Ho, ho, ho! Yogi bear!

We won the golf tournament yesterday!

My team shot a minus 8! Big!

To the victors, go the spoils. $348 a piece! Wow!

$150 each for coming in first. I bought back 10 per cent of my team that had been auctioned off the night before in the morning. Cost me $12. Returned $151. Then we each got $17 for something else. And finally David’s girl friend Karen gave each of us $20. Karen had bought our team the night before for $125. We bought back 40 per cent of it before teeing off. So she had $72 invested in us. By our winning, she won! Almost $800!

Did I have fun? You bet! Did my team have fun? No question!

I played with 3 great guys. Two I had never met before tee time.

Our A player was Nate. All week I have been asking Don who this Nate is that he stuck me with. Now I know! One hell of a golfer!

Nate is the bartender at Bagatelle, a Duval Street restaurant. Prior to bartending, he took a shot at golf as a career. He has a couple of amateur titles of some significance. He also played in the Nationwide Tour. He told me everyone on the Nationwide tour has a handicap of between 1.4 and 1.8. Another wow! I can’t get below 35.0!

What a long ball hitter! The longest I have ever played with. We were basically putting for a bird on every hole. His drives were spectacular. On one par 4, he drove 10 feet over the green!

So it was a drive, pitch and putt on most holes.

And Nate is a nice guy! First class!

Then there was Angus. I had never met Angus either. He is a bartender at Schooner’s Wharf. Another terrific guy. And he could hit the ball long, also!

Finally, David! My friend for many years. Best friend to Don. We had never played golf together before. He had a new driver. It worked well. He hit some long ones.

In spite of Nate’s unique ability, it was a team effort. There were times when he called the wind wrong and his ball never came back from over the houses. Even Tiger Woods screws up on occasion! We played ham and egg golf. We were each there to help at a certain time. It was perfect scramble golf!

I want to play with these same 3 guys next year in Don’s tournament!

It did rain. Three times. Each time started as a light drizzle. Then turned into a heavy drizzle. Lasted a whole hole each time. We got wet. Then the sun came out and a hole later we were dry.

A hot day yesterday, in between the brief showers. Sweaty. My face got burned. A small sacrifice to pay for such a great day!

The party afterwards at Don’s Place was fun also! Good food and good company! Tenderloins, baked potatoes and all the trimmings.

I cannot say it enough. Don is a great host and a great business man. He does good things! One was the golf tournamnet yesterday.

On the way home, I stopped at Lisa’s. Robert is sick sick with whatever Ally had. I will be baby sitting Robert today. Ally is all better and heading back to school. I asked Robert what he wanted for lunch today. He said macaroni and cheese. Must be the All American kids’ dish!

Have a good day! If you need me, you know where to find me!

Big day yesterday! Big day today!

Yesterday started quietly. I bought the newspaper and went over to Hogfish for lunch.

Owner Bobby is remodeling. Has been for a few months. Some new benches were evident yesterday.

All this fixing up is good. The place needed it. But time to stop! Any more remodeling and the place will lose its flavor! Beat up and dirty is good!

Robert’s birthday party at dinner time. Five years old! He was born only yesterday. How big he has gotten. And healthy! He was born with cancer of the liver and had 2 major surgeries within the first 8 days of his life. He is extra special to us.

Lisa cooked a great dinner. Robert got tons of presents.

I sent him ballons. He mentioned during the week he wanted ballons. So, ballons he got!

He is into super type heroes. Batman, Spiderman and the like. His most recent hero is Bakgun. I do not know if I even spelled it correctly! Anyhow, I bought him an assortment of Bakgun toys. He was happy with all of them! And the ballons!

His other grandparents gave him some sort of Star Trek helmet. A real cool toy! Big! Changes Robert’s voice when he talks. Talks to him. A wow!

We have a custom in the family that if there are other little kids in the house, they get a small present or two so they will not feel left out. I got Ally beads and a puzzle map of the United States.

Ally loves beads. She makes necklaces all day. The puzzle was of the 50 states. When I was baby sitting last week, I asked her if she knew the names of the states. She recited all 50 without hesitation. Three years old!

I ate too much. Much too much! Especially the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Two helpings!

Then it was off to Don’s Place. Don’s Golf Tournamnet is today. There was a pre tournament party last night. Part of the event was a team auction.

There are 8 teams of 4 players signed up. A scramble. Any one could buy a team. Open bidding. A real auction. Whoever owns the winning team, gets all the money raised in the auction. About $1,500!

The auction was a riot! Almost non describable! People taking a piece of each other. Low bidding and then suddenly the sleeper opens up with a big bid. Every one loud and boistrous, of course!

I did not bid. Like buying a pig in a poke! I do not know most of the people playing. Don and Kurt made up the teams based on their knowledge of each player’s abilities. Not very scientific!

Tino and Yankee Jack were big in the bidding. They each have all or a piece of several teams. One guy has a piece of 5 teams.

All very confusing!

We tee off today at noon.

My team consists of Nate, Dave, Angus and me.

I do not know Nate nor am I aware of his golfing abiliites. Dave I know. However, I have never played golf with him nor am I aware of how good he is. Angus–I have absolutely no idea who he is! And finally there is me! The worst golfer in the world! Now can you understand why I would not bid on my team or any other at the auction?

After the tournament, it is drinking and eating at Don’s. A fun day ahead!

One negative. It is supposed to rain today. Most of the day. A 60 per cent chance of rain.

It has not rained in the day time for months here in Key West. Today it has to start!

The weather man is rarely correct here in the keys. I hope he is wrong today.

The sun is up. Gray outside. A heavy bank of clouds. Black clouds!

We shall see.

Whatever, this is going to be a fun day!

Good morning world!

Rained all night! Poured! Gray this morning. But, oh so comfortable. A cool breeze!

Some nut has been telephoning me a couple of times in the middle of the night the past 2 days. Like 2 in the morning! The phone rings and no one is there!

I am tired from it! Once awake, it is difficult for me to get back to sleep. My head is heavy this morning. I feel like I was up all night partying! When actually I was in bed asleep by 10 last night!

Babysitting Ally was only till noon yesterday. Then son in law Corey took over. Poor Ally still has a temperature. Lisa took her to the doctor’s later in the afternoon. He said what he said last week. A virus, the flu. Gives her no medication. Says it will pass.

Lisa telephoned this morning. Robert now has it. Could be I will be doing double duty next week.

Next I will have it!

Dinner at the bar at La Trattoria last night. Every one was there. I had a good time!

Then I stopped in at La Te Da for a quick drink. Debra and Michael entertaining. I had not heard them for a while. Good people! Great entertainers!

The next stop was home and bed. But a good night’s sleep was not mine to be for the reason set forth earlier. Some nut is aggravating me!

Don Manaher is one of the smartest business men I have met here in Key West. He is owner of Don’s Place on Truman. A bar. Not a very elegant one! To even use the word elegant in the same sentence as Don’s Place is to insult the establishment!

Don is having a golf tournament tomorrow. A scramble. Eight teams of 4. I am playing.

Tonight there is a pre tournamnet party at Don’s Place. I will be going after dinner. Dinner is at Lisa’s. We are celebrating Robert’s 5th birthday!

Don’s party will put everyone in proper condition to play tomorrow. They will all be hung over! Tee off is at noon. Then followed by a steak cook out at Don’s Place.

Should be a fun event!

I am going back to bed. I need more sleep!

Enjoy your day!

Big day yesterday.

I started my day with an early morning visit to the doctor.

You will recall that 2 months ago I had my annual physical. My blood work came up with a couple of problems. High triglycirides and low iron.

Doctor said cut back on your drinking to correct the triglyciride problem. I did. By 2/3rds. It worked! My triglyciride count dropped over 200 points and well into the average level.

What a good boy am I!

She told me to eat spinach and an occasional steak to correct the iron problem. I have been eating spinach like Popeye! At least 1 small can a day! It worked. No iron problem.

What good living will do for you!

Then to Lisa’s to baby sit Ally. She was still running a low grade fever.

I continued teaching her how to tell time. Does not seem to be working. I think she might be a bit too young to accept the concept. We played cards. She beat me each time! We played chess. She beat me!

I made macaroni and cheese again at her specific request. Her favorite dish! I sexed it up a bit by using 3 different cheeses. She did not know the difference. Tasted quite good! We both ate 2 plates full!

She only napped for 1 hour. She seemed better.

I took her temperatue occasinally at Lisa’s direction. The low grade fever remained.
However, Ally seemed fine to me. We played all day. She was active all day. Never stopped!

I took her temperature several times at Lisa’s direction. The fever was always there. But her body was cool and again she was active. Extremely active!

I telephoned Lisa and told her that the thermometer was broke. Ally had no fever as far as I was concerned. Buy a new thermometer on the way home to confirm my judgment.

Five minutes later Lisa telephoned again. She said I should take my temperature and then Ally’s. If mine was normal and Ally’s not, then Ally had a temperature! It was not the thermometer!

I took my temperature. Normal. Took Ally’s. 100.7.

Mothers know everything!

Bocci last night. The last matches of the season.

I am glad the season is over. My whole team is. We sucked! The last place team!

We won 1 out of 3 games last night. All were close. But the result was no big deal!

Only 3 showed up on the other team to play. It takes 4 for a match. The game still goes on. What happens is the low numbered team loses 2 balls a round. That means we were rolling 8 balls to their 6 each time. We still lost! We could not beat a team with 2 broken legs and 1 broken arm!

Larry Smith’s team had a one game play off later in the evening to determine the victor of our small 4 team tournamnet. Many stayed to watch the event. Everything on the line in one game! Larry’s team won! They are to be congratulated!

I then stopped at Don’s place for a drink. The bocci players were all there. A good time was had by all!

I wish it noted I consumed only 2 drinks all night. One at the bocci matches and 1 at Don’s Place. I intnend to continue being good boy!

Lisa just called. Ally still has a fever and now is coughing and has a running nose. My services are required again today! Sorry for Ally, but good for me. I have enjoyed this whole experience with her this week!

Today is a special day. Robert’s birthday! He is 5 years old! I just telephoned and congratualted him!

Time moves swiftly! I remember his birth. I helped deliver him. Lisa insisted. An experience! My generation never was admitted even on the same floor at the time my children were born.

Enjoy the day!

I never got to play golf yesterday. Lisa called. Ally still had a fever. So I baby sat again!

Ally was better than the day before. Though still running a low grade temperature. No long spans of sleeping for her. She kept me going! Ran me into the ground! From 9 to 4!

I was tired when I left. Like I had played 36 holes of golf! Which I never do!

Fun, though! Ally talked non stop. One topic after another.

Two items were big on our agenda.

I had taught her the day before to be able to tell her left foot from her right. Helped in getting the correct shoe on the correct foot. Prior to yesterday, Ally generally walked around with her toes turned out.

Yesterday we worked on telling time. Harder than the shoe bit!

She knew her numbers, 1-12. We worked on the big hand and little hand. The second hand kept screwing her up. I wish I could have ripped it out of the big wall clock!

We came close to understanding time telling, but not quite. Needs a bit more work.

Chess was the other big education item!

I do not know how to play chess. Tried once when I was in law school. Never returned to the game. It was too hard for me!

Ally, at 4, knows how to play chess. Thanks to Montessori pre school!

She set up the board. She identified each piece by name. Told me their names. Explained the moves to me. And we played. Actually, she did! I tried!

I hope Ally is better today and goes to school. Two days of baby sitting is enough. I am tired! Need a Louis day.

I have a 9:30 appointment with my doctor. I did blood work last week. Time to find out if 2 months of reduced drinking and increased spinach eating has corrected my triglyciride and iron problems.

In spite of being tired when I left Ally late yeaterday afternoon, it did not keep me in last night!

My first stop was Aqua. Bobby Nesbitt time! A good crowd.

I ran into Michael Fatica at the bar.

Michael and I have been friends for 2 years. We are on the same bocci team! We have suffered through this season together!

Michael used to own the Red Pepper Company. Not its exact name. He owned a spice company thats featured product was a red pepper spice. He used to drive around town in a car the shape of a large red pepper! Cool!

He lucked out and sold out a few years ago. Good for Michael!

Now boredom has overcome him. Something I understand. So he is in the process of opening a new business. The Key West Island Salt company. The specialty of the house will be bath salts.

Michael spent time in his kitchen and over the period of a year came up with a great smelling bath salt. He put together the salts, perfumes and whatever else. He had a sample jar with him last night. Oh, what a great smell! Made me want to take a bath! Something I have not done in 30 plus years! I am a shower guy!

And the presentation of his product is catching and beautiful! A simple transparent glass jar. With a dainty label identifying the Key West Island Salt Company.

The bath salts will be sold in all the best Key West venues. Watch for it and buy it! I have a sense Michael has another winner! From hot red pepper to cool white bath salt! Only in Key West!

Marty is back in town! We met for dinner at the bar at La Trattoria. A good conversation.

Fred Tillman was there with his wife for dinner. Fred owns Kelly’s. The best wings in town!

I was home to bed early.

Lisa just telephoned. Ally still has a fever. So no school for her today. I am babby sitting again! After my 9:30 doctor’s appointment!

Will I be able to draw unemployment after my baby sitting duties are no longer required?

Talk with you tomorrow!

Good morning!

It is getting a bit warmer each day. I have recently started using air conditioning by day. The past few evenings, I have been gertting up in the middle of the night to turn it on.

We are moving into summer in the keys!

Baby sat yesterday. Poor Ally! She had a fever all day.

Ally was a trooper. Not a problem. Could she ever be a problem?

The fever tired her. She layed on the couch 2 times on her own and each time took a 2 hour nap.

I made her lunch. The macaroni and cheese she wanted. She showed me where the pasta was, the pan and told me what I had to use out of the refrigerator. I must say, the final product tasted good. To me! She did not eat. Picked at her food. I had trouble getting fluids into her. Some water and a bit of ginger ale.

Her personality was good. A winner! We played cards. Crazy 8s. I beat her twice! She does not like losing. Then I taught her war. She beat me! Badly! She was happy! She rested in my lap. I read to her. She read to me.

The major accomplishment of the day turned out to be my teaching her how to put her shoes on the correct foot. We were having difficulty discerning left from right. She always had the wrong shoe on the wrong foot. She now knows! If she remembers nothing else about me, it will be that Poppa taught her how to know her right foot from her left when it came to shoes!

Ah, the important things in life!

This morning golf. Unless Lisa calls and says I am babysitting agasin.

I had a quiet evening last night. Went to Hogfish for a late dinner. Around 8. The place was empty. Maybe a half dozen people. The bartender told me it had been quiet all night. At one point I was the only one sitting at the bar.

I had a hogfish sandwich, some fries and only 1 gin. Read some local papers. What could be better!

Oh! I stopped at K Mart before heading out to Hogfish. Needed golf balls. They sell 48 of them for $21. A deal! Even better, they are colored. Green and yellow. It helps me to find my ball. Also, there never is an argument as to whose ball I am hitting. It shames me not to use cheap and colored balls!

Have a good day! I am going to try!

Duty calls! The telephone just rang! Ally is sick. Temerature 104. I am baby sitting.

Poor Ally. She was sick all last week with some sort of sore throat. Then she got better and Robert came down with it. Typical. Now Robert is better and she is sick again. Such is life!

Ally also telephoned me. Her favorite meal is macaroni and cheese. Good that the fever is not affecting her appetite. She wanted to know if I knew how to cook it. Frankly, I never have. But it sounds simple. I am sure I can handle it.

I was with the grandkids last night. Had dinner at Lisa’s. Every one was fine at the time.

Afterwards, I stopped at the Chart Room. Had a couple of drinks with Captain Peter. Good man! Good company!

I spent the afternoon finishing reading Elizabeth Edwards’ book Resilience. Read it! One of the best I have read in my lifetime!

John Edwards cheating is actually only a small part of her writing. The book basically deals with the many kicks in the ass we all take during our lifetimes. She had many. Her son’s death at 16, her father’s illness, cancer conquered, cancer’s return, terminal cancer, her husband’s infidelity and on and on.

Life is not the cheery straight path we all envision early in life. There are many crooks and turns. All unexpected.

I admired an analogy Edwards used. Life is like being on a sail boat. A strong wind comes and turns the boat. You cannot change the wind, but you can alter course. And so dealing with life’s blows is to get up and move on, though in a different direction. Change is inevitable.

If one does not alter course, that person will be mired in the unhappiness of the disastrous event for the rest of his/her life.

Such is her message.

Elizabeth Edwards has been on TV much this past week discussing her book. She looks terrible! You can see the ravishes of the cancer in her face. Very obvious. And her hair. Straw.

Sad.

I get irritated at each of the TV news people. They all dwell on her husband’s infidelity and tend to miss the main thrust of the book. But she is a strong determined woman! Her message gets out one way or another: Alter course!

Time to shower and run. Duty calls. No, love. Ally and I today!

Tomorrow I will probably have a fever!

Good morning world!

Slept late.

Sun up. Water calm. Slight breeze. Tide out. I can see rocks rarely seen sitting up in the water.

I stopped by Larry and Christine’s for coffee yesterday morning. They have absolutely the best, and probably most expensive, coffee machine on the island!

In addition to school teaching and singing, Christine paints. Her easel and stuff were sitting out, so I took the time to really look at her work for the first time.

Outstanding! Bright watercolors of the Key West scene.

Such a talented woman!

Then over to the Yacht Club for Mother’s Day brunch with Lisa and the family.

The company was good! What else could Lisa and her family be! The food equally good! I ate too much!

Robert had been sick for a few days. He still looked under the weather. Lisa said he was ok. The worse was behind him. It was ok for him to be out.

She was correct. Mothers know!

Robert had not eaten much for 2 days. Not yesterday at brunch. I got my money’s worth out of him! He devoured everything in sight! He was hungry. Like he had not eaten in a few days! And when he was finally done, his familiar smile returned to his face. He was back!

I returned to Lisa’s home to spend a bit of the day with them. Chatting with Corey is always good. An interesting, perceptive and caring man. There should be more Coreys in this world!

Robert is 4 and Ally 3. Both soon to have birthdays and will be 5 and 4 respectively. Both attend Montessori pre school. Robert learned chess there. He has since taught his sister Ally. Yesterday I watched the two of them set up the chess board and play a game. And they knew what they were doing! Amazing!

I spent the balance of the afternoon watching the Players golf tournamnet at home. I worry about Tiger Woods. He was in too many traps and missed too many putts. Will he ever really come back? Has the layoff because of his knee surgery taken the edge away for all time? It has to be mentally difficult for him.

Six became Gardens time. I went over to hear Skipper and others play. The crowd has thinned a bit with the season being over.

Kate Miano was her usual lovely self. I am happy for her. Her back is mended, her business successful.

I spent some time chatting with John Padget. I was formally introduced to him last week for the first time. An interesting man! A former Superintendent of Education for Monroe County, he is active also with local charities. He is deeply involved with the mentoring program here.

Padget is a transplanted New Yorker, as many of us are. Turns out he comes from Tully, New York. Tully is a Syracuse suburb. Only 50 miles from Utica. Unfortunately, Padget went to Cornell rather than Syracuse. But that can be forgiven!

Then over to the Keys Piano Bar for a quick drink. Mark Watson was bartending and singing. He is good! And a good guy, besides!

Dinner was at the bar at La Trattoria again. I am a creature of habit. As most of us are. When I find a place and people I like, I tend to return frequently. I enjoyed my snapper and the crowd around the bar.

Home to an early bed. Obviously turned out to be a long night’s sleep. When the sun is up, I have overslept. As I did this morning!

Enjoy your day!

Today is Mother’s Day.

A special day for a special person.

But most do not need one day to pay homage to that person who raised us from infancy to adulthood. And is still there to console and counsel us even in our adult years. Every day is or should be Mother’s Day!

That assumes, of course, that a mother is still alive. Mine is not.

It has been 20 plus years since she left.

I think of her every day. She is constantly in my thoughts. I actually think of her more now that she is dead than when she was alive. Strange.

Mom was born in Foggia, Italy. She was the ninth born of nine children. The previous 8 were all boys. Her parents felt lucky. Finally, a girl! So they named her Fortunata, Italian for Fortune.

She came to the United States while still a baby. The family was poor. Typical of immigrant families of those days. Probably typical of immigrant families even today.

Her parents settled the family in New York City.

My Mother only went to the third grade. At the age of 8, she had to go to work. She worked in a shoe factory 14 hours a day. No child labor laws back then!

Later in life she went to night school and received her high school equivalency diploma. About the time I was in college. Education was important. She was very proud of her achievement in obtaining the diploma. She carried a silent shame because she had not previously completed her schooling.

She was a typical mother. Matriarch of the family. Giver of advice. Oracle of wisdom. Good cook. A kind hand. A loving heart.

She was the hero to all of her grandchildren. Most important!

My Mom was the typical appearing Italian grandmother of her day. Short and round. To say fat would be disrespectful. Jolly and happy. The light in the kitchen! Family life was in the kitchen in those days.

Diabetes became her problem. She did not watch her eating. It did her in.

I miss her.

I had a most compelling experience yesterday.

I started reading Elizabeth Edwards’ book Resilience.

If you opt to read it, have a box of tissues nearby.

I only read the first 70 pages. It was too much! Very emotional! My eyes teared up on the very first page and continued that way for all 70! My vision was consistently blurred. Several times I had to stop to dab my eyes. One time the tears were running under my glasses and dropping down on my shirt!

A sensitive man I am! But not that sensitive! The book is absolutely the most compelling piece of literature I have ever read!

And the first 70 pages does not even dwell on her husband’s indiscretion. That is yet to come, I assume. And the 70 pages only briefly hits upon her terminal illness.

It is autobiographical. It is Elizabeth Edwards’ personal history. What a story! Well presented!

Edwards knows how to write. She places words to paper in such fashion to touch one’s heart. Not contrived. It is just her speaking.

Nothing else I did yesterday compares to the experience I had reading those 70 pages.

I lunched at the Yacht Club and chatted with friends.

Last night I stopped at Lisa’s to see the grandkids. Robert is sick with the same thing Ally had last week. Poor kid! He was laying on the couch with his head in Lisa’s lap. Not moving. I suspect next weekend Lisa will be down with the same problem.

Afterwards I had dinner at the bar at La Trattoria. Kathy was working. Always good to talk with her. Beecha was hosting. An absolute pleasure! She came over to kiss me hello. She smelled good! I told her so!

Then to the Keys Piano Bar for a drink with Donna and to hear Terri sing. Stayed only a short time. Then home to bed.

At some point today I will return to Elizabeth Edwards’ book. I am almost reluctant to do so. I found it draining yeaterday and suspect it wll affect me similarly today.

In the meantime, the weather is terrific here in Key West. High 80s to low 90s by day. Cool evenings. No air conditioning required by night. Leave the doors or windows open and the cool ocean breeze runs in. Together with the sound of the ocean. What more could one want?

Enjoy your day!