29 POUNDS

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!

 

BUM FARTO WHERE ARE YOU?

That time of the year again. Bum Farto time. His name almost like Smuckers. The story has to be good.

Bum Farto was Key West Fire Chief in the mid 1970’s. Drugs big time in those days. Farto was convicted in February 1976 of drug charges. Awaiting sentencing. Jail time a certainty.

On this day in 1976, Farto’s wife reported him missing. Never to be seen again.

“Bum Farto Where Are You?” An instantaneous Key West saying. To this days. In conversation and on T-shirts.

One of two things happened to Farto. He might have decided he was not going to do jail time and disappeared. The other that he was ready to blow in other drug dealers and was made to disappear Jimmy Hoffa style.

Company finally able to get a flight out yesterday afternoon. Northeaster provided two extra days for Key West fun.

Rushed home to catch second half of Syracuse/Clemson. Syracuse won 55-52. Big win! Needed! If we win at least 2 games in the ACC Tournament next week, we might make the NCAA Tournament.

Visited Catherine later in the afternoon. We sat outside by her pool and chatted. About this, that and everything. An excellent conversationalist.

Following which we drove over to the Chart Room for a drink.

Shaun bartending.

Ted from Wampsville, NY seated at the bar. Wampsville the Madison County seat. A 40 minute drive from Utica.

Wampsville is the home of the Madison County Courthouse. An old stately structure. Spoke of yesterday. I tried many cases in Supreme Court there. I always felt Abe Lincoln was going to walk over and sit next to me at counsel table.

Ted was the Court Clerk for the County and Surrogate Court Judges. Meant he was intellectually smart. Wrote the judges’ decisions.

I never met Ted in our Madison County years. First time I met Ted was at the Chart Room bar 2 years ago. He is now retired and visits Key West once or twice a year.

We get together on those occasions.

Ted was with two Wampsville friends. One an engineer. Originally from South Africa. The other an accountant.

The accountant frequently ate at Pelletieri Joe’s Restaurant in Utica. An old type Italian restaurant going back to the early 1920’s. We shared many memories. I was the restaurant attorney for 30 years. Saturday night was generally Joe’s night.

Time for dinner. Catherine and I were both hungry. I suggested Firefly. She agreed.

I have always wanted to try Firefly. Never had. It is located on Petronia Street deep in Bahama Village. Famous for fried chicken. The reason I wanted to go. A desire for fired chicken.

Chicken good! Setting also. We were on a second floor porch overlooking Petronia Street.

A double header tonight. Kate Miano’s Gardens followed by the Academy Awards. Love the Academy Awards! Since they first started televising them way back in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s.

I remind you again that Kate Miano is a candidate for Mayor of Key West. I am not involved in Key West politics. However, I am supporting Kate. Simply because she is a smart, good hearted, helpful person. Honest, besides.

Kate’s campaign kickoff party is friday night at 6 at the Gardens. Free everything. Food and drink. Come visit with friends you may not have seen in a while. Bring a friend or two. Everyone should support Kate’s run.

This day in history important for two reaons.

On this date in 1952, Hemingway published The Old Man and the Sea. He thought the short novel his best work. Wrote it while living in Cuba. Turned out to be one of his best selling works and one for which he received the 1953 Pulitzer Prize.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated President for the first time this day in 1933. America deep in the worst depression ever. His famous inaugural words…..The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

The Georgia Legislature’s handling of Delta WRONG! Hard to believe. The Governor complicit.

Delta one of the companies that opted not to do further business with the NRA following the Douglas High School shootings. Involved was a discount relationship Delta had with the NRA. NRA members would receive a discount when flying Delta.

Only 13 NRA members ever took advantage of the discount.

The Georgia Legislature felt the discontinuance of the discount amounted to a punishment for people who cherished the Second Amendment. The Legislature eliminated a $50 million discount provided Delta on jet fuel.

Delta stands firm in what it did. CEO Ed Bastian said “…..our values are not for sale.”

Delta is one of Georgia’s biggest employers.

My position simple. It is not the purpose of government to punish in these situations. An example of government out of control! Crazies in power!

If I were Delta, I would slowly begin closing down small parts of my operation and move them to other States. I would also let the word out that Delta is ready to move its entire Atlanta operation to another State.

Thinking on the issue would change as soon as some Delta employees lost their jobs and others feared losing their jobs. It’s called hardball!

Enjoy your Sunday!