VETERAN’S DAY

A major holiday today. Veteran’s Day. To honor all military personnel who fought for their/our country.

November 11 is the official date for the holiday. The reason why November 11 is interesting. World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. How about that!

The most important event today in Key West is the dedication of the new Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial at Bayview Park. Long in coming. Well deserved. Our Vietnam vets have long been forgotten. They never received their just due acclimation wise when they returned home.

The dedication is at 11. I was there for the groundbreaking. I hope to be there this morning for the dedication.

Cannot have a holiday without a parade. The parade on Duval and Truman is at 4 this afternoon.

My blog talk radio show interfered with my watching all of the Republican debate last night. Missed a half hour.

Love political debates! Trump still has me in a I don’t know place. He’s a bully. Question is whether he has the demeanor and intelligence to be President. My mind remains open.

H. L. Mencken was a famous American writer during the first half of the 20th century. He wrote something worthy of repetition on July 26, 1920 in the Baltimore Evening Sun.

“As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.

On some great and glorious day, the folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”

Fits Trump. Trump is a fool and narcissistic. I disagree that he is a moron. Whether properly intelligent a question. Is he Presidential timber?

An article in today’s Key West Citizen indicates the hotels were not full for Fantasy Fest. Somewhere around 81 percent. However, the hotels did not get hurt. Room rates were higher this year.

Last year, the average cost of a room during Fantasy Fest was $238 a night. This year, $413.

Quite a hike!

I fear the hotels will kill the chicken that lays the golden egg. Restaurants and bars, also.

My ribs still bothering me. I cancelled the anti-gravity treadmill monday. The condition was aggravated by the treadmill friday. Still hurting. Cancelling the rest of the week on the treadmill. Wish the pain would go away.

This week’s KONK Life hits the stands at 5 this afternoon. My column this week is Dracula in the Operating Room. Love the title! The column is about the U.S. government and the student college loan program. The government Dracula and the loan program the operating room.

Why all the seaweed at Smathers Beach? Unusual.

Belly dancing. I remember a birthday party for a judge friend of mine back in Utica many years ago. At a point in the party, his wife came in dressed in belly dancing attire. She sat her husband in the middle of the couch. Then proceeded to dance for him. He alone. She had learned specially for him. Her birthday gift.

There is a belly dancing event soon in Key West. On November 16 at 5:45. 1511 Truman.

Womankind is involved. Event titled: Belly Enhancing with Belly Dancing. Should be fun. Go. I would, except my belly is too large for correction.

Almost forgot. I have had for several years two ugly growths on the top of my head. The dermatologist never wanted to cut them out. Yesterday the big one was oozing. I went to his office. He cut them both out. I am walking around with three bandaids on the top of that portion of my head that is bald.

Enjoy your day!

GARDENS HOTEL

The Gardens Hotel is hidden behind walls and foliage on the corner of Angela and Simonton. One of the Key West’s leading citizens is proprietor. Kate Miano. Charming. Beautiful. An outstanding business person.

One of the events Kate sponsors is a sunday get together for locals and tourists inside the gardens. From 5-7. Musicians on the back porch of the main building. Seating all over. A small bar to the rear. Always everyone greeting and hugging.

There was a time I went every sunday. Then, stopped. Don’t know why. Decided to stop in yesterday. Glad I did.

Chatted with Lynda and Bob Frechette, two people I have not seen in a while. Ran into many other friends and acquaintances.

I had a good time.

Kate was not there. She is somewhere in France.

I went downtown a bit earlier to see the Power Boat Races Parade. As anticipated, magnificent! People standing on both sides of Duval watching. The boats long and sleek. People sitting top side. Locals, boat owners and crews.

There are 40 boats entered in the races.

Following the Gardens visit, I walked over to La Te Da for dinner. At the outside bar. Crispy duck, of course.

I spent my morning and early afternoon yesterday writing this week’s Konk Life column. Dracula in the Operating Room. How is that for a title!

The column has to do with the college student loan program and the government’s involvement money wise. The government makes $40 billion plus a year in profit.

The government is Dracula and the loan program the operating room.

The Key West History section mentioned Alben Barkley having visited Key West to visit with President Truman. Barley was Vice-President at the time.

Barkley was Truman’s running mate in the 1948 election. The election where everyone gave Truman a hard time and no chance of winning. Barkley was Senate Majority leader. He stuck by Truman through out.

People were surprised when Truman selected Barkley. Barkley was 70 at the time. Back then, 70 was considered old for the man who might have to step in to serve as President.

The Citizen rang the bell twice this morning.

The World Almanac section made mention of the November 9, 1965 blackout. The blackout covered the entire northeast United States. 30 million were without power for a significant period of time.

My family and I were among those without power.

It was around 6 in the evening. I had worked out at the YMCA.  Just finished my shower when the lights went out. I looked out the window. The lights were out all over town. Attendants came by with flashlights and I was able to dress.

The streets were dark. No street lights working. No lights anywhere, except for the stars in the sky.

I got in my car and drove home. Radio would not work. I could not call my wife since cell phones did not exist at the time. Intersections were a problem. Traffic lights not working.

When I got home, my wife had candles out. Dinner had been prepared. I told the children we were going to have a party. It was cold. The oil burner had stopped operating.

We laid blanket on the living room floor. Lite the fire place. There we ate. There we slept.

As the night wore on, I was becoming concerned. Could this be the start of actual war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union? Don’t laugh. Serious business back then. We worry today about an ISIS attack. Nothing compared to the fear we had of a Russian attack back then. It would be nuclear war.

Utica was 14 miles from Rome. Rome had a SAC base. SAC would carry our nuclear bombs to Russia in the event of war. Rome would be one of the first places the Russians would hit.

Nuclear war was always in the forefront of our minds. Most of us were alive in 1945 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed.

Rockefeller was New York governor at the time. He had recommended people build shelters in their backyards. A concrete type bunker under the ground. Few did. We did not think they would help if a nuclear weapon were detonated.

The lights went back on the next day. Some non-consequential event occurred in another state that blew a generator or something. Parts of Canada were also affected.

Khrushchev was head of the Soviet Union at the time. A bully like Putin. Perhaps more so.

Khrushchev had attended a meeting of the UN General Assembly two years earlier in 1960. He took his shoe off, stood up, slammed his shoe on the desk before him, and lite into a tirade against the United States.

One of the things Khrushchev is remembered for is his threat to the United States: “…..history is on our side. We will bury you.”

Enjoy your day!