreach, they. Great amount of friends. I met Paul there. I mean, the love of my life.

[03:44] KEITH MOSIER: So that's such a neat story.

[03:46] RUDI BERTRAND: How can that not be good?

[03:49] KEITH MOSIER: That is so great. I didn't realize that you guys had actually met there.

[03:52] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, we were slopping food across the table from one another.

[03:55] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my goodness.

[03:56] RUDI BERTRAND: And then I invited him to go to breakfast with. With the small group that had been doing breakfast, and he said yes. And there you have it.

[04:03] KEITH MOSIER: All right. And one thing led to another.

[04:05] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, that's how.

[04:06] KEITH MOSIER: Yes. That's wonderful.

[04:13] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, that's wonderful. So, I mean, a circle of my friends are food outreach related.

[04:18] KEITH MOSIER: Well, that's. Me too. Me too. That's where my greatest friends are from, this food outreach. So it's been a great experience.

[04:26] RUDI BERTRAND: And I had lots of hats for the organization as well. I volunteered for a tasteful affair. I've done that number of years. Um.

[04:37] KEITH MOSIER: You're on the board.

[04:38] RUDI BERTRAND: I was on the board, yeah. Forgot about that.

[04:40] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. I'm sorry.

[04:42] RUDI BERTRAND: Was that in your stint? Yeah.

[04:44] KEITH MOSIER: Did I make you relive something? I'm sorry.

[04:46] RUDI BERTRAND: No, no, no. It was all good. It was all good. Um, yeah, so that was. That was kind of fun.

[04:50] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[04:51] RUDI BERTRAND: I very much enjoyed it. And now I'm happy in the donor roll. Yes. And we love Saturday mornings anymore.

[04:59] KEITH MOSIER: That's right. Mornings at all.

[05:01] RUDI BERTRAND: Mornings at all. Now that I'm retired.

[05:03] KEITH MOSIER: That's right. I.

[05:05] RUDI BERTRAND: That's very good.

[05:06] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my gosh.

[05:07] RUDI BERTRAND: That's cool.

[05:08] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. So. So, um. What was I gonna say? I had something and now it's gone.

[05:14] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, I lived that life. Oh, yeah.

[05:19] KEITH MOSIER: Squirrel, squirrel, squirrel. Oh, my God. But, yeah. And also. And what was your. What were you doing? And like, are you from St. Louis?

[05:30] RUDI BERTRAND: No, I'm from South Louisiana. I'm a little Cajun boy, I kind.

[05:33] KEITH MOSIER: Of thought I remember you being. That's right. Atta boy. So how'd you get here?

[05:41] RUDI BERTRAND: I transferred to schools. I was going to school in the northern part of the state of Louisiana, and I was in the medical field and then decided, whew, let's go be a dancer. So.

[05:53] KEITH MOSIER: Cause as you would.

[05:55] RUDI BERTRAND: That's a natural transition in life. Right. I. So I was looking for a fine arts. Excuse me. A dance program in the fine arts department versus Pe, which most of them are in Pe.

[06:06] KEITH MOSIER: Okay.

[06:07] RUDI BERTRAND: And I was looking for a small school next to a big city, and SiU fit the bill. I happened to be doing the state play in Natchitoches, Louisiana, at the time, and the costumer was from Belleville.

[06:18] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my gosh.

[06:18] RUDI BERTRAND: Across the river. And she said, maybe you should check out SiU. And I did, and again, it was a good fit. And I came up here January 2, 1980.

[06:27] KEITH MOSIER: Wow.

[06:28] RUDI BERTRAND: And I knew I wasn't ready to go, you know, east to west coast, as a crazy little southerner, like, that's a little too big of a leap for me, but, yeah. So it was a good choice. And I met my first partner there and stuck around.

[06:43] KEITH MOSIER: All right.

[06:43] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[06:44] KEITH MOSIER: And then from there to St. Louis.

[06:46] RUDI BERTRAND: From there to St. Louis.

[06:47] KEITH MOSIER: All right.

[06:48] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, I went from there to Paul's house, but.

[06:50] KEITH MOSIER: Well, yeah. Which is in St. Louis, let's be clear. So, yeah, I know.

[06:55] RUDI BERTRAND: It's true. It's true.

[06:59] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my gosh.

[07:00] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[07:00] KEITH MOSIER: But, yeah, so, yeah, it's always been. It's been, yeah, I'm born and raised St. Louis.

[07:07] RUDI BERTRAND: Okay.

[07:08] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I've been here all my life.

[07:09] RUDI BERTRAND: All your life. How'd you meet Roger?

[07:11] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, wow.

[07:12] RUDI BERTRAND: I got another story.

[07:13] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. This is a good story. Roger is from. Was living in Peoria, Illinois, at the time, and he was coming down here every weekend because he lived in Peoria, and there was nothing. He'd be the first to agree with you. And there was nothing really in Peoria to do and all that, so he was coming down here on weekends, and I happened. It was a weekend evening. It was a Friday evening, and I was. I can't remember the name of the bar now, but it's gone now. It was over in the Tower Grove area.

[07:49] RUDI BERTRAND: So many have.

[07:49] KEITH MOSIER: I know so many have come and gone. And I. And I heard they had a nice patio, and it was a nice evening. It was in August, and. And it was not a bad evening. So, like, oh, I'll go over there. So I went over, and I was hanging out in the patio, and Roger was there, too, and he started circling like a vulture. Like a vulture. Kind of cute little vulture. But he was. And after about the fourth or fifth time around, I was like, I gotta talk to this guy or he's gonna like, you know, wear a path in the patio. So I went over and we were chatting and everything, and he's a little fella. He's, you know, like five foot two and I'm 6ft.

[08:27] RUDI BERTRAND: You're not.

[08:28] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, yeah, I'm 6ft. And so we were talking and this. The patio had one of those old vintage soda machines where it was like, you know, like, lift the lid, reach in. Yeah, one of those old types. And we were standing out there next to that and. And he said, boy, my neck is getting sore from looking up to talk to you. So I picked him up and set him on top of the chest. So I literally picked him up in a bar. And not many people can say that.

[08:58] RUDI BERTRAND: That is a good story.

[08:59] KEITH MOSIER: That's a good. That's our meet cute.

[09:01] RUDI BERTRAND: I like that.

[09:01] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. And. And then one thing led to another and he. He was, uh, maintaining an apartment in the central west end, so he would just have a place to come down on weekends.

[09:10] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, I didn't do that either.

[09:12] KEITH MOSIER: So we started, you know, so we started meeting on weekends, had dates and things like that. And it just. It just grew from there. And we. We kept it long distance for the entire.

[09:22] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, probably because of his career, right?

[09:25] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, partly because. Well, I had the house down here and. And he had a place up there and he was. Yeah, he was still working. He's a. He was a professor at Illinois Central College up there in Peoria, teaching animal science and economics.

[09:43] RUDI BERTRAND: I've forgotten that.

[09:43] KEITH MOSIER: I didn't know that.

[09:44] RUDI BERTRAND: I just forgot.

[09:45] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. So a lot of. A lot of future FFA members and four h ers and all that. And he was teaching farmers how to handle the economic part of their, you know, our future farmers, how they handle the economic part of that thing, which is a big chunk.

[09:59] RUDI BERTRAND: It's a huge chunk. It's a sink or swim.

[10:01] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[10:02] RUDI BERTRAND: Kind of chunk.

[10:03] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. So, yeah, so he was doing that and then he semi retired and. Well, he actually. He retired once from full time teaching, and then he went back on a part time basis to do academic advising and did that for, I think he said ten years, that he did academic advice before he finally completely retired. And then he. Then he moved down here. But I kept the house and he got an apartment in Kirkwood because we've been together for. We've been together for 30, you know, seven years now. So if it ain't broke, we're not gonna fix it. And we're old dogs are not gonna. You know.

[10:44] RUDI BERTRAND: I like my couch exactly.

[10:46] KEITH MOSIER: It's like. Yeah, but it works for you.

[10:48] RUDI BERTRAND: That's all it does.

[10:49] KEITH MOSIER: It works. It works great. So. And, you know, it's been great.

[10:53] RUDI BERTRAND: Does he have a drawer in your dresser at least?

[10:55] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, he's got. Yeah, he's got all sorts of stuff in the kit, in the chaos. That is my house. Yeah. So.

[11:04] RUDI BERTRAND: House chaos.

[11:05] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[11:06] RUDI BERTRAND: Going through that now, but as we talked outside.

[11:08] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, yeah.

[11:09] RUDI BERTRAND: It'll get. It'll work. It'll all work. I'll find the right living space.

[11:12] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, yeah.

[11:13] RUDI BERTRAND: I'm ready to downsize. You know, it's been a little over a year. The pulse gone now. Miss him, but ready to become the new me.

[11:21] KEITH MOSIER: That's right.

[11:21] RUDI BERTRAND: I get to create the new me.

[11:23] KEITH MOSIER: You do.

[11:23] RUDI BERTRAND: You know you do. I don't know who that is yet, but he's gonna be one heck of a fun guy.

[11:29] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. What I was gonna say, the old you isn't bad, so don't make too many big changes there.

[11:35] RUDI BERTRAND: No, no, I don't think I can. I do get to recolor some parts of my life and that'll be fun.

[11:41] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[11:41] RUDI BERTRAND: You know.

[11:42] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[11:42] RUDI BERTRAND: But I get to keep some of the other stuff, like, you know, we're keeping the Thanksgiving tradition while I still have the house. So there'll be eleven people staying with me.

[11:50] KEITH MOSIER: I was gonna say, you guys did it up big.

[11:52] RUDI BERTRAND: I mean, it's. Every nook in the house has got a sleeping person in it. That's okay. It's fun. I mean, they're a real game family. Like to play board games and card games and it's just a very fun weekend.

[12:06] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, that would be a blast.

[12:08] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. The one caveat is I told them, you know, I really don't cook, so that's. Someone has to come up with that part of this whole situation. His nephew's a chef. And he said, well, I do, but I'm not. I went, okay, well, you can direct. Yeah, you know, I can cut things, right?

[12:27] KEITH MOSIER: I can follow instructions. Yeah, I can do that.

[12:29] RUDI BERTRAND: I mean, I can follow a recipe. I'm just not good at preparation. And, you know, the good doctor was always so stickler.

[12:36] KEITH MOSIER: I was going to say a little.

[12:37] RUDI BERTRAND: Virgo that he was meticulous. He is. Note somewhere, I don't know where they are. I haven't found them yet of when to put the beans on, when to put the, you know, next item in. So it all timed out right.

[12:50] KEITH MOSIER: See, that's what I am terrible at.

[12:53] RUDI BERTRAND: He was very good at that. He was not good at making the, oh, we'll eat at 05:00 thing on, like, 06:00.

[12:59] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Even without the instructions. Yeah, that's why. That's why I like baking. Because baking, there's no time. You know, there's no time constraint. It's like when it comes out of the oven, it's done, you know?

[13:13] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, baking is science. Cooking is an art.

[13:15] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[13:15] RUDI BERTRAND: You know?

[13:16] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, that's it. Yeah, pretty much.

[13:18] RUDI BERTRAND: I mean, baking, you have to do the right ingredients and the right increments and arts. Not gonna turn out. Yeah.

[13:24] KEITH MOSIER: It's just gonna be bleh.

[13:27] RUDI BERTRAND: I was always the bartender. I know you're shocked.

[13:29] KEITH MOSIER: No. Yes, you come along.

[13:31] RUDI BERTRAND: Look at that. Look at that face.

[13:32] KEITH MOSIER: Teetotaler. God almighty.

[13:35] RUDI BERTRAND: So, you know, I made the drinks. I had the conversation. Paul really enjoyed cooking, so, you know, I let him.

[13:43] KEITH MOSIER: Exactly.

[13:43] RUDI BERTRAND: So we have this wonderful gourmet kitchen that we put in, you know, eight years ago because he liked to cook.

[13:49] KEITH MOSIER: He wanted it.

[13:50] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, he wanted it. And it's totally going away. Matter of fact, my refrigerator is an embarrassment of emptiness.

[13:58] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, is it? Oh, mine always is. Mine always is. I don't. I think I. I think I could really get into it, but if it's just me, it's silly. I mean, you know, why do I want to come home after work and, you know, slap something together that you can't really cook for one? So I'll have, like, you know, meals for a week and a half that I don't want the same meal every day for a week and a half. So I just don't do it.

[14:26] RUDI BERTRAND: Do you see my Facebook post?

[14:28] KEITH MOSIER: I don't do Facebook.

[14:29] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, then you didn't see it.

[14:30] KEITH MOSIER: I didn't see it.

[14:30] RUDI BERTRAND: So I posted this query one night, just kind of blasted it out there about, you know, would anyone entertain, you know, having a very small dinner party, and then everybody helped prepare the stuff. I think it'd be fun to cook with friends.

[14:45] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[14:45] RUDI BERTRAND: And I got some pretty good positive feedback, so maybe we should do that.

[14:48] KEITH MOSIER: Give it a shot. Yeah.

[14:50] RUDI BERTRAND: We both have kitchens.

[14:52] KEITH MOSIER: That's true.

[14:52] RUDI BERTRAND: We both can buy food.

[14:55] KEITH MOSIER: Well, we can't. I can.

[14:58] RUDI BERTRAND: If forced to, I can.

[15:02] KEITH MOSIER: Together a couple of things that aren't bad, so, yeah, I can do it.

[15:05] RUDI BERTRAND: My stepdaughter said when I told her, I really don't cook. You cook. You just have a limited menu. Well, that's probably a more fair statement.

[15:13] KEITH MOSIER: That's probably true. Yeah. Yeah. I haven't tried a lot.

[15:15] RUDI BERTRAND: Few dishes that I. That I do prepare. I'm happy when I do it.

[15:21] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I am too. I am too. It's just that. But I always stress myself out because of getting everything to the table when it needs to be. And it's all still hot and it's all, you know, as, you know, as opposed to, you know, the turkey came out hot, but now we have to wait 35 minutes for the, you know, the beans. Right. You know, all that. So. Yeah, that's.

[15:39] RUDI BERTRAND: That's what I have a problem with that stresses me. I also don't plan well, like 07:00 at night. Oh, I guess I should make something.

[15:45] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[15:45] RUDI BERTRAND: With the baron refrigerator, it's a little hard to do that.

[15:49] KEITH MOSIER: So then you're going out and getting something?

[15:51] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, well, no, I just go to a restaurant.

[15:53] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, that's what. I just gotta go someplace on the way home and grab something, you know? So when I retire, I might get into it more.

[16:00] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, you know, you have to fill that void of space somehow.

[16:04] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[16:05] RUDI BERTRAND: And new abilities is a good thing to do. Yeah, no, it's not a challenge. Trust me. You slide right into it.

[16:14] KEITH MOSIER: Roger did.

[16:15] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. I don't have any doubt at all. I mean, I miss what I did. I missed that functionality. I miss my colleagues, but I get an I. We still play together on occasion. That's kind of fun. Yeah. But I slid right into it. No problem at all. I was sleeping a lot at first. Well, I think it was. I was recouping from all the lack of sleep I was getting.

[16:39] KEITH MOSIER: I was gonna say, I've got a feeling that's probably not uncommon. I bet people just do because they can.

[16:45] RUDI BERTRAND: Right, right, right.

[16:46] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[16:46] RUDI BERTRAND: So I've always liked mornings, but I really haven't seen one in a while.

[16:54] KEITH MOSIER: Well, you surprised me. You said you liked mornings because now you don't do them anymore.

[16:59] RUDI BERTRAND: I like that time of day. I like being up myself at that time of day, but I'm just not doing it. I'm going to bed at a reasonable time. I just sleeping longer, I think, you know, it's an okay thing. Like I said, it's okay to not have something on your schedule that took me about three months to kind of. I would fit that.

[17:21] KEITH MOSIER: I would think so because. Yeah, you were busy boy.

[17:24] RUDI BERTRAND: I was a busy boy. Happily so, man. I accomplished a lot professionally and socially, and I happy to do that. And I've kind of backed off some of that. And that's okay?

[17:35] KEITH MOSIER: Mm hmm.

[17:35] RUDI BERTRAND: That's really okay.

[17:36] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, absolutely. Well, that's like, you know. Well, Roger slid into retirement very easily. He was. Yeah. His. His apartment in Kirkwood kind of overlooks the. The square.

[17:50] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, nice.

[17:51] KEITH MOSIER: In there in Kirkwood. And he can see the train station and all that. And one night I was over there because, you know, we're together every weekend, you know, and all that. And I was over at his place on a Friday evening, and he started, you know, the train pulled in or something, and he was like, oh, it's late today and all that. And I was like, you're kidding me, right? And he was like. And he. And he said, oh, no, it's usually supposed to be there at that time, and this one comes at that time. And I was like, you are so freaking retired. I'm like, you are killing me right now.

[18:26] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, that would be the good doctor. He would have had that kind of.

[18:29] KEITH MOSIER: You know, had them all time down. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[18:33] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, there's one less car. That train today. Really? Okay. That's important to you?

[18:38] KEITH MOSIER: Okay. Roger has done that before, too.

[18:41] RUDI BERTRAND: This is probably why we get along, so.

[18:42] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I. No, yeah, they. Yeah. He's like, oh, that one has three engines today. They must be. It must be a coal train, because that's heavier.

[18:52] RUDI BERTRAND: And I'm like, oh, God, I'm gonna read a book.

[18:56] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[18:57] RUDI BERTRAND: Which is something I really haven't done much since I've retired.

[19:00] KEITH MOSIER: Really?

[19:00] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. I was never really a huge reader. I mean, I enjoy reading, but Paul was the big reader, and I'm a big reader. I read when I travel, and I have been traveling, but I just. I bought books to read, but I just haven't opened them up yet. It's not like I don't have time. I think I'm spending a little too much time on social media, you know, swiping my finger up. And that is not a use of time.

[19:29] KEITH MOSIER: Dangerous.

[19:29] RUDI BERTRAND: My friends can suck some hours of your life away.

[19:34] KEITH MOSIER: I'm a Luddite, so I don't. I'm not on the other side.

[19:36] RUDI BERTRAND: Not a bad thing.

[19:37] KEITH MOSIER: No, I'm fine with it. I am perfectly fine with it, especially in this day and age and politically and all that. I desire to be involved in that.

[19:46] RUDI BERTRAND: I can't disagree with you. You know, I. Last year, I turned all the services off. No Netflix, no cable, nothing. I would like to get local news, but it's kind of nice to disconnect.

[20:01] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[20:02] RUDI BERTRAND: You know? And then when I get to the gym, I plug in, and it's like, ooh, that's what's happening in the world. Maybe I shouldn't be quite so disengaged.

[20:11] KEITH MOSIER: What's that fighter jet doing? Going over.

[20:13] RUDI BERTRAND: Maybe what's happening in the world makes me really sad.

[20:17] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Yeah. It's not a great time. No, not a great time.

[20:21] RUDI BERTRAND: On a lot of fronts.

[20:22] KEITH MOSIER: On a whole lot of fronts.

[20:26] RUDI BERTRAND: I am an optimist, and I know we'll get there. Just a matter of a win, and we all make it through.

[20:33] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Yeah. I'm hoping we can, because I think there's a. I think there's a very real possibility that this could be the end for the country and a lot of things if we're not really careful and things don't go the right way.

[20:50] RUDI BERTRAND: So we're on verge. That's for sure.

[20:52] KEITH MOSIER: We are. I think it's worse than. I think it definitely is worse than when? In 2016, that election. Because now things have. That whole mindset has gotten entrenched completely. And it's just.

[21:06] RUDI BERTRAND: I mean, the mindset was always there, right?

[21:08] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, yeah.

[21:08] RUDI BERTRAND: They're just now been given permission to be vocal.

[21:11] KEITH MOSIER: Right. And it's. Yeah, it's gotten very scary.

[21:15] RUDI BERTRAND: Mm hmm.

[21:16] KEITH MOSIER: Very, very scary. So fingers crossed that we come out of this well.

[21:22] RUDI BERTRAND: I hope so. I really think that we could be on the verge of, really, a third party.

[21:29] KEITH MOSIER: Mm hmm. Yeah.

[21:30] RUDI BERTRAND: You know, mindset of the middle, and that could be the strongest one out there. And that would be a good thing.

[21:36] KEITH MOSIER: That would not be a bad thing.

[21:37] RUDI BERTRAND: That would be a very good thing, in my opinion.

[21:40] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[21:40] RUDI BERTRAND: So, I mean, as crazy, radically liberal as I am and want all of those radically liberal things to happen in life, I understand that that's not the way it's gonna happen.

[21:51] KEITH MOSIER: Right. That it doesn't. It doesn't flick a switch, and you can't flick a switch and make it happen, so. Yeah.

[21:56] RUDI BERTRAND: Maybe we can wiggle our noses.

[21:58] KEITH MOSIER: I would like that. Samantha. Sammy. Hiya, Sammy. There are some people out there that.

[22:06] RUDI BERTRAND: Are not gonna get that reference.

[22:07] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, I know. She has no idea. But there. I just read a book, and this is something you should. You should get and read because we have the same frame of reference. Were you a tv person when you were growing up?

[22:22] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, yeah.

[22:22] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Me too. There's this book called hi, honey, I'm homo, written by, I believe his name is Matt Baume. And it is all. He analyzes all of the gay subtext in the old tv shows.

[22:40] RUDI BERTRAND: Tv shows. Oh, man.

[22:41] KEITH MOSIER: So he does bewitched, he does soap. He did all in the family.

[22:46] RUDI BERTRAND: I'm totally gonna read that.

[22:47] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, yeah. And it's it's just great. And he said, you know, back then, it had to be kind of coded.

[22:53] RUDI BERTRAND: Yes.

[22:53] KEITH MOSIER: Everybody knew Uncle Arthur was gay. Yeah. And, you know, all that sort of thing. And then how it progressed to modern family.

[23:02] RUDI BERTRAND: Right.

[23:02] KEITH MOSIER: So, yeah, it's a fascinating book and it's funny. It's just, you know, it's hilarious. And I remember every damn one of those episodes because I watched all of them.

[23:12] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, man. I knew all the theme songs.

[23:15] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, yeah.

[23:15] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, yeah. I knew exactly the time everything came in. And that was a tv book. But that's partly because at that point in my life, my mother had moved us out to the country.

[23:27] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, dear.

[23:29] RUDI BERTRAND: That was not a lie. Not a good match for me.

[23:31] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. What was that like?

[23:33] RUDI BERTRAND: Not pretty. I mean, there was.

[23:36] KEITH MOSIER: So when did you come out to yourself and to.

[23:39] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, technically I was in college, but I always like to say I came out in utero.

[23:49] KEITH MOSIER: And to no one's surprise. To no one's surprise. Yes.

[23:55] RUDI BERTRAND: Surprise.

[23:56] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Oh, I was a late bloomer. I was. I was like 21, 22 before I figured my crap out.

[24:01] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[24:02] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[24:02] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, I was. You were not far chased until I was 20 and a half. Something like that.

[24:11] KEITH MOSIER: C h a s t e or c h a s t.

[24:17] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, the. The latter would. Would indicate that the former would not.

[24:22] KEITH MOSIER: Well, that's true. That's true. Semantics.

[24:28] RUDI BERTRAND: I actually pulled it together. That was pretty good.

[24:30] KEITH MOSIER: I'm impressed. Yeah.

[24:34] RUDI BERTRAND: So, you know. Well, that's because a lot of my high school friends got out of high school and got pregnant and married right away.

[24:42] KEITH MOSIER: Well, that was.

[24:43] RUDI BERTRAND: What. I'm not staying in south Louisiana and I'm not doing that. And I know what causes that. I can avoid that.

[24:52] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[24:53] RUDI BERTRAND: It was a conscious choice.

[24:58] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[24:59] RUDI BERTRAND: And then flaming of the arms.

[25:04] KEITH MOSIER: Well, I remember one of the first times, you were one of the first volunteers I met at food outreach. But I remember how subtle I might have been, how subtle you were, how you impressed me with your subtlety. And it was one day we were in the kitchen at the old. In the church, which. Oh, my God. Back in the good old days, you were talking to somebody behind me and I was talking to somebody over here, and as you were want to do, you just exploded with this kind of thing and scared the bejesus out of me. I turned around and said, good lord, you should come with a warning label.

[25:43] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, I think that's fair statement.

[25:45] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[25:46] RUDI BERTRAND: Still.

[25:48] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I think we all. I would be proud of that.

[25:52] RUDI BERTRAND: I believe it was a themed movie song. Ah, that I was.

[25:59] KEITH MOSIER: Which shall remain nameless.

[26:00] RUDI BERTRAND: Yes. Yes, it should.

[26:04] KEITH MOSIER: But. Yeah, so. Yeah, but I just. It's.

[26:07] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, well, I don't think you were the only one that had came to.

[26:11] KEITH MOSIER: That same conclusion, but you were always one of my favorite people.

[26:15] RUDI BERTRAND: I am. Thank you. I feel to know about you.

[26:18] KEITH MOSIER: Well, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it was. And that. That's what I. That's what I loved about food outreach so much that I kind of found my tribe.

[26:27] RUDI BERTRAND: Agreed.

[26:29] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. It was just. I found a whole bunch of people with, like, minds and the sweetest people, and.

[26:36] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, you know, you're there for a good cause.

[26:38] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, it's a good cause.

[26:40] RUDI BERTRAND: So, I mean, it's not a bad place to meet people.

[26:43] KEITH MOSIER: No, no, it's not.

[26:45] RUDI BERTRAND: So, I was happy that I met my tribe, as you say, my husband.

[26:51] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. So. All good.

[26:53] RUDI BERTRAND: All good.

[26:54] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[26:55] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. We were together 26 and a half years, so.

[26:57] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, that's fantastic.

[26:58] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[26:58] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, that's great.

[27:00] RUDI BERTRAND: It is great.

[27:01] KEITH MOSIER: Yep. And that's. And it was. You know, I was, like, at that point in my life, I was looking for a place to, like, you know, become myself a little bit.

[27:11] RUDI BERTRAND: So, you know, I'm glad you found it.

[27:13] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[27:14] RUDI BERTRAND: I. I can't speak highly enough about food outreach and Dory's.

[27:19] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, Doris is a wonderful organization, too.

[27:22] RUDI BERTRAND: You know, I. Paul and I contributed to their capital campaign, and we chose the pantry as our memorials. And I found out because I wanted to tour the place before the open house. I knew I'd be a big boohoo idiot. Yeah. Just quiet Pepsi commercials. And I saw the collaborative effort, and I just. It touched me so much, and I just love that. I think that those two organizations, to us, were very important, and it. It just touched me.

[27:58] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[27:58] RUDI BERTRAND: And I didn't know about it till I saw the sign, so I wish the good doctor could have seen it. I think he'd have been equally touched. I think so.

[28:05] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Well, that was. It was really neat. Thank you guys for doing that. That was a wonderful thing.

[28:10] RUDI BERTRAND: Glad we could.

[28:11] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. That was so nice.

[28:13] RUDI BERTRAND: So, yeah, you know, the circle of friends we got there, I don't really interact with them as much that they're still close to my heart, and I think that if I showed up and had a conversation, we'd be like, we were together yesterday.

[28:27] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, well, I'm the same way. During COVID we just kind of pulled back. We just kind of. We actually just sort of. We're almost halfway in our shell anyway, but we mean, we just went completely in our shell and just, you know, didn't do a lot and all that, and it's just, you know, some folks were doing the zoom thing, you know, they're getting. And I just. I was. I'm not crazy about that. And, you know, I think. Yeah, it's all right. But, yeah, I wasn't crazy about that, so. Yeah, it's. But I'm the same way, I think, you know, I know if we got back together, it would be just like we'd pick up immediately where we left off.

[29:09] RUDI BERTRAND: So we pulled back in. Covid, too, but Paul was getting sick then, and I said, there's I can't bring this into the house kind of thing, so. Made a good choice.

[29:20] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[29:21] RUDI BERTRAND: Absolutely. That kept around another couple years, I'm sure.

[29:24] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[29:24] RUDI BERTRAND: Because I had friends that lost people because they were into skilled nursing facilities and that kind of thing.

[29:31] KEITH MOSIER: That was awful. Yeah, that was awful.

[29:33] RUDI BERTRAND: I'm glad we got through that, and I hope that never returns.

[29:37] KEITH MOSIER: I hope it doesn't, but, yeah, it's. I hope it does. I am with you. I hope it doesn't. I think there. If it's not Covid, it might be something else.

[29:46] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, that's pretty valid.

[29:48] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. I mean, we just don't.

[29:51] RUDI BERTRAND: Ooh, look at us. Debbie Downers.

[29:52] KEITH MOSIER: I know, I know, I know, I know.

[29:56] RUDI BERTRAND: That's.

[29:57] KEITH MOSIER: Well, you know, let's stop going. That's not us.

[30:01] RUDI BERTRAND: Let's get back to the fun part of life. Oh, I'm just saying.

[30:05] KEITH MOSIER: Yes. So. Anywho. But. But, yeah, so that's.

[30:14] RUDI BERTRAND: So retirement is your next phase?

[30:16] KEITH MOSIER: It will be my next phase, yeah. Probably in a couple years or so.

[30:19] RUDI BERTRAND: Okay.

[30:19] KEITH MOSIER: So sometime within that time frame. So, yeah, we're kind of started making baby steps in that direction now.

[30:26] RUDI BERTRAND: So you've been the role a long time.

[30:30] KEITH MOSIER: I have.

[30:31] RUDI BERTRAND: So are you coaching someone?

[30:33] KEITH MOSIER: Yes, someone is currently taking over the government or is moving into taking over the government reporting. Government grant reporting.

[30:42] RUDI BERTRAND: Cool.

[30:43] KEITH MOSIER: Thank you, baby Jesus.

[30:45] RUDI BERTRAND: I say that too.

[30:46] KEITH MOSIER: Thank you, baby Jesus. It was. Yeah. And she's very experienced, so that was the young lady I was talking about that just moved here.

[30:55] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, yeah.

[30:55] KEITH MOSIER: And was having such trouble finding a house and everything because the housing market is insane in St. Louis right now, so. But, yeah, she's. She's taking that over. Yeah. And then we'll have to start thinking about other stuff as time goes on.

[31:08] RUDI BERTRAND: But, yeah, you don't want to leave them without.

[31:11] KEITH MOSIER: No, absolutely not. Absolutely not.

[31:14] RUDI BERTRAND: You don't really want a very long exit. No, I, um. I gave more than two week notice. I gave them a month because the positions. I know, difficult to fill. And I didn't want to have it not be on my terms are good terms. It was a long month, I have to admit.

[31:30] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Yeah.

[31:33] RUDI BERTRAND: I was ready to. It was about a year earlier than I had planned, but it all worked out. I was able to take care of Paul the way I wanted to.

[31:40] KEITH MOSIER: I was gonna say that. Worked hard.

[31:41] RUDI BERTRAND: Never been able to do that. We weren't working full time, so I don't regret that choice at all.

[31:46] KEITH MOSIER: No, you shouldn't. That was absolutely the right thing to do.

[31:49] RUDI BERTRAND: We had very good time together.

[31:50] KEITH MOSIER: That's great.

[31:51] RUDI BERTRAND: He's a sweetheart, man. I often say that you're the sweetest, calmest homosexual in St. Louis. Picked me to be his husband. I usually flail my arms. I don't want to hit the cabinetry in here.

[32:04] KEITH MOSIER: That's right. That's right. We're in a little tight space here, so. Yeah. Don't break the airstream for shots. Okay. Okay. All right, fine. But, yeah, well, that's, you know. You know, I'm. Roger and I are kind of like that, too. I'm much more the outgoing half of that.

[32:25] RUDI BERTRAND: It's a balance.

[32:26] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, it is a balance.

[32:27] RUDI BERTRAND: I lifted Paul up. He pulled me down, necessarily, I have to admit. You'll say no, but I can get out of hand.

[32:38] KEITH MOSIER: No, see, I did.

[32:42] RUDI BERTRAND: Now I'm psychic.

[32:45] KEITH MOSIER: Put that on your resume. That's something you should do in your retirement.

[32:48] RUDI BERTRAND: There you go.

[32:50] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. You could take over, you know. What was her name? Like Mistress Cleo or whatever. Her name's old gig.

[32:56] RUDI BERTRAND: Yes. She's not doing anything now, but she knows it.

[33:00] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[33:01] RUDI BERTRAND: She knew it was coming.

[33:01] KEITH MOSIER: She knew. She saw it.

[33:05] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[33:06] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my lord.

[33:07] RUDI BERTRAND: Too fun. Yeah.

[33:11] KEITH MOSIER: What a long, strange trip it's been so.

[33:13] RUDI BERTRAND: But it's been a good ride, you know? Not over.

[33:16] KEITH MOSIER: No, not at all.

[33:18] RUDI BERTRAND: Not over.

[33:18] KEITH MOSIER: Not at all. I'm looking forward to the next part. You should. Yeah.

[33:23] RUDI BERTRAND: I want to get more travel in.

[33:24] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[33:25] RUDI BERTRAND: I've done a bit of domestic travel in this last year, and I'm ready to do some international travel. Although. Yes, I have some really friends that are visiting that we have done two transatlantic cruises with, and we've got another one planned for the end of next year.

[33:41] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, to where?

[33:43] RUDI BERTRAND: Cape Town, to Rio.

[33:45] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, my.

[33:46] RUDI BERTRAND: I know. We're doing a little safari thing ahead of time and three days in Rio.

[33:52] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[33:53] RUDI BERTRAND: It's gonna be fun.

[33:54] KEITH MOSIER: That's gonna be a blast.

[33:55] RUDI BERTRAND: Yes.

[33:56] KEITH MOSIER: That's so cool.

[33:57] RUDI BERTRAND: Do you like to travel?

[33:59] KEITH MOSIER: We love it. We love to travel. That's good. That's on our, on our planet. We just got back. We did two week vacation this time. We just got back from a few days in Santa Fe and then Sedona for a week.

[34:11] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, nice.

[34:12] KEITH MOSIER: It was wonderful. It was wonderful.

[34:14] RUDI BERTRAND: So still not crazy hot.

[34:16] KEITH MOSIER: No, it was amazing. Oh, no, it's cool because they're the high desert, so. Yeah, it was cool because I went.

[34:23] RUDI BERTRAND: To Tucson to visit friends.

[34:25] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, that's a late August thing. Oh, no, no.

[34:29] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, it was. It was tough.

[34:31] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[34:32] RUDI BERTRAND: Then went back in January and it was much, much nicer.

[34:34] KEITH MOSIER: Yes. Yeah. God, we did. We were in palm springs once in June or July. Oh, dear Lord.

[34:42] RUDI BERTRAND: That's crazy hot.

[34:43] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Yeah. It's insane. I mean, you can slice that any way you want to. 117 degrees is hot.

[34:48] RUDI BERTRAND: Uh huh.

[34:48] KEITH MOSIER: So.

[34:49] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. Especially on carp port areas.

[34:53] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. It was not pleasant.

[34:57] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. I. I can't ever see myself moving to the desert or any place that's that hot or water strained.

[35:05] KEITH MOSIER: Well, that's true.

[35:06] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah.

[35:06] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, that's true. Well, we didn't, you know, you know, Sedona wouldn't be bad, but I just don't want to be part of the problem. Right. Because that now you look out and every time, every time we're there, because, you know, we had a, we have timeshare that we're there and we can go every other year if we want. So we've been to. Yeah, we've been to Sedona several times, and every time we're there, there's more damned houses that you can see out in the low lying areas and all that. And it's like, no, no, no, I.

[35:33] RUDI BERTRAND: Want to get there. That's the place that's on my list.

[35:35] KEITH MOSIER: It's amazing. I can't say enough good things about it.

[35:37] RUDI BERTRAND: Cool.

[35:38] KEITH MOSIER: It's gorgeous.

[35:39] RUDI BERTRAND: Cool.

[35:39] KEITH MOSIER: It is good. For me, it's better than the Grand Canyon. Cool.

[35:43] RUDI BERTRAND: That's good to know because the Grand.

[35:45] KEITH MOSIER: Canyon is this big, beautiful, gorgeous thing. If you're on the rim looking into it, and that's fine, but you can go 10 miles down the road and pull off and look. And it looks the same because it's so huge. The only time, the only way you can really appreciate it is to get down into it. And if you're not willing to do that, then it's not. But in Sedona, it's all right there. It's just you're down in the middle of it and the scenery is just as spectacular. And there are hiking trails around all of it. You can get right up to all.

[36:16] RUDI BERTRAND: You sweat with that, don't you?

[36:17] KEITH MOSIER: What's that?

[36:17] RUDI BERTRAND: You sweat with that.

[36:18] KEITH MOSIER: Don't you sweat with that?

[36:19] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. I'm not into that.

[36:21] KEITH MOSIER: Well, there's very little humidity, so you might. You may not sweat.

[36:24] RUDI BERTRAND: Okay. I'll think about it.

[36:27] KEITH MOSIER: Sweat, darling. Glow.

[36:29] RUDI BERTRAND: Glisten.

[36:30] KEITH MOSIER: Glisten. Sparkle.

[36:33] RUDI BERTRAND: I do like to sparkle.

[36:34] KEITH MOSIER: You do like to sparkle. And I did not compliment you on your jewelry selection today.

[36:39] RUDI BERTRAND: Thank you. Like pearls.

[36:40] KEITH MOSIER: I did the pearls. Yep. And the diamonds.

[36:43] RUDI BERTRAND: I've worn pearls for, like, 30 years. I was a cutting edge trend. You were trending, Sutter.

[36:48] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[36:49] RUDI BERTRAND: Sorry.

[36:50] KEITH MOSIER: A little disappointed. No tiara, though.

[36:52] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, I wasn't sure what the height limitation of the air.

[36:55] KEITH MOSIER: Well, it might be. That's true. It would have been a little awkward.

[37:00] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, I could get a crick in my neck.

[37:05] KEITH MOSIER: Can't have that.

[37:06] RUDI BERTRAND: No. Can't have that. But, yeah, I've always liked to sparkle in more ways than just jewelry.

[37:17] KEITH MOSIER: Exactly. And that's what everybody loves about you.

[37:20] RUDI BERTRAND: Thank you, doctor.

[37:20] KEITH MOSIER: So one of the many things, I.

[37:23] RUDI BERTRAND: Use sparkles as well once in a while.

[37:26] KEITH MOSIER: I have a moment. I have a moment.

[37:29] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah, it's good.

[37:31] KEITH MOSIER: I occasionally flame. Flame on.

[37:36] RUDI BERTRAND: Flame on.

[37:36] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, dear.

[37:37] RUDI BERTRAND: Another reference that she won't get.

[37:40] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, no.

[37:41] RUDI BERTRAND: Oh, you got that one.

[37:43] KEITH MOSIER: Got a girl.

[37:47] RUDI BERTRAND: I guess it was movie not that long ago.

[37:49] KEITH MOSIER: What's that?

[37:50] RUDI BERTRAND: I guess there was that movie that came out not that long ago.

[37:52] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, yeah.

[37:53] RUDI BERTRAND: All right.

[37:55] KEITH MOSIER: So anything else that you have any deep questions that you'd like to ask me that you've never asked before?

[38:05] RUDI BERTRAND: No, I don't think so. You?

[38:08] KEITH MOSIER: I don't think so. I think I actually jotted down a couple. And we got it. We got it in there.

[38:16] RUDI BERTRAND: Yeah. You see, I'm more flat by the seat of my pants.

[38:18] KEITH MOSIER: And that's a good thing.

[38:19] RUDI BERTRAND: Well, it's worked for me so far.

[38:21] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah.

[38:23] RUDI BERTRAND: Got me the good doctor.

[38:25] KEITH MOSIER: There you go, baby.

[38:29] RUDI BERTRAND: No, I miss seeing you in my life more often.

[38:32] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, I miss you too.

[38:34] RUDI BERTRAND: You're never far.

[38:35] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Oh, you're never far.

[38:37] RUDI BERTRAND: I love you that much.

[38:38] KEITH MOSIER: Oh, you gonna get me over clumped, you, sweetheart. Yeah, I love you too. Love you too. You're a good kid.

[38:46] RUDI BERTRAND: Will I try or maybe. I'm trying.

[38:50] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah. Tomato, tomato.

[38:55] RUDI BERTRAND: Those are both spelled the same way.

[38:56] KEITH MOSIER: They are. They are. It's all about that pronunciation, don't you know?

[39:01] RUDI BERTRAND: Exactly. Yeah, sweet baby jesus. I know who you're talking about.

[39:06] KEITH MOSIER: You got your louisiana coming out now, huh?

[39:07] RUDI BERTRAND: Mm hmm. Good lord. Paul always say, you get on the phone with your family and I don't know what you're saying. You know, I don't sound cajun at this point in my life, but I get with my family and it just rolls out so easily.

[39:23] KEITH MOSIER: Yeah, yeah, I. Yeah, I will. I will slip into St. Louis ease when I'm with my. When I start talking with my family, too. Yeah. With a, you know, like highway farty.

[39:35] RUDI BERTRAND: Uh huh.

[39:35] KEITH MOSIER: And I worked very hard to purge that from myself. 40. 40. So. Yeah.

[39:45] RUDI BERTRAND: All right, darling, thanks so much for springing the time with me.

[39:48] KEITH MOSIER: Well, thank you so much for doing this. I'm so glad. I can't think of anybody I would rather do it with.

[39:52] RUDI BERTRAND: Thanks.

[39:53] KEITH MOSIER: Thank you so much.

[39:54] RUDI BERTRAND: Food outreach is lucky.

[39:55] KEITH MOSIER: Well, food outreach is lucky to have you. Thank you.

[40:02] RUDI BERTRAND: Thank you.