A LIZARD IN THE HOUSE

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There was a lizard in my kitchen yesterday. I was not sure at the moment precisely what it was. However, no question it was a member of the lizard family.

I was working at the counter in the kitchen on tonight’s blog talk radio show. I happened to look up. There at the far end of the kitchen was this reptile of old sitting. I yelled hoping to scare him. I did. He scooted off as fast as he could.

I had seen him/her before. For a couple of months, in my garage. Running around. I was not concerned. Figured it was a good neighbor. Ate the bugs.

Somehow junior got in my kitchen. Probably the other day when I left the door connecting the house and garage open in order to bring in the groceries.

The garage was ok for the reptile. Not the house itself.

I opened the door to the deck and got a dust mop. The lizard was hiding behind a plastic garbage bag. In ten seconds, prodding him delicately, I had the lizard out the door and running like hell!

The body of the lizard was 6-8 inches. Plus, a curled tail of 4 inches. Light to dark green in collar. Sort of fat. The body was like a thick cigar. About 1.5-2 inches in diameter. The body smooth.

What was it? At first I thought a gecko. A member of the lizard family, also. Too large and the color too dark. Then I considered an iguana. A lizard, also. No way. None of those things sticking out of the head and body.

Keith and Jenn stopped over for a while. I told them about my lizard experience. Did they know what it was? No. However, an hour later Jenn e-mailed me and said a rock lizard. She gets the prize! I looked rock lizard up on the internet and there it was. There are many species of rock lizard. My visitor fit one of the pictures.

Can you imagine waking in the middle of the night with one of those things running across the bed covers?

I finalized my blog talk radio show for tonight in the morning. Half the show will be dedicated to unholy police activities in recent years. A discussion of beheadings. My thoughts on chasing IS into Syria.

Overall, an interesting and thought provocative show. Join me. You will enjoy. Nine in the evening my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Ray the pool man came over in the morning. Fixed the motor. No big deal. A joint blew out. Pool wall needs a little something to cover the seam opening. This will be done sometime in the next few days.

Lisa and the grandkids took me to dinner last night. Roostica. Robert and Ally did the pizza dough thing at the table. I helped to flatten the dough even more after they were done. Robert showed me how to do it. You make your hand into a fist and pound.

Three pizzas were ordered. Lisa wanted pizza also. The grandkids’ pizza was the same size as an adult one. I wanted baked ziti and wings. We had too much food!

I took the leftovers home. I could have a pizza party with what is in my refrigerator. I did. This morning. I had a cold slice for breakfast. First time in years. Delicious!

This is primary day in Key West. Those of you here be sure to vote. Primary races for Mayor, Judges, and School Board.

I have the second half of my physical today at 1. I get the test results from last week and the Doctor herself will do today’s prodding. My internist is Dr. Jackie Lefferts. I have a lot of respect for her ability. I remember the year she told me I had a heart condition. I told her she was crazy. She was correct. A year later, she told me I had a new and separate heart problem. Again I told her she was wrong. Again, she was correct.

I respect her judgment.

Enjoy your day!

ANNUAL PHYSICAL

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I had the first part of my annual physical yesterday. Two hours. I will complete the physical next week with Dr. Jackie Lefferts herself. Yesterday, her staff mauled me over.

I have been doing an annual physical since I was 32. Now, 79. A lot of years. I was very sick when 31. Spent four months in bed. Turned me into a hypochondriac of sorts. I worry about my health probably more than most persons.

Physicals have developed over the years. Longer. More detailed.

We started with a urine sample. The nurse used to hand me the bottle and I understood what it was for. Now I get questioned first. Will you be able to do it?

Then an eye test. My eyes have been a problem my entire adult life. I jokingly always say I can’t see. A semi-true statement. I find as one ages, the eyes get better. Yesterday, I did the eye test without glasses and missed not one letter.

Blood pressure, weight, oxygen. My weight a disaster! Blood pressure under control. All the pills I take work.

An EKG. Followed by some kind of a test where both the nurse and I could hear my blood flowing. Tested at both ankles and arms. It was a gusher!

My blood next. I hate giving even a small amount of blood. When I was 21 and ready to marry, New York required a blood test. I passed out. Ever since, I think I am going to pass out again. I look the other way and close my eyes.

It has been years since blood has been taken from my arm. The veins are too soft and move around. It is now from the back of my hands.

The final test involved blowing hard into something. Purpose I assume was to test my lung capacity. You blow till you think your eyeballs are going to pop out.

Two hours of fun. None of it bothered me. However, I was tired when we were finished. I return next week for the results and some doctor prodding.

Stopped at Lisa’s afterwards for breakfast. I was starving.

As a result of the physical work up, I was late doing the blog. Started around noon.

Spent a bit of time in the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. All Ferguson! The show went well. I hit a lot of points big time radio and TV people do not touch. If you wish to listen, the show is archived and can also be found on Facebook and Key West Lou.

Per my usual tuesday pre-show custom,, dined at Roostica’s. Delicious buried in oil wings. Megan came from behind the bar to wait on me. She has taken me under her wing.

One of my observations re Ferguson is that a grand jury had not heard the case yet. Today one will start. I do not understand why we are now 11 days post the shooting and no arrests. If black Michael Brown had shot the white police officer, he would have been indicted by now and sitting in jail awaiting trial.

IS is crazy! They love to behead people. I read yesterday that IS beheaded 700 people in Syria the past two weeks. Last night’s news blew me out when I read IS had beheaded an American reporter who they have held captive for two years. Then posted the video on the internet. the reason given was in retaliation for the American bombings recently in Iraq.

Sick people!

Enjoy your day!

SUNDAY…..DAY OF REST

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Sunday…..Day of rest! I bought it yesterday. I rested till dinner time.

The only interruption, not really an interruption, was when Lisa and the family showed up. They had been to Sugarloaf dropping off Cameron at his mother’s. Cameron was returning to FSU yesterday.

Robert and Ally are starting school today. All excited! These kids love school!

My rest time was not lying around necessarily doing nothing. Though it did take up a portion of the time. I read a bit. The FDR book. The Mantle of Command.

This week’s KONK Life column has to do with the surrender of Singapore without a fight and the refusal of Indian and Australian troops to assist the British if there was to be a fight. I became aware of the circumstance while reading the FDR book. It motivated further research and resulted in the column.

Dinner at Roostica. Me and the FDR book.

Yesterday was also my 57th wedding anniversary. Rather would have been were I still married. We only made it 52 years. For some inexplicable perverted reason, I celebrated the 57th at Roostica’s. There are still memories.

Ferguson, Missouri again last night. The National Guard had to be called in. The mess is getting worse with the looting and destruction. On the other hand, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The police militarized assault at the beginning struck the match that got the thing started.

Ferguson reminds me of the 1950’s Hungarian Revolution.

Government will win in  the end. That is the way it is. At what price, however?

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

SHIRREL RHOADES…..MAN OF THE YEAR

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My publisher received a big time award! Shirrel Rhoades was honored recently at a gathering in Montreal, Canada. He received the 2014 Professional Man of the Year Award by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Shirrel is a full time Key West resident and an owner of Absolutely Amazing E Books, the publishing house.

Congratulations, Shirrel! Keep up the good work!

North Roosevelt Boulevard. Grand opening yesterday. Don’t know why all the politicians were taking bows. It took 2.5 years to complete a 1.5 year job.

Yesterday technically was the first day for 5 lane traffic. It existed Monday, also. Monday must have been a practice day.

I drove the Boulevard twice yesterday, in and out. It is lovely! The palm trees in perfect order. Reminded me of the flags at the United Nations. All the same height in perfect line.

Traffic was moving well. Moving along. No slow downs or one way traffic. To a point. I was driving with the palm trees and water to my right. All of a sudden, traffic slowed down to a snail’s pace. All cars moving into the left lane. The problem. Two police officers on bikes had pulled a speeder over. Same thing again a quarter of a mile down the road. Crazy! All I could think was what the hell good is this new road if we are going to be faced with new delays!

I recalled reading in the Citizen earlier in the day that the speed limit was still 25 mph  because of some final work being done. There is a regular and higher speed. I cannot remember it, however. It has been that long!

Did an MRI of my right shoulder in the morning. I was concerned because the doctor had told me the MRI was closed. Those of you who have had MRI’s will understand.

My age came into play. My first MRI has to have been 30 plus years ago. When the machine first came out. It was a closed box all the way around. Smaller and tighter than a casket. The top of the box inches from my face. I panicked for a moment. A bad feeling!

Several years later, they came out with an open MRI. Much better, depending which part of your body was being observed. If the stomach, your head and legs were not covered. If a shoulder, as mine was yesterday, then the head and shoulder covered. More room, however.

Now they have what is described as a truly open MRI machine. Space all around. No chance of claustrophobia coming into play.

The MRI machine I was subjected to yesterday was described as a closed one. Obviously the medical people were a generation or two behind me. I was in the middle one. The original I had my first MRI in was for real closed!

Time different, also. My first MRI took one hour and a half. Yesterday, 20 minutes.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. I thought the atrocities being committed on Mount Sinjar would garner the most response. I was wrong. It was the story of the man who went into a hospital for a circumcision and left with his penis having been amputated. The penis comments were all from men.

Dinner at Roostica. Megan bartends and was bar tending last night. I was sitting at a table. She generally comes over to get me started. Not her job. Just a real nice person. Bobby is blessed with a good staff.

The Islamic religion is the fastest growing religion in the world. Over two billion members. Many kill non-believers. Especially Christians. Convert or die. They believe the killings will get them into heaven. If such is the case, how can we ever hope to stop the killings? Our enemy is religious fanaticism.

Enjoy your day!

SPIT IN BABY’S MOUTH

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I was enjoying a quiet Saturday evening meal last night at Roostica’s. A large bottle of water was on the table. A drink, of course. My meal. Braised short ribs over a bed of brown rice covered with some greenery. Delicious! The ribs especially. No bones. Small chunks of meat that had fallen away from the bones during the cooking process.

My date was a tablet. I was reading yesterday’s New York Times.

An article on the Iraqi/ISIS/Mount Sinjar situation caught my attention. Heavy stuff!

There are 30,000 people on Mount Sinjar. They have been there for a week or two. No water, no food. The article reported that parents are spitting into their children’s mouths to provide them with some liquid.

Most of the 30,000 are Yazidis. A religious group. Neither Muslim nor Christian. ISIS is grabbing women and young girls off the mountain. They are offered a choice. Convert to Muslimism and immediately marry a jihadist. Or die. Most convert. Some prefer death.

Mount Sinjar is a humanitarian crisis.  As is the Mexican border crisis in the United States where some 70,000 children have come into the United States this year alone. Congress has failed to act to help these kids. Obama has reacted to Mount Sinjar and is having food and water dropped.

There is another aspect to the numbers. Kurdistan is part of Iraq. Technically. However it acts independently and governs itself. ISIS is causing havoc in Syria also which is next to Kurdistan. Between refugees from Syria and those who are trying to escape the Iraqi war itself, 580,000 refugees have arrived in Kurdistan. Two hundred thousand since last Monday.

Some in the U.S. complain about 70,000 children. Look at what Kurdistan is dealing with!

I spent most of yesterday laying in bed watching the PGA. Great golf! Some of the finest I have seen. Most of the players are on in 2 and regularly sinking long putts. Today’s final round is going to be some contest. Any one of a dozen players can win.

This weekend has been Lobsterfest time. Today is the last day. Featured is what has been described as a decadent lobster brunch. Included are lobster tails, lobster ravioli, lobster benedict, lobster paella, lobster lasagna, lobster mac and cheese, and more.

Plus water.

I started this blog with 30,000 people on Mount Sinjar without food and water. Now a lavish Key West spread. Hard to relate the two. Life goes on.

Today is Captain Tony’s birthday. He was born August 10, 1916. There will be a birthday party tonight at 8 at Captain Tony’s.

What a life the Captain had. Four wives, 13 children, a saloon keeper, booze runner, boat captain, gambler and who knows what else. Even mayor of Key West. One of his campaign managers was Jimmy Buffett.

Enjoy your Sunday!

BREAST FEEDING

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Good morning! I am at Lisa’s this morning doing the blog. The realtor is showing my house.

There was a breast feeding event saturday in Key West. I was unaware of it till this morning. Not that I would have gone. My involvement with breast feeding is a thing of the past. One of my daughters did it. If ever I will observe the activity again, it will be with one the grandchildren.

There is a national organization known as Big Latch On. A fitting name! A world wide event takes place each year. The day was this past saturday. Forty five babies breast fed publically at Higgs Beach. The purpose obviously to promote breast feeding. No question, the right thing to do. Healthy. Great for the baby. Comforting to the mother.

Respect for Peter Anderson is ongoing. It does not seem to fade into the sunset.

Last April, Renier Rodriguez visited Key West from Cuba. He joined the Conch Republic, received a passport and obtained a Conch Republic flag. All from Peter Anderson himself.

Rodriguez lives in Candelaria, Cuba. This past week the Conch Republic flag flew over his home in memory of Peter Anderson.

Yesterday afternoon was spent in final preparation for last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Did the show at 9.

One of the topics involved the OPA. Not the OPA of World War II. The OPA of today. The Office of Population Affairs. A federal agency. It is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The OPA has been in business as a federal agency since 1970.

The OPA’s purpose is to control/limit population growth. The thought is that some day there will be too many people and not enough to feed them all.

The agency is pro-abortion, pro-sterilization, and pro-contraceptive use. It also has a Family Planning Clinic, one of whose purposes is to get rid of unintended pregnancies.

Plans contemplated are extremely discriminatory as regards women. Additionally, the agency has researched the legality of its proposed programs. The programs are referred to as they would be at an appropriate time. Compulsory Population-Control Laws. The suggested laws are claimed to have been legally researched. The agency’s conclusion is they can be constitutionally sustained if over population becomes sufficiently severe so as to endanger society.

The agency has a budget. In the past several years, it has averaged between $280 million and $298 million. Recall, the House of Representatives controls the budget. They decide what agency of government gets what and how much.

I find it difficult to understand how the Republicans in the House who are anti-abortion and anti-contraception can vote yearly to fund this agency and at the same time fight like hell against abortion and contraception

It does not make sense to me. Gross inconsistency.

OPA was the topic last night that garnered the most interest.

In between preparation and the doing of the show, I had dinner at Roostica. The lovely Megan took care of me.

A public official in  Ankara, Turkey is as anti-female as some of our legislators. Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister wants to prohibit women from laughing in public. He claims women who laugh cannot be honorable women. Turkish women are aroused. They have filed a discrimination complaint against him.

My column in this week’s KONK Life is titled Black Jesus. It will be available at 5 today. Read it. You will find the article interesting.

The San Antonio Spurs announced yesterday that they had hired Becky Hammon as an assistant coach. Becky is female, as her name connotes. A terrific move. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.

Enjoy your day!

SHARKS

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I am working on  my computer at Lisa’s. My computer is working well everywhere but my home. Has nothing to do with wi-fi. Has something to do with wires either in the house or outside.

Comcast is performing as expected. Poorly. I was to receive a call yesterday afternoon for service this morning. No call ever came. I called Comcast this morning. Received an apology. Got me action, however. I complained heartily. Tech will be at my home tomorrow morning between 8-10. They wanted to come this afternoon. No way. The house is being shown.

Dinner last night at Roostica. A couple of drinks and an order of lasagna. Good!

Visited an orthopedist this morning. My shoulder that I hurt about six weeks ago. Doctor thinks a rotator cuff tear. There is a good possibility of surgery. An MRI first.

Great whites have been in Florida and Keys news in recent weeks.

Katharine started it all. The pregnant great white. She came down from Cape Cod pregnant. Hung around off the keys for a few days. Then continued to the gulf side of Florida to await birth of her offspring.

Betsy soon followed her. Same scenario. Had either returned to the Cape, it would have meant she was not pregnant.

Florida is described as the shark capital of the world. It also is known as a white shark nursery. Many arrive to spend their early youth.

There are 500 different species of shark in Florida waters. Few are considered dangerous.

Now for the most dramatic piece of information. There have been 663 shark attacks in Florida waters since the 1880’s. Only one was off the Florida keys.

Interesting. Safe waters.

I mentioned two weeks ago the death of Charlie Robinson. Charlie owned the moped place on Truman. Just off Duval. The building with the big American flag flying over it. A real good guy! Charlie died from cancer. His wife Regina Bader-Robinson died two days ago. Of cancer. They suffered together and basically died together. Unquestionably sad. However, they are together once more. As it should be. They were a team.

The Republican side of the House of Representatives was giddy with success yesterday. They had formally voted to sue the President of the United States for allegedly exceeding his powers.

My prediction. The lawsuit is a loser. The courts have generally refrained from deciding political suits. Additionally, the law requires the person or persons bringing the lawsuit to have been damaged. I see no damage in the legal sense. Going a step further, this lawsuit will not be finally decided until after Obama is out of office. It will take that long.

All a waste of money. Your money and mine. Taxpayer dollars. The lawsuit will cost in the millions.

This morning was the beginning and last day of day 2 of the mini lobster season. Just as yesterday, I did not see that many boats out on the water. I looked for numbers in this morning’s Key West Citizen. Though there was a story, It made no mention of how many boats were out there. It did indicate the Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Department were busy handling injuries. Fortunately, no one died.

Enjoy your day!

WHATEVER LOLA WANTS / DAMN YANKEES

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There is always background music at WeBeFit. I suspect to take one’s mind off the pain.

As I was leaving the gym monday, I heard…..Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. From my college days!

This has been a music week. First, Don’t sit Under the Apple Tree and now, Lola. Music from the past. The distant past.

Lola was a featured tune in the Broadway musical and then movie Damn Yankees. I saw the movie. Unfortunately, not the stage show. Gwen Verdon  starred in both and sang Lola. Lola has something to do with the devil. A sultry woman, a sultry tune.

My blog talk radio show was last night. Because I screwed off monday, my show was not ready. I had to work on it quite  awhile yesterday to be ready for last night.

I opened with the Detroit water problem. I had spoken about it last week. Last night was an update. A detailed one. More facts had come out during the week. I was able to explore the nitty gritty.

A key factor is the unfairness involved. The water company is pursuing the little guy and not the businesses who owe. Anyone owing more than $150 or behind two weeks is pursued. Their water turned off. Only residential properties. Most of which are occupied by persons of color.

Many businesses also owe money. At least one auto company. Two businesses owe in excess of $1 million. A golf course over $200,000. The brunt of the money owed is from businesses and not residents.

When those in authority were asked why only the residents were having their water turned off and not the businesses, the reply was simple and stupid. It was claimed that a resident’s water ccould be turned off easily. Lift a small outside door, turn a switch and attach a wire. No special training required.

To turn off a business on the other hand, requires much more work. Purportedly complicated. Required special training which no one at the water company had.

Does not make sense to me. Go after the big bucks! Get yourself ready to do it! Do it!

Detroit came up this morning on Morning Joe. It was like many on the panel were not that familiar or were hearing about the issue for the first time. Mika said we will have to get into this tomorrow. I am discovering the live TV talk shows are generally a day or two behind in reporting an event. Whereas, the internet is right on!

The gym again this morning. I am into the scene. Though I dread it.

Enjoy your day!

 

US SOCCER HAS ARRIVED

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U.S. soccer has arrived. No question about it. The team has distinguished itself.

What made me a believer was what I viewed at Roostica last night while having dinner. The TVs were on. The game playing. Each time the U.S. team did something good, the people jumped up and cheered. The same reaction I experienced three years ago at an outdoor cafe in Athens while watching Greece play in a European soccer tournament.

When I was a youngster, there was no soccer. We knew nothing about it. Everything was baseball and football. When I was a young lawyer in Utica, I noticed that some immigrants had created a make shift field just outside the city limits and were playing soccer. I thought at the time the game would never fly. How wrong I was!

My compliments to the U.S. team. They distinguished themselves. They also garnered respect for their country.

When I woke yesterday, I thought I would be tired and achy all day from my exercise routine on monday, I was not. First time the day after was ok. I must be making progress. I go again this morning. I hope I am in as good shape tomorrow as I was yesterday.

A good show last night! I love doing blog talk radio!

The Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision disturbed me. It was wrong. I chatted about the case for half the show. This corporate person thing the Court has relied on in the Hobby case and a couple of years ago in Citizens United is neither good nor proper.

What of the rights of the Hobby Lobby employees who are being denied their right not to have their religious beliefs infringed upon? They may find abortive contraceptives not inconsistent with their beliefs. In the end, the Court gave deference to the five people owning the company over the 7,000-8,000 female employees Hobby Lobby has.

There is a bit of hypocrisy involved also. Hobby Lobby sells toys. Most the toys are purchased in China. A China that has a one baby per family limit, recommends contraception, and mandates forced abortion whenever there is a second pregnancy.

Hobby Lobby should buy their toys elsewhere. Or is money the compelling factor? Perhaps they cannot buy them as cheap elsewhere. Religion appears not to come into play on their part as regards China purchases.

One other consideration. When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they were concerned with people having the right to be whatever they wanted. Whether Calvinist, Puritan, a Knox follower, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Catholic, Jew, or what have you. Sperm, the egg, the uterine wall, a woman’s vagina…..none of these things came into consideration. I believe we have gone many steps too far as regards Constitutionally protected religious rights.

Additionally, the framers of the Constitution did not appear to intend nor did they spell out one person’s right to impose his/her religious beliefs on another. And that is precisely what Hobby Lobby does.

Olivia de Havilland turned 98 yesterday. A beautiful woman when a young actress. A beautiful woman in her senior years. She played the younger sister in Gone With the Wind and Maid Mariam in Errol Flynn’s The Adventures Of Robin Hood. She also won two Academy awards.

The gym at 11. Albert is Dracula in gym clothes.

Enjoy your day!

LADY WITH A HEART

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One of Key West’s best people! A person full of love and warmth! A lady with a heart!

Diane Schmidt.

Diane is special. She cracked the glass ceiling a  long time ago. She has been the General Manager of the Westin Key West Marina and Resort for many years.

It came to her attention that an injured Afghanistan veteran and his fiancée were in Key West and wanted to get married. The young man had suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has difficulty walking, some speech impediment and other problems. Diane decided the couple should have a first class wedding at Westin’s Sunset Key. At Westin’s expense!

The event was last night. A story book wedding.

Diane and Westin came through again. Thank you Diane. Thank you Westin. We are proud that you are part of the Key West family.

I started my yesterday with a late morning manicure. I find my time with Tammy therapeutic. We talk about everything. I admire the success she and her husband are achieving. The American dream. The reward of hard work.

Then to the gym. Not for a scheduled work out. Merely to ride a stationary bike for a while. Not the simple kind. This one was hard hard! Albert was there. He made sure I spent 15 minutes on the bike. I was ready to quit after 5. In the end, I had ridden the equivalent of 4.5 miles. The sweat was pouring off me.

I was tired. Went home. Intended to finalize my blog talk show for last night. Needed an hour’s nap first. Then to completing the prep work for last night’s show.

Shot over to Roostoca for a pre-show dinner. Veal marsala. Outstanding!

Then home to do the show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. A lot to talk about. We live in a crazy world. Crazier by the day.

Post show comment indicated much interest in the 50 percent Detroit water customers who cannot pay their bills. The United Nations is looking into helping. I tied the Detroit story in with the 50,000 children coming over the border into Texas. I am concerned that we might not be standing up to our responsibilities in properly caring for them. I noted the world was watching.

The thrust of my talk was that we were beginning to suffer the plights of third world countries and might be slipping into a third world morass. Think about it.

Moses said…..Let my people go! I wish the Sudanese government would stop screwing around and let the Sudanese woman they have been holding go. The lady who was sentenced to death by hanging because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.

She was finally let go 48 hours ago. She, her husband and their two children were at the airport intending to fly out of the country. She had the necessary documentary papers to leave. She was not permitted to do so. The authorities said something was wrong with her travel documents A “criminal violation.”

Two days later, she is still at the airport. Not arrested. Merely detained.

These people never let up. Let this woman go!

Enjoy your day!