HAPPY EASTER!

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Happy Easter!

Happy Holiday!

There are two Easters. One religious, the other not.

The religious Christian. Recognizes Christ rose from the dead……He is risen, He’s not here!

The non-religious for everyone. The Easter bunny, baskets, small yellow candy chicks, chocolate bunnies, etc.

Did the non religious this morning. Just after the sun rose. The annual Easter egg hunt at Lisa’s. In the back yard. Robert and Ally searching for the colored eggs and gifts their parents had hidden.

Something for Jake, also. Never left out. An artificial bone, something to else to chew on, a ball, etc.

Jake as excited as Robert and Ally.

Followed by a huge Easter breakfast prepared by Lisa. Lisa made guzza (guzzad) again. Italian ricotta cheesecake. Second time. Excellent. Vanilla. Told her to move on next year to one with chocolate, cherries, green fruits, etc.

I am invited to four different dinners/gatherings this afternoon. Don’t know if I will make any. May just lay around all day. I am already bloated from breakfast. Will miss the holiday company, however. We shall see.

Began last night at the Chart Room. New bartender Maureen working. Her father bartended at the Chart Room 30 yeas ago for many years. A retired FBI agent. His name Ted. Was known as Ted the Fed.

Then to Hot Tin Roof. Glad I did. Jean Thornton was at the bar having dinner with Eddie. They finished. Eddie left. Jean stayed with me while I ate.

Then back to the Chart Room with Jean.  Che’s birthday last night. Eighty four. God bless him! He was not there. Did not answer his cell phone.

First time Jean met Maureen. They chatted away. Jean liked Maureen and vice versa. A friendship was born.

I drove Jean home. Her bike was broke.

The clamor yesterday on TV rising from the nationwide demonstrations calling for Trump to release his tax returns. Worry not. At some point in time  they will be revealed. Against Trump’s wishes. He will be able to do nothing about it.

The two Congressional committees can subpoenae them. As well as the FBI. Assuming all or at least one will have the balls to do it.

Enjoy this Easter Sunday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERT!

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Grandson Robert was 12 years old yesterday. God bless!

The celebration might not have been. Robert was born with cancer of the liver. The tumor was larger than his liver. He had two major operations in the first eight days of his life.

God was good!

Lisa cooked a Happy Birthday sunday dinner and a birthday cake. The meal outstanding! As to the cake, very little left. Robert had a sleep over the night before. The guys pretty much devoured the cake.

Ally’s birthday is in two weeks. Yesterday, she looked beat up. Had a bad stomach bug the day before.

Summer vacation around the corner. We talked about what they will be doing. One thing will be Seacamp on Big Pine. An educational sea camp. The kids are excited.

Spent yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Heroin Will Survive New Drug Bill. It is a followup to my article three weeks ago Afghanistan and America’s Heroin Addiction.

The new column hits the stands wednesday.

The first heroin column appears on E-Blast this morning.

My picture on E-blast took me back for a moment. I have not seen it in years. It was taken during my first Greece trip five years ago. I am sitting at a table at my favorite restaurant writing my blog. The bearded Louis.

Stone crab season ended yesterday. A good season. Stone crabs galore. I enjoyed every one I ate. To me, the best of foods. I always say if I knew my meal was to be my last one, I would order stone crabs.

Movie star Roy Scheider had a home in Key West. Scheider of Jaws and French Connection fame. Puchased 630 Dey Street in March 1982. His winter home.

Everyone does everything in Key West.  Scheider was a regular at Camille’s when it was on Duval. He was frequently seen at the breakfast bar chain smoking.

Fausto’s is celebrating its 90th birthday. Its main store today on Fleming, just off Duval. A family business. Quality foods. Surprising however that it has lasted so long. Means whatever they sell has to be good.

I am anti-Trump. No question. I may even be anti-Clinton. I may not even vote.

That being said, the New York Times on saturday did a number on Trump. An unfair one. Front page. The article’s thrust was how Trump behaved with women.

The article should never have been written. It lacked substance. All it proved is Trump can occasionally be an asshole with his mouth.

Trump deserves an apology.

Enjoy your day!

BOEHEIM RETURNS

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Jim Boeheim returns tonight! The nine day suspension over. He will be back coaching the Syracuse basketball team when it plays North Carolina in the Carrier Dome.

I guarantee the Dome will be packed. 25,000 or more. Perhaps 30,000. To welcome back a man every Syracuse fan loves.

Syracuse the underdog against North Carolina.

The bocce league party is tonight, also. A huge event. Fun.

I have to choose. No problem. Not even close. I will be home watching Boeheim and the Syracuse team. I especially want to hear the roar of the crowd when Boeheim is introduced.

As usual, my yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. Then a trip home to pick up some papers. I had to get to Lisa’s to babysit Jake and the grandchildren.

Lisa had some minor surgery yesterday. She returned home just after 6 last night. She is well. Still feeling the effects of the knock out drugs this morning.

Lisa went in at 9:30. I did not arrive till after 1. Jake greeted me at the door. Following our usual hellos, he went outside and sat by the gate looking up the street. Looking in the direction from which Robert and Ally would come after school. He sat there till 3:30 never moving.

Robert and Ally were getting ready for their tennis lessons when Lisa returned home. Eyes closed, she moved slowly to bed.

Robert and Ally are taking tennis lessons at 1800 Atlantic. I dropped them off. I could see the tennis set up. The courts have always been there. They have been dressed up.

It was close to 7 when I got home. I had intended to go out. However, I needed a shave and another shower. Too much work. I stayed home, watched a bit of TV and went to sleep early.

I did a bit of rummaging before bed to come up with a topic for this week’s KONK Life column. Nothing yet. Drew a blank. Sometime today, divine inspiration will befall me.

Judge Tegan Slaton died several days ago. His obituary appeared in this morning’s Key West Citizen.

I met the Judge only once. Two yeas ago during the bocce playoffs when our teams were playing each other. I found him to be a humble man. May he rest in peace.

This Oregon thing should be terminated. It should have been put down within 24 hours of having begun. The militants are holding a federal building on federal lands hostage.

The building is located nowhere in a vast wilderness zone. Boise, Idaho 200 miles away is the closest significant city.

When there is a black/ white problem, especially the ones involving a black having been shot by a police officer, the police are out in full force. Full equipment. In most instances, even tanks.

The whites holding the federal building are entitled to the same opposition. Recall the old adage…..What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Are the authorities reluctant to go in because the men in the building are whites? The blacks get billy clubbed and arrested on the streets of America. Yet those who have illegally taken over a federal building are left alone.

I have said it before. I say it again. Trump scares me.

He spoke last night in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A Muslim woman was in the crowd. She was wearing a hijab. Seated in the middle of the audience.

During Trump’s speech, she silently stood up. Said nothing. Never had a chance if she so intended. The news reports I have read indicate the mood of the crowd instantly turned nasty. She was booed. Escorted out.

My concern is that the crowd turned nasty. Trump’s supporters appear very much in tune with his views and attitudes. Especially concerning Muslims.

I have related the Trump campaign so far to Germany in the early 1930s. It now has moved into the mid 1930s when the populace joined Hitler in denouncing the Jews.

Trump is calling the tune. He is the Pied Piper.

Jeb Bush recently said that he was concerned for the Republican Party. Trump was not a true conservative. Bush said Trump had hijacked the party. I worry Trump is hijacking our country.

Enjoy your day!

I CHEATED!

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It had to happen. Last night, I cheated. I am not happy about it this morning.

I have been dieting since mid November. At the moment, I am down 35 pounds. I have been stuck at 35 pounds for 3 weeks. Just as I was stuck for a period of time at 27 and 30 pounds.

My will power is not that strong. I need the encouragement of the scale. I need to see the pounds coming off.

I gave in. I ate! A full meal! First time in four months. Delicious!

I had not intended to give in. The thought had not entered my mind. I was not tempted. However as I sat at the outside bar at La Te Da, I suddenly said what the hell!

It was raspberry glazed duck. I ate it all! Plus the vegetables and delicious bread and butter.

A good boy I was not.

I woke in the middle of the night with a heavy feeling. In my head as well as stomach. Could not sleep. I still have that heavy feeling this morning.

I learned a lesson. When you have been avoiding food for a long time, you cannot dive in like I did.

As always, La Te Da was enjoyable. Don was with me. It was good to see my bartender friend of many years, Tonto.

Met a terrific couple. Joe and Jane. Their other home is New Jersey. They also own a home in Key West on Olivia Street. Six months here, six months there. Both retired school teachers. I enjoyed their company. Just my luck, there six months in Key West ends today. We will have to wait till November to continue the relationship.

I intended to attend the Jimmy Buffett concert at Higgs Beach. I got stuck home on a one hour plus business call. By the time I left, it was almost 7. Buffett was due to appear at 7:30. Parking would be a pain. I would have had to park too far away. A long walk to the concert and then back to the car did not turn me on. I went to Don’s Place instead.

All was not lost, however! The concert has been recorded for replay on margaritaville.com. It will air at specified times over the next few days. If you too missed Buffett, take advantage of the recording and watch the concert at your convenience starting today.

It was Don, David, Toni and John at Don’s Place. Don, David and I got involved in a long bocce discussion. How long can we keep playing as we have this season? We are 17-4.

Don always wants to change things. He likes to move players around. I told him to leave well enough alone. It ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.

We play again tonight.

Saw Dr. Jackie Lefferts in the morning. My body still aching from the falls I took. My left hip and butt are a  dark purple inside a black ring. The bruising is bad because I am on  a blood thinner. My ribs had started hurting. The reason for the visit. She does not think I broke one. I was sent for an x-ray and will receive the results today.

We talked about my frequent falling recently. She thinks I have a balance problem. I don’tknow. I am being scheduled for balance exercises at the physiotherapist’s.

Getting old is fun!

Enjoy your day! Don’t fall!

WOE IS SYRACUSE

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Syracuse basketball has been under investigation by the NCAA for a couple of years. No findings reported yet. Yesterday, it was announced by Syracuse that it was self imposing a ban on playing in any post season tournaments this year. The NCAA, the NIT, and the ACC.

The investigation goes back as far as 12 years ago and as recent as 3 years ago. Word is that it primarily involves academics. Drug use by players in the earlier years may also be involved.

The NCAA’s report will be revealed soon.

As a most interested basketball fan, if Syracuse has to be punished this is the best year. The team’s record is bad. I doubt we would have been invited to the NCAA.

Syracuse will stand tall, take the hit and move on.

Visited Lisa yesterday. Jake, too. Jake is amazing! He now respects me as one of the family. We get along well. Which was not always the case.

I stopped at Walgreens to pick up a prescription. As most seniors, I take a lot of pills. I have a complaint. Co-pays are dramatically higher this new year.

The drug companies have had a free ride too long. It is time they were reined in.

I dined at Ibis last night for the first time. It has been open about three years. Stone crabs item #1 on Ibis’ menu.

I did not enjoy stone crabs. After the lobster roll the other night, it would have been too much in one week. Someone in my party did, however. Five large stone crabs. Looked smaller than large actually. $50. If my recollection is correct, the catch has not been good again for the third straight year. Restaurants are paying a high price for the delicacy. It has to be passed on to customers.

Sharon was waitressing. She bartended at Don’s Place for years before moving onto Ibis. It was hug and kiss time.

The weather yesterday was a warm 77 degrees. Rain is predicted off and on today. It is raining at the moment. I am sitting at the kitchen counter. The glass sliding doors are open. I can smell, taste and hear the rain.

The circus has come to Key West! Every year at this time. It starts today and ends sunday. I hope to get to watch it again with Robert and Ally.

My KONK Life column was published in the paper yesterday. I posted it on my Facebook site this morning. The topic interesting and timely. Greece In The Driver’s Seat.

In line with the substance of the column, it was reported in the international news this morning that the European Central Bank is taking a tough stance regarding Greece. The Bank is refusing to loan money to Greece’s commercial banks. The economic war has begun. The gauntlet thrown.

Enjoy your day!