RUNNING OF THE BULLS / LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST

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This is the week! Hemingway Days!

Tomorrow, two events I enjoy the most. The Running of the Bulks at 1 and the Look A-Like Contest at 5:30. If you are in Key West, do not miss either event. You will be cheating yourself.

I think my birthday celebrations are concluded. Donna and Terri hosted me at Hogfish for lunch yesterday. Always good company. Love the girls!

Larry and Christine have been away about a month. Recently returned. Stopped by their home for a visit. Very enjoyable. Sat on their back porch overlooking the pool and greenery. An excellent setting to enjoy good conversation.

I started feeling week at lunch. Had ordered fish and chips. Ate the fish. Hogfish, of course. Not the fries. Continued to feel out of sorts.

Was going to skip Larry and Christine. However, I had earlier in the day agreed to stop by. Felt worse while visiting with Larry and Christine.

Went home and laid down. Continued to feel out of it. Weak. What now, I thought.

I have been on a diet for two weeks. Lost 10 pounds so far. Not a bad diet. Just cut everything I ate by 50 percent.

Could my body need more food in spite of the fish?

I went down and had a sandwich and glass of milk. It did not take long before I was A-OK.

Had to be the diet. My body was starving.

A political junkie am I! Trump spoke like an angry man  last night. Portrayed our country in far worse shape than it is. Relied many times on fabrications.

A dark speech. Made by a rabble rouser.

He is building his campaign on sand. He may win. A house built on sand cannot stand, however. The next four years could be a disaster.

Lobster mini season next week. The lobster season is annually headed by a two day season. The 27th and 28th next week. Then a shutdown till August 6th when the season opens for several months.

The mini lobster season is an event. The boats will be out in armada fashion for two days.

Party time!

Finally aware of William Hackley’s wife’s name. Matilda. Next, Baby.

Enjoy your day!

 

WHERE IS MEDIA RE PROTESTORS

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Back again!

Normalcy has returned!

First stop yesterday morning was Verizon. The old one in the Winn Dixie Shopping Center. Good people. I know. I have done business with both Verizons in Key West. The other a rip off. Not caring with help once you have bought.

Then to Publix. Out of food again.

I sense a silent raise in prices again. Everything costs $5 or $10. Bill runs up at that rate.

The lead up last week to this week’s Republication Convention was primarily re anticipated protestors/demonstrators. Police officers from all over the country came in to deal with the protestors. Five thousand officers.

How much have you heard since the Convention began monday? Next to nothing. Perhaps nothing. Seems as if the media has blocked out any news re the protestors.

Wrong! Protests part of the news. Especially the past two years. What is happening is selective reporting. The American people being denied the right to know.

I dug into the internet this morning. The protestors are in Cleveland. In large numbers. A few altercations. Nothing of consequence. Some arrested. Two police sustained minor injuries. Urine thrown around.

Some one videoed the street scene. I watched a portion of the video this morning. A street fair. Demonstrators walking around. Booths selling all kinds of things. Delegates walking through the crowds.

Cleveland’s Chief of Police says everything going well, under control. He is correct. By not giving the protestors a national/international stage, Cleveland has discouraged them from demonstrating their causes.

The peace and quiet could end today. If not, such will only cause the protestors to find another venue in the near future to express their positions.

Being stripped of land line telephone, internet and TV tuesday night, I was unable to do my blog talk radio show. Being a political junkie, I wanted to see the Republican Convention. Drove downtown. Stopped at several places. None showing the Convention. All watching baseball games.

I could not win.

Monday night I was at Aqua for the Dueling Bartenders. Tom Luna and Beatrice singing. Magnificent!

Josey at the bar. A terrific new friend recently made. We chatted two hours.

Josey taking a three week trip in September. To her home country Macedonia. A couple of neighboring countries. Then, one whole week in Greece.

I envy her!

The subject matter of next week’s KONK Life column decided. Bagels! Will not be boring! Guaranteed!

Last week’s column was The New Prostitution. Has caused talk. Primarily among women. Those in the 40-60 year old bracket.

No matter how the subject matter is portrayed, to each it was nothing less than prostitution. Nothing justified the prostitution in their opinions. I countered to each the fact that the ladies would graduate debt free, have no long term college loans to pay, etc. Made no difference. Sin is sin. Wrong, wrong. No justification for prostitution.

Interesting. I wish some younger ladies had approached me with their thoughts.

Each woman who sought me out to talk were mothers.

My birthday was July 6. Still being celebrated. Donna and Terri are taking me to lunch at Hogfish today for my birthday.

Enjoy your day!

 

GREAT BASKETBALL!

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Could not have been a better game! Neck and neck. Cavaliers finally winning 93-89.

Typical of me, I fell asleep with six minutes left in the game. Woke after trophies were given out.

My congratulations to Lynda and Bob Frechette. Home in Cleveland in time for the game.

LeBron James impressed me. Not only for his playing. For his apparent kindness and humility. A great!

Late morning, I visited Donna and Terri at their new abode. Lovely. A mini plantation.

Their new home packed with unopened boxes. Still unpacking. Could take another month. That much stuff.

Cupboards empty again. No time to waste. Could not stop at Publix. Picked up a Submarine and headed home. Where I quickly devoured the sandwich.

I had to get out this week’s KONK Life column. It took six hours. Titled Napoleon 2 Xs. Sort of a lead up to what makes heroes. Not mosquitoes and hemorrhoids.

Caught the last hour of the U.S. Open.

Dinner time. Still no food in the house. Did Chinese delivery. Egg rolls and shrimp egg foo yong.

An accurate observation in this morning’s Citizens’ Voice. Pertaining to the Key West City Commission. “The inmates are running the asylum – we need new leadership.”

Front page this morning’s Key West Citizen. Re the proposed constructions on Rockland Key. Includes a Walmart and 312 units of affordable housing.

A $14.6 million deal. Developers already paid $700,000 in deposits.

The deal was entered into in 2021. Developers want out. They also want to keep the $700,000.

Word on the street is that property values have risen considerably and the developers want a new deal reflecting the property’s increase in value.

Trump wants to profile Muslims. Shades of Hitler. Trump crazy and dangerous.

Enjoy your day!

 

FATHER’S DAY LONG IN COMMING

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Happy Father’s Day!

They did not want Father’s Day. For shame! Social groups thought the only purpose was to commercialize the day. No honor to Dads involved. These groups had Washington politicians in their back pockets. It took till 1972 to legalize Father’s Day as a holiday.

Prejudice involved, also. Many thought fathers were not entitled to be honored as mothers were.

The media opposed marking the day. Newspapers featured cynical and sarcastic attacks on the issue. Jokes were made of the idea of having a Father’s Day.

Resistance began crumbling during Woodward Wilson’s time as President. He tried. He could not get Congress to approve a bill, however. Lyndon Johnson met with the same resistance. Seeing he could not get a law out of it, he settled for a Presidential Proclamation.

Richard Nixon succeeded where others had failed. He got Congress to pass a bill and Nixon signed it into law. Father’s Day forever to be the third Sunday in June.

My afternoon yesterday was spent researching this week’s KONK Life column. I will write the article this afternoon. Title: Napoleon 2 Xs. Interesting history rarely mentioned in reviewing Napoleon’s exploits. Eye opening information regarding Waterloo and the Louisiana Purchase.

Last night, Tavern ‘n Town. Dinner with my lesbian wives Donna and Terri. Always good company.

Ran into Dr. Sullivan and his wife. First time I met his wife. He and Donna and Terri are old friends.

While waiting for Donn a and Terri, I enjoyed a drink at the bar. Made new friends. Karen  and Jim. They purchased a condominium at the far end of Stock Island. Beautiful open water views.

Their last stop before Key West was Punta Gorda.

Karen a former law office administrator. Jim a former IBM consultant. Had been with IBM 30 years prior to retiring.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

GAY MASS SHOOTING

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Anne from Ithaca is a loyal follower of this blog. She commented on why I advised no blog yesterday. She gave me the benefit of the doubt. Thought because of the Orlando killings, I was saying nothing so people could ponder the event on their own before I expressed my thoughts.

Wish your observation was correct, Anne. Makes me look good. Thank you. Not the reason, however. I was tired.

This week’s KONK Life column is The Rape of Social Security. Researched it on saturday. Needed verification of some facts before writing. Rose at 6 yesterday morning to check the facts. Followed by putting the article together.

It was almost 11 when I finished. I was tired! Writing the blog would have been like climbing a mountain. Took a day off. Went to bed and slept till late afternoon.

I never knew of the Orlando disaster till late afternoon when I woke. Ergo, I cannot take credit for having made what Anne perceived as a thoughtful gesture.

Nevertheless, thank you Anne.

You do not need me to tell you the Orlando killings and injuries should not have been. The work of a radicalized young man. Anti-gay and anti-female. He had wrapped himself in his religion.

What blows me out is that the culprit was American born in New York City. Educated. Through college. Not some Muslim nut from the Middle East who somehow got into our country.

How did he get radicalized? My thought is the internet has to have been a major contributing factor. Information and contacts galore available 24 hours a day.

Yesterday was part of Gay Pride Week. The shootings occurred at a gay night spot. Pride Week being celebrated all over the United States. Including of course Key West.

Gays and straights alike wore black arm bands yesterday in Key West.

I want to stay with the Islamic mind/teachings for a moment. A Dutch woman was in Qatar. She had a drink at a bar. The next thing she remembers is waking up somewhere else. Waking up and discovering her body had been had. Raped. Suspects she was served a mickey at the bar.

She reported the incident to the police. They arrested her. The way it is in the Middle East. Women are not supposed to have sex outside marriage. If they do, it is automatically deemed to be the woman’s fault.

She was jailed in March. Tried this past week. Found guilty of illicit consensual fornication and drunkedness. Sentenced to a year in jail and three years probation. Sentence suspended. She is being thrown out of the country. Happily so.

They located the guy. Found guilty of illegal consensual sex and drinking alcohol. Got 100 lashes for the sex and 4o additional lashes for the drinking.

I would normally say these people are crazy. Muslims in general. However, I have seen the error of my ways and wish to be politically correct. Seriously so. Not all Muslims are driven by the thinking of the Orlando shooter nor the laws of Qatar. How do we distinguish between the good guys and the bad? Therein is the problem.

Trump’s comments following the killings off base. He shoots from the hip. Too volatile to be President.

Met Lynn Sherman at the Gardens last night. First time. She is an artist. A successful one. Her paintings sell. She paints fronts of homes on small canvases. She has had several showings at the Lucky Street Gallery.

An interesting woman. Good company.

My lesbian wives Donna and Terri are back in town. Ran into them saturday night at Tavern ‘n Town and last night at the Gardens. Glad they have opted to return. They add to the quality of Key West.

Met two interesting men at the bar at Tavern ‘n Town. Albert Sullivan and Richard Manley. One sitting to my left and the other to my right.

Albert is a physician-scientist. Richard the Manley of Manley de Boer for 40 years.

Humidity becoming a killer. Heavier each day. And it is only June!

Enjoy your day!

 

MUHAMMAD ALI…..ORANGE JUICE PLEASE

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Strange weather.

I have been waiting since sunday for heavy rain and gusty winds. Nothing. A little rain here and there. Nothing spectacular.

Today?

When I went out last night, I took my slicker with me. I was ready for the deluge that never came.

Is there any one David Wolkowsky has not entertained at his Ballast Key home?

David e-mailed me yesterday that Muhammad Ali was his guest on Ballast Key. A very long time ago.

David served the same fare to guests regardless of their state in life. Hot dogs, white wine and potato chips. The rich entertain!

Ali did not drink alcohol. He asked for freshly squeezed orange juice. Freshly squeezed orange juice, he got. Together with a turkey hot dog.

My yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. Moved the speed up a bit. Was tired afterwards. Not bad, however.

Jenny had a red face. The sun, not drinking. I asked where she got it. Jumping Bridge. Never heard of it. On Sugarloaf. Go to the blinking light, turn right and go to the end of the road. An old bridge over the water. Jump off and swim. She was there sunday doing her thing.

I have to search out Jumping Bridge. Sounds interesting. Not for me. I have to see if it is safe for Robert and Ally.

I was sitting at the Cuban Coffee Queen reading the newspapers when Barbara Grob came along. I have known her 20 years, though rarely see her. Yesterday, the first time in 4-5 years.

As ever, beautiful.

I fell in love with Barb the first time I saw her. She had a small shop selling all kinds of crazy things on Truman. Near Aaron’s home. The shop was empty when I entered. The back door open. There was Barb soldering a piece of metal she would eventually place for sale.

She presently owns and operates a relatively new store on Fleming. Just off Duval. Called Key West Local Luxe. Jewelry, clothes, lingerie, etc. Most items a bit off beat. Key Westy.

Over the years, Barb has developed into a seasoned owner, artist and designer. She knows what women like. She says her store makes women happy.

Back to the Cuban Coffee Queen for a moment. The ice cubes they use are coffee cubes. Coffee frozen. I have learned to leave my empty cold Cuban coffee container sitting a while when finished. Then drink the melted ice cubes. A shot of caffeine! Hits you!

Last night was Aqua for me. I have become a monday night regular. During cocktail hour, the bar singing terrific.

Last night was Dueling Bartenders. Two were in drag. This happens once a month. One was Mark Watson. He shaved his beard to do the event.

The bar was crowded. I counted 41 customers at 7 o’clock.

Aqua was my evening. Returned home early.

Donna and Terri are back. Permanently. Mark said they would be at his Back Door wednesday.

I see from Facebook, the ladies are back in the swing of things. Did not take long. Both sang at Kate Miano’s Gardens sunday evening.

The Swiss are a very people conscious nation. Everything for their people. It is called socialism.

They put to a vote the most recent Swiss idea. A guaranteed minimum wage for everyone. Paid by the government. $2,600 a month for adults. $600 a month for each child. The government’s motivation was to give adults the option of reducing working hours. At the same time maintaining a decent standard of living.

The Swiss are not like the Greeks. The Swiss voted the idea down. 70-30 percent.

The thought not uncommen. Other nations are seriously considering it. The Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand and Canada.

My different type KONK column this week hits the stands tomorrow. Corn Flakes…..Cure Masturbation. Involves the Kellogg brothers, corn flakes and masturbation. The Kellogg corn flakes you eat today are derived from what happened in the 1890s and early 1900s involving the three.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Nine my time. A multitude of sins to discuss. The past week has been interesting. Join me for a quick entertaining opinionated half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

NATIONAL DONUT DAY

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Today is National Donut Day. America has a national day for everything.

Donut can be spelled two ways. The original, doughnut. Contemporary, donut. Both acceptable.

National Donut Day got its start in 1938.

During World War I, Salvation Army volunteers gave donuts and coffee to troops. Relatively close to the front lines. In 1938, National Donut Day was created to honor the work of the volunteers.

The Day means free donuts in some venues. Here in Key West, Duunkin’ Donuts offers a free donut with every purchased drink. Krispykreme locations will give a free product with each cup of coffee purchased.

Glazed Donuts is at 419 Eaton in Key West. I could not ascertain its policy re free donuts this day. Stop by anyhow. Glazed Donuts’ donuts are great!

Welcome home, Donna and Terri. My lesbian wives have returned. They claim forever. Hopefully so. Two better people do not exist.

Patrick and Lester are leaving Key West. Moving to Georgia. Sad. Two of Key West’s best. I have known them 20 plus years. They are friends. Patrick and Lisa tight.

Patrick aka Patty Cakes was the Sq. 1 bartender for 20 plus years. Everyone loved Patrick. Always available to help in a crisis.

Big swimming race tomorrow. Around Key West. 12.5 miles. Ocean currents galore.

Called Swim Around Key West, an annual event. Began in 1977 when Anna Fugina swam around Key West. She did it for health reasons. Her time, 12 hours 59 minutes. Today’s record is 3 hours 31 minutes 28 seconds. In recent years, most complete the race in 5-6 hours.

Anna is now 64. She will be racing tomorrow.

Not a local thing. One hundred eighty five swimmers  from 7 countries and 29 states will participate.

The race begins at 7 tomorrow morning off Smathers Beach.

My KONK Life column this week is America Has Lost Its Promise. It hit the stands yesterday. Appears in KONK E-Blast this morning. Was also linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. .keywestlou.com.

How the world turns! Sins of yesterday acceptable without question today.

On this day in 1956, Santa Cruz, California passed a local law banning rock and roll. New music at the time. The city considered it detrimental to the health and morals of youth and the community.

Military service has always been an item of discussion/investigation as regards Presidential candidates. Recall, Clinton got beat up for not having served. Bush 2’s National Guard service was closely examined.

The issue not yet an issue as regards Trump. Vietnam was his time. He was found ineligible for a “foot thing.”

Trump’s deferment will become an issue at some point.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

LAZY LUNCH AT LOUIE’S BACKYARD

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Lunch yesterday could not have been better! Lazy and long. Great company. Excellent food.

Donna, Terri and Louis at Louie’s Backyard. We lunched as one. Too many bloody marys, followed by Maine lobster rolls.

It was catch up time. We have not been together in at least three years.

My lesbian wives are returning. In six weeks they will be back in Key West. Forever.

They have already rented a lovely condo near Salute’s. Two blocks off the ocean.

My blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou last night.

I stayed away from politics. The primaries are crushing.

I mentioned Venezuela’s Maduro had shortened the public employee work week two weeks ago to four days a week. Not enough electric power.

This morning a news flash popped up on the internet. Maduro has further slashed the work week to two days. No bargain. The employees only get paid for two days.

Maduro says it is because of a drought which is affecting water necessary to produce electricity. A crock. It is because Maduro has not spent monies to keep the dam and electrical system in good shape. Everything is falling apart.

Shades of what could happen to our infrastructure.

Keep in mind that Maduro’s first debacle was running out of toilet paper four years ago. Still not enough toilet paper.

I share this item with you, also. I got into government waste again. Congress authorized and the President approved $600 million to boost the Afghanistan economy.

Part of the money went to transport nine blond male goats to Afghanistan. Female goats were waiting in Afghanistan. Purpose to help the wool cashmere business.

Monies also went to build a laboratory to certify that the wool cashmere was the best ever. The scenario was to produce 350 jobs.

There is no record of monies spent. Where the money went, etc. unknown.  There also is no cashmere business. It is suspected the Afghans ate the nine goats. Could be. Goats are the number one dish in Afghanistan.

Manatees in the news. Tomo-Belle is a female manatee that has been under observation since 1993. She recently gave birth to twins. Tomo-Belle and her two calves were seen swimming this past week in a Siesta Key canal.

The shame of it all. On this day in 1867, John Milton was blind and broke. He sold his copyright of Paradise Lost for ten pounds.

Greece has a special place in my heart. When in Athens, I stayed at the Grande Bretagne. The finest hotel I have ever spent time at anywhere in the world.

I recall one of the staff telling me that the Germans used the Hotel for their headquarters during World War II. I thought at the time and still do, a shame!

On this day in 1941, the German Army ended Greek resistance throughout Greece. Except for Crete. Fifteen thousand seven hundred Greeks died defending their homeland.

The Cretes would not give up. They fought the Germans forever. Ultimately, they too were overcome.

My KONK Life column this week is Lincoln: Nomination and Election. Hits the stands today.

Wednesday! Love wednesdays! Wednesday is my screw off day. I write almost full time saturday through tuesday. Wednesday is the start of my weekend. My friday.

Enjoy your day!

DONNA AND TERRI IN TOWN

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Surprised last night at Tavern ‘n Town!

I was seated at the bar. All of a sudden, Terri’s face before me. Hugs and kisses.

A few minutes later, Donna appeared. More hugs and kisses.

The ladies are in Key West visiting. Plans are to return to Key West to live. In the very near future. It will be wonderful!

Both looked good. Vibrant, exquisite. I could not get enough of them.

Lynda and Bob Frechette at the other end of the bar. Donna and Terri were having dinner with them.

Lynda’s cousin Dee died. She and Bob are flying out this morning to be with family and attend services.

In between everything, I enjoyed Bobby Nesbitt. Terri sang a song. Her voice still mighty.

I finally decided on a subject for this week’s KONK Life column. Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill. Spent almost six hours researching the topic.

I plan on approaching the writing with background information and my impressions of the five main persons involved. Their testimony and/or actions 25  years ago. I was sort of there. I was glued to the TV set in my office watching the proceedings.

Last night, HBO ran a made for TV movie called Confirmation. At 8. Re the Thomas confirmation hearing. I got home in time to watch it. Settled in my comfortable recliner chair. Fell asleep. Missed the whole show, except for Thomas’ blast that his was a “…..high tech lynching.”

Thomas verged on rage in the real life exclamation I recall. Disturbed. Blew his cool. I recall a more upset Thomas. He was mad! Last night, he was portrayed as upset, but not to the point of pure forceful anger.

Then it was back to sleep.

On this day in 1961, the Bay of Pigs invasion commenced. Castro overwhelmed the invading Cubans. Kennedy had promised them air cover. At the last minute, he pulled it back. Without air cover, the Cubans were overwhelmed. A number died. A greater number, something in excess of 1,000, spent years in Cuban jails.

This one I do not understand. The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority participated in a contest to determine the best tasting water in Florida. Our Aqueduct Authority won.

If such is the case, why do I drink bottled water? As well as many other Key West area persons.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

BOB AND SUSAN

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My base of those I call friends has expanded greatly because of this blog. Many e-mail me from all points of the world. They share with me their joys and sadnesses. I learn of their children and parents. They offer comments and political observations to what I may have written the day before.

The friendships are genuine. Though we rarely meet face to face.

One of my blog friends is Bob Saraceno from the Buffalo area. He reads me daily, e-mails every couple of months.

Bob is in Key West this week. We made arrangements to meet last night at the Chart Room. The evening turned out to be one of the most pleasant I have experienced.

Bob is here with Susan. They are a couple. They have purchased a home in Fort Myers. Key West will be their vacation spot. It is a mere four hour ferry boat ride away.

No question, I am a liberal at heart. Bob, a conservative. Our respective political leanings have never affected our relationship.

The three of us talked about everything. We were together quite a while. At least three hours.

Bob is Sicilian. I am not. My people are from the Naples area. I told him I was fearful of Sicilians. They had a reputation of cutting throats in the middle of the night. I also offered that my mother in law was Sicilian and we never got along. I attributed it to her Sicilian ways.

We drank a little too much. Laughed more. Had a great time!

They asked for a place to dine tonight. I suggested the Hot Tin Roof. I am having dinner there tonight with Donna and Terri and will probably run into them.

Key West has a reputation of being a drinking town. It is. Tourists, especially. Many indulge a bit too much. Something bad occasionally occurs as a result.

The word on the street last night was that someone had dived into the water at the Hyatt, struck his head, and could not feel from the neck down. Terrible. Potential for a serious injury. As bad as a paraplegic or quadriplegic.

The morning paper ran the story. It was not the Hyatt. It occurred at the Galleon. The Galleon’s Tiki Bar.

A 40 year old tourist dove off the pier at the Galleon. Normally shallow, it was even more shallow at the time. The tide was out. The water only three feet deep. Hard rock at the bottom.

A tragedy.

It is not easy to dive into the ocean off the Galleon deck. There is a thick rope fence/barrier. Formidable.

An article in this morning’s Key West Citizen projects an easy hurricane season ahead.  Minimal. The report worries me. I would rather it was predicted that a bad hurricane season was ahead and nothing happened.

Key West got hit bad by hurricanes for a number of years. The last big one was Wilma in 2005.

My recollection is Wilma was only a #1. It was the water that followed. Like a tsunami. About an hour after the wind departed, the water arrived. There was no warning. The water height 6-7 feet. Lisa ended up with  6 1/2 feet of water in her home. Larry and Christine were sitting on their back porch chatting about how lucky they were that there was no damage to their home. Larry says all of a sudden the water started trickling in and within seconds was one foot deep and on its way up.

I learned something from reading the article. Key West and Pensacola are the two most hurricane prone areas in Florida. One end of the State to the other. Key West to the extreme south. Pensacola is part of the Panhandle. An area to the extreme northwest of Florida.

Enjoy your day!