29 POUNDS

Posted on by

The world is in upheaval. The U.S., Russia, North Korea, etc. threatening each other. Stormy Daniels causing Trump all kinds of problems. What do I title today’s blog? 29 Pounds!

More important than anything else, the scale this morning. Reflected a solid 29 pound loss. I am thrilled!

I had hung in at 27 pounds forever. Did not think I would ever lose another pound. Dieting in one’s old age calls for patience.

Next goal 30. A nice round number. Then, 40. I suspect it may take till Memorial Day.

Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon working on tonight’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Needs more work this afternoon. The show will cover a multitude of worldly sins, interesting information, and whatever strikes my fancy.

The show is only three years old. Acquires more and more listeners every week. Love the numbers! No where as many as this blog. However apparently significant in the podcast field.

Tonight, a first. I am dedicating the show to a particular person.

Join me at 9 my time. A quick moving half hour. Guaranteed you will enjoy. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

First stop last night Aqua. Dueling Bartenders. Tom Luna and Rick Dery. A guest vocalist. Never saw her before. Laura. Young, beautiful, and talented.

Liz sitting nearby. Went over and gave her a hug and kiss. New hairdo. She looked terrific!

Then to Antonia’s. Nicole bartending. Robert came over to say hello. He bartended at Outback for years. Now waitering at Antonia’s. A charming personality. He will do well.

Chatted a bit with a couple several seats away at the bar. In Key West for a month. Staying at Banyan Court. We got into Irma. They were very interested. Believe they will buy Irma and Me.

I used to enjoy stopping in at the VFW Post on North Roosevelt Boulevard. A sandwich, a drink and always good conversation. Irma put a stop to it. Peeled the roof totally off. Someone who saw it happen described the roof peeling back like an onion. Internal damage big time. Insulation and wiring hanging. Water damage.

Has not yet reopened. This morning’s Key West Citizen carried an article announcing the reopening hopefully by Memorial Day.

Whatever date, I am glad it is coming back!

Dusenberry is going home.

He is a 100 pound sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle. He was found off Key Largo in December unable to dive. Taken to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. Examination revealed he was impacted. Medicines and a good diet fixed him up.

Dusenberry is being returned to the ocean at 10:50 tomorrow morning at Sombrero Beach. Per custom, there will be 100-200 persons cheering off.

Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman. The President spent 175 days in Key West over a period of 11 trips.

On this day in 1952, Truman left Key West after spending 3 weeks vacationing at The Little White House.

March Madness is upon us! This weekend the Final Four!

Big time basketball.

The championship game of the first Final Four took place on this date in 1939. The conclusion of the first ever NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Only 8 teams invited.

Oregon beat Ohio State 46-33.

The tournament has grown. Sixty eight teams now invited. It has become the most popular sporting event after the Super Bowl.

The rich have a new toy. I am talking about the 1 percent. Those that already have private jets, yachts, homes world wide.

Private railroad cars. To transport them from their city homes to their  weekend country homes.

There was a time referred to as the Gilded Age. The very rich had private railroad cars attached to the rear of trains. Those Gilded Age railroad cars valuable today. The 1 percent buying them. Remodeling costs generally $1 million.

Justice has a way of surfacing. Most get theirs in the end.

One of the nation’s largest gun manufacturers was Remington Outdoor Co., Inc. Note the word “was” in the previous sentence. Remington filed for bankruptcy protection sunday. Chapter 11.

Remington owes $950 million. Working out a plan to reduce the debt and turn control of the company to it creditors.

Remington’s business fell dramatically this past year. The reason, Trump’s election.

You would have thought his election would have increased Remington’s business. Not so.

Gun owners traditionally bought big time when anti-gun people were elected. They feared they would not be able to purchase guns and ammunition as they had.

Trump got elected. The fear was gone. He was a gun man! He told the NRA during the campaign they would have a friend in the White House.

Such being the case, gun  people did not purchase that many guns in Trump’s first year. The fear was gone. Their man was in the White House.

Enjoy your day!

 

T.J. MAXX COMES TO KEY WEST

Posted on by

I really enjoyed a slow day yesterday. Started with the anti-gravity treadmill. Next Lee Nails for a manicure and pedicure by Tammy. Then home. Never left home the rest of the day.

Watched some TV and read in the afternoon.

I subscribe to a World War II magazine. World War II History. I was 5-10 years old at the time of the war. It remains etched in my mind. The war definitely had an impact on me.

I enjoy reading stories of the various World War II battles. Yesterday, it was a tank fight on Makin, a daring attack on Guadalcanal, insights into the Nuremberg trails, and the Hitler/Stalin pact.

My plan was to stop at Don’s Place at 6 and move on from there. Never made it. Came 5 and getting ready time and I thought…..I’m tired…..why not stay home. I stayed home.

Not the best of ideas. I fell asleep early. Woke at 2 and could not get back to sleep.

The stone crab season ends tomorrow. The season may be described as bad and good. The take this year was 3,000 pounds less.  However the net profit estimated at $11 million. Most of the crabs were larger. The big ones bringing a higher price.

I love stone crabs! The restaurant cost this season prohibitive. The cost generally $10 per stone crab. Medium/large sized.

Sunday will be a big day for Key West. T.J. Maxx opens its first store in the keys at 8 am. I am excited. The natives are excited. The store is in the Sears Shopping Plaza.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my Miami trip and stop at a Walmart. I bought some shorts and tee shirts. Dirt cheap!

Several people not familiar with Key West wrote and asked how could I shop at a Walmart. Wasn’t I ashamed?…..I had to be embarrassed telling people I even shopped at Walmart.

Key Westers and frequent visitors know that the dress code in Key West is simple. Shorts and tee shirts. Suits, jackets, expensive sport shirts, have no place.

I have $5,000 custom made suits hanging in my closet. For 10 years. In addition to custom made shirts that cost me $340-$560. Ties? Yes, I use to have them custom made also at $160 per. I even have a custom made tuxedo that cost me $6,000. All purchased during and for my other life in New York.

I have never worn any of them since living in Key West!

I am thrilled we now will have a T.J. Maxx and soon a Walmart on Rockland Key. For me and the rest of my Key West neighbors.

My KONK Life column this week is Banks Hurt People. They do! The column has been linked to my two Facebook sites. Key West Lou and Louis Petrone. Enjoy, if time permits.

Bocce tonight. The last night of the season. We are on the bubble re the play offs. If we win all 3 games, we will make it. Lose one and I do not know.

The Amtrak accident is a disgrace in more ways than one. First because safety equipment available for railroads was not installed. The other the arrogance and ignorance of the western Congressmen who appeared on TV yesterday.

A House Committee was voting on railroad funding. The vote had been scheduled prior to the accident. The Committee voted party line to cut Amtrak’s budget $251 million knowing the accident had occurred.

The same thing initially happened when New Jersey needed hurricane assistance after Sandy.

The next time a western State has a crisis and comes to Congress hat in hand looking for money, they should be permitted to look and nothing else. Give them the same consideration they give the east.

Another observation is that Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, continue failing to vote monies for infrastructure. Our bridges are going to start collapsing, roads are in terrible shape, our schools with structural cracks and leaking roofs.

Congress fails to recognize that infrastructure monies create jobs. Look what Eisenhower did. He knew the Korean vets would be coming home and needed jobs. He created the jobs at the same time building the first national highway system. Prior to Eisenhower, we had no national highway system.

Enjoy your day!