MATTHEW FICKLE…..SO FAR

Matthew is number one attention wise. Yesterday and will continue through today. Those who live in Key West have experienced weaker hurricanes. Never a 4 or 5 in recent years. The worst of the worst! Fear accompanies those numbers.

It was a typical Key West day yesterday. Sun shining. Unusually hot. The heat index had to be 110.

I visited with Tammy for a manicure. Then lunch at Harpoon Harry’s. People quiet. All thinking…..We lucked out!

It is now predicted Matthew may loop back. Can happen. Earlier this year, a hurricane passed south of the Keys into the gulf of Mexico. Was going to hit Louisiana. Halfway there, it turned around and hit north Florida instead.

You do not know. Not even the professionals. In the final analysis, hurricanes are fickle. They go where they want when they want.

Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach lucked out. Rain and wind. The wind not of hurricane velocity. Matthew may still bring devastation with it as it travels up the Atlantic coast.

I must be honest. Matthew concerned me. A 4 or 5 is bad without question. My best experience so far is a 2. However, I drove through Homestead after Andrew hit. Andrew was a 5.  I was there three weeks after Andrew.

My eyes had never seen such devastation. Not one building left standing. A nuclear bomb could not have done worse property damage wise.

The picture has never left my mind. I definitely would leave if told a 4 or 5 was going to hit us. Better safe than sorry.

Charity is on the minds of those fortunate not to have been hit. Communities in the Keys have already joined together to send aid to the Bahamas. Nine vessels of the Bahamian Defense Force sheltered in Key West harbors the past few days. Bottled water and diapers have been collected from Keys’ citizens. It will be delivered to the Bahamas with the Defense Force. A beginning.

It has been suggested that Key West may experience some flooding. Street flooding. Nothing significant.

Apparently, Matthew’s wind is pushing water southward. As Matthew travels northward. Interesting.

Such will cause street flooding at high tide.

Enjoy your day! Stay safe! Especially those still in Matthew’s path.

THE LADIES CELEBRATE

Womenfest has arrived. An international meeting of lesbians and their friends. An annual Key West event.

The weekend will be busy. The ladies take over. Their numbers huge. All kind of fun activities.

Kelly McGillis will be here. She was one of the orangizers of the event back when. You may recall her as the lovely lady in Top Gun opposite Tom Cruise. For several years during her acting career, Kelly lived in Key West. She was an owner of two restaurants with her then husband.

Dancing, singing, pool parties, naked cruises, setting sun cruises, tag football, etc. Go for it ladies! Key West is yours!

Went to bocce last night. To watch. No bocce. The courts were still wet from the morning’s rain. Stopped at Don’s Place. Only Keith from the team there. Talked to him a bit.

Then to the Chart Room. Business good. Chatted with John a while. He is off to Puerto Rico and other points next week. A ten day vacation.

Some Key West from the past.

The Beatles were in Key West for two days years ago. They were flying to Jacksonville to do a show. Hurricane Dora prevented the trip from being completed. They landed in Key West.

The Beatles stayed at the Key Wester Motel. Frolicked in the pool.

After they left, an enterprising young man filled small bottles with water from the pool. Sold them as water the Beatles had swum in.

Bum Farto was a famous Key West Fire Chief. Also a cocaine dealer. He had strong connections with Columbia. He was indicted and headed for jail.

On this day in 1975, he disappeared. Never to be seen again. Many believe he went the way of Jimmy Hoffa.

1855 and William Hackley. Baby better. Expects her to grow soon. Present problem is Baby has thrush. William has a leg problem. Ankle to knee swollen on one leg. No pain. He walks on it.

On this date in 1975, Elvis Presley made his big time TV debut. On the Ed Sullivan Show. The whole world watched. Even me.

Elvis’ moving hips were considered immoral. The TV camera only framed him in from his chest up.

That’s the way it was back then!

I periodically speak of Courmayeur and Chamonix. Places I have visited many times. Places I mention in this blog. Where Anna has been the past week.

Both communities sit on the side of Mont Blanc. The tallest mountain in Europe. Part of the Alps. Awesome appearing!

Anna e-mailed me twice yesterday and the news is talking about the almost disaster on Mont Blanc between the two towns.

Cable cars run up and down the mountain. Go 11,000 feet high.

I did it once about five years ago. From the time the cable car started moving, I was convinced I had made a mistake. As it moved up and I looked down, I knew I had made a mistake. A never ending fall. I was uncomfortable.

Tragedy almost occurred yesterday. Several of the cars stopped half way up. The cables got screwed up. More than 100 people involved. One a 10 year old.

The cable cars are covered gondolas. Helicopters were able to get some out. About 100 were stuck overnight. Blankets, food and water were gotten to them together with a rescue person to keep them calm. All from helicopters.

In  the morning, the remaining 100 were able to get down via the cable cars. Things got fixed.

I was right five years ago. You had to be crazy to get on one!

Look at the photos on the internet. The view below the cable cars is like looking into a never ending deep hole in the earth.

This week’s KONK Life column the Star Spangled Banner…..Birth To Today appears in this morning’s E-Blast and has also been linked to my Key West Lou web page.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

EDWARD KNIGHT

Key West lost another of its stars yesterday at age 99. Edward Knight.

A handful of men are responsible for the Key West of today. Knight one of them. He was a community pillar, a visionary and philanthropist. A realtor and developer.

Key West recently recognized his contributions by renaming the White Street Pier to the Edward B. Knight Pier.

He will be missed.

The weather has been everything the past week. The media suggesting a storm. People getting a bit nervous. Turned out to be nothing.

Yesterday, 99L was to hit. Merely a tropical wave. Rain and strong winds. Never happened. Yesterday was one of the loveliest days of the year. Shiny. brightly so. A bit humid. A slight breeze. Water moving fast, however.

This morning a bit darker. Has rained a bit already. Most recent weathercast says 80 percent chance of rain today. Yesterday’s rain in all likelihood.

I stepped out onto my deck. I was hit with a distinct smell of rotten fish. First time at my location.

The weather report says there is a tropical depression forming 60 miles to the south. Will be responsible for rain and wind wednesday.

All purchased for the storm has a long shelf life. I look forward at different times to meals of crackers and peanut butter and jam. Other times, to crackers and sardines.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I was up at 5 yesterday morning researching this week’s KONK Life column. Wrote it yesterday afternoon. New Face In Price Gouging And Political Influence. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, EpiPen, CEO Heather Bresch, and political influence. An example of Big Pharma machinations.

KONK Life hits the stands wednesday.

Baby was vaccinated today. What was a vaccination in 1855? Was it for the baby’s fever or something else?

Tonight at 5:30, Dueling Bartenders at Aqua. Love the singing!

Afterwards at 8:30, Larry Smith at the Little Room Jazz Club.

An evening of great music.

Enjoy your day!

HERMINE ON ITS WAY?

I continue to learn.

Had I not decided to spend the last end of my life in Key West, I would have known little about hurricanes. Still little. However more than I knew back then.

The hurricane Gaston is out there some where. It will not make US landfall.

However…..Behind Gaston is tropical wave 99L. Tropical wave and with a number new to me. A tropical wave can turn into a tropical depression/storm. A tropical depression/storm can turn into a hurricane.

We have been told tropical wave 99L is behind Gaston. Also behind Puerto Rico. It is some 900 miles away. Presently over or soon to be over Hispaniola. Hispaniola and Puerto Rico part of the Greater Antilles.

Whether 99L turns into a tropical storm or hurricane depends what happens as 99L passes over Hispaniola. Hispaniola’s mountains are 10,000 feet. 99L could break up as it passes over the mountains. Such would be the end of any hurricane danger.

Whatever 99L is after the mountains will determine what will happen as regards the southern US. Could be a heavy wind/rain storm. Or, a hurricane.

If 99L turns into a tropical storm or hurricane, it will receive a new name. Hermine.

Whether wind and rain, tropical storm, or hurricane, it will be over the Keys sunday, monday and tuesday.

Truman Capote died on this day in 1984. Best known for In Cold Blood.

Capote once spent a couple of months in Key West. He booked into David Wolkowsky’s Pier House as it stood at that time. Wolkowsky lived in a trailer next to the Pier House ten feet from the water.

Capote was in a suite. After arriving, he was in Wolkowsky’s trailer having a drink. Wolkowsky’s trailer was very well done. Capote said I want to stay here. Wolkowsky said this is my home. So the conversation went on. Wolkowsky finally relented and gave up his trailer to Capote. Wolkowsky moved into Capote’s suite.

I intended to start my evening at the Back Door with Mark Watson. Closed. Mark never shows up if it is raining. The Back Door is outside.

It was not raining at 5. It had stopped around noon. The sun was out and blazing hot at 5.

Mark just wanted a night off.

I went inside to Aqua’s main bar. Rick Dery bartending. My Joe’s Chicken Shack friends Tim and Todd at the bar. Sat and talked with them. Good guys. One drink only.

Then to Sq. 1. John recently purchased it. Wanted to congratulate John. John not there. Met Ryan. The new bartender. All the employees were new. Recognized none of them

I asked if Jay was cooking. Ryan asked me who Jay was. Guess Jay is gone, too.

Ryan has only been in Key West one month. From Montana.

I enjoyed an appetizer and one drink.

Then home. Before 9. Early to bed.

Disaster!

I fell going up the stairs! Stubbed my toe on the last step. Went flying.

My fault. I was hurrying up the steps and not looking. At my age, I am not supposed to do either. No reason to hurry. No one waiting for me in bed.

At my age, when you fall, you fall hard. My nose. Where the bridge of my glasses rest. Thought I broke my nose. Swollen this morning. A bit bruised. A couple of small cuts. Talked to my doctor. Does not think it is broken. Don’t worry about it.

My wrists and knees hurt. Really bad. My left arm/shoulder, also.

I had a cut on my left foot shin bone. Bled more than a small cut should have.

My major problem after a fall is getting up. Big time difficult!

Whatever, I am alive and well this morning.

The Custom House celebrates its 125th birthday this year. Construction was completed 1891. At the time, housed federal offices. Courts, post office, etc. The building plans used were from a previous federal construction.  The new federal building in Aberdeen, Mississippi completed in 1887.

The William Hackley saga continues. Baby still sick. Fever till 2 in the afternoon. Fever returned in the evening. Matilda’s breasts continue to be a problem. Boil on one broke. Painful.

Hackley called for the doctor in the evening. To check out Baby. The doctor had a bit of a concern. He had just returned from treating a smallpox patient. He was concerned whether he should visit the child.

The doctor finally decided it was ok. He had no knowledge of anyone becoming infected by a doctor who had recently cared for a smallpox victim.

Glad we live today rather than back then.

Bob Saraceno and wife Sue are in town. Will be getting together with them at some point.

Enjoy your day!

 

PHILIPPINE’S DONALD TRUMP

Interesting blog talk radio show last night. Some topics revealing.

One of the topics involved the Philippine’s new President Rodrigo Duterte. Elected May 1. The Philippine’s Donald Trump.

Duterte decided to eliminate drugs. Immediately upon taking office. Secret forces searched for dealers and users. Yhey were not arrested. Rather, killed on sight. No trial, no nothing.

Duterte has been successful. 1,500 killed so far. 400 for drugs. The rest for various reasons. All killed forthwith.

Duterte has a toilet mouth.

The UN criticized him for the killings. Violated human rights.

The US Ambassador complained also. Duterte called the US ambassador an “annoying, homosexual, son of a bitch.

Re the UN, “If you’re a rude son of a bitch, we’ll just leave you.” My way or the highway.

RE the UN again, “I don’t give a shit about them…..they are the ones interfering.”

Re human rights violations in the US, Especially police/black killings, “The Americans are killing the black people there, shooting them down when they are already on the ground…..if just 2 or 4, it’s still human rights violations.”

Another topic involved 5 year old Ormon Daqneesh. The boy seated on an orange seat in an ambulance, What appeared to be blood splattered on the sie of his face. His eyes sad.

A 2 minute video. Pictures made therefrom. Viral over the internet with over 700,000 viewing.

Some believe the video/pics are phony. Planned. Not blood on the boy’s face. A multitude of other reasons.

It is claimed the photographer has no other videos or pics listed anywhere in the world on the internet. Who is he? The claimed name is Mahmoud Roslan.

Which story is correct? I don’t know. Is the issue being discussed? Yes.

Yesterday was a tough day for me. I did not sleep well the night before. Felt like a zombie all day.

Caused my fine tuning, etc. of last night’s show to take 2 extra hours.

The rainy season is definitely upon Key West. Poured all day yesterday. Intermittently, but extremely heavy. All night also. This morning, too. With lightning and thunder big time.

My fellow senior citizens, recognition of a sort awaits. A helpful one. September is Healthy Aging Month. Exercise, proper eating, etc. Can’t hurt.

Today is screw off day for me. The start of my weekend. Love wednesdays!

History repeating itself today. On this day in 79 AD, Italy’s Vesuvius exploded. The volcanic eruption buried Pompeii. Today, a major volcanic eruption hit central Italy. Many villages destroyed. Look like our Baton Rouge. A strong quake.

Recall several years ago on my first trip to Italy. I was staying at Anna’s apartment in Novara. Third floor. Working in the library. All of sudden, things started moving. Pretty good. I could hear Anna screaming. Between shocks and after shocks, the quake kept up several hours. Fortunately, Novara was on the periphery.

I must admit, I was concerned. I thought the 1,500-year-old building I was staying in was going to collapse. The shock sensations were that bad.

Another day in the life of William Hackley. This day in 1855, his diary mentions “Baby is a little unwell.” Matilda’s boil on a breast broke. Another has developed on her other breast. “I think her milk much affected and disagrees with the baby.”

Not easy to feed a baby back then. Nor easy for a mother to breast feed.

I continue to worry about Baby.

Mosquitoes, Zika, in the news daily. Properly so.

I read something this morning that the French take care of the mosquito problem by opening their windows and placing flower pots of geraniums on the windowsills. Keeps the mosquitoes out.

Geraniums carry an oil with a scent. Citronella. A natural mosquito repellent.

KONK Life hits the stands today. My column this week is Teaching to the Tests Fails. About the education of our young. You will find it revealing.

Enjoy your day!

 

FLAG FLOWN UPSIDE DOWN FREE SPEECH

It bothers me when I see someone in our country or in a foreign one desecrating the American flag. Like burning and stomping. Gets to me.

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that such conduct is not criminal. It is the expression of free speech. Constitutionally protected.

Homer Martz is an Iowa farmer. Conservative, God fearing, patriotic. A Chinese pipeline was laid next to his well. No one told Martz it was coming close or that close to his well.

Martz opted to protest. No one would hear him. He hung the American flag upside down. Not to show disrespect. To be heard. Note that the flag pole had been there. He daily flew the American flag.

He felt he had been denied due process because of the failure to advise, give him an opportunity to complain, etc.

Martz was arrested. Iowa law makes it a misdemeanor to misuse in any fashion the American flag. The word misuse is mine. The statute actually has a number of instances where the conduct is considered illegal.

Sticking specifically to the law,  the arrest is a bum one. Again, the Supreme Court in two instances said American flag desecration is constitutionally protected free speech.

I address Martz’s problem for a reason. State and local governments should have known Martz’s conduct was proper. Failing in that regard to do so now subjects Martz to the expense of an attorney, his personal loss of time from his farm work, the taxpaying public  forced to pick up a prosecutor’s bill, a Judge’s expense, and salaries for a full court staff.

The Iowa law should have been removed from the books years ago.

I consider today a significant one in American history. President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act this day in 1935.

I am confident I will receive a number of negative comments re my position concerning Social Security.

Sixty years from now someone will be writing as I have here regarding the Affordable Care Act.

Has to be difficult be a President’s child! There is a video floating around the internet claiming to show Malia smoking a joint. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Melia was in a group of peers at some event where everyone was jumping and yelling. Kid stuff. Something persons her age do.

As to the toke, I question whether true. The video has only a quick shot of Malia. It is her. Took all of a second and gone. The toke part not clear. At all. Very interpretive she was smoking pot.

If true, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Michelle addressed the issue with Malia.

Worked with Sloan yesterday afternoon. Learning the new cell phone, utilizing it together with the computer, etc. A pain in the ass for me. I call it mechanical retardation. Generational.

Some of my readers commented the phrase was incorrect. Technologically retarded appropriate.

Whatever, it is still hard for me. And I am sure others of my generation.

It was Tavern ‘n Town last night. I decided to skip Lobsterfest. Let me share two reasons why.

Summer festival time with stands and shoulder to shoulder crowds, etc. on Duval is a steam bath. Twenty degrees warmer. Body heat. Pictures in this morning’s Key West Citizen show the crowd.

The other reason is that I am not a fan of Florida lobster. I prefer Maine lobster. Not being a snob. Florida lobster is tougher and has a different taste.

I read somewhere this week that the Maine lobster which is available for purchase at Publix is cheaper per pound than the Florida lobster.

What that means besides cheaper, I don’t know. Just sharing.

Ran into an old Syracuse University friend at Tavern ‘n Town. Steve. We had dinner together. Several years back when Steve was not so busy, he used to join me for Syracuse basketball games.

Met Katie Sottak. Steve introduced me. She is a hostess at Tavern ‘n Town. A lovely personable young lady. Twenty seven. Originally from New Hampshire. Has lived in Key West three years.

Her real love is art. Her works are presently being shown at Island Wynds Gallery on Simonton. The gallery next door to Books & Books.

The Hackley baby continues to concern me. I wish Hackley would write the baby’s name in his diary once so we would know.

Today’s problem as described by Hackley was wind and pain. He gave the baby some gin.

The gin thing does not shock me. All families have home remedies that have come down over the years. I recall when my sister Joan was teething. My mother would pour a little Canadian Club over her finger and then rub the finger over Joan’s gums.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE…..

Gold, silver, bronze. Not Olympic recognition of achievement. Hitler’s.

In 1938, Hitler wanted to encourage German women to have babies. He set up a recognition/reward system. The recognition/reward to be given on August 12 each year. August 12 was his mother Karla’s birthday.

Women with seven children received a gold medal. Those with six, a silver. Those with five, a bronze. The medal was called Mother’s Cross.

Young girls were encouraged/brain washed to have children. These were girls under the age of 18. Not till they were 18, however.

Hitler had established a Youth Movement. One part was the League of German Girls. They were under 18s. They were indoctrinated into believing it was for the good of the country that they begin getting pregnant at 18.

It is Lobsterfest time in Key West. Tomorrow a big day on Duval. From the 100 through 500 blocks. street stands. Lobsters coooked in every fashion. Mouth watering.

Spent the afternoon watching the Olympics with one eye and reading World War II stories with the other.

Jane Thornton, where were you?

Last night started at Berlin’s. Years since I have been there. It is the bar portion of the A&B Lobster House. I went because I saw a Jean Thornton message on Facebook earlier in the week that she was doing Berlin’s on thursdays and fridays.

No Jean. Only me and the bartender.

Berlin’s is an attractive place. I will visit again soon. The room is dark wood. Maroon leather chairs. Even easy chairs. Reminded me of a men’s club.

Beefeaters on the rocks $8.50. The usual downtown price $10.00. The drink a third larger than other places.

Smoking permitted. A biggie. You can eat at the bar.

I had an experience that shocked me. Two women came out of the dining room. Sat three bar stools from me. Lite up. I found the cigarette smoke repulsive. I still smoke a bit.

Traffic is heavy even in Key West’s summer. I have to slow down, go faster, swing in the other lane, etc. to avoid bike riders. There ain’t enough room for cars, bikes and electric cars. A physical fact.

As I was driving in, I experienced one of those almost hit a biker episodes. The thought occurred to me after that the only way cars and bikes can safelyc exist is to make some of the streets one way. Then room for cars and bikers to traverse safely. Of course, auto congestion would increase a hundred fold. Residential parking spaces lost.

Key West has hired a Pedestrian and Bike Coordinator. I think for $40,000 a year. The problem his to solve. His few ideas thus far have not impressed me.

Left Berlin’s after one drink and headed for the Chart Room. John bartending. Always a smile and friendly hello. David and Sheila at the bar. Spent time chatting with them.

Then to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Sat at the bar. Read for a while before ordering. A middle aged woman came in. Alone. Sat three stools away. We chatted briefly. She was from Louisiana. A four day reward trip for her and certain co-workers. Ten total. She was the only woman. The men all younger than her.

I did not know what to order. A menu becomes boring after eating at the same restaurant for years. Even though changes are periodically made to menus..

My lady friend had a very attractive dish placed before her. I asked what it was. Never heard of it. But, it appeared attractive and appetizing.

I told the ladies behind the bar I would have the same thing.

It was horrible. Terrible. My new found lady friend asked how I liked it. Without thinking, I told her I did not…..it was terrible!

Now, she felt bad. I felt bad. For ordering the dish and obviously having offended her.

We did not talk further. As she was leaving, she came over and apologized that I did not like my meal. Now, I was embarrassed. I did not have to order the dish. It was my choice.

I fear I am correct re the Hackley baby. Today’s diary entry has Matilda going to church two times in one day. In addition, the statement by Hackley…..The babe not very well.

Enjoy your day!

 

TRUMP TIME

Donald Trump is in the forefront these days. More than previously. Justifiably so. The man is mad. America is viewing his instability. More and more each day. He is self destructing before our eyes.

Better now than later. If elected, I worry about him and the nuclear button. So should you.

I spoke of Trump on my blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Half the show. Example after example of his instability.

Spent yesterday afternoon preparing for the podcast.

The Civil War has intrigued me since my college days. Today, I read everything I can get my hands on re the War.

The Key West Library is sponsoring a Civil War event. Titled Civil War Living History. In the Library’s Palm Garden. Saturday, August 13.

The editorial in yesterday’s Key West Citizen concerned Social Security. It was a republication of an editorial carried in the South Florida Sun Sentinel titled Put Priority On Solvency For Social Security.

A bad editorial. Avoided discussing the real reason why Social Security has money problems. The reason being the government borrows surplus monies in the Social Security Fund and never pays back. The government owes Social Security $1.8 trillion. Social Security is the biggest creditor of the United States. Ahead even of China.

The issue of pay back is always avoided in articles. If the government started paying back over a long period, the monies would be more than sufficient to keep Social Security payments at a level where cuts would not be required. Not even discussed.

The American people continue to get screwed by a government that borrow’s their money with no intent to ever pay back.

The William Hackley saga continues. Baby doing much better. Visited Mrs. Hews four times this date in 1855 for breast feeding.

A quick Venezuela update.

Two weeks ago, Venezuelans were eating their pets. This past weekend, they were invading zoos and stealing the zoo’s inhabitants. For consumption purposes obviously.

Curacao is one of the largest cities in Venezuela. Has a large zoo. Some people snuck into the zoo in the middle of the night. They were after a horse.

When the zoo keepers arrived in the morning, all that remained of the horse was the head and ribs.

A Venezuelan revolution is long overdue. Recall three years ago they ran out of toilet paper. The country is still out of toilet paper.

My column in this week’s KONK Life is German Persecution of Homosexuals. Sick, sad. Hits the stands today.

Key West has many fun events. One of the local favorites is the Battle of the Bars. Bartenders and servers engage in a competition down Duval Street. The winner gets bragging rights for a year.

The Battle of the Bars this sunday at one.

Enjoy your day!

 

SQ. 1…..NEW LEADERSHIP

The word on the street is Sq. 1 has new leadership. The owner of New York Deli across from Sq. 1 has taken over the operation.

I wish him well.

My Sunday yesterday was relatively quiet.

I spent several hours writing, rewriting and editing this week’s KONK Life column. German Persecution of Homosexuals. Not limited to World War II. Covers more than 100 years of history. The article hits the stands wednesday.

The television was on during the writing. I periodically looked up to catch a small piece of the PGA. Proof I can be ambidextrous.

Last night was an early dinner at Roostica. Spaghetti, meatballs and sausage. All buried in an excellent sauce. My grandmother’s sauce.

Key West and the Keys have in many ways been been connected to historical events. One is the story of PT 109. Captained by Lt. John Kennedy in the Pacific during World War II. Kennedy the future President of the United States.

On this date in 1943, PT-109 was sunk. Some years later, a movie was made of the event and Kennedy’s heroism.

The movie was filmed on what is now Little Palm Island. The island owned at the time by then Monroe County Sheriff John Spottswood. Spottswood father and grandfather of today’s Spottswoods. A family as much concerned for Key West as the senior Spottswood had been.

The saga of William Hackley 1855 continues. A learning tool.

William Hackley wrote this date that he sent the baby to Mrs. Hews to get milk. I assume for Baby to feed on Mrs. Hews’ breast milk.

We’ve come a long way since 1855. Today, Baby’s problem would be satisfied by a trip to the store to buy canned baby formula.

I continue to worry about Baby. Mother’s milk insufficient. The goat from Havana went dry. Hope Mrs. Hews has enough breast milk for Baby and her own child. Assuming her child still lives.

Donna is the good wife. Watching over Terri. Terri suffered a heart attack last tuesday.

Terri obviously cannot smoke. Terri gave up smoking to make it easier for Terri. Donna walking Terri two times a day. Donna making sure Terri takes her five pills at the correct time.

Donna the best!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

ELECTRIC CART ACCIDENT

It was inevitable. I knew someday I would see an accident involving an electric cart. I did yesterday.

The carts are dangerous on the Boulevards and US 1. Their speed limited. Motor vehicles traveling at faster speeds. The carts frequently holding up traffic in one lane.

The accident was on US 1. Two hundred feet north of Cross Street in the northbound lanes.

It was about 7 pm. I was on my way home from Publix. Stopped for the light on US 1 at Cross Street. First in line in the passing lane.

I was not specifically watching anything. Merely sitting and waiting for the light to change. Suddenly, I saw it! Not the accident itself. Probably a split second after the accident occurred.

I could not tell from 200 feet that the cart was a cart. Looked like a big box broken and sitting in the road. Next to it a black car. It was only as I creeped up to the scene that I saw it was an electric cart. Two in the cart. Someone laying under the cart, head in a pool of blood. A woman trying to stand holding on to the cart roof. Both middle aged.

Cart and car were severely damaged.

Workers from the garages and other businesses came running out. I could hear the ambulance siren. Someone waved me past the accident scene and indicated to continue down US 1.

The bottom line…..Do whatever necessary to keep the electric carts off the roads. Especially US 1 and the Boulevards. The carts accidents in the making.

My day yesterday began with Tammy. A manicure.

Her place of business well air conditioned. Last week it was blazing hot. The air conditioning down. She and husband Rick had to replace the entire unit.

Decided to lunch at Harpoon Harry’s. A nice feeling about the place.

Parking was a problem. One o’clock in the afternoon in the summer and no parking places available in the large parking lot on Caroline Street. Three cars stopped in parking lot lanes waiting for a spot to open. I finally found one across the street.

The City Commission bears responsibility for insufficient parking. There and everywhere else in Key West. The City recently remodeled the lot. Put in shrubbery. Took out 3-4 parking spots to create another exit spot. One which I have yet to see anyone use.

It has also been announced that some part of the area is going to be used for the day buses coming in from Miami. A place for the buses to park. Taking away more vehicle parking places.

The ham and eggs were excellent. Read the newspapers and enjoyed.

Only a half dozen patrons in Harpoon Harry’s. Made me wonder where all the people with cars in the lot were.

The Chart Room last night.

Tom and Fran Dixon from Buffalo were to have arrived yesterday. Thought I would run into them. Did not.

Stayed about two hours listening to mini-lobster divers recount their experience of the day. Tourists. They enjoyed the experience.

Stopped at Publix on the way home to pick up a few things.

It was on my way home from Publix that I observed the accident scene.

The Florida Mosquito Control District has more problems. This morning’s Key West Citizen reports that Executive Director Michael Doyle resigned effective September 1. He is leaving for a position with the State of North Carolina.

The Mosquito board has experienced a number of foul ups since the first of the year. The Oxitec situation. The $4.4 million approval for a new building. Even Doyle’s salary was questioned as being excessive.

Doyle did a good job till this year. I never see a mosquito. Zeka and Oxitec proved his down fall. The way he handled it. The $4.4 million building did not help. It could have been built a year a year ago for $2.2 million. The 45 percent tax raise approved last week did not help either.

William Hackley’s 1855 diary runs daily in the Key West Citizen continues to garner my attention. It is history in Key West in 1855. A day by day story.

Today, Hackley reported Baby better. Good! I worry about the baby making it. Mother can’t supply enough milk. Goat bought in from Havana was dry.

William himself was sick during the night. Took 4 Wright VG pills.

Looked up Wright VG pills. Best I could come up for the time was sleeping pills or vagina tightening tablets. Best bet is the tablets were sleeping pills.

Mini-lobster season has ended. Yesterday, no accidents. Authorities report a limited number of lobsters. Most boats returned with less than the 6 per person limit. Suggests a poor harvest season ahead.

My KONK Life column this week is Bagles. It was run in this morning’s E-Blast. The last 8 paragraphs were left out. It will be rerun tomorrow or sunday.

Watched the conclusion of the Democratic Convention last night. Thought it was excellent. Obviously. Made the Republican Convention come up poorly. Trump’s comments last night and this morning make him look poorly.

An ass! Incompetent! Dangerous!

Enjoy your day!