KICK BALL IN MYSTIC…..INDIAN HEADS USED

Several times over the years, the Puritan/Pequot Indian battles have come to my attention. The battles interesting for various reasons. Each time I have written about them.

Today, I again write concerning one of the battles. To evidence the Christian souls of the early Puritans. Supposedly God fearing. I doubt however they were listening to God when they acted in Mystic in 1637.

The Pequot Indian battles consisted of three separate engagements. The first this day in 1637.

The Pequot Indians were not nice people. Far from it. Disliked the Puritan settlers especially. The Pequots were prone to attack the Puritans.

The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay were equally not nice. Disliked the Pequots. Decided to kill them all.

In the early morning darkness, the Puritans attacked in Mystic a sleeping Pequot camp consisting of 500 men, women and children. Massacred them. Most of the 500 killed.

Retribution? Who knows why wars really start. It was the next step in the Mystic battle that makes me look down upon the supposedly religious Puritans.

The blood of the 500 was not enough. The Puritans beheaded some of the Indian dead. Then proceeded to play kick ball with the heads down the streets of Mystic.

Rain in the morning yesterday. Rain again last night. I’m waiting for my house to float away.

I spent the day inside. Continued working on next week’s KONK Life column in the afternoon. Was getting ready to shower and go into town when it began raining again. Waited a while. Did not stop. Forget stopping, did not even let up a bit.

Decided to remain home. Enjoyed a small meal and watched the Cavalier/Celtic game.

LeBron James has to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was on his game last night. Scored 46 points leading Cleveland to victory.

The final playoff game sunday night.

I had spent two afternoons preparing to write next week’s KONK Life column. The topic excited me. When I sat to do the blog at 6 this morning, I decided to write the KONK article instead.

The column completed and sent to the KONK editor. It will hit the stands wednesday evening.

The topic involves Trump, Hitler, lying, the Jews, and the FBI. Titled: The FBI of Today The Jews of Yesterday.

The topic intrigued me. The more I researched, the more interested I became. I am uncertain of the final product. My research may have been better than my writing in this instance. The subject matter difficult to explore with a 500 word limit.

Which means I am sitting here writing today’s blog at 11:30. Never that late!

Big evening tonight! Dinner with my lesbian wives Donna and Terri. I have not seen Donna in two weeks. She has been in Detroit visiting family.

I wrote a couple off days ago about the wonderful multi-facted Laura Richardson. Singer, bartender, Salt Gallery owner, newspaper reporter.

Amy Bondurant e-mailed me. Amy a former U.S. Ambassador. Now a Key West resident. Presently in Maryland preparatory to heading off to her Paris home.

Amy knows Laura and agrees she is multi-talented. Amy shared with me something I did not know. Laura is also an attorney.

The media is mentioning Alberto today when referring to the weather. Alberto has become a for real storm. Presently a sub-tropical storm.

It is anticipated Alberto will hit the westerly coast of Cuba and then come north into the Gulf of Mexico. Landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Panhandle monday night or tuesday morning.

Alberto will not come near Key West. It will be way out to the west in the Gulf.

Does not mean Key West is not a player. Heavy rains anticipated through wednesday. Winds in the Keys up to 40 mph. Flash flooding a major danger to the southern Keys.

The irony of all this is that the hurricane season has not begun. Not till June 1 which is next friday.

Creatures of the sea get the best medical attention in the Keys. Especially, turtles. The Turtle Hospital is located in Marathon.

A small injured turtle was found off Little Palm Island. A rare species. A Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. Entangled in a fishing line.

The little one has been names Echo. His problem a broken flipper.  He has been treated with laser therapy, wound care, antibiotics, fluids and vitamins.

His hospital stay anticipated to be 2 months.

The heavy rains can be disruptive of Key West fun times. The annual Schooner Wharf Minimal Regatta had been scheduled for tomorrow. Rescheduled to next sunday because of the rain.

Memorial Day ceremonies begin early monday. Nine at the Maine Memorial in the Cemetery. Ten at Bayview Park.

A parade? Not sure. Must be. I’ll find out and let you know.

United Airlines announced it will begin direct flights with Newark in the Fall. With Chicago, mid December.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

THE EARLIEST SCROOGE OF RECORD

Christmas today is not the same as those of yesterday.

The holiday under different names was celebrated centuries before the birth of Christ. Pagan in substance. Drunkenness, sexual orgies, human sacrifice, etc.

What follows is a brief history of Christmas as practiced in early America. Specifically, the 1600s and 1700s.

The Puritans were the earliest Scrooges of record. Descendants of the English Reformation. Christmas had no place in England because of the pagan history of the holiday. Oliver Cromwell banned the practice of Christmas in England.

The Puritans did not recognize Christmas nor would they permit the few who wanted to to practice it. Christmas was banned in Boston from 1659-1681.

Colonials during the American Revolution did not recognize the holiday. English influence prevailed.

Several years after the Revolution, a handful of colonists began celebrating Christmas. The English influence no longer carried the weight it did prior to the Revolution. It was not Christmas as we know it. The event was rowdy. Similar to Mardi Gras and Fantasy Fest.

Tomorrow, I will trace Christmas in America a bit further. The story interesting.

Spent 1.5 hours yesterday morning getting examined. All kinds of tests. All that remains is the actual physical by the doctor which will take place next week.

Stopped at Publix afterwards. Needed a few things. Very few shoppers. However, those that were there were pushing extremely full carts to the cash registers. Early Christmas grocery shoppers.

Peter Max will be in Key West in February. Three separate visits. He will be showing at the Key West Gallery.

His visit exciting!

The Berlin terrorist was caught and killed in Milan.

All Italian cities are beautiful. Milan perhaps the most beautiful. I have visited several times.

Milan is a business and governmental center. Its people as beautiful as the City.

The Piazza del Duomo is one of Milan’s most exciting areas.

The Milan Cathedral aka Duomo di Milan sits at one end of the Piazza. Huge. Magnificent. Steeples galore. Took almost six centuries to build.

I recall one day when the heat was getting to me. I needed cool. Air conditioning is not as prevalent in Italy as in the U.S. Electricity not sufficient to air condition everything. Especially a huge cathedral.

Churches are always cool. Thick stone walls, small colored windows.

I went inside the Cathedral. I fell asleep for two hours. Slept till an attendant/guard nudged me awake. Told me I could not sleep in the Cathedral.

On one side of the Pizza sits a three story stone building. The second floor has a huge balcony. Mussolini stood on the balcony shouting to the crowded Piazza…..War, War, War! He was announcing Italy’s entrance into what would become World War II.

A few blocks off the Piazza is the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The home of the Last Supper. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1495.

The Last Supper is painted on the wall of the dining room. Quite large. 15′ x 29′.

I never  knew it was that large or painted on a wall till I saw the painting for the first time.

An awesome sight! The painting captures the instant moment when Jesus revealed to his friends that one of them would betray him. Da Vinci captured what would have been the shock and rage on the faces of the apostles.

Enjoy your day!