RUNNING OF THE BULLS

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Yesterday was the day! The running of the Bulls! An integral part of Hemingway Days.

Over a hundred Hemingway look a likes gathered on Green Street. White pants and white shirts. Red berets. Red sashes around the waist.

The bulls not for real. Though they did look ominous. Made of wood. On wheels.  One Hemingway look a like riding and a dozen others pushing and pulling.

I don’t know why, but I love this part of Hemingway Days the best each year.

Last night was Tavern ‘n Town and Bobby Nesbitt. Sat quietly alone at a corner of the bar, read the newspapers, enjoyed a drink and had something to eat. All the time humming away to whatever Bobby was singing.

Manager Judy there again last night. Does a good job. The Marriott Beachside is a first class hotel. Top shelf dining a must. Judy helps supply it. Her dining room precision run.

I was hit with some nostalgia last night.

I was driving to Tavern ‘n Town. Had the radio playing. It was on Sirius station 4. Music from the Forties. The tune…..Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree. Don’t laugh. Songs with such names were popular back then.

It was during World War II that Don’t Sit Under the Apple tree was a hit tune. Around 1943. A popular radio show was Your Hit Parade. Saturday nights at 9. The top tunes of the week were sung. My father bought sheet music. Just the words. My mother, father and I would sit in the living room with the radio on. No TV back then. We would sing a long with the songs being sung on the show.

Snooky Lanson was one of the male stars. Strange, I remember his name. Even at 8, I sensed something was wrong with the name Snooky.

Frank Sinatra was one of the show’s performers. But only for a while. He was just merging as a popular soloist. He screwed up the words to the #1 song of the week. Don’t Fence Me In. Another one of those titles! The show fired him. How stupid! Little did they know.

The show was sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes. Most adults smoked back then.

James Garner died yesterday. A great movie star. He was in his mid 80s. I enjoyed his movie and TV work. Our lives closely paralled age wise. I enjoyed him all my adult life.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

SIRIUS’ COUNTRY MUSIC MAN

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Met some interesting folks at the Chart Room last night.

John and Coleen from Nashville. John is the head of Country Programing for Sirius. The conversation was excellent. Nice people. Hope I run into them again this week.

John had one drawback. He was respectful. He kept calling me SIR. I hate it!

Chatted a while with Larry and Robin. Both retired. Live in Bradenton in northern florida. Larry described the community as the old town. I have never been there.

Larry wore a full brimmed white hat. Had attached to it what appeared to be a for real police badge. It was better. Upon close inspection, I discovered it read Brothel Inspector. A good job if you can get it!

My day yesterday started with a visit to the heart doctor. Two separate visits for two different problems. His office set me up with back to back appointments.

You will recall that two weeks ago I had an echocardiogram. It indicated perhaps a problem Another test was scheduled. A CAT scan. I received the CAT scan results yesterday. There is a problem. A new one. Do not worry about it, I was told.

I stopped worrying at that moment. However, I was worried the whole time from the echocardiogram till I received the results of the CAT scan yesterday.

It’s amazing! Those instances when I have been concerned regarding a medical result which could be bad, the mental strain has been heavy. I live under a black cloud. Then as yesterday, when the news is good, I walk out of the doctor’s office building and notice…..The sun is shinning brighter!

May it always shine brighter!

Since I had dodged the bullet, I decided I was entitled to a treat. Eating foods I normally avoid.

It was to Harpoon Harry’s. Ham and eggs with fried potatoes and whole wheat toast and butter.

I wiped the plate clean. Tasted so good.

I like Harpoon Harry’s. It has a 1950s diner flavor. Serves diner food. Hearty! Help always polite, always friendly. Customers primarily local.

Harpoon Harry’s best feature is its eggs. Fresh tasting! The only way I can describe them.

Then took a long walk around the seaport area. Extra long. I wanted to be sure I had the stamina/endurance. Did good! Moved around at a fast clip.

I told you about my friend Nini yesterday. A tractor fell on him while he was cutting the grass on a golf course he owns in Italy. The initial medical report to me was a broken back. Later, I learned he has fractures to both hips, a pelvic fracture and some broken vertebrae. They had to bring in a crane to lift the tractor off him.

He will survive. However mending will be long.

Nini and his wife Germana are good people. The golf course is a side business for them.

Northern Italy is the largest supplier of rice in Europe. I never knew that before I knew them. As far as the eye can see, there are rice paddies. The ground is flat and well nurtured by natural springs below the ground. Rice needs constant flooding to grow. No problem in the Novara area.

Nini took me for a ride to see his property. He is one the larger rice growers in the area. Mile after mile of flooded fields on both sides of the road. He and Germana owned it all.

One piece of his land was hilly. Not good for growing rice. He decided to construct a golf course. It was there the tractor tipped over and ended on top of him.

It is tuesday again! The days move swiftly. Tonight at 9, Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Blog talk radio. A fast moving half hour. Watch on your computer. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I plan on opening with global warming and the Catholic Church. Two separate items. Followed perhaps by a little Bangladesh. Global warming may sound uninteresting. It will not be this evening when I talk about the northeast coast of the U.S. being in danger of a tsunami. From New Jersey to Maine.

Sounds crazy. It is not!

I occasionally make a factual mistake in the blog. One or more of you always catch it and remind me. I am happy to receive your comments.

Yesterday, I feel I got one over those of you who are critical and keep me on my toes. I wrote of Hemingway and The Old Man And The Sea. I said Hemingway received the Pulitzer Price for the book in 1933. I was off by 20 years. It was 1953. A typo. The book was written in 1951 and published in 1952.

I discovered the error on my own!

Enjoy your day!