Ida is a nice name.

My boyhood friend in Utica was Basil. His mother’s name was Ida. She was a wonderful person!

Ida is now retired and still alive. She has to be in her nineties. She is is a leading and respected figure in Naples these days.

Basil’s mom comes to mind because a tropical storm/hurricane may be upon us. And its name is Ida!

The hurricane season ends November 30. We almost made it. No hurricanes so far this year. But the news has been telling us of Ida the past few days.

Ida is a strange one. It is coming off the Caribbean. Generally our storms start off the coast of Africa and travel west towards the keys. Ida is coming up from the south towards us. From Nicaragua.

As it turns out, hurricanes from the south are not uncommon this time of year. They generally occur in November, if at all.

Ida has been a 1 the past few days and is now a tropical storm.Aaround 40 miles an hour. But it will pick up speed over the water. And it has a lot of water to travel over as it moves towards the United States.

It is presently projected that Ida will hit some where in the Gulf. From Texas to Florida. Too early yet to say specifically where.

No one in Key West is excited or nervous. The more knowledgable say it will be some rain and wind. But nothing big. I am comfortable with that. So I am not worrying at all.

Hope I am correct! I have seen these storms change and turn into monsters!

The Parrotheads are in town.This is their week.

Parrotheads are Jimmy Buffett fans. And he has many of them! There are a couple of thousand in Key Wst now celebrating.

I assume they are called parrotheads because of the headpieces they wear. Many resemble parrots.

This is a Jimmy Buffett party. Buffett got his start here in Key West. But he does not often return to the parrothead party. He makes an appearance every few years. This year is not one of them.

Yesterday afternoon from 1 to 6 there was a big parrothead party at…..where else…..Margaretaville on Duval Street. The whole block was closed off. Music and people. A fun event.

My friend Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 played for a couple of hours around 4 o’clock.

They were dancing in the street!

Lisa’s internet department store Via Key West continues to grow. I am packaging and running to the post office daily. The biggest seller so far are the Key West Lou T-shirts. Lisa’s internet site is www.viakeywest.com.

Tino and Maria are back. They spent the summer in Chicago. Tino was at bocci the other night.

Iguanas are not my favorite peiople…..animal…..whatever. They eat my shrubbery and deficate all over the place. I know few who like them.

However there are some who do. One is Alex Okinczyz. Many of you know Alex. I have mentioned him before. He is retired here in the keys. He sings and blows a horn with Larry Smith. A nice guy besides!

How he could like iguanas I do not know. But he does. And he went so far as to make a video of his iguana pets. He titled it “Dining with the Iguanas in Key West.” It is yours to enjoy or dislike. Actually, it was not too bad. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCBnP_dzDLA.

The swine flu is a scare of major proportion. I recently heard rumors of cases here in Key West. Two bocci players are reported to have come down with it.

Be careful. Get your shots.

Notice the “s” on shot. You need two. The regular flu shot and the special one for the swine problem.

I got my first shot. My swine flu shot was scheduled during the time I was in Miami. When I returned, I telphoned my doctor’s office for a new appointment to get the swine flu shot. No appointmnet. The vaccine was all gone! I am on a list waiting for more to be delivered.

So I am a bit concerned. You should be also no matter where you are. Get your shots!

I am going to go out now and wait for the wind and rain from Ida to begin!

Enjoy your day!