KEY WEST LOU / MOTHER’S DAY 2024

Mother’s Day.

Generally celebrated world wide, though on different days. In the U.S., the second Sunday in May each year.

Anna Jarvis is  responsible for organizing the celebration of a Mother’s Day. In 1907, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The Church serves as the International Mother’s Day Shrine today.

Note that “Mother’s” is singularly written and pronounced. Intended for each family to honor its own mother.

The holiday is widely celebrated in the U.S. Considered by many to have become too commercialized. In the U.S., Mother’s Day remains one of the biggest days for the sending of flowers and greeting cards. Church going popular also. The day yields the highest church attendance after Christmas Eve and Easter. It is also the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls.

God bless each Mother, a person’s best friend. My Mother was.

Trump may have another large tax bill. A government audit reveals Trump may have “double-dipped” on tax losses tied to a Chicago skyscraper. If he loses the audit, the tax bill will be in excess of $100 million.

Everything seems to be catching up with Trump at one time. Sort of a…..If you live by the sword, you die by the sword thing.

Trump’s game playing with finances reached a new level Thursday in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial in New York City. A Trump organization bookkeeper Rebecca Manochio testified that some Trump checks he was meant to sign to Michael Cohen while Trump was in the White House were sent to the Washington address of Trump’s bodyguard Keith Schiller. Manochio was not sure why.

Horse racing update. Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan will run in the Preakness. The Belmont will be run at Saratoga this year and next while the Belmont race track in Elmont, New York, is under repair.

A significant day in history. This day in 1215. It was on this day that English barons served demands on King John which lead to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta.

A special television show took place on this day in 1960 involving Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. The show a Frank Sinatra Special. Presley sang Sinatra’s 1957 hit “Witchcraft” and Sinatra performed Presley’s 1956 classic “Love Me Tender.”

The show was hopefully recorded. If so, should be found and run again. A classic!

The weather is HOT! Oppressively so.

In Key West, high 80’s every day. Some days into the 90’s. Yesterday, Fort Lauderdale hit 97 degrees.

For the first time in years, I feel the effect of the heat. I’m beginning to wonder if my “new” heart makes me more susceptible. Does not make sense.

Wednesday night, Cathy and I had dinner at Antonia’s followed by a walk down Duval.

There was a time when the season was January through Easter Sunday. Off season thereafter. A few months very slow business wise. It used to be said that in July, August and September, you could throw a bowling ball down Duval Street and not hit anyone.

No more. Off season disappeared with COVID. People came in droves to Key West. They kept coming. Query: Are they still coming?

This is May. A new busy month. Not Wednesday night.

Antonia’s is one of Key West’s top restaurants. We arrived at 6. Ate at the bar. TK bartending. Nine seated at the bar. Four tables occupied. When we left at 7:30, there were 4 persons less at the bar and table occupancy remained the same.

We took a leisurely walk down Duval. Not crowded at all. No walking into other people. La Trattoria shocked me. Looked in the bar window. At 7;30 there were only 5 persons at the bar. The other smaller restaurants along the way were similarly not crowded.

I have been here 30 years. I have seen prices shoot up several times. Saw them fall each time. Is this the beginning of the anticipated fall? Nothing is forever. It is inevitable. Will occur. The only question is when. High home prices, rents, hotel prices, restaurant costs, etc. cannot remain as exorbitant as they have been the past few years. Eventually people will stop buying, renting, visiting, relocating here, etc. It is the law of nature.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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