FRANKIE BENEFIT A SUCCESS

 

Key West is full of surprises!

Frankie the Plumber had heavy duty heart surgery in November. The bills were overwhelming. A fund raiser was thrown for him yesterday at Don’s Place.

A success! I do not know the final dollars. However more than 1,000 people attended. Don’s parking lot was full of colorful tents. It was like a street feast. Food and drink galore. Music.

Frankie looked good. A bit on the thin side. Says he will return to bocce next thursday. He is one of my bocce partners. His wife Sandy was her usual beautiful sedate self. A woman of class.

Jill is to be credited with the success of the event. Jill is Don’s outside bartender. She is also the hoola hoop queen I talk about on occasion. Jill recently started a band. It has a strange name. 40 Ft. Sharpie. I doubt anyone could forget such a name.

The band was there and played. Sounded good. I see success in the offing.

Jill was running around coordinating everything. Wearing a dress. First time I had seen her in a dress. Lovely.

Larry Smith was there. Larry is a Key West character and icon. He is on his annual Lenten diet. No alcohol and no food for 40 days. Tough. He lives on some liquid concoction. Larry does not necessarily do it to lose weight. He says it is to clean himself out.

Larry and Christine told us about the rooster fight the day before. There were two roosters fighting on their front porch. One was killed. Larry wanted Christine to pick it up, clean it  and cook it. I sometimes think the lack of food is affecting Larry’s brain. No way was Christine going to touch the dead rooster or eat it.

Larry telephoned his mother up north. How do I cook it, Mom? Pick it up by the legs she tells him and hold it in a pot of boiling water. Then remove the feathers and so on.

Larry figures Don might know so he telephoned Don. Don says are you crazy? The chicken is fill of germs inside and out.

The chicken ended up where it belonged. In Larry’s trash can.

I stopped at the Old Island Days Art Festival on the way home. The festival is held every year at this time on Whitehead in front of Truman Annex. It has grown over the years. Now it runs into Truman Annex, also.

I enjoy a quick walk taking in the booths of art work, jewelry, clothing, etc. All consistent with island living and folklore.

The Little White House is located on the grounds of Truman Annex. Harry Truman vacationed there many times while President. Every year at the Festival I have seen Harry Truman walking along Whitehead viewing the booths and nodding his head in a hello to the spectators.

The guy looks like Harry Truman! For real! Dressed as the Presidnet had. Including straw hat and cane. I missed him yesterday. I was disappointed.

The Academy Awards last night. Enjoyed the show from the comfort of my bed. I thought it was one of the best produced Academy Award shows ever. Pure pleasure and nostalgia.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tuesday is Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show. Nine in the evening. A half hour of current events discussion. Call in and chat with me. We will probably cover sequestration, the idiots in Washington, Syracuse basketball, the Vatican, and whatever else might tickle your fancy. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I have to run. Another dentist visit.

Enjoy your day!

 

DEPRESSION ABOUNDS

 

My heart cannot take much more of Syracuse basketball this season! It is constantly in my throat.

It is a game by game situation. One good game followed by three bad ones. Not good for my health!

Yesterday blew me out. Syracuse played long time foe Georgetown. I expected a close game. The Vegas line had us up by 7. Syracuse lost by 11.

What bothers me is why we lost. I read a couple of reports on the game this morning. No one is calling a spade a spade. Syracuse lost because it could not play against Georgetown’s zone defense. Plain and simple. Syracuse could not get a decent shot off from any where.

Boeheim says the team did not shoot well and that is the reason for the loss. With all due respect, it goes a step further. We could not penetrate effectively against Georgetown’s zone defense. That is why Syracuse did not shoot well.

Coach Louis suggests Syracuse practice big time over the next few days as to how to play against a zone defense. I see a lot of teams utilizing the zone defense against Syracuse in future games.

Son in law Corey has been affiliated with the Mel Fisher Museum for about a quarter of a century. He is the Museum’s Chief Archaeologist.

Corey has come up with a brilliant idea to educate people as to the wonders of underwater ship discovery and subsequent restoration. Mel Fisher will be scheduling evening get togethers to explain how a ship wreck is discovered and the ship and its contents restored. An interesting process. I have already been exposed to it.

The cost for an evening of fun and marvel is $20 per person. Do it alone, with your better half or with a group of friends. Telephone 305-294-633, extension 22, for reservations.

Big day today!

Frankie the Plumber had massive heart surgery recently. He is still mending. A fundraiser to help with the medical costs is being held this afternoon from 1-6 at Don’s Place. Everyone come! Frankie is the best of the best.

Then tonight the Academy Awards. I love watching the award show every year. Will be doing so this evening from the comfort of my bed.

Italy’s national election starts today. It is already underway. A two day event. Will end tomorrow evening. I am curious to see the direction the Italian people take.

Sloan and I worked together yesterday morning. She is educating me step by step. I am getting pretty familiar with my tablet. Published my first photo on Facebook. A big deal for me!

The Chart Room first last night. Peter and JJ there. Peter and I had a good discussion concerning Block island. He sailed into Block many times. I did a couple of times and also rented homes a few summers. A great place for a summer vacation!

Tourists included a Delaware couple and a group from Cleveland. All were repeat visitors to Key West. Having a terrific time!

JJ was surprised I was doing a TV show. He happened upon it friday morning. He had to run so he taped it for future viewing. Another viewer! That makes 3. No, I am joking. Fortunately, many are enjoying the show. From 35 different countries roughly.

There was no room at Outback. I walked over to the Chinese restaurant for dinner. I should not have. Ate too much. Enjoyed every morsel, however. I will have an extra 2 pounds of water bloat for a couple of days.

A very old friend and I crossed paths again. Dee. I met Dee for the first time 25 years ago.  The last time I saw her was 10 years ago. We ran into each other friday evening.

I mentioned to Dee her face, eyes and neck looked strange. Bloated. I wanted to be delicate. Our first meeting in 10 years. She could have gotten fat. I doubted that was the cause, however.

Her eyes were puffy slits. I asked if she was taking steroids or had a thyroid problem. No.

Whatever, I roused Dee’s concern. She went to the emergency room yesterday afternoon at 2 and was released at 10 in the evening. She was on intravenous and got two shots in the butt during that time.

Dee has a cat. Her cat would not come out from under the bed. Dee reached in for the cat. The cat scratched her arm several times. Whatever cat infection can occur, Dee got. Supposedly very dangerous. Gets in one’s glands also. Can be fatal.

I told Dee she owes me. I saved her life.

Enjoy your sunday!

 

 

LAZY DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING

 

Somehow yesterday morning I forgot to press a button. Necessary to publish yesterday’s blog. It failed to get published. Discovered the error this morning. Pressed the button.

Ergo, you will have two blogs to read today. Yesterday’s and today’s.

I walked around feeling sluggish yesterday. Had to be the two Thanksgiving meals from the day before.

Did something pleasant for Louis. A manicure. Tammy her usual bright cheerful self.

Tammy has two children. Pre schoolers. I asked if she cooked a turkey. No, she said. I told her she has to do the American holidays. Her children are growing up Americans. She cooked Vietnamese dishes instead. Her excuse was she does not know how to cook a turkey. I believe her. She promised to try next year.

Bocce last night. I felt like the living dead. It was a make up game. We were the only ones using a court.

We won all three games. The most points the opposing team scored were six. It was a good night, an easy night. Before you get the impression we were that good, I have to confess that the team we beat is either at the bottom or next to the bottom in standing. They are new and relatively inexperienced.

The three victories help. We are close to making the playoffs. There is only one week to the season left.

Herschel and Erika brought a goodie. Smoked snapper dip and crackers. Herschel had smoked a turkey the day before and smoked the salmon along with it. Delicious!

The team headed over to Don’s Place afterwards. I had one drink and left.

Frankie. Frankie. Frankie. My partner, my bocce team mate. The best bocce player in the thursday night league. Perhaps the best player in the whole league.

Frankie did not play last night. Though he did stop by with his wife Sandy to say hello. Frankie is having heart valve surgery monday in Miami.

I wish my friend well.

This Fifty Shades of Grey book is being discussed by most people. Especially  women.

I reviewed the book from my perspective yesterday on the TV/internet show as I did recently in this blog. My main thrust was that the book was an event which would elevate sex to a new level. As had the birth control pill in the 1960s, the Joy of Sex in 1972, and the g-spot in the early 1980s. My review received big time comment. Mostly from women. All excited. All loved the book. Some commented they even agreed with my observation. With one exception.

The importance of the Joy of Sex was that the clitoris was unknown by most prior thereto. For real. The book introduced the world to the clitoris and clitoral orgasms.

One female reader did not like my use of the word clitoris. How else would I label it? That is what it is. That is what it is called. I did not think it offensive. It is an appendage on the body. Like an arm, leg, the tongue. My comments were to the point, brief, and not sexual in nature. I was reporting on a fact which had occurred.

So much for today. Read yesterday’s blog, also.

Have a good saturday!