SPAGHETTI GROWS ON TREES

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April Fools Day was born during the Middle Ages. Which means a lot of people have celebrated the day. Even George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. And Donald Trump, of course. I am sure our President has a sense of humor beyond the guillotine and tweeting.

Periodically, an April Fools joke is created which exceeds all others.

Like the 1957 BBC aired spaghetti grows on trees news report. The BBC had discovered a Swiss family that was harvesting long strands of pasta from spaghetti trees.

Thousands were interested. Though the news report was for real.

The BBC continued the joke by advising callers that all that was required to grow spaghetti was to place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.

A 1998 advertisement by Burger King hit big. Burger King took  a full page ad in USA Today. Announced a new menu item. A left handed burger.

Thousands ordered the left handed burger over the next few days.

A date for drinks with Callie last night. At Louie’s Backyard. The place we met last week.

Three hours of good company. I enjoyed, she enjoyed.

Callie runs a catering business. Small dinner parties and cocktail parties. She previously was pastry chef for several years at Louie’s. Got bored doing the same thing every day.

Her company is Provisions of Key West. She can be reached at 305-433-1677.

Callie knows everything about food. Its historical derivations, different ways to prepare, etc. I was impressed. We got as far back as Greece 1300 B.C.

I have been on a diet. Eleven pounds in 12 days. Hate it! Eating little and walking more. Yesterday, I only had two hard boiled eggs and some cottage cheese before meeting Callie. Four drinks later, I had to eat.

Stopped at Outback on the way home. A six ounce filet mignon, sweet baked potato with nothing on it, and steamed vegetables.

Robert has bartended at Outback for years. We have become friends over that time.

As I sat down, he immediately started telling me how his 4 1/2 year old was sick. Down. Experienced me told him not to worry. Children are always sick. They need to get sick to build up immunities to various diseases.

Robert looked at me as if I was crazy. I thought he was a new father. Did not understand me.

I did not understand him. He was talking to me about his dog. A large tumor growing on the dog’s upper gum.

The big race today at noon. The Cow Key Channel Bridge Run. All 300 feet of it. Over 1,000 costumed participants. Record time 23.1 seconds. Several seeking to break it this year.

Such is what we do in Key West! A 300 foot bridge race! The distance is evidence we are normal. The abnormals are those who do 15 Ks and 26 mile marathons.

Following the race, a party at Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens Beer Bash.

Lobster season has ended. Not good this year. Not bad. Mediocre.

Lobster is a $50-70 million dollar business in the Keys. Why the drop off this year?

First, the weather. Too warm. Cold fronts are required to move lobsters forward. Warm weather screws up their normal migration pattern. The result fewer lobsters caught.

Second is price. The Chinese and Japanese are big buyers. Especially prior to and during their holidays.

The Chinese and Japanese smartened up. Learned how to play the game. Became better negotiators. Resulting in less money in the pockets of the fishermen.

Stock Island’s Rusty Anchor has been closed two years. To reopen in May.

The owners of El Siboney bought the restaurant. Fish will be the mainstay of food served. Prepared as Rusty Anchor used to. A few El Siboney Spanish dishes will be on the menu also.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY

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It comes around every year without fail. April Fools’ Day. A fun time for many. Much joking around. Each of us will probably experience a small part of it today.

As usual, the Key West Citizen has outdone itself with its special April Fools’ Day publication. Unbelievable. It had to take a week or more to put together.

I recall the first time I read a Citizen’s April Fools’ Day publication. Some 25 years ago. My first April Fools’ Day in Key West.

Read the Citizen over breakfast. The main story was that the City Commission had banned smoking on sidewalks and beaches. Absurd, I thought. Stupid. They can’t do that.

I expressed my feelings to my then wife. She knew about the Citizen’s special April Fools’ Day edition.

She laughed. I laughed. If it was gotcha, I had been got.

Visited with my heart doctor yesterday. Dr. McIvor. I walked into his office and he hit me with something to the effect he should not talk with me. I figured it had to do with my stress test results. My heart dropped. He laughed.

The good Doctor is a Virginia graduate. I forgot he was a Virginia grad. He was referring to Syracuse beating Virginia last weekend. An interesting discussion unfolded. My stress test results forgotten by both of us.

Test results ok. I am going to live. He could not tell me the cause of the two pain hits I experienced in one day. I was advised not to be concerned.

My blood pressure better. Not where we both want it. Half way home at this point.

June and I had dinner last night at Michael’s with Wayne and Peggy. A couple I met last week. Fun people. A good time.

Michael and Suzette were glad to see me back. Twice in a week!

This week’s KONK life column Ma, Ma, Where’s My Pa? hit the stands wednesday. It was carried in today’s E-Blast News. Also linked this morning to my Key West Lou website. .keywestlou.com.

Two visitors of world wide fame arrived in Key West this past weekend.

The Blue Angels who will be performing this weekend. The Blue Angels announced their arrival yesterday by flying low the length Duval.

The Budweiser Clydesdales visited schools and trotted proudly up Duval.

Everyone does Duval!

Conch Color’s Tom Oosterhoudt in a Miami hospital again. Not good. A prayer in oder.

Some crazy things going on in the outside world. Not unusual.

A petition bearing 50,000 plus signatures was delivered to the Republican National Committee. The signers requested that delegates and visitors to the National Convention be permitted to bear arms. Pistols.

A shoot out guaranteed if permission is granted. Gun fight at Ok Corral time.

Guns in the news a second time.

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill permitting churches to form militias. Members would be permitted to bring guns to services. The bill further provided that a killing at a church or place of worship would be considered justifiable homicide.

A big night tomorrow! Syracuse/North Carolina in the Final Four. North Carolina a 9.5 point favorite.

I am pleased with Syracuse’s performance thus far. The team has overachieved. At this point, I do not care whether Syracuse wins or loses. Not true, really. I do care.

What will be will be.

Weatherwise, it looks great outside. However, the wind is blowing from the south. Generally means a storm some time during the day. Not always. Most of the time.

Enjoy your day!

 

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY NO MORE

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One of the finest April Fools’ Day pranks was that once done annually  by the Key West Citizen. The front page of the Citizen on April Fools’ Day was a total joke. A phony. Pure fabrication. Seriously represented, however.

Close to 20 years ago, the front page major article concerned itself with smoking in public places. Understand that back then, smoking was merely considered a problem. The dramatic inroads accomplished since re banning smoking had not yet occurred.

The article said the Key West City Commission in a meeting the evening before had prohibited smoking in all public places. Such included restaurants, bars, on the streets, and on the beaches.

I recall exclaiming to my then wife that the City Commission had no right to do what they did! Outrageous! Against the law! My wife pointed out that it was April Fools’ Day.

The Citizen had gotcha’d me!

Unfortunately, the Citizen no longer publishes such a front page.

April Fools’ Day is celebrated in most countries. The day’s origins uncertain. Some claim first mention of the day occurred in 1392 in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Many disagree.

Another favored source goes way back to the ancient cultures of the Romans and Hindus. Partiers. Tricks were played and people were sent off on fools’ errands.

Pope Gregory XIII comes into the picture. New Year’s Day was then celebrated around April 1. The Pope changed the calendar and moved it to January 1. The day may have changed, the partying had not. April 1 continued to be celebrated as a fun and frolic day.

Big night in Key West! Jimmy Buffett returns! He is performing 7:30 at San Carlos. There will also be a free performance on a huge screen on Higgs Beach. Shown live simultaneous with the San Carlos event.

Higgs Beach will be big time crowded! An event!

I plan on attending.

I enjoy sharing Truman stories with you. Key West was Truman’s favorite place. Unquestionably. He made 11 trips here which totaled 175 days.

On this day in 1950, the President’s wife Bess and daughter Margaret arrived to join him at the Little White House.

Surprising Mrs. Truman showed up. She disliked Washington and apparently anything that had to do with politics. She spent most of her time back in Independence, Missouri.

Truman was often left alone at times when he could have used the comfort of his wife. History does not attribute this situation to any improper liason by either. Truman was deeply in love with his wife. Wrote her almost daily letters. Mrs. Truman did not enjoy the Washington scene.

I spent my yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. The show went well. My purpose was to share some things kept from the American public. I assume intentionally.

My tuesday’s are always the same. I work on the show by day. Do the show in the evening. Cook dinner for myself in between. I rarely leave the house on a tuesday. My dinner last night was not spectacular. I had a craving for oatmeal. It was oatmeal and a banana.

Enjoy your day!