POST FALL DAY 3

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From day one this blog has been primarily about my life in Key West. Since the fall has kept me home, my life is how I feel, etc. No bars, restaurants or dancing girls.

I now have a black eye! Started coming out yesterday. A beauty! I don’t remember the last time I had one. The cuts on the side of my eye still there. However, healing.

My back started hurting yesterday. I have had a bad back for years. Whether the fall caused my back to go out or it was just time again, I do not know. I do know it hurts like hell! Not sciatica this time. Pain confined to the lower lumbar region.

I bled the most from my lip. A scab remains where it was cut. I think the cut was good size. I cannot see it because of the scab.

I look like shit. However, I will be staying home so few will see me.

I am an expert on sore backs. Except for the sciatica one. A couple of Beefeaters has always helped relieve the pain. I am going to Beefeaters at noon. Two good drinks before lunch. Even if it does not relieve the back pain for a while, I am guaranteed to feel good.

I have no food. Called Anna. Gave her an abbreviated grocery list. She is picking things up for me.

Saturday night at home will not be bad. Syracuse plays Duke at 7. On ESPN so I will have no difficulty getting the game on TV. Probably enjoy a Beefeater or two during the game.

Duke is #4 in the country. Duke is a 14.5 favorite. I expect Syracuse to lose. I expected them to lose last week and they won! Who knows.

Years ago there was a movie about the gang that could not shot straight. The House of Representatives is a gang that cannot shot straight. They play politics with Homeland Security while we have threats of ISIS and soldiers being killed and wounded yet in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our country is disjointed. One solution is to vote the bums out who are playing games with our safety. Simple to say. Hard to accomplish. They are gerrymandered, locked in.

One further comment. Washington does not understand what is going on in the rest of the country. If they did, they would not be playing these games. Or, maybe they would. For some, the hatred for Obama is so deep they know no other way to legislate than to obstruct.

Enjoy your day!

FOG DAY 2

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Fog yesterday, fog today. Rare.

Why the fog? The reason given is that when moist air travels over warm water, it creates condensation which is brought onto the land by the wind.

One problem. There is no wind this morning. Absolutely none. My palm trees move not at all. The pool is like a mirror.

The fog this morning is thicker than yesterday. I can barely see the MTV house across the way.

I spent all day yesterday writing.

Last night was my blog talk radio show at 9. I was not surprised that the 3 teenage girls fleeing to Syria story was best received. Young ladies going over to ISIS to marry a jihadist and make babies has to be scary to all parents.

This week’s KONK Life hit the stands yesterday. My column consisted of my thoughts as to why young ladies find ISIS life attractive. Read it, if you can.

If KONK Life is not available to you, the column will appear starting this evening on Key West Lou. A top row description reads Key West Lou KONK Life Column. Click on it.

I have a new toy. ESPN streaming. Also known as ESPN 3.

Syracuse is not going anywhere this season basketball wise. The major networks have abandoned us. No one carries the games. We are relegated to ESPN streaming.

The Notre Dame game last night was the second Syracuse game in a row I have watched on my computer screen. Love it! Full screen. Clear and distinct. And for some reason, it appears I am closer to the game/action.

Syracuse not ranked. Notre Dame #9 in the country. Syracuse won 65-60.

My radio show interfered with my viewing. I was able to catch most of the first half. Then I had to stop to do the show. When I returned, there were six minutes left.

Worked for me.

Syracuse plays Duke saturday night. Duke is ranked #4. We are finishing the season against the big guys!

I received my royalty check and numbers for the last six months of 2013 yesterday. All of a sudden, the book is big in Canada. I do not know why. However, I am thrilled.

The World Upside Down is available on amazon.com and barnesand noble.com.

One of Key West’s most notable authors was Tennessee Williams. He resided on Duncan Street for roughly 40 years. He died on this date in 1983 in New York City.

Enjoy your day!

FOG AGAIN

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When the sun came up this morning, there was a mild fog laying over the island. Within an hour, it was a heavy fog. Thick. It is now another hour later and the fog is lifting. Still out there, but drifting away.

About 3 weeks ago, Key West experienced fog on two different days. I mentioned how unusual it was to experience fog. Strange. Strange because it is not common to the lower keys.

Larry Smith was at his best last night! He was the speaker at Friends of the Library at St. Paul’s Church. Many in attendance. Twice as many as last week.

Larry served up a musical education. I learned some things about composing I never knew. Catherine sang some medleys which fit into Larry’s talk. I enjoyed!

Dan joined me for Larry’s talk. Wife Lisa did not. Their daughter and 5 1/2 month old grandchild are visiting.

Afterwards, we went across the street to La Concha for a drink. The bar located off the street has been redecorated. Strictly a wine place. Dan said there was another bar in the lobby. We had a drink there after which Dan left me to return to his grandchild.

I crossed the street and walked back towards the Gulf. My goal was the Hot Tin Roof. Streets crowded. People waiting in line outside of restaurants to get in. It appears to be a terrific season.

Today is tuesday. My blog talk radio show once again this evening. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. Join me at 9 for a half hour of interesting and eye opening material.

Topics will include some background re the young girls running off to join ISIS, Home Land Security, Berwick, Pa. may soon have chickens running around like Key West, American people understanding, and more.

My diet. I have now lost 36 pounds. Not bad!

Two problems occurred recently. I got stuck at 27 pounds for 10 days and at 30 pounds for two weeks. My doctor says it was because my body discovered I was starving and was storing food. I guess I stopped starving each time.

I am not starving myself, though I am eating much less.

Syracuse/Notre Dame tonight. I anticipate Syracuse will lose. Notre Dame has an exceptional team this year. They are ranked in the top 10 nationally.

To the basketball gods, please let the basketball season end!

My home town is Utica, N.Y. The Adirondack mountains an hour drive away. I do not recall seeing any bears in Utica, though I did see many over the years when in the mountains.

I never considered the Florida keys as having bears, let alone a bear problem. This morning’s Key West Citizen reported on the problem.

Years ago, the bear population was decreasing in south Florida dramatically. The government made bears a protected species. Now Florida thinks there are too many. Estimated at 3,000. There have been four maulings recently.

The State says we are going to start hunting bears again, a few have to be killed.

I do not recall anyone ever having seen a bear in the lower keys. My recollection is that there might have been one or two seen in the mid keys. Whatever, a hunting we will go!

Enjoy your day!

 

LARRY SMITH TONIGHT

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My friend Larry Smith is doing a presentation tonight. For the Friends of the Library. Six this evening at St. Paul’s Church. Besides being an overall good guy, Larry is an accomplished musician. He plays, composes and sings.

Larry’s talk will center on the types of music which influenced him as a musician and composer. The talk should be interesting.

Few are aware that Larry studied music in college. His first job after was teaching music at some school in a little hamlet in upstate New York. From there, he branched out into what he has become. A premier entertainer.

I spent my sunday writing. All day. First the blog. Then several hours composing this week’s KONK Life column. Young Ladies Join ISIS.

The column was motivated by the 3 young girls who are on their way to Syria to join ISIS. Each wishes to marry a jihadist and have babies. The girls are 15, 15 and 16. My article centers on the factors causing them and other young ladies to run off to Syria to experience such a life.

Keith stopped over later in the day. There were a few little things to complete in my bedroom. I must say…..The best bedroom I have slept in!

I have watched the Academy Awards my entire life. Always enjoyable.

This year I had a bit of a problem. I had only seen one of the nominated movies. American Sniper. Some winners were strangers to me. I do not get out to the movies much any more. Though I do watch many on television’s movie channels. Generally old films. Most of the stars dead and gone.

The History portion of this morning’s Key West Citizen has a 1960 picture of then sheriff John Spottswood and Harry Truman. Spottswood later became a state senator.

I never knew the man. However, I have known for more than 20 years his son Robert and Robert’s wife Elena. Two of the warmest people in Key West. Both moving forces over the years in developing Key West. Each getting things done.

Enjoy your day!

 

KEY WEST TREE COMMISSION

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Key West has a Tree Commission. Not strange. Key West has a commission for everything. Talk about mini managing!

The Tree Commission came into being in 1971. It’s sole purpose at the time was to stop the paving of green areas. Since that time, the Commission’s power has grown. Today the Commission regulates all kinds of trees on public and private property. Things like branch removal, crown cleaning/thinning, and crown reduction.

Is the Commission a good thing? I do not know. What I do know is that every time a friend has received a letter from the Tree Commission, he/she was upset. Very upset!

I went to Don’s Place at noon to watch the Syracuse/Pitt game. I knew I could not get it on my home TV. Don’s Place could not either. Toni helped looking for channel numbers. The bartender was helpful. However no Syracuse/Pitt game.

I returned home immediately. I do not enjoy day time drinking.

My recollection told me the game might be available on the internet. It was. I sat at my desk and was able to enjoy 3/4s of the game.

I was impressed with watching the game on the internet. For real. You can get the picture to cover the whole screen. It seemed I was closer to the action than on TV. By at least 50 percent, crazy as it sounds.

Syracuse lost 65-61. Defense fair. Offense terrible. A continuing problem. Syracuse has difficulty getting the ball in the basket. Cooney scored zero points. His back was out . You could see it. He took very few shots. Normally he plays the entire game. Not last night. Probably less than half.

I am anxious for the season to be over.

Long Time TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford was in the keys yesterday. Tavernier. Kathie is also a wine producer. She was at the Winn-Dixie signing bottles of her Scheid Family Wines. More than 1,000 in attendance.

I misspoke when I said she was in the keys yesterday. She actually spends much time in the keys. She and husband Frank have a home in the Key Largo area which they have enjoyed for years.

I finished reading Maria Laurino’s The Italian Americans.

The first half was fascinating and informative. The second half not so much as I was somewhat familiar with the events covered.

Two new things I learned from the book. Both deplorable.

In the late 1800s, mob lynchings of Italians was common in New Orleans, Tampa and the south generally.

I knew that during World War II, those of Japanese descent were interned in camps for the duration. I did not know that Italians and Germans were also. They were interned and/or restricted.

Those who were interned were Italians who had lived in the U.S. for many years but had not been naturalized. Others were merely restricted. Which meant they could not go into certain areas and down certain streets. They were subjected to a curfew and were required to carry papers identifying themselves.

Joe DiMaggio’s parents were restricted for the entire war. Even though Joe and his three brothers all fought for the U.S. in the war.

Larry Smith is a dynamo. Loved by everyone, though frequently criticized. A musical entertainer of much talent.

Tomorrow night Larry is the featured speaker at the Friends of the Key West Library. The event is at St. Paul’s Church at 6. Larry is going to talk about the kinds of music that have influenced his career as a pianist and composer.

Go! Larry is always enjoyable. I plan on being there.

The sun is out and shinning. Key West is in for a second consecutive day of warm weather. Somewhere in the mid 70s.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

SIBERIAN EXPRESS GONE

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The Siberian Express has left the Key West station. Hopefully not to return this year.

Last night was not one to go out. Cold!!! I did.

The temperature will return today to 76 degrees.

Supposedly Jenna and I were to meet at Tavern ‘n Town at 7:30. I got there at 7:20 and waited till 8:45 when I reached her on her cell phone. She thought it was for 7 and left at 7:15 thinking i had forgotten. How could I forget an evening with Jenna?

I said I would drive into town and pick her up. We would go to the Hot Tin Roof. I drove home first to get a jacket. I had gone out with only a sweater. I parked in the Marriott parking garage and had all of 50 feet to walk to the entrance. However the walk to the Hot Tin Roof would be longer from where I would park.

I hurried home to get my trusty leather jacket. A 15 minute trip. It was just after 8. I thought why hurry downtown and then walk in the cold to Hot Tin Roof. I called Jenna and told her we would not be going out and why. She understood.

I ate oatmeal and watched TV. My exciting saturday night in Key West.

I have never seen Tavern ‘n Town as crowded as it was last night. Another sign the season is in full swing. The bar was four deep. The wait for a table an hour.

My time at the Marriott was enjoyable. Met Audette and Darrell from Atlanta. They had just arrived for the weekend at the Marriott. We had a nice chat. Darrell attended Syracuse, also. When they were early married, they lived together in Syracuse while Darrell was going to school.

Audette proudly told me about their daughter Erika who lives in Chicago. She does a blog, also. A food blog.

I suggested some places to go. One was La Te Da after 10. Told them about Debra and Patrick. They were going to try it last night.

Some quick observations.

Forty eight years ago this month, David Wolkowski started building the Pier House Motel. The beginning of what today is  The Pier House, one of Key West’s premier venues.

There is a cohabitation law in Florida. Has been on the books for decades. Two unmarried people cannot cohabit. A misdemeanor. A bill was introduced this week in the Florida Senate to repeal the law. You would think it would pass in a rush. Not so. Florida is ultra conservative. The bill was before the Senate in 2011 and failed to pass.

Gasoline has risen in price 25 cents a  gallon in the past two weeks. Still cheaper than last year. However the upward creep worries me.

The media was talking yesterday about the three American girls who have gone to Turkey and will soon enter Syria. Two are 15 and the third 17. Their goal is to marry ISIS fighters. What is the attraction? What is the motivation?

Yesterday was D-Day for Greece and  the Eurounion. One had to blink. The Eurounion did. The Eurounion extended the euro loan for four months. They had no choice at the end. If Greece walked away from the table, all Europe would enter one of the largest recessions ever.

I am curious as to what happens in four months. In the end, Greece cannot lose. The recession hangs over the Eurounion’s head.

Syracuse/Pitt today at noon. I hope I can get it on my home TV. Syracuse a 4 point favorite. Pitt beat Syracuse earlier in the season.

Enjoy your day!

 

THE WEATHER

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Number one news item the past few days unquestionably has been the weather. The whole eastern side of the U.S. is experiencing abnormal weather. Even we lucky people who live in Key West.

It dropped to 49 degrees during the night. Cold! I repeat something I have said before…..I need a woman to sleep next to me. It has been suggested, if not a woman then a dog. Who knows?

It is 53 as I write this morning. The high will probably be in the mid 60s. Today and tonight only minimally better. Saturday, a return to normal. The projection is for 76 degrees.

A cruise ship was required to avoid Key West yesterday because of high seas.

Bocce last night was played in a freezer. Not a refrigerator. It was 55 degrees. Blasts of cold weather were constant off the Atlantic. The coldest I have been in Key West.

I dressed for it. Long pants, a shirt and socks. Plus my leather jacket. The jacket is worn and old. Purchased it more than 20 years ago. Took care of the upper body. Not my legs and head. I was wearing a hat.

I discovered my body warmed up when I was playing.

We won all three games. We are now 6-0 for the season. A terrific start!

Good friends on the other team. Angus and Brenda from Schooner Wharf and Nate from Don’s Place.

My mind went back as I was sitting at bocce. Probably because of the cold. I remembered when I was young. Like 7 or 8 years old. Every time I got out of bed in the morning, the wood floor was freezing cold. My father would dramatically reduce the heat at night.

I was required to wear long johns in the winter. Clothes dryers were not invented yet. Or perhaps we could not afford one. So my mother used to hang the wash outside on the clothes line to dry. When taken in, the log johns were stiff as a board. Visualize it. From the waist to the ankle, flat like a pancake and hard. Cold, of course. I had to push and repush with my feet to get the long johns on.

Diana Nyad still in Key West. A welcome guest! She is performing in a one woman show which covers her life with emphasis on her successful swim from Havana to Key West in 2013. The show opened last night and continues through sunday.

Jenna tonight. We are having dinner together.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST CEMETERY

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I find cemeteries a turn on. History has always intrigued me. I took to walking through cemeteries at an early age and reading tombstones. There was a lot of history to be learned.

The Key West Cemetery is interesting. From sailors who died when the USS Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor to the smart Key Wester who had inscribed on his tombstone: I told you I was sick.

This saturday, the Key West cemetery is offering escorted tours. The guides will explain the significance of certain graves. If you have not already, I suggest you take the tour. I have been through the cemetery twice with a guide and several times alone. Each time I discovered something new.

Call it global warming. Call it climate change. Whatever, it gets worse not year by year, but season by season. The abnormal amount of snow in the northeast. Now, this minus zero cold streak.

The freezing storm up north began to be felt in Key West last night. Temperature during the night about 60. Wind  blowing big time. The palm trees blowing one way. From north to south.

Today the high is 60. Tonight 50. Tonight, bocce. It will be in the mid 50s with a cold biting wind coming in off the Atlantic. I am tempted to stay home. However when I was a Key West golfer, I learned that “men” always show up to play regardless of the weather. I will be a man tonight.

Larry Smith, Christine Cordone and Kathleen Peace headed what I assume was a great show at the former Wine Galley last night. I had intended to go. Jenna was my date. I called her monday and cancelled. My excuse, I could see from the weather reports that it was going to be very cold. Social events do not have the same status as sporting ones. Manliness not an issue.

Missing Larry provided the opportunity to watch the Syracuse/Louisville game. Syracuse won 69-59. A good game all around. Syracuse pulled away in the last 5 minutes to win. The victory was the first time this season Syracuse has beat a top 25 team. Louisville was ranked #12.

My KONK Life column this week is titled What Recovery? It hit the stands yesterday. This morning, it was posted on my Key West Lou site. If KONK life is not available to you, you can find it there.

ISIS is sick! Beheadings, burying people alive and burning people to death. Now a new form of sickness. ISIS is a money making machine. The leaders are aware that big dollars are required to run their organization. ISIS is now selling body organs. Removed from captured men, women and children. Many times without anesthesia. Doctors are recruited to do the operations. If a doctor refuses, he is killed.

Body parts like hearts, livers and kidneys bring big dollars on the international black market. $100,000 to $150,000 is not uncommon.

I received two comments this morning relating what is happening to 1939. One was regarding economics. The other ISIS burnings. A relevant quote…..”It’s 1939 again. Hitler is back and he’s a  Muslim. From killing people in ovens to burning them in cages and trucks.”

Enjoy your day!

WHAT RECOVERY?

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Last night was Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou, my blog talk radio show. My comments re the U.S.’s economic recovery initiated responsive comments.

The title of the segment was What Recovery? I also wrote this week’s KONK Life column on the subject. It publishes today.

The thrust of the comments and column is that the economy has only been good for the rich. The 1/99 percent thing again. A nation that has 16 million homeless public school children, 51 percent of public school children living in poverty, food stamps at an all time high, small businesses still struggling,  has a long way to go.

I spent a portion of yesterday fine tuning the show in preparation for last night.

I also did a couple of hours of pleasure reading. I am into a book on Italians. The Italian Americans by Maria Laurino. Published last month. I am learning things about my heritage I never knew.

The weather is crazy. Rain and thunder last night. This morning black. One blast of thunder woke me. I actually sat up.

The water is rough. Today definitely not a boating day.

A new cold spell is moving easterly. Big time cold. Arctic cold. Perhaps the lowest temperatures ever. As usual, bad weather up north affects Key West. Tonight, the temperature drops to 56 degrees. The high today 69. The high tomorrow 60. Yes, 60 degrees!

This morning’s Key West Citizen carries a picture of people waiting to get into the Hemingway House. I drive by the Hemingway House several times a week. I have noticed in the past several weeks more and more people waiting to get in. In the past if you had to wait in line, the line ended at the wall entrance. Now it runs almost to Truman.

The line tells me not so much an increased interest in Hemingway. Rather it evidences the fantastic early tourist season Key West is enjoying.

ISIS. What do we do? Above my pay scale. I hope however our government firms down on a procedure and goes after them. My fear is that we are only going to do it in a half hearted way. Time is not with us. It is almost a certainty that at some point ISIS will strike here in the U.S.

ISIS at it again. In Iraq, they placed 45 persons on the bed of an open truck, doused them with gasoline, and burned them to death. Videoed for the world’s watching, of course.

ISIS knows how to make money to support its endeavors and people. They are not a bunch of ragged fighters living in caves. The newest ISIS money maker is the sale of body parts. Body parts a very profitable item on the world market. Hearts, livers and kidneys in high demand.

Doctors are required to remove the body parts. From the living who end up not living. If a doctor refuses, he is killed.

Syracuse/Louisville tonight at 7. ESPN. At the moment, I plan on watching the game at Don’s Place. Louisville is a 5.5 point favorite.

Larry Smith with a major musical event this evening at the Pier House. Where the Wine Galley used to be. Christine Cardone and Kathleen Peace featured.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST WASTEFUL WITH MONEY

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We live in Paradise! No question about it. However even this heavenly place has its drawbacks. One is not natural. It is man caused. I refer to many Key West City Commission decisions.

Roof leaking water requires a new roof. Cost $194,000. My problem with the repair is that the Police Building is relatively new. Constructed in 2002. In 2013, the windows were leaking. They had to be replaced. $238,00. Such repairs a disgrace for a building  only 13 years old.

It is not just the Police Building. Many things the City Commission votes and approves, later need repair of some kind. Some bad decisions involve overruns. The City Commission is not properly watching out for taxpayer dollars.

Some things I do not understand. Obama is looking to Congress to authorize a declaration of war. At the same time that Congress is threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. Politics many times does not make sense.

Both basically needed to deal with ISIS.

ISIS is on the move again. Beheaded 21 Italians on a beach in Libya. All 21 were Coptic Christians.

ISIS is a spreading cancer. The Atlantic Ocean is not protection from ISIS terrorist attacks in the United States. We should have learned that from 9/11 and al-Qaeda

Today is Presidents’ Day. Most people think it is to celebrate the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln. It is not. When in 1968 Congress authorized the day as a holiday, it was intended to celebrate only Washington’s birthday. The people assumed it was for both.

No day is set aside to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday. Prior to Congress screwing everything up, the birthdays were celebrated on the actual date of the birth of each. Lincoln on February 2 and Washington on February 22.

The legal holiday popularly known as Presidents’ Day is to be celebrated on the third monday in February.

We also lost a paid holiday on the way. Both holidays on each’s date of birth meant for two separate days off. As opposed to Washington’s birthday alone which permits one day.

We lost a day and did not even know it at the time. Even today. Lincoln has no specific date to celebrate his life.

Thank you Congress! Another example of not getting things right.

Enjoy your day!