Good morning!

Still dark outside. I continue to have trouble sleeping. All jaw related. I am up early once again.

I will not be doing my internet show tomorrow morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/. KONK will be playing a rerun of a former show. My jaw makes it impossible to sit and talk for an hour. It is the required continual talking. I have difficulty enunciating. The pain would be horrible afterwards.

Watch however the rerun. Each show has consistently been informative and fun to listen to.

Golf yesterday morning. Wowie!

Golf did not hurt my jaw.

I played with Nate, Don, Larry and Yankee Jack.

Nate is a former pro tournament player. Lasted only a couple of years. He is a scratch player. As he has said many times, you have to be better than the usual scratch player to make it professionally.

Nate was the best yesterday! As expected! He was the big dollar winner. $39! Big money in our games.

Shockingly, I was a winner also. $4.

Don and Yankee were the big dollar losers. Larry some where in between.

Strokes were given all over the place. I did terrific! Even Larry got strokes. We were all playing off Nate’s ball. Don is a good golfer, but not in Nate’s league. Don refused strokes. He played Nate even. His tough guy stance cost him $15!

Last night was fun! I went out. To dinner. A mistake. I enjoyed only parts of my meal. I still have difficulty chewing.

By pre-arrangement, we met at Don’s Place. The “we” consisted of Larry, Robby, Lois, Don, Mary Deasy, Nate, Missy and me. Larry was our host. He had invited us all to dinner as his guests. Why, I am not sure. Larry is that way. Thank you again, Larry.

I met Robby and Lois for the first time. They are from Danville, Pennsylvania. They have been coming to Key West for years. Every few months. Both are retired educators. Robby was a math teacher. Lois taught the fifth grade.

Interesting people. Nice people. Lois a lovely.

The connection. Larry and Robby have been friends since the first grade. Their relationship continued through school and now into the gentler years.

Nice.

Larry’s choice for dinner was Sweet Tea’s. He had never been there. I had never been there, either. As it turned out, the only one to have dined there was Don and he recommended Sweet Tea’s strongly.

Larry’s desire and Don’s recommendation were both right on. Sweet Tea’s is fantastic! I shall be a somewhat frequent customer.

Sweet Tea’s is located where the former Keys Piano Bar was located. I felt a touch of sadness as I entered. I frequented the Keys Piano Bar. Big time! Donna and I would go together. Before Terri’s time. I even did a New Year’s Eve there. Donna and Terri met for the first time at the Keys Piano Bar.

Sweet Tea’s has been renovated. Bright cheerful hues.

The food absolutely orstanding! A WOW! Plates loaded with good home made cooking. Tasty! And…..I was able to handle the meat loaf and bread stuffings. I totally failed with regard to the macaroni and cheese and cole slaw.

Key West icon Tom Luma bartending. A personality.

I met Dina. Dina is one of the owners or the owner.She waites tables also. May cook a bit in addition. Nice person! I wish her and Sweet Tea’s success!

Pricewise, the place cannot be beaten. Average dinner price $10. Too much food and too little cost for such quality. Hope they make it! Could be. The place and bar were packed. Primarily, locals. A good sign.

George said hello to me.

George is a female. A beauty! A lovely disposition!

George is good friend to my daughter Lisa. She was at Lisa’s wedding eight years ago. I recall downing a  martini with her.

I have only seen George three times since the wedding. She bartends at Hog’s Breath. Not one of my usual haunts. I promised to remember her to Lisa. Lisa, take note.

This mornig, the dentist. Yes, again. I am beginning to think forever! I hope today’s procedure will help me to enunciate properly and be able to chew. I love my blender, but am ready to dump it.

I am not a happy  camper with my President this morning. I have been and continue to be an Obama supporter. But he continues to screw up in some significant areas. One is economics. He rewarded Wall Street who created the disaster. To the further detriment of the middle class which continues in a downward spiral. Straight down to the abyss of a lower/no class.

I worry that in the end, Obama is going to lean more to the right and downgrade Social Security and Medicare. While Wall Street and corporate America that he embolds will conintue to pay their higher echelon significant million dollar bonuses. And pay little to no taxes.

Yesterday, the President told us of how he proposes to with draw from Afghanistan. I was disappointed. Get out now, not two years from now. The numbers he came up with will only cover the surge numbers between now and September 2012. The remaining 70,000 troops will allegedly be out by 2014.

I do not believe it. Afghanistan has been a 10 year war. The longest in American history. We went into Afghanistan to get Osama bin Laden. We got him. Obama got him. Now we should get out! Like yesterday!

We cannot afford the war economically. We cannot and should not permit the continued maiming and killing of our service people.

Reagan was faced with a similar situation in 1983 in Lebanon. The Lebanese cabinet fell. A civil war resulted. Our Marines were being killed. Finally, 241 Marines were killed in one event. A suicide bombing in Beirut.

Reagan concluded the people we were trying to help were crazy.They hated us. We who were trying to assist them. Reagan decided to cut and run. Just like that. Here today, gone tomorrow.

He withdrew the Marines.

Obama should withdraw, also.

One person’s opinion.

We are presently involved in three wars. Not good. These military commitments have overextended the Nation economically. Continued participation dissipates our financial resources. To no avail.

These wars are not for our security. I am not sure what we as a Nation are doing. I would rather see the dollars spent at this time waging these wars invested in America’s economy. We need jobs in this country! Reinvesting those dollars in restructuring internal America is the key.

Like make love, not war, make jobs, not war, is the evolving cry.

I am sure Obama hears the cry. He is not effectively reacting to it.

Unfortunately.

Enjoy your day!

I have been up earlier the past two mornings doing this blog. This morning 5. Yesterday 3.

It is not that I am anxious to write each morning. Though actually I am. It is the pain! The problem is not so bad as to require a pain pill. But bad enough to be constatly irritating.

I do not understand how I can have a tooth ache where there is no tooth!

I went out yesterday. First time by day in over a week.

Exciting!

Had some bills to pay. Filled the gas tank. The new Volkswagn took only 11 gallons to fill. Then to Publix to shop. The cupboard was extremely bare. Needed blender compatible foodstuffs.

I enjoyed it all. Especially Publix. It never fails. Ran into several local friends. Made a new one.

I tried a chocolate covered donut the other day. There was a box frozen in the freezer. Thought I could handle one. Looked so good!

I let them thaw. Then took one small piece into my mouth. No way!

When will I eat normally again? My social life is affected, Drinking and eating are the big things down here. I do not drink, except an occasional one. I am not eating. Cannot chew. If it were not for the weather, my life would be down and low. No Question. The best place to be incapacitated a bit is Key West. Even if you cannot play as normal people do.

I live and learn. I wanted to get some money to a friend quickly. Discovered Western Union. The transfer took all of 16 seconds. And I was able to do it at Publix! I suspect the Publix employee who assisted me thought I was nuts. I kept repeating….Amazing!

Lynda Frachette does a dail internet news letter about goings on in Key West. She also announces therein (a remnant of my lawyer days) birthdays and anniversarys. My birthday is July 6. The announcement was follwed by a description of a Cancer person. My birthday falls into the Cancer time frame.

The description was right on. Fit me to a T.

I recall many years ago being on a train returning from New York City to Utica. A time when people primarily took trains.

I was glancing through a magazine when I came across the description of a Cancer Male Attorney. Wow! Did it fit!

I will not bore you with the description. If interested further, look it up on the internet. Today’s blog is getting long.

Rocco, where are you? I don’t think you love me any more.

Martin BK, how were Terri and the Follies Sunday?

Golf this morning! I will survive. And enjoy.

Enjoy your day!

I did it! Finally left my home after nine days! Twice!

The first was to the dentist.

I should have stayed home. Left hurting more than when I went in.

The second time was in the evening. I needed to get out. Regardless of the pain I was experiencing. The cabin fever was overwhelming.

It was Don’s Place for a couple of hours.

It was good to be with people again! Don, Kurt, Robert, Michelle, Toni, Boomer, Skip, Jimmy. I forget who else.

I confess. I had a couple of drinks to kill the pain. It did somewhat. But not enough.

I shot pool. First time in 40 years! Eight ball with Jimmy. One game. I lost. Not badly. I scratched after making the 8 ball.

The last time I played was with a Judge back in Utica. Anthony Garramone. We would meet for lunch religiously on Wednesdays. At our men’s club, the Fort Schuyler Club. After lunch, we would go upstairs for an hour or two to shoot pool. And talk. Generally about politics, the law and women.

Anthony’s nick name was Muzzy. Even to this day. We grew up two doors apart on Jay Street in Utica. The Petrones and Garramones were neighbors. The Garramones occupied 3 houses, the Petrones one.

Muzzy’s Uncle Frank married my Aunt Fanny. Neighbors who married. Sometime in the late 1920s or early
1930s.

There is a story that has continued in the Garramone/Petrone family folklore over the years. On Aunt Fanny and Uncle Frank’s wedding night, Aunt Fanny as giving her new husband flack over something. He told her to get his pants and put them on. She said…..are you crazy…..they’re too big for me! He replied…..now you know who wears the pants in the family!

Those were the days on Jay street! Utica’s Italian ghetto from the 1920s through the 1950s.

It is about three in the morning. Woke. Wide awake. Pain in jaw non existant. Pain in temples. Substituted one pain for another. The drinks took care of the jaw. But left another pain.

I am going out later in the day. Need a pedicure. Refuse to stay in.

The blender and I are still a team. No divorce in sight in the near future.

It is back to bed for me. Hopefully to sleep for a  few more hours.

Enjoy your day!

It’s a new life, it’s a good day for me!

I have a dentist appointment at 9:30. Stitches to be removed. Some other work done. I suspect I will be in better shape afterwards.

I better be! This has been my week from Hell!

Father’s Day was the same as all days this past week. I stayed home. All alone by the telephone. Watched the Open. Me and my blender.

Except for one bright spot. A Father’s Day visit by Lisa and family. They brought me flowers.There is a colorful spot in the kitchen where they sit.

They had just finished swimming at Fort Zach. Corey was excited. He described how Robert and Ally donned their snorkeling equipment and swam the length of the beach with him. Out in the deep part beyond the rocks.
About ten feet deep. Each time they saw something which attracted them, they snapped their bodies and went down to the ocean floor.

Corey was impressed. Robert and Ally have been snorkeling for at least three years.The past week at the Reef Relief summer camp had fine tuned them.

My fish!

The day finished on a high note. Marty telephoned me.

Marty lives in Hallandale. He was calling from a float in his brother’s pool in the East Hamptons. The far end of Long Island. With a martini in hand, off course. He and Donna vacationing.

Marty is well again. Obviously. Back into the martinis!

He will return to Key West later this week. I look forward to his visit.

That’s all folks! Time to get ready for the dentist. Hopefully my day, no, my life, will be better afterwards.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Father’s Day!

First to my Dad! 97 years young! Who would have believed!

Love you, Dad! Hang in there!

Then to me and all the other fathers out there!

These are difficult times. Unless you are a banker or involved with Wall Street, things are not as they should be. Not as had been anticipated. Disruption everywhere.

The disruption extends to the family unit also. There are more and more dysfunctional families. Family members not talking to each other. The young screwing the old financially. Children throwing Dads/parents under the bus for financial gain. Greed affecting the very core of families to the total destruction of the family unit.

Things change. The world is not as it was. Nor as it was expected to be.

Change has become the constant.

Dads everywhere, enjoy the day with whomever and whatever you have. Make the best of that which is.

I am feeling better. Yesterday was the best day yet this week. I would say I am ok in every respect, except appearance and ability to speak normally. Jaw still swollen and bruised. Is my upper lip going to be purple forever? I still have trouble talking. Enunciation non existant. Words get garbled. I am difficult to understand.

I know. I have always been difficult to understand in many respects. This is a new and different type difficulty, however.

Larry Smith and I had an interesting conversation friday. On the telephone. With Larry having a bit of difficulty understanding me. I understood him, however.

Larry called to ask if I needed anything. Though we do not always agree, he is a friend and loyal reader of this blog. I told him thank you, but no.

We chatted a bit.

Then he told me what his charming wife Christine was up to. Christine was in Saratoga. Relatively close to my home town, Utica. Relatively close to her former home town, Woodstock.

Why Saratoga? The racing season does not start for a month.

Turns out Christine was there helping out family members. If my recollection is correct, a neice and her husband. If I have it wrong, I apologize. But relatives they are.

The wife has cancer and is undergoing chemotheray every day. The husband recently lost both kidneys and is on the dyalis machine every day. They are being treated as out patients in different cities. One in Saratoga, the other in Albany.

Larry and I got into a discussion of the relative illnesses of Christine’s family members and me. I am going to get better. The family members…..questionable. All of a sudden, I felt ashamed for only having thought of myself all week. There are many others in the world far sicker than I.

I immediately felt better.

Which reminded me of something I had heard many years ago…..I was unhappy I did not have shoes till I met a man who had no feet.

Sorry if today’s blog is a bit heavy, thoughtful. It’s the way it came out. I never know what I am going to say when I sit at the computer in the morning. It just flows.

Enjoy the day!

I am feeling better.

Yesterday, ok. So far this morning, good. Sleep still screwed up. Wake every hour. Must be the second pill I am taking. Still having crazy dreams.

My next dentist visit is Monday. I cannot wait. My jaw still swollen and bruised. I am talking strange. Enunciating poorly. Impossible to chew.

But…..I am getting there!

One positive is that I have lost five pounds in five days!

I miss going out and socializing. I enjoy people. Early next week should find me back into my normal life style.

Reef Relief. A local organization whose goal is to preserve and protect living coral reef and ecosystems.The reef as we know it is 10-12 miles off Key West. I have snorkeled at the reef. Magnificent! Colorful fish and underwater foliage. Some of the fish are big. Many the time my heart fluttered a bit!

Robert and Ally are doing a two week summer camp under the auspices of the Reef Relief organization.

Ally telephoned me yesterday to share her experience with me.

The group is for 6-12 year olds. They are boated out to the reef. Swim, dive and snorkel. All day long.

Robert and Ally already swim better than me and most adults. They have been snorkeling for three years. Such would be expected. Their father Corey is a professional diver.

What a way for my grandkids to live!

Stephanie Kaple is a dear Key West friend. As Jenna is.

Stephanie is crazy about shoes. High heeled ones. Stilettos.

Stephanie is known as the Island Shoe Girl. She does a weekly blog. www.theislandshoegirl.com. Starts the column with shoes and ends up solving some world problem. A deep person! I recommend her blog to you.

Stephanie also does a weekly internet show at KONK. My station, also.

Yesterday, Jenna guested on Stephanie’s show.

Jenna and I spoke last night. I asked if they talked about flip flops. Yesterday was National Flip Flop Day. No. Me thinks Stephanie was not even aware of the significance of yesterday.

Stephanie hates flip flops. Even crocs. She is always chastising me for wearing crocs.

I often wonder if she wants me to wear stilettos. Now, that would be a sight!

Stephanie also selects some person for the Stletto Award of the week. Generally has to do with shoes. Not yesterday. Jenna said I received the award. To compensate for my pain and suffering this past week

Thank you, Stephanie. But, I still will not wear stilettos! I do not shave my legs nor wear skirts. Doubt I would look good. People would start wondering! They would mentally think…..I always knew!

Stephanie also sponsors a Stiletto Contest at Vino’s once a month. Women parade and prance in high heels. I have agreed to judge this month’s contest. Should be fun. I had to promise to keep my eyes at ankle level and below.

Stiletto originally applied to knives. Dagger type. A slender point to permit the blade to quickly and deeply penetrate. A favorite of Italians. A modern day Mafia execution instrument.

The American switch blade is also considered a stiletto.

I recall many years ago reading a book involving a stiletto. It may have been a James Bond novel. Some one had to be killed. He was swimming at a Miami Beach hotel. The executioner dove in and swam under him. Took out his stiletto and in with one swift thrust took the guy out.

Today’s high heels are referred to as stilettos because of their length and thinness.

You can tell I feel better this morning. I am primarily talking about things other than my health.

Sitting around this past week, I did more reading than normal. I read a lot about Harry Truman. A most responsible and spectacular President

He called things as he saw them. He called a spade a spade. Without hesitancy.

I discovered an interesting Truman quote. Says it all about politicians. The quote applies especially to today’s politicians.

Harry Truman said:  “My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”

Go Harry!

Enjoy your day!

Gorgeous outside. The weather continues to be perfect.

The MTV house across the water is yellow with pink trimming. Once the sun is up and running, it reflects brightly off the house. At the moment the sun is edging up. The yellow and pink are muted. So are the palm trees and water surrounding the house. A piece of beauty unto itself.

The weather by day continues around 90. By night, in the low 80s. Humidity by day getting heavy. Nights so so. Sometimes have to turn on the air conditioning in the middle of the night.

The evening weather is perfect convertible time. If I was getting out. Which I am not. I have been confined to home since Monday. Fun is becoming a distant thing in my memory!

I have a hair cut scheduled at 11:30. Need the hair cut. Plus, Lori will be away all of next week. Will I make it?

The swelling is down. Have a 2 inch x 1/4 inch dark purple stripe on my left jaw. Noticed last night my upper lip is totally dark purple. Like purple lipstick. Could not see it before because with no teeth there, the lip tends to cave in.

That is my problem. No teeth! How can I go out into the world toothless! Not me!

I am getting sick of lying in bed, watching TV and taking naps. I need to get out! Socialize! Talk with people!

Talking a problem. Hard to ennunciate and articulate.

I know. All this will soon pass. In the meantime, it is just me and my blender!

Enjoy your day!

Good news and bad news.

The good news first.

Donna and Terri telephoned me around 4 yesterday afternoon. All excited. One talking, one yelling in the background. I had to tell them to slow down. Finally, shut up!

Their message: Terri and Follies are going to Broadway! Rehearsals start in threee weeks. The show opens on the golden way in July.

Terri broke a leg!

What a wonderful continuation of Terri’s story. Three years ago she slept on a park bench in New York City for 3 months. Homeless. Now back on Broadway bigger than ever!

God is good!

Now for the bad news.

The pain came back big time around noon yesterday. Back to the pills. I had a horrible tooth ache where I have not had a real tooth in 50 years and no where near where the dentist worked on Monday.

I slept, but woke frequnetly and abruptly. Crazy dreams. crazy pills.

My computer broke. I spent last night and up until now having it worked on. I don’t know what is worse. Sleeping alone or having your computer die on you!

I am bleeding sporadically also.

When will this all end? Probably sometime over the weekend. The dentist said it would take a week.

In the meantime, I am a recluse. Stay in. Do not go out. Reading a lot. Watching some TV. Researching for tomorrow’s internet show which I will not be doing. There will be a rerun, however.

Enjoy your day!

Good morning!

I slept last night. A biggie!

My post dental surgery problems are still with me. Though less. I am recovering.

Yesterday was spent home. Never left the house. The pain pill disoriented me. I felt lousy overall.

Kurt visited in the afternoon. He did not stay long. I have difficulty talking. Results in increased pain.

I stopped taking the pain pill at noon yesterday. It was too hallucegenic for me. WOW is the only way I can describe the freaky side show that was going on in my head. I even saw my mother walking around the house three times. She has been dead more than 20 years.

By dinner time last night, my head had cleared and I was pain free. Slept well during the night. I have some jaw pain this morning. Not going to take the pill if I can help it.

Bruising is develpong. A dark one about an inch long on  the left side of my jaw.

My blender and I slept together.

No golf for me.

I plan on staying in all day.

Don’t you. Go out and enjoy!

Pain!

Nothing but since yesterday morning. Took longer for the pain pills (note the s on pill) to kick in.

Of the three major surgeries involved in the process, this was the worst. Without question. No comparison. Four hours post surgery, it was shoot me, take my head off, whatever.

I did not sleep one moment last night. Not much pain. Just could not sleep.
Whatever the drug I am on, it has some interesting side effects. I kept hearing house noises all night. The door bell ringing, the front door opening, some one walking around downstairs, people speaking, etc.

Freaky!

Anyhow…..I am happy to report I feel better this morning. Still taking the pain pills though. The pills have joined with the blender as my best friend couple.

The drive to the dentist yesterday morning was special. I took ocean route along the Atlantic. It was longer. Subconsciously, I probably wanted to be late. I hate dentists!

Sun shining. Top down on the new Volks beettle convertible. Car headed for the dentist’s office.

The vehicle is equipped with Sirius. My two previous Audis had Sirius also. But I never did whatever had to be done to make them operational. My new car benefactor delivered the vehicle ready to go. That included the Sirius hook up.

So far I have been listening to the following music: 40s, 50s, 60s, Sinatra and Broadway. Nothing could be finer…..

As I drove along with the sun in the sky and the ocean to my left, on came The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha. Awe inspiring! Blew me out! As the song ended, I was ready, as Don Quixote had  been, to ascend the stairs…..to accept judgment.

I know. You think I am whacking out. I am. It has to be the pills!

Almost 24 hours later, I feel like I am still waiting to meet my Maker. This pain interlude must be my Purgatory.

Watched the Republican New Hampshire debate last night. It was sweet time. The candidates were goody two shoes to each other. They must have had emblazoned on the inside of their eye balls Reagan’s…..speak no evil of a fellow Republican.

Mitt Romney, Michele Bachman and Newt Gingrich did partularly well. Ron Paul, who I have admired for years, is starting to show his age. His thought content good as usual. His responses a bit off track at times. I understand. I am an oldie and suffer from whatever afflicts Paul.

I probably will write 2 or 3 legal blogs for Amazon Kindle today. The Key West Lou Law site. That is if the pills do not screw up my thought process. I will know within the first two or three paragraphs.

Tom and Nicky left a couple of days ago for their home on the Jersey shore. I miss them. Good people. What a life! What a country! Tom is a retired school administrator. Summers at the Jersy shore and winters in Key West. Nicky is retired from sonething also and makes and has made her contribution to the their life style. What Nicky did I cannot recall. The Ron Paul problem. Louis’ problem.

I miss Tino and Maria, also. They returned to Chicago for the summer. Good people.

The relationship Tino and I have is terrific. I consider him a friend. It was not always so.

I started playing bocce 5 years ago. Tino was team captain. Tino said we had to practice. Sundays at around noon. I said no. I explained I had not come to Key West to be serious about anything. Serious was behind me. Tino is a short guy. Some short men tend to be pompous. Tino was pompous. Retired lawyers can be pompous also.

Tino looked me in the eye and said if I did not practice on Sundays, I could not play. I said no problem. I quit.

Such was the Tino/Louis beginning. Our relationship sucked for a while thereafter. Then we became friends. True friends. I am happy to have  him  as a friend. I am sure his feelings toward me are the same. If not, I will hear from Tino sometime today. In his deep raspy voce, he will say…..LOUIS!

Enjoy your day! I know mine will be good. I am on those pills!