THE WALL…..BILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS

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Recall Trump’s words during the campaign…..We are going to build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it.

Government contract notices listed on a federal website ask for proposals for construction of the wall by March 29. The wall to be 30 feet high.

Trump’s budget as sent to Congress requests monies this year. Tax dollar monies to commence construction of the wall. Described as a down payment. $2.6 billion.

Allocated between a pedestrian wall and vehicle barrier. Broken down, $6.5 million a mile for the pedestrian fence and $1.8 million a mile for the vehicle barrier.

Estimated cost for the entire project vary depending who is being asked. Anywhere from $12-21 billion.

I thought Mexico was going to pay for the wall. Trump has changed his tune. We are going to build and pay for it and then pursue Mexico for reimbursement.

Good luck!

The Syracuse basketball season ended yesterday. Syracuse lost to Ole Miss 85-80. I’m glad it’s over. Most of the games were painful to watch.

I watched yesterday’s game. Same story. We did not have it together. Took forever to make the first three pointer. Defense not what it should have been. Etc.

Villanova lost! Wow! Winner of the Final Four last year. Number 1 seed overall this year. Wisconsin beat Villanova 65-62. Such is the beauty of the NCAA Tournament. You never know when a lesser team is going to be up enough to beat a favorite.

Villanova was my choice for #1. Saw the team as the big winner.

Dee took me to dinner last night at Berlin’s. Two pound Maine lobsters. Delicious!!!

Dee just returned from Bali. Interesting stories to tell.

The William Hackley saga continues. His 8 day clock was not working. Would run down before 8 days up and was not keeping accurate time. He brought it to be repaired.

The verbiage immediately brought to mind 5 Day Deodorant Pads. Such was the name of a deodorant that hit the market in the early 1950s. Small circular pads soaked with deodorant.

I was in high school when 5 Day became popular. Used it. Did I use a deodorant before? Don’t recall. I do not think many, if any, used deodorant till the early 1950s.

Did we all have body odor before deodorant became popular? I do not recall.

Another interesting question was whether people did not daily bathe back then. Otherwise, why the 5 Day name? My mother made sure I took a bath every day. We did not have a shower.

The Studios of Key West has an interesting show scheduled for 8 tonight. I hope to make it.

It will be a reading and discussion of Tennessee Williams’ love letters.

Williams was gay. Had several lovers over the years. One was Frank Merlo. I wrote a column for KONK Life two years ago re the relationship. I thought Merlo to be the greatest love of Williams’ life. Williams wrote his best works during the 14 years they lived together in Williams’ Key West home and a New York City apartment.

The greatest love theory was mine. I am curious what I will hear this evening.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that the recent battle with screwworms has been won. The flesh eating maggot problem eradicated.  Florida’s deer population, among others, saved. Especially the little deer living in Big Pine and on Little Deer Key.

Credit be given where credit due, Florida is on top these things.

Two significant Key West events March 25.

The last season tour of the Key West Cemetery. Three separate tours that day. Make a reservation. Always crowded. Attend if you never have. The history of Key West reflected on the stones. Also, some interesting quips by the deceased. My favorite is…..I told you I was sick.

Equality Florida is having its 20th Annual Gala. From 5:30 to 8:00. At the Gardens Hotel. A perfect venue for the event.

Equality Florida is Florida’s largest and most powerful gay rights organization.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

DEVIANT KEY WEST SEX

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Getting to the blog late today. Sorry. The bed was comfortable when I woke. Spent extra time in  it. Then at 11 watched Syracuse play Ole Miss. It is a little after 1 pm that I start today’s blog.

Deviant sex everywhere. What could it be in Key West? Not much not been experienced here. Something new?

Sort of.

Jennifer Rahe Hickman from Mason, Ohio is 42 years old. She and her husband were lying around the Southernmost Beach Resort pool enjoying drinks. Decided to return to their room for sex.

Room got noisy. Crying could be heard. Loud enough for the police to be called.

The police found the husband sitting on the bed crying. His wife had bitten his left forearm. Jennifer was yelling that her husband was “using her.” And, that she was “going to f–king kill him.”

The husband was lucky she did not bite him somewhere else.

Jennifer was charged with misdemeanor battery.

The police report appears to have been written with tongue in cheek. The report read that Jennifer was from Meanville.

Syracuse lost to Ole Miss. The better team won. I am glad the season is over.

Love corn beef and cabbage. Only eat it on St. Patrick’s Day. Other times a Key West restaurant serves it, the meat is generally a few days old and tough.

Decided on Bogart’s. The oldest Irish restaurant in Key West. A first time visit.

Donna and Terri with me.

I called in the morning to be sure they would have corn beef and cabbage. Was assured they would. The cook had been in since 6 cooking.

I wanted to make a reservation. They did not take them. However I was assured if we got there by 6, there would be no problem. The crowd not expected till after 7.

Whoever I was talking with was wrong. Arrived at 6. Had to fight my way in.

Tables on Casablanca terrace next door. We lucked out. It was catch as catch can. We walked up to a table as a group was leaving.

We ordered corn beef and cabbage. Waiter came back. We just ran out.

Sometimes you can’t win for losing.

My lesbian wives and I had a good time in spite of the disappointment. We ate off the menu and drank.

This morning’s Key West Citizen in its History Section noted that on this date in 1909 someone living at a house on Virginia Street died of leprosy. The Fire Chief had the house and its contents put to the torch.

I googled to see what I could come up with re leprosy and Key West. The first item to appear on the googled page was Leprosy / Key West Lou.

I wrote about the subject in my 10/13/16 blog. I had forgotten.

At the time, Diana Millikan sent me an article on the issue. It formed the basis for my blog.

I do not recall the date of the article Diana sent. However they were not burning houses and contents any longer at the time.

Leprosy is the Biblical plague of all time. However as I wrote, became not a problem at some point in time.

A large number of leprosy afflicted had lived in Key West. At one time, as many as 100.

Leprosy not catchable one person to another. Not person to person contagious. All Key West leprosy cases were contacted outside the area.

Leprosy is spread by armadillos. For real. No armadillos ever found in the lower Keys.

Leprosy is treatable today. The drug Putome was discovered in 1942. The cure for leprosy.

Trump and Tillerson best temper their words lest we end up in a war involving North Korea and who knows who else. Provocative talk not helpful. Diplomatic conversation the key.

The State Department had its budget cut by 31 percent. Enough diplomats remain available to talk to prevent a shooting war?

Enjoy your day!

 

 

IMPREGNATION COSTLY

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This morning’s Key West Citizen’s History section made brief mention of a 1993 court case where one dog owner sued another dog owner because his dog got pregnant. Cost the impregnating dog owner $2,567.50.

The bite sounded interesting. I researched it. Following is what I came up with.

Rocky is the male. A seven pound Chihuahua. Canella is the female. An eighty pound Rottweiler. Rocky a lover. Canella receptive to playing.

Rocky did it to Canella.

The dogs were neighbors. Rocky was fenced in. Canella leashed on her owner’s deck. Canella in heat.

Rocky was not to be denied. Somehow he got out of the fence and made it to Canella. The two then proceeded to have intercourse. Canella not objecting.

Picture little Rocky pumping away at Canella.

Canella’s owner saw what was happening. He rushed out and tried to pull them away. To no avail. Even hosed them.

An animal officer happened to be driving by. He saw it all. Photographed the scene because it was so funny. Little Rocky getting his.

Canella got pregnant.

Canella was pedigreed. Her owner wanted her to be impregnated by another pedigreed Rottweiler. Canella ended up carrying ten puppies by Rocky.

Rather than have her deliver, Canella was subjected to a hysterectomy. No viable puppies obviously. The hysterectomy left Canella sterile.

Canella’s owner sued. The judge awarded him $2,567.50. I am not sure for what specifically. Most likely, the cost of the hysterectomy. Perhaps that the owner would not have pedigreed Rottweilers to sell in the future.

I spent all of yesterday at home. Intentionally. A perfect day for it.

I researched this week’s KONK Life column. A change of pace article. The unknown sexually related exploits of historical figures. People like Julius Caesar, Christopher Columbus, and Betsy Ross.

I will write the column later today.

Watched Syracuse/Clemson in the late afternoon. A good game. Syracuse was always in the game till the final minutes. There was a chance. Hope was kept alive.

Syracuse lost 37-27.

The team played well again, in spite of losing. They played without #1 quarterback Eric Dungey who was out with a head injury from last week. Mahoney, #4 quarterback, lead the team and did a good job.

The game got screwed up early in the 4th quarter. Syracuse was penalized 45 yards in less than two minutes. This was after recovering the ball around mid field.

The third 15 yard penalty was because of the coach’s conduct. He went crazy regarding the second 15 yard penalty call. Gave Syracuse its third 15 yard loss.

Had none of this occurred, Syracuse might have won the game. There was the chance. The team still hung in. If my recollection is correct, Clemson was able to score as a result of the penalties.

Next year!

The game was followed by the Democratic Debate last night. I am a political junkie. Last night’s performance was unimpressive. I am getting bored with an appearing wild Sanders waving his arms and saying the same things. Hillary is no better. Her boiler plated responses have become boring. She is beginning to sound hollow. The third candidate reminds me of a cheerleader. One with a great smile.

Power boat races end today. Every thing is on the line.

The water is rough in front of my home. It will be rougher out where they will be racing.

An organization called SMART Kids rode their bicycles into Key West yesterday. Adults. Four hundred strong. A two day trip beginning in Miami. The purpose to raise money for AIDS.

I hope to get out later in the day. I am going to try Kate Miano’s Gardens again.

Bocce rankings in the paper. We still are in third place. Next week the last. We probably will end up third. Could be fourth. An outside chance it will be second place. Depends on who wins and loses their last three games Thursday.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

GARDENS HOTEL

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The Gardens Hotel is hidden behind walls and foliage on the corner of Angela and Simonton. One of the Key West’s leading citizens is proprietor. Kate Miano. Charming. Beautiful. An outstanding business person.

One of the events Kate sponsors is a sunday get together for locals and tourists inside the gardens. From 5-7. Musicians on the back porch of the main building. Seating all over. A small bar to the rear. Always everyone greeting and hugging.

There was a time I went every sunday. Then, stopped. Don’t know why. Decided to stop in yesterday. Glad I did.

Chatted with Lynda and Bob Frechette, two people I have not seen in a while. Ran into many other friends and acquaintances.

I had a good time.

Kate was not there. She is somewhere in France.

I went downtown a bit earlier to see the Power Boat Races Parade. As anticipated, magnificent! People standing on both sides of Duval watching. The boats long and sleek. People sitting top side. Locals, boat owners and crews.

There are 40 boats entered in the races.

Following the Gardens visit, I walked over to La Te Da for dinner. At the outside bar. Crispy duck, of course.

I spent my morning and early afternoon yesterday writing this week’s Konk Life column. Dracula in the Operating Room. How is that for a title!

The column has to do with the college student loan program and the government’s involvement money wise. The government makes $40 billion plus a year in profit.

The government is Dracula and the loan program the operating room.

The Key West History section mentioned Alben Barkley having visited Key West to visit with President Truman. Barley was Vice-President at the time.

Barkley was Truman’s running mate in the 1948 election. The election where everyone gave Truman a hard time and no chance of winning. Barkley was Senate Majority leader. He stuck by Truman through out.

People were surprised when Truman selected Barkley. Barkley was 70 at the time. Back then, 70 was considered old for the man who might have to step in to serve as President.

The Citizen rang the bell twice this morning.

The World Almanac section made mention of the November 9, 1965 blackout. The blackout covered the entire northeast United States. 30 million were without power for a significant period of time.

My family and I were among those without power.

It was around 6 in the evening. I had worked out at the YMCA.  Just finished my shower when the lights went out. I looked out the window. The lights were out all over town. Attendants came by with flashlights and I was able to dress.

The streets were dark. No street lights working. No lights anywhere, except for the stars in the sky.

I got in my car and drove home. Radio would not work. I could not call my wife since cell phones did not exist at the time. Intersections were a problem. Traffic lights not working.

When I got home, my wife had candles out. Dinner had been prepared. I told the children we were going to have a party. It was cold. The oil burner had stopped operating.

We laid blanket on the living room floor. Lite the fire place. There we ate. There we slept.

As the night wore on, I was becoming concerned. Could this be the start of actual war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union? Don’t laugh. Serious business back then. We worry today about an ISIS attack. Nothing compared to the fear we had of a Russian attack back then. It would be nuclear war.

Utica was 14 miles from Rome. Rome had a SAC base. SAC would carry our nuclear bombs to Russia in the event of war. Rome would be one of the first places the Russians would hit.

Nuclear war was always in the forefront of our minds. Most of us were alive in 1945 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed.

Rockefeller was New York governor at the time. He had recommended people build shelters in their backyards. A concrete type bunker under the ground. Few did. We did not think they would help if a nuclear weapon were detonated.

The lights went back on the next day. Some non-consequential event occurred in another state that blew a generator or something. Parts of Canada were also affected.

Khrushchev was head of the Soviet Union at the time. A bully like Putin. Perhaps more so.

Khrushchev had attended a meeting of the UN General Assembly two years earlier in 1960. He took his shoe off, stood up, slammed his shoe on the desk before him, and lite into a tirade against the United States.

One of the things Khrushchev is remembered for is his threat to the United States: “…..history is on our side. We will bury you.”

Enjoy your day!