I met a Penelope yesterday. My first one.

I was at Date and Thyme for a smoothie. Packed! Never saw so many customers before. Had to be the holiday!

Got one of two corner seats. Sat next to a female. Much younger than me. Lovely. Her name Penelope.

We chatted. I shard my smoothie with her. She has been in Key West since 1985. Presently a waitress at Casa Marina. Sounded like she had been an employee there for a number of years.

Did a little research on the name Penelope. Derived from Greek mythology. The faithful wife of Odysseus, the legendary Trojan warrior. She waited 20 years for Odysseus’ return from the Trojan War. During that time she fended off suitors by promising to chose one after weaving a shroud for Laertes, which she secretly unraveled each night.

Practical Greek meaning of Penelope: With a web on her face. Penelope also means “duck.”

Thousands of women named Penelope. A mere handful of men so named.

Hope to run into her again. An interesting woman.

It was Dr. Blass for me yesterday at noon. He is caring for my post cancer ankle wound.

His check-up painful. I told him he was “hurting me.” He responded he was “helping me.” He was correct. Kept my mouth shut thereafter.

Following Dr. Blass and Date & Thyme it was home for the balance of the day. Primarily in bed. Pain all day!

In spite of the pain, I could see the wound healing. Still has a long way to go, however. Wound size reducing and pain, though severe, less.

Eating limited yesterday. Two smoothies and one Stauffer frozen fettucine. The pain keeps me semi-nauseous and lacking in eating interest.

New Year’s Eve. I shall remain in. Wound still healing. Would not take “walking abuse.”

TV will be my pleasure this evening. Assuming I am still awake at midnight.

In my lifetime, I rarely went out New Year’s Eve. Considered it “amateur night.” Preferred home parties and my golf club the Yahundasis in Utica.

New Year resolutions date back 4,000 years. To Egypt and the Babylonians of Mesopotamia.

The number of Americans who make New Year resolutions total 30 percent.

Glasses of sparkling wine downed in the U.S. each New Year’s Eve 360 million.

Days of the year in the earliest Roman calendar different from ours today. Theirs 304, ours 365.

“Auld Lang Syne” is the most frequently sung song in English. Auld Lang Syne goes back to the 16th century. Guy Lombardo gave it modern day popularity with the Royal Canadians.

Auld Lang Syne is is one of the top three frequently sung sons. The other two are “Happy Birthday” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

I find the Et Cetera section of “1440 Daily Digest” one of the best “go to” sections to read on a daily basis. This morning’s disappointed me, however. Not one thing interested me. Surprising!

The U.S., Trump inspired, has militarily attacked seven countries this year. Nothing to be proud of!

A honoree! Key West’s Daniel Castano Piedrahita has been awarded Junior Sailor of the Year by the U.S. Navy. Congrats local Key Wester!

Part of Trump’s long time “attack” on Minnesota’s alleged “fraud claims. His administration has halted children’s payments. Make the little ones suffer…..why not. They and their parents have little to fall back on.

Syracuse yesterday experienced its second biggest snowfall in 32 years. Twenty four plus inches. Lake snow. With more to come. The snowfall was Syracuse’s second largest in its recorded history.

The Supreme Court has taken the National Guard away from Trump. About time! I am fearful of even a gun, let alone another Army in his control. He has enough with the usual military which is under his control as President. He’s dangerous. Give him something and he will use it. Chicago did him in with the National Guard

Trump running Kennedy Center into the ground. Shows and performers cancelling. Only one show remains scheduled for the next six months.

Trump wants Canadian water for California. Canada refuses to supply water. Canada’s refusal probably would not have occurred were it not for Trump’s attitude and fault. You can’t piss on people and then come back to them for a favor.

Pete Hegseth screwed up. Claims windmills a threat to national security. Segseth following Trump’s dislike for windmills. Recall at some time in Europe Trump felt they were interfering with one of his golf courses. 

Hegseth sucking up to Trump to keep his job. Claims windmills in U.S. a “danger to national security.” Screw up the radar.

Such bullshit!

Keep in mind Mark Kelly. He would make a great President. A U.S. Senator and former astronaut.

Happy holiday! Do not overdrink. Enjoy waiting for midnight to roar in. 

I had three consecutive nights sleep amounting to no more than 2 hours each night. Generally from 4 in the morning to 6.

Not a way to live. Not a way to sleep.

Don’t know why.

Finally got a good nights sleep last night. Nine last evening to six this morning. The sleep of the dead. No dreams.

Woke to my Mother. I have an oil painting of her when she was about 60. It sits on the wall at the foot of my bed. Smiling down upon me. It was a pleasure waking to her and her beloved smile.

Ankle cancer surgery improving. See Dr. Blass early this afternoon. He will hurt me when he changes the bandage. The medication causes the bandage to stick to the wound. Oh, the pain!

Trump’s language lacking in Presidential flavor. Crude. Many times disgusting.

Trump spoke at a dinner Monday night at the Trump-Kennedy Center. He took a shot at those decrying the addition of his name. Said some like Dems could shoot their comments or shove their comments up their asses.

Trump tends to lie and exaggerate. A comedian recently suggested a possible new Trump lie/exaggeration: Trump saying, “He caught more shrimp in his mouth at a Benihana than any President in history.”

Go for it, Donald!

A recent internet comment…..If God made gay people, why is being gay a sin?

Excellent question.

The first razor with disposable blades was sold in 1903. One year later in 1904, the number of disposable blades had sky rocketed to 2 million.

London was devastated by German bombs early in World War II. Ninety forty was the worst year for the English. December 29, 1940 the absolute worst evening.

Bridgette Bardot died recently at the age of 91. A beauty in her day! One of history’s most prominent sex symbols.

A unique New Year’ Eve ball drop intended for this year. The ball will drop twice. The second ball will drop to honor America’s semiquence- ntenneal year.

New York City remains cold. Today at 46 degrees will be the coldest.

A Trump lie. He claims Washington, D.C. murders eliminated. Citizens say no, not true. Who knows best? He who sits in the White House or those who walk the streets?

Christmas in the Keys is the busiest time of the year. Amazing! Not surprising, however. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic heavy.

RKK Jr. has changed/eliminated some vaccines. Has made other medical alterations also. My gut tells me the error of his ways will be clearly obvious by the end of the year. The American public will feel them.

Things to come? Kansas City portends the future? One going to two rent strikes. Will it spread rapidly?

The Russian-Ukraine War is fraying Russian society. Putin has gone a few steps too far. Too many steps.

Word is Trump has U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela. Where is Congressional authority? Why is Congress on break and not doing its job?

Trump and Netanyahu show “unity” as Middle East tensons rise. Unity will not last. Little lasts with Trump.

Cold weather will hit Central Eastern Florida Wednesday. Chill winds will drop to the 20s tonight.

On this day in 1922, the USSR was established.

A fire broke out on this day in 1903 in the Iroquois Theater in Chicago. Killed 600 people. The deadliest fire in U.S. history up to that time., Strangely, the building had been declared fireproof when opened in 1903.

The Key West Library. The place where Tennessee Williams and Jimmy Buffett read and recorded.

Tiger Woods was born this day in 1975.

Rudyard Kipling: “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

Thieves made off with $400,000 of Costco lobsters. A major theft. FBI investigating.

New study reveals teen American girls do not show anger because they fear they will be disliked.

Another study revealed men 45 and older are lonelier than ever.

Keep Mark Kelly in mind for President in 2028. The man for the job!

Enjoy your day!

The New York big snowstorm was not as big as expected. Large enough to be troublesome, but only minimally so. 

Many the snowstorms this 90 year old has experienced. The big ones ran a foot or more. Yesterday’s a mere 4 plus inches in the New York City area. Enough to be troublesome if the City were not ready. The whole State was ready! So 4 inches was nothing. Nor would one foot have been.

New York City experienced its heaviest snowfall in 4 years. That mere 4 inches.

My former home town of Utica experienced lake effect snow. Heavy. A pain to deal with. Not bad yesterday, however. As with New York City, much less than expected. With Utica ready for it, of course. Street falls varied, as were neighborhoods. Some a mere bit, others a few inches.

I suspect not the fun they were years ago when families were stuck home 3-4 days. Fun time. Families got to know each other again.

On the last day or two, many families were able to walk several blocks to a park snow covered hill. Good sized. We brought sleighs and toboggans with us. Up and down the hill. Whooping it up. Followed by cups of steaming hot chocolate at a chalet at the bottom of the hill.

My Father broke his nose on one of the toboggan rides. He was on his knees at the back steering. We hit a bump. Toboggan and its passengers up in the air! My Dad came down with his nose hitting the back edge of the toboggan.

His surgery painful. I still recall standing by his bed following his surgery hurting with him.

Live and learn. The beloved Statue of Liberty began as a monument for Egypt. Plan was to call it “Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia.” A statue of a Muslim woman. It was to be placed at the entrance way of the Suez Canal in Port Said.

However the Egyptian statue was deemed too costly to produce and the Port Said Lighthouse was erected instead.

A second site was decided upon. Its present location in New York City harbor. Its purpose to honor the century old alliance between the U.S. and France, as well as America’s successful effort in abolishing slavery. 

I have been to the crown in the Statue of Liberty on two occasions. Once in my youth when my Father took me. As an adult when I took my four children.

Hundred of stairs to climb. Hundreds of people climbing with you. The crown our goal. The hand and torch had been closed years earlier as being unsafe.

The crown has 25 windows. People crushed together to get a window to look through.

The Statue of Liberty was originally copper colored. Lasted 35 years before it began to turn green.

The world’s first commercial movie screening took place this day in 1895 at the Grand Cafe in Paris.

A sport’s first! On this day in 1958, the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 24-17 in overtime in the NFL Championship Game. A back and forth thriller. Considered the “Greatest Game Ever Played.”

Italy got nailed! The worst European earthquake in recorded European history. Struck the Straight of Messina in Southern Italy. Leveled parts of Messina and Reggio di Calabria on the Italian mainland. This day in 1908. One hundred thousand killed.

America’s first test tube baby was born in Norfolk, Virginia this day in 1981.

Denzel Washington: “You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s a part of it.”

Attorneys and outdoor billboards. In 2024, attorneys spent an estimated $541 million on outdoor ads. A terrific marketing tactic. Brought their names to an oversaturated market.

Mark Kelly again! My candidate and should be yours also for President in 2028.

Enjoy your last Sunday of the year!

Ho, ho ho! New York State experiencing a snow emergency. Eight to twelve inches. Not a bad thing. Good for the people to experience every several years or so. A change of pace.

I attended college in New York City. Manhattan College. A major snowstorm struck. Snow removal massive. Snow was picked from the streets and loaded onto huge trucks. The trucks were driven to street sewers. The sewer caps removed. The snow dumped into the sewers.

 New York City street snow removal in the 1950s!

Fun however were the infrequent occasional massive snow storms of later years when my family and I were residing in Utica. A major snowstorm was good for 3-4 days of remaining at home. The family together indoors during the time. Discovering each other as a family. Primarily lying around on the living room floor in front of a roaring fire place.

The storm was expected. Food purchased big time prior thereto.

For some reason, everyone got along. Family clashes minimal. 

I recall one major storm. We were still living in the small house on Gibson Road. City plows had run the snow high onto the sides of streets. Driveways were plugged.  Moving traffic non-existent. A major snowstorm. The snow had been plowed into our driveway some 10-15 feet high.

I was getting a little stir crazy. Decided to walk to my parents’ home. About one mile away.

It had stopped snowing. The driveway had the mountain of snow plugging it. I decided to take John with me. I doubt he was even 5 years old at the time.

We trudged through the driveway snow to the street and the mountain of snow blocking the driveway entrance. The 10-15 feet. I looked at the high rise. The impossible task of getting over. Came up with a plan. Picked up my 5 year old son and threw him high and to the top of the pile. Then pushed my way up and threw John down into the road. There was no traffic to be seen anywhere.

Then John and I walked to my parents home where we spent several hours. My Mother warmed us up with hot food.

The return trip was the same. Streets basically clean and easy to traverse. The 10-15 foot pile still plugging the driveway. For John it was up, up and away again.

An interesting trip. Different. One we both enjoyed.

Note Utica was totally closed down. No one worked. Everyone confined to home. Resulting in a happy family time.

The present storm is still falling. The State expected to receive 8-12 inches of snow. Governor Hochul has announced a state of emergency.

New York’s last major storm was in January 2022.

Marlene Dietrich was born this day in 1901. A woman of quotes: “I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.”

Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City this day in 1932. Many times in my youth my parents took me.

Live and learn. In Germany, men urinate sitting down.

Many products came out of World War I. Today taken for granted. Wrist watches, trench coats, plastic surgery, zippers, Kotex sanitary pads, and Kleenex tissues.

Trump wants wars. Note his most recent activity. His airstrike of Nigeria. His purpose to “protect Christians.”

He’s a warmonger. He is going to get us into a major conflict. Venezuela is kid stuff. Canada is fearful and has gotten ready for a possible war with the U.S. Hard to believe. The ultimate would be Russia and China. Could be.

Rumor is floating that Kumail Nanjiani had an affair with Michelle Obama. Nanjiani’s response to the rumor: “I’ve never even met Michelle Obama.”

Continue keeping Mark Kelly in mind for our next President. Well qualified. A 25 year Navy veteran, an astronaut and U.S. Senator.

Enjoy your day!

Christmas is for the kids. No question about it. The big question comes early Christmas morning. The children are up early. Anxious to see what Santa Claus had brought them.

I recall some of those mornings vividly.

My wife Mary Lourdes and I were up late laying out Santa’s gifts. Our children numbered four. Four pregnancies in four years. Four births in five. One boy, three girls. John, Beth, Lori and Lisa. We learned how to make babies early. My wife being a good Catholic contributed. She refused to practice birth control. There was a fifth pregnancy which she lost. It taught her the importance of birth control.

We had a set routine for Christmas morning. No one went downstairs to see without Mom and Dad. My kids who all slept late, never slept late on Christmas morning. They were all up and in our bedroom between 5 and 6. Woke us up, insisting it was time to see what Santa Claus had brought.

Mary Lourdes and I were exhausted. We had not gotten to bed till 2 or 3 am.

They were relentless. We had to rise and go see. No returning to bed for them.

We led them downstairs to the living room and the tree and hopefully Santa’s gifts.

They attacked the tree and gifts with an exuberance special to Christmas morning. They went crazy. Yelling and screaming “He came!” Laughing and tearing into the gifts.

I recall specifically two of those Christmas mornings.

John was our oldest. It was his time for a large two wheel bike. Santa had left a 26 inch two wheeler. John lost it! He never expected a big bicycle. He cried.

In those days, large gifts were sold not put together. It took me two hours to put the bike together the night before. My work was well worth it when I viewed John’s reaction.

A Lisa experience remains in my mind these many years later. Lisa was the fourth and youngest of our children. She was around two years old at the time. The last down the stairs and the last to attack Santa’s gifts. She had dolls, bears and what have you. Plus clothes. Mary Lourdes always used Santa to bring new clothes for the children also.

We watched happily the joy Santa had brought the children. We watched their playing joyfully with their new toys. Everyone noisy, except Lisa. Recall a mere two years old. She was sitting on the floor playing with the hangers that had accompanied her new clothes. Not the dolls or stuffed animals. Simple metal hangers.

There is another Christmas tree story that has remained with us over the years. I had a 20 x 40 foot family room constructed onto our first home. Big enough to accommodate our family of six. Large enough for two sofas. two barka lounges, a piano, TV set and numerous end tables.

It was Christmas time. A few days before. Everyone was out except me. I was sitting in one corner of the family room reading. It was early afternoon. Heavy snow could be seen out the large windows. The decorated Christmas tree in the opposite corner.

Suddenly my eyes saw a flicker. It looked like the huge 19 foot fully decorated Christmas tree was falling. It was. Slowly but surely.

I rushed to it. Was able to grab onto the top part. There I stood holding the tree on a 45 degree angle. I knew if it hit the floor, the decorations would be a mess. Lights, balls and tinsels all over the place.

There were no cell phones in those days. The family room had a plugged in phone on a wall farthest from me. No way I could get to the phone without losing the tree.

I stood there holding it for 3 hours before the family returned. First cries of shock from them. Then laughs at how stupid I looked holding the tree from its topside.

I had done a good job. Only ten percent of the decoration had fallen off. We replaced the tree in it setting. Secure this time. Mary Lourdes and the kids fixed the decorations.

The scene and story was especially funny to them then. It became a topic of recollection at Christmas time for years following. I was the brunt of a humorous Christmas story for years.

So much for Christmas morning and the falling tree.

I remained home alone last night. Developed a bad stomach and upchucking earlier in the day. No mood for eating nor did I want to spread whatever I had to anyone else. Feel fine this morning. My request to Corey and Robert was to bring me the Italian Christmas cookies Lisa had baked for me to consume today.

Remember Mark Kelly. May he be our President in 2028. 

Enjoy your Christmas Day. A very Merry Christmas to one and all!

Without question for an Italo-American of my generation, Christmas Eve was the best meal of the year. As far back as when I was a youngster to 25 years ago. It ended 25 years ago when my wife and I divorced. Lisa still works at it. However not the entire meal. Her main course tonight will be a pork roast. We rarely ate pork back when because it could cause illness. Today, not so.

When my grandmother, my father’s mother, was the primary cook and then my mother to my wife, they were all the best! The same meal prepared to perfection.

My last such meal was 20 years ago. It pains me to even say it.

The women cooked for weeks preparing. It began with Christmas cookies. My wife used to make tons of them 3 weeks prior to Christmas Eve. Then freeze them in huge jars. The reason therefore was because me and our children would devour them well before Christmas Eve. So good!

The meal itself. A huge spaghetti bowl of snails. My recollection remains fixed. Watching them crawl up the sides of the bowl. Broiled lobster tails. Shrimp served 3 ways. Raw, stuffed and a third way I cannot recall. Stuffed artichokes. A macaroni. Generally linguine. Plus I cannot recall what else. A feast!

My last home was huge. A mansion. The dining room bigger than big. The dinning room table large. Nevertheless, not everyone could fit at the table. The overflow ended up in the kitchen. The table handled 10 comfortably. We pushed it to 14-15 Christmas Eve. Age determined whether the dining room table or kitchen one. My daughter Lori was 26 and a lawyer before she qualified for the dining room.

The dining room was active all evening. People would stop in to wish us a Merry Christmas. Actually to eat the leftovers. They were that good.

The cookies were the hit of hits.

In the days just before Christmas, Italian women would visit each other and exchange a small dish of the cookies. All looked and tasted the same. A tradition.

Came midnight and the women left for Christmas Mass. I went to bed.

The time came when except for Lisa, my other 3 children were married. They would return Christmas morning to gouge themselves again on the left over foods. Many tasted better cold.

Once before I die, I would enjoy the Christmas Eve meal again. One year, I visited the chefs at Antonia’s, La Trattoria and a couple of other restaurants trying to put the meal together. Failed! A Cuban cannot cook an Italian meal as well as an Italian.

Christmas would not be Christmas without mentioning Christmas carols. 

I attended Blessed Sacrament Grammar School. Taught by Brown Franciscans. They were our second mothers.

There were few Italians in the school. Few Italian families in the neighborhood. In my first years at Blessed Sacrament there were only 2 Italians in my class. Me and one other.

It was at Blessed Sacrament with the the nuns that I learned Christmas carols. Silent Night, Jingle Bells, I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, Deck the Halls, O’ Little Town of Bethlehem and more.

I cannot help but wonder how many gifts will be shared at Donald’s Mar-a-Lago this evening. More than two to most I am sure. Especially the children.

I remind you again of Mark Kelly. He would make a formidable President.

Merry Christmas one and all! Enjoy!

Society has been changing its composition. Economics the driving force. Young adults and the elderly cannot afford to live alone. So they are forced to move in with Mom and Dad. A return to hundreds of years ago when families all lived together.

It works. Kumbaya exists.

Thank God most families understand what must be today.

Andre Rieu is one of the world’s outstanding musicians and musical conductors. His concerts unforgettable. European. Most of his concerts in Europe. Exceptionally large crowds. Their size mind-blowing.

Check him out. You will thereafter return to him constantly.

With the cost of electricity booming, Christmas lights decorating the outside of homes may be in its last stages.

Christmas trees big business! In 2022, 14.5 million trees were cut on U.S. tree farms.

Year the first artificial Christmas tree was purchase 1886. The first were made in Germany from goose feathers.

Sending and receiving mail a routine part of our daily lives. Not a new thing. Not even a relatively close thing. Mail goes back to 2400 BCE with the Egyptians. Amazing! Interesting!

A step forward. International mail service began in 1874. It was headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Twenty two countries were involved.

The wildest of the wild concerning mail. In 1913, people were able to mail parcels weighing more than four pounds. A “parcel” included a “child.” Parents were mailing their children to destinations under the care of a postal worker. It was cheaper than a train ticket.

A postmaster eventually saw the “negatives” involved and prohibited the practice.

A bizarre custom in ancient Greece and Rome: Drinking a gladiator’s blood. People thought they were drawing life by consuming  the dripping or dead gladiator’s blood.

An important birth. On this day in 1956, the first gorilla was born in captivity. At the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. Named Colo. A combination of Columbus and Ohio.

Colo was the daughter of Millie and Mac. Colo weighed four pounds at birth.

Colo went on to become a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. 

Colo died in 2017 at the age of 61.

Denmark ending mail service after 400 years on December 30, 2025. Reason is Denmark recognizes it has become a digital society. Denmark mail has become expensive. Eight dollars a letter.

Is swearing good for us? Scientists say dropping an F-bomb can boost a person’s performance by helping them feel stronger and more focused. Letting out a swear word in a moment of frustration can feel good. 

Live and learn. Was Lady Godiva real? Did she ride naked through the streets of Coventry? A legend. Not everyone certain. Many believe she made the ride,. However, no historical note exists mentioning the naked ride.

Another part of the legend involves Peeping Tom. 

No one was to look upon the naked Godiva as she rode by. Tom did through his window. For the violation, it is said he was struck blind instantly.

Super Markets as we know them were born in 1912 when the The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company opened its first A & P Store.

Please keep in mind again Mike Kelly. My suggested candidate for President in 2028. His record top shelf. A U.S. Senator, astronaut and 25 year Navy veteran.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Sunday!

Four days to Christmas! 

Winter officially begins today.

Thus far this year, Trump has embraced the trappings of royalty in ways not seen in modern times. His a new audacious revision of the imperial Presidency. His placing of his name on the Kennedy Center an example. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Congress will correct the error of his ways in this regard. Democrats and Republicans together. Trump’s step too far will “will blow up in his face.”

More and more people are describing Trump as a “dictator.” One of the world’s worst.

Trump keeps pushing. Appears to be seeking a war. I refer to the Venezuela situation. Most recently, the U. S. Coast Guard boarded a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Where was the fentanyl?

Trump seems to close his eyes to the fact that major companies have agreed to support Venezuela in any conflict that might arise. What a war it would be! From the miniscule to an elaborate one. A war that could reach American shores.

Trump’s Venezuelan moves stupid and in error. As my grandchildren Robert and Ally are militarily age available, so too is Trump’s son Barron. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Also, forget not Melania who will be very unhappy.

Syracuse beat Northwestern yesterday in basketball 91-83.

The health insurance issue remains unresolved. Many Americans will be hit with high premiums after the first of the year. To an extent they will not be able to pay. They will go without.

Disaster awaits!

Things have different costs at different times in their history. For example, in 1915 a three minute long distance telephone call cost in the U.S. exceeded $600.

A long distance call 91 years later in 2006 was 6 cents a minute.

Number of telephone calls changed also. In 1915, average daily phone calls in the U.S. exceeded 44,000. In 1960, exceeded 285,000.

The first game of basketball was played on December 31, 1891. Thirty year old James Naismith introduced the game. He later became the first basketball coach at Kansas University. Coached there from 1898-1907.

General George Patton died this day in 1945.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde” in 3 days. His wife thought it needed reworking. He also was not happy with it. So he threw the manuscript in the fireplace and burned it. 

He then spent the next 3 days rewriting the book. The edition we all read today.

Florence Griffith Joyner: “I believe in the impossible because no one else does and that gives me an excellent chance to accomplish it.”

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered  1937. I was three ears old at the time. Recall watching the movie at the Rialto Theater in Utica with my older cousins Phil and Lois. A neighborhood theater. We enjoyed the movie so much we watched it run a second time.

I briefly went out yesterday. I find it difficult to eat. Actually, swallow. My throat has narrowed and I have a growth.

I have taken to drinking smoothies. Date & Thyme chocolate smoothies. Two to three a day. Date & Thyme is on Fleming Street. Purchased six. Will last me through Monday morning.

I am having a bad day so far. Woke at 3. Pain in left ankle and foot. Sometimes running up to the knee. Really hurts when it pulsates. It will go away at some point today. In the meantime, I suffer.

Forget not Mark Kelly. Hopefully our next President. Research him.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Trump moves swiftly when it comes to his name and other things such as making money. My concern today Trump’s concern that his name be on everything.

Yesterday it was announced that the Kennedy Center had been renamed. Its new name The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The White House announced the vote was unanimous. A lie. A typical misrepresentation by Trump and his White house lackies. The vote was not unanimous. Dissenting voice(s) were “muted” and not permitted to speak.

Another strange situation involved the fact that the vote was not even on the agenda. Sneaky!

The renaming will not stand. It requires a Congressional vote. Something Trump seeks to avoid where required.

I worry. Trump has two more years in office. The ultimate for him would be the United States of America being renamed the United States of Donald J. Trump. I would not put it past him to try.

The Epstein files were finally released. In total, yesterday. Apparently heavily redacted. Should not have been. The issue a sensitive one. Those named/involved in any fashion, good, bad or indifferent, should be revealed to the public. 

U.S. at war with Syria? Or merely a retaliatory strike? Two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian were killed last week.

Trump hit back hard. The retaliation described as “large scale.” Seventy targets attacked. Word is more strikes expected.

Hegseth described the attacks “not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance.”

Too much from my perspective.

Hard to believe! Humans ate popcorn at least 6,700 years ago. Makes sense. Corn has been around some 9,000 years.

I rarely eat popcorn. However statistics indicate 43 quarts of popcorn are consumed per person in the U.S. each year,

Ah, the movies! The first public movie theater in the U.S. opened in 1905.

The first woman to run for President was Victoria Woodhull. The year 1872.

She was a strange duck. Believed in free love. Spoke freely about it. Supported the free love movement. In 1871, she gave a speech in New York City called “The Truth Shall Set You Free” supporting free love.

Radio City Music Hall has over 6,000 seats.

Fred Klein is a dear friend. A New York City attorney. Writes one blog a week. Every Friday. Outstanding.

Fred returned to Key West 3 days ago for the season. He has a lovely home nearby.

We spoke on the phone yesterday. He asked why I do not discuss my illness more. Claims people want to know how I am doing.

Here goes.

I have been home from the hospital since Sunday after one week of hell. A cancer growth on my left ankle removed. The most painful injury/surgery I have ever experienced. A quarter sized cancer grew post surgery almost immediately to larger than a half dollar coin. Then became immediately infected.

The pain, which continues, the most horrendous I have ever experienced. Even now when home. 

I shall be receiving home nurse care by Sara, a sore wound expert. She is doing great, but hurts the hell out of me big time when she works on me. I yell and swear. The last bandage next to the wound medicated. It sticks to the wound. The removal a killer!

Sara sees me 3 times a week at home.

I am getting better however. I hurt and don’t hurt. Walking better. Left foot and ankle still swollen, though the swelling minimally reducing in size each day.

I can handle going out. Do not need cane. Take it however for mental support.

I require three months of treatment. That is the length of time I have been told it will take for total recovery.

Again, I now am getting a wee bit better each day. I will take it!

I close with Mark Kelly, U.S. Senator, former astronaut and 25 year Navy veteran. My choice for President. Search him out. Read about him. A Trump he is not.

Enjoy your day!

The two names do not belong together. Trump and Kennedy. One connotes evil, the other good.

Disgrace at the highest level is about to occur. In Washington. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Sucks! The two men do not equate in any manner. Kennedy was a great! Trump is a shit! Got to say it that way. A way I suspect many Americans felt upon hearing the news.

The Center’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to effect the change. The Board was entirely appointed by Trump this year in February.

Typical of Trump moves, there are legal impediments involved. The U.S. Code states that no new “memorials or plaques in the  nature of memorials shall be designated or initiated in the public area of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”

A Congressional vote for the same would be required.

Former Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a grandnephew of former President Kennedy said, “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen President and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”

I close with my usual give consideration to Mark Kelly for our next President. A U.S. Senator, former astronaut, and 25 year Navy veteran.

Enjoy your day!