Santa Claus is not coming to town! He came!

I know. My 5 year old granddaughter Ally telephoned me at 6 am to tell me. “Poppa, Santa was here! He ate all the cookies and drank all the milk!” Said with excitement and breathlessness.

The purity of the young!

Christmas eve was dinner at Lisa’s.

I arrived about an hour early. The home was spotless. Unusual where there are two little ones around.

Robert and Ally were quiet. Also unusual. Lisa said it was because they knew Santa Claus was coming.

We enjoyed pickies and listened to Christmas caroles. Made idle chatter. Besides the family, Corey’s step father Curtis and Lisa’s friend Betsy were with us.

Dinner was spectacular! Lisa’s best Cristmas eve production yet!

I am not being nice. The meal was that good!

We enjoyed four fish. Maybe next year I can goose it to the Italian tradition of seven. Stone crabs, shrimp, clams and anchovies. The clams were steamed. The small tender ones. And then thrown over linguine. The salad was excellent. There was tons of other food on the table, but at this moment I cannot remember what. Alzhiemers. I do recall even the rolls were delicious!

Desert was coffee and Christmas cookies. Four different kinds. All baked by Lisa with the assistance of Robert and Ally. I devoured the cookies.

Frankly, I devoured everything. After having dieted for a couple of months and losing 21 pounds, it was my night to eat! And I did! And I will today also!

All said with gusto!

Santa was due to visit at 7. I told Robet and Ally if he did not show by 7, he might not come. He might be too busy. It was 7:05. The grandkids were getting nervous. All of a sudden who should appear…..Santa Claus! Standing big as life in the doorway!

I thought the grandkids would jump and shriek. They did not. They stood quiet. In awe.

As Santa came in, he bent down and said to Ally, “How are your eyes? You had pink eye last week.” Ally went crazy. She turned to Lisa in an excited voice and said, “He knows I had pink eye!” To which Lisa replied, “Santa knows everything.”

Robert and Ally each sat on Santa’s lap. Ally’s gift request was a bit unusual. She wanted a pink pony. Not a big one, a small one. So she could keep it in the back yard.

After Santa left, the grandkids got ready for bed. And I left.

It was home to my two lesbian wives. Donna and Terri were waiting for me. The tree was aglow. They had drinks and deserts out. We exchanged gifts. A lot of little nothings for each other. And talked.

It was a very nice Christmas eve! I shall treasure the memory of this one for all time. Especially the moments with Lisa and the family.

I have to move my butt this morning. Lisa is having brunch at 9. Her command still rings in my ears. “Don’t be late.” Except for Santa’s gifts, all others remain unopened till I arrive. I am anxious to see Robert and Ally’s reaction to the golf clubs.

Oops! Almost forgot! Amazon Kindle!

I published my second legal blog yesterday. “Stimulus Differences…..Eisenhower and Obama.” Later today I will be publishing my Christmas blog. “Christmas…..A Legal Holiday.” The story of Christmas in the United States is an interesting one. Not what you might expect.

Enjoy your Christmas day!

This is the day!

Christmas eve!

In my tradition, this evening is bigger than tomorrow. Though we celebrate both.

It is family night. A huge dinner! Seven fishes!

I have always thought the seven fish thing was Italian. I do not know for sure.

I will be spending the evening with Lisa and her family. My family. Lisa, Corey, Robert, Ally, Cameron and Corey’s step father Curtis. At Lisa’s home.

Lisa is not big into the seven fish thing. Last year it was two. This year I have her up to five. She is counting the anchovies in the salad as #5.

After dinner when we are sitting around, Santa Claus will make a surprise visit. Though it is not much of a surprise for Robert and Ally. They expect him. He has made the personal visit every year.

I try to impress the grandkids when they are small and impressionable with the representation that Santa and I are friends. I tell them Santa and I talk on the telephone and email each other all the time. Provides me with enhanced standing with the grandkids.

I am excited about the holiday. Like a little kid!

There is also another factor that excites me this morning. Amazon Kindle!

I published my first legal blog on Kindle yesterday. The Kindle blog is called the Key West Lou Legal Tidbit of the Day. My first blog yesterday concerned the dangers of Sharia law. When I finish this blog, I will be wrting my second legal blog for publication. A legal blog a day.

Those of you who have Amazon Kindle or access to it, may subscribe to the legal blog. It is intertesting, informative and opinionated! No punches pulled.

I am not computer literate. Though many think I am because of this blog and now the legal one. It takes me forever to figure things out! I thought I had Kindle down to a science yesterday when I published my first legal blog. I did not. I was told it would take 48-72 hours to come up. So if it is not there today, look tomorrow. It will appear and be available for viewing. Each day a different and timely subject.

I spent some time at the gym in the afternoon. I have been watching my food. Have lost 21 pounds. Tonight I blow it, however. And tomorrow also. Holiday food is not to be wasted!

Donna and Terri asked me to join them at a Christmas party last night. I decided not to go. It sounded interesting, however. At the end, they were all going caroling on one of Ed Swift’s trains.

The party must have been terrific! Perhaps still ongoing! The girls did not come home last night!

Marty, where are you? Merry Xmas to you and Donna! Let me hear from you.

My friends, enjoy your Christmas eve!

Big day today!

I am all excited!

For two reasons. First, the Christmas spirit is upon me. Second involves Amazon Kindle.

Christmas time! Cooking, gift buying, decorated trees, Xmas music everywhere!

Lisa and Corey’s Christmas gift from me was delivered yesterday. A new dishwasher! Lisa’s broke down a year ago. She has been washing dishes by hand. No more!

I have Robert and Ally’s gifts. All wrapped! I assume they will not be able to read this blog. I am anxious to share with you what I bought them.

Golf clubs! Real ones!

Robert and Ally took lessons this past summer. I have had them at the golf course a few times since. Now they will have their own clubs. A bag included. Plus I got them tiny gloves, pink balls for Ally, pink tees too. Robert has white balls and white tees.

I am going to be one popular grandfather Christmas morning when they open the gifts. At least I hope so!

Ally telephoned me this morning. She was helping Lisa bake cookies. Told me all about it.

She also told me that the Christmas tree ball I gave her the other day was no more. Some how it ended up on the floor and her brother accidently stepped on it. I told her I would replace it next year. She asked, “Promise?” Of course!

The other reason I am excited involves Amazon Kindle.

I shall be writing another blog. Separate and distinct from this one. One legal issue a day. The new blog is a spin off from my radio show the Key West Lou Legal Hour. The Amazon Kindle blog is entitled the Key West Lou Legal Tidbit of the Day.

It will start publishing later today or tomorrow. Again, for those of you who have or are acquiring Amazon Kindle, the blog is called the Key West Lou Legal Tidbit of the Day.

The first blog itself is entitled “Beware…..Sharia Law!”

Every day a different issue.

Note carefully that this blog continues. Key West Lou’s My Life in Key West will be here every day as usual.

Yesterday golf! Easy! The weather a cool 70 degrees. Sun bright. Some wind. Perfect weather top play in.

I played with Don, Robert and Rob. All good golfers! Normally shoot in the mid 80s.

Don did yesterday. He shot an 85. Robert was a bit off with a 93. Rob was totally off his game with a 101. I thought at one point he was going to throw his clubs in the pond.

Louis played lousy also. 129. I have not shot that bad in months!

Obviously, I was the big loser. $12. Don the big winner.

Petra was missing from the golf course. Petra drives the refreshment cart. We all enjoy Petra. A Czech. She is the loveliest of the lovely! Petra recently took her citizenship test and passed! Good for her! She soon will be an American citizen.

We all feared Petra had been fired. As it turned out, she took the day off to Christmas shop with her children.

I Christmas shopped myself a bit more in the afternoon.

Hit the gym for a while.

Last night I had dinner alone at the bar at La Trattoria. Erin bartending. The place was packed. Christmas in Key West evident!

I intended to go to the Bottle Cap afterwards to catch Larry Smith’s Variety Show. I did not go. I was too tired. For some reason, I was tired by the 10th hole yesterday. So it was off to home and bed for me.

Terri had a show last night at La Te Da. To a full house! I am told a standing ovation after each song.

What a talent!

No radio show for me tomorrow. The station is closed for the day because it is Christmas eve. Music will be played instead.

Enjoy your day!

Yesterday started with a haircut. Lori. Two days in a row. Lucky me!

Lori and her boy friend have lived together for many years. They will not be spending this Christmas together.

Usually they visit her parents or his. Unfortunately, Lori’s Mom is not well and his Father is not at his best. So Lori is headed for Maine and her boy friend for Long Island.

Good children!

About a month ago, I dropped Lisa’s red dress off at the cleaners. I finally went to pick it up yesterday.

There was an elderly gentleman working. Petrone? He knew the name. Told me that 30 years ago when he first came to Key West, there was a small butcher shop in Old Town. Said the man running it cut beef like beef was supposed to be cut. His name was Petrone.

I suggested he might be in error. There are many of Spanish extraction in Key West who are named Padron. Perhaps he had made a mistake. No, he said. He was Italian and his name was spelled the same as mine.

I have roots here. I will have to check it out.

I was driving down Duncan to return Lisa’s dress to her. All of a sudden I saw two little ones skipping along the road. They looked vaguely familiar from a distance. It was Robert and Ally!

They are on Xmas vacation from school. They were with their babysitter and heading to White Street for lunch. Hot dogs and french fries!

They were all excited to see me. I pulled over. They ran to the car and kissed me. Ally has had pink eye for a few days. She gets everything! Her eyes looked ok to me yesterday.

I had some minor Christmas shopping to do. Stopped at Borders and bought a book for someone. Then to the Dollar Store for a few wacky gifts. A zoo! My first thought was…..get me out of here!

I stayed. Hurriedly did my thing. The checkout lines were long. Not for me! I was ready to just put my few items down and leave when I saw Donna and Terri checking out. I fought my way forward and handed everything to them. Take care of these, I said. And away I went.

The gym. Only a half hour. Just enough.

Last night was the big event of the day. Larry Smith and Christine Cardone’s Christmas Party!
Terrific! Lots of people! Everyone! It would take pages to name all the people there so I will name none.

I had a good time. A very good time. Key West people are the best!

The food was especially good. I asked Larry who catered the event. No one, he said. Christine did it all. They had an Italian night. All kinds of pasta, stuffed and otherwise. Plus roasts. Ham, turkey and whatever else. A huge feast!

Good job, Christine!

I talked to her for a while. Why did she do all the work? She said it took her 3 days. She wanted to do it. When she was small, the older women cooked for days in preparation for the holiday. She wanted to repeat the experience as she recalled it.

She said she enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you again, Christine.

Golf this morning. I will play in 60 degree weather. Not bad!

Tonight is Terri’s Broadway show at La Te Da’s Crystal Room at 9. Go see it! You will love Terri and her singing!

Enjoy your day!

The lunar eclipse!

I woke in the middle of the night and walked onto the terrace outside my bedroom. There it was. The moon. Dark red. Spectacular! Magnificent! Awesome!

Mother Nature at her best.

I stayed outside less than a minute. The temperature was somewhere in the 50s. I was wearing next to nothing.

Yesterday was busy for me. A lot of nothing. But things one has to do.

I spent the better part of the morning with my internest. Then a two hour business meeting at noon. Followed by a visit to the heart doctor.

In between, I stopped at Publix to pick up a few additional things. They had fruit cake!

That was my day up to 5.

It tired me out. I stayed in again last night. Too tired and too cold to go out.

While at Publix, I ran into Alan Wimer. I have not seen Alan in quite a while. We both have lost weight. We stood in the vegetable section complimenting each other.

As we were talking, a woman in one of those electronic carts came wheeling by. We were blocking the aisle. We moved our carts so she could proceed.

Alan is a joker. A natural born comedian. Always means well, however.

As the lady drove by us, he commented how people have to be careful of female drivers.

The woman was not in a joking mood! She took the comment wrong. She spoke nasty to us.

A haircut this morning. Lori time! It was Lori time at Publix also. I came around a corner and there she was!

I am beginning to worry. I used to enjoy going out in the evening and raising hell. Now I tend to stay in. Instead my pleasure is going to Publix in the afternoon.

Party time tonight! Larry and Christine are having a Christmas bash at their home. I will be there!

View some interesting legal bits from my 12/10/10 radio show The Key West Lou Legal Hour. www.tikilive.com/video/29182.

Enjoy your day!

A quiet Sunday yesterday.

Except for going out to buy the Key West Citizen and New York Times, I never left the house.

I read, napped, watched TV and wrote. That was my day.

Actually, I enjoyed it. I must have needed it.

Even my house guests Donna and Terri were no where to be found. They left at around 10 in the morning. I heard them come in about 3 this morning.

My only disappoinment is that I missed the Christmas show at St. Paul’s Church. It is an annual event. Always good. All the locals turn out for it. The Church is packed. Christmas fills the air. Everyone Merry Christmasing each other.

I acomplished one important thing yesterday. I arranged for Santa Claus to visit my grandchildren. He visits them evey Christmas eve. Generally with his elf Billy. Robert and Ally have come to expect his visit.

I had forgotten to schedule Santa this year. Fortunately, I remembered yesterday!

Reggie Jenkins is my Santa Claus. And a good one he is! He actually looks like Santa 365 days a year. Beard and all!

There is a lunar eclipse tonight. Apparently a big deal. It will start just before 2 in the morning and last 72 minutes.

If I wake, I will see it. Otherwise, not.

I have a doctor visit at 9:30. My internest. After 65, doctoring is common and frequent. I have concluded that is why people retire. To have time to visit their doctors!

Enjoy your day!

Good morning!

Happy Sunday!

Lovely outside. Sun shining. Not a cloud in the sky. Pure blue. Matches the water. A slight breeze.

Presently 66 degrees. Going to 70.

Another great Key West day in the making!

There is an egret, egret, whatever way you spell it, sitting on a corner of the roof of the MTV house across the way. Tall and white. Majestic!

Since I slept late yesterday morning, I stayed in for a while and wrote. The mood was upon me.

I did some research also. I was curious as to the origin of Sant Claus. Wow! Confusing! There is no consistent tale of from whence he came. Tons of fantasies, history and tradition. No precise answer, however.

My radio show for 12/10/10 is available for demand viewing 24 hours a day. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Revealing, challenging and opinionated. Take a look. www.tikilive.com/video/29182.

It was the weekend. I was lazy. So I skipped the gym.

I had purchased some pre Christmas gifts for the grandkids. I took them over in the afternoon. A special tree decoration for Robert and one for Ally. A Christmas book for them to read. They love reading! And two CDs. One was the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The CDs cost me a dollar a piece. No big deal!

The Twelve Days of Christmas one was a find! Magnificent filming! But what made it the best was the background singing by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Louis Armstrong. Nostalgic!Terrific!

I was at Lisa’s to help, no, to watch, them decorate the tree. They were too slow. Never got to it. So I left.

I had Christmas shopping to do. For Lisa and Corey. I can’t tell you what I bought. Then they would know. They obviously read this blog every day. But will they be surprised! Especially Lisa!

The cupboard was empty again. I was off to Puiblix.

People happy. The Christmas spirit was obvious.

I wanted to buy a fruit cake. Publix has been displaying small ones for two weeks. Yesterday was the day for me to purchase one. Good luck! They were sold out!

In between all this running around yesterday afternoon, I treated myself. A pedicure and manicure. With Tammy at Lee Nails. Relaxing!

I spent the evening in. Watched TV. Fell asleep early.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Key West weather is back to normal.

Yesterday’s high was 77 degrees. This morning it is already 76.

I slept late this morning. Did not get up till 10. Very unusual for me.

Yesterday started with my radio show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. A success! The best part of the show turned out to be the 20 minute interview I did with Donna and Terri. The issue: discrimination. All sorts. As it impacted them personally. Being black, Lesbian, same sex marriage and Broadway. An eye opener! These girls lived it!

I did the gym a bit in the afternoon. My weight loss is still at 19 pounds. One more to go.

Did some Xmas shopping. More looking than anything else. Though I did buy Robert and Ally each a Xmas ball for the tree. Good ones. Something that will be theirs and they will hopefully hang the rest of their lives. And remember each time Poppa.

There is a new lady in town! Her name is Shauna Lee Lange.

Shauna has now resided here for all of three weeks. With her husband and 3 year old son. Key West is now home to them.

Shauna hails from the Washington, DC area. A former government emplyee. She operates a business in Washington that counsels and helps women and girls. Called Be Wholly You. She will be operating a similar business here in the Florida keys.

I met Shauna via Facebook some time ago. We hooked up last night and met face to face for the first time.

I figured I might as well break her in properly. I had her meet me at the Chart Room. She loved it!

Then to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner.

John was all excited. His Wisconsin football team ended the season ranked #5 nationally. They will be playing in the Rose Bowl. He went through the scenerio for me as to who had to win and lose for Wisconsin to end up #2 after all the bowl games. John is really into it!

Shauna is an interesting lady. I suspect she may quickly become a Key West fixture.

We split after dinner. I headed over to Don’s Place.

A good crowd! Don, Kurt, Herschel and Erica. Met Tara. A bartender/waitress at Sloppy Joe’s.

Pat O’Brien was also hanging out at the bar. Pat is a new found friend. About 2 weeks. He is a close friend of Kurt’s.

Pat hails from somewhere up north. He same to Key West a few weeks ago to apply for a license to sing on the streets. He is a troubador. He wanted to earn a living walking Duval with his guitar and singing.

I told Pat, “Good luck!” There are very few licenses. It is a lottery draw and very few are given out.

Guess what! Pat got one!

Last night had been his first on Duval. He was excited!

I rarely computer chat. Hate it! But last night I did. Pati Wilson-Crimins was on looking for me. Pati is a former Key Wester now living in Arizona. She is the reason I ended up sleeping late this morning.

There is a pre-US premier movie Tuesday night at the Tropic Cinema. A fundraiser.

The movie is about Yasuni. Yasuni is the national forest of Ecuador. It is inhabited by natives/indigenous people. They know not the civilized world.

Underground oil in large supply has been discovered in the Yasuni. If drilling is permitted, these people from another time will he hurled into the 21st century.

The fundraiser is to raise monies to combat the drilling.

The major activity ahead for me today is Xmas tree decoration at Lisa’s. Lisa and the grandkids want me there. I hate decorating the tree. But I have agreed to sit nearby and encourage them.
And watch Robert and Ally hang the two special balls I purchased for them.

Enjoy your day!

What a diference a day makes…..

Yesterday afternoon the temperature was a warm 74 degrees! The day before a cold 54!

A 20 degree swing in 24 hours.

Common in the Florida keys. A cold front arrives suddenly. And leaves just as quickly. When it is time.

Today’s high is projected at 75. Terrific!

It was shorts and tee shirt yesterday. Will be the same today.

I have a Facebook friend in Crete, Greece. Jim Brown. We have been communicating for more than a year. He is a musician, father and grandfather.

Crete is an island. As Key West is. Except it is much colder there right now. Jim wrote the other day that the island was experiencing biblical storms. The wrath of God!

Jim picked up on my comment about lying in the sun a couple of days ago working on my tan when the temperature was in the 50s. I had a few ho hos after the comment.

Jim must be on centegrade rather than fahrenheit. He thought I was bragging about how warm the weather was! Chastised me a bit.

I wrote and set him straight, of course.

The gym yesterday afternoon. The bag. I beat the hell out of it. Good exercise! Helps to relieve the tensions!

Last night my dear friend Terri White was performing at La Te DA. I had dinner at the outside bar befoe the show. Then walked upstairs to the Crystal Room to enjoy Terri.

She was magnificent!

What a voice!

What lungs!

She gave me goose bumps with songs like Nobody Knows You When You Are Down and Out, Me and My Shadow and Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

Her rendition of I’ll Be Home for Christmas brought the house down! Not a dry eye in the room. Even I shed a few tears.

My radio show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am. On the radio in the keys and Cuba. KONK 1500 AM. Better yet, the show can be seen and listened to on the internet world wide. www.konkam.com.

Join me for a review of this week’s intertesting topics. Plus a special treat. I have guests for the final two segments. Donna Barnett and Terri White. We are going to discuss all kinds of discrimination.

Enjoy your day!

I lay by the pool yesterday working on my tan.

What a joke! The temperature never got out of the 50s!

I stayed in most of the day bundled up.

It is 55 degrees this morning. Going to get better though. A high of 70 is predicted for today.

I spent most of the day working on Friday’s radio show and writing.

Tomorrow’s show has many timely topics. Like incest. Can you believe! It is in the news! From Columbia University to Switzerland! One of the issues is the legalization of incest.

We live in a crazy world!

Other topics include the military officer who refuses another deployment to Afghanistan because he is a birther, Iran angered at the US because we refer to the area they are in as the Arab Gulf rather than the Persian Gulf, the Indonesian Catholic who is beat up because of her religion, airport security, the federal judge who found part of the health care bill unconstitutional and now it turns out he may have had a conflict of interest, Amanda Knox’s Italian appeal, the Indian boy who brought a religious dagger to class, a jilted bride who is suing her fiancee for damages after he dumped her, $30 million of Vatican assets seized by the Italian government, and more.

In addition to all of the above, I have two guests who I will be interviewing on the last two segments of the show. Terri White and Donna Barnett. I intend to zero in on the discrimination in their lives. Being black, being gay, being a woman and same sex marriage. You have no idea! Or, maybe you do.

Join me at 10 am tomorrow. Listen on the radio in the Florida Keys and Cuba on KONK 1500 AM. Watch and listen world wide on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/.

I skipped golf because of the cold. It was 48 degrees. Turns out I was the only one who failed to show up. I received many criticaal phone calls later in the day chastising and otherwise making fun of me.

I did hit the gym later in the afternoon. Good health is important. I am proud to report that I have lost 19 pounds in the past two months. I started a diet while in Phoenix. A couple of more pounds and I am done. Just in time for Christmas!

Dinner was at Lisa’s last night with the family.

Lisa had made some Christmas cookies. Robert and Ally helped her. They were eating them after dinner. It killed me! I wanted one desperately!

I had intended to go to Larry Smith’s show at the Bottle Cap at 9. Dinner was over at 6. Too long between the two. And too cold! I went home to my warm bed instead.

Spoke with Jenna this morning. She tells me the show went over well. A good crowd. Christmas caroles and rock ‘n roll. A Key West combination!

Tonight is a big night! For Terri White! She appears live at La Te Da’s Crystal Room at 9. The show is called Live From Broadway. Go see her! You have no idea the quality of her performance. You will be glad you joined her.

The spouses are both working tonight. Donna is showing her jewelry at the Stone Soup Gallery on White Street. Part of the Walk on White tonight. The showing is from 6-9. Beautiful pieces.

Enjoy your day!