Key West Lou / EARLY AMERICAN CLEANLINESS…..DID NOT EXIST

Early American cleanliness. Best described as non-existent.

Early American colonists did not believe in bathing. Forget daily or weekly bathing. At best 3-4 times a year. Generally, only once. Sometimes never.

People smelled terrible!

Some believed that stripping the skin of its natural oils left a person venerable to disease. Consider also the lack of indoor plumbing. A laborious task to carry many buckets of water inside the home to bathe.

They did believe in cleanliness, however. A perverted sort according to our standards. Underwear kept the body clean. Especially linen. Or, so they thought. They believed the underwear absorbed the “filth” or “problems related to filth.”

Bed sheets were also considered to be cleansing. Ergo, bed sheets were changed often to keep them and the body lying within them clean.

Sex had to be disgusting back then!

Guess who were a clean group? Surprising. Native Americans. Indians. They bathe, brushed their teeth, etc. The colonists on the other hand were disgusting for not keeping themselves clean.

The best some colonists did was to wash their face and hands daily or weekly.

Typical Trump. He said he thinks Biden made a bad deal in the prisoner swap. He continues insinuating Biden paid money. Biden said no way. Trump keeps repeating the allegation knowing if you repeat a lie enough times some people will believe it.

Trump was interviewed recently and came up with another one: “I’m worried about World War III before I get there.”

The lie game again. Trump may have been referring to Iran moving on Israel at the moment and Biden sending U.S. military forces to the area as a warning to Iran to back off. Since Trump was once President, he must be aware although Iran has the largest army land force in the Middle East, it is otherwise ill equipped compared to the military prowess of the U.S. and even Israel. I assume it is a bluff game Iran and the U.S. are playing. Let’s hope so.

Iran is very missile capable. I assume Iran will drop a few well placed missiles on Israel and move back. Such would balance out Israel’s killing of two major anti-Israeli figures. Iran is playing “big shot” with regard to the killings. The two dead were Hamas and not Iranians.

Trump’s “disciplined” campaign is unraveling. At the end of the Republican Convention, it looked like Trump was on his way to a victory in the election. Then his world fell apart. The world as he thought it would be. Biden withdrew from the race and people immediately loved Harris. His Vance V-P choice turned out badly.

All of which has caused Trump to do what he was confident and comfortable with. He reverted to being himself. He is listening only to himself.

The undisciplined and out of control Trump is back! On full display! Good for Harris and the Democrats. Bad for Trump and the Republicans.

Let’s see if the trend lasts or Trump bounces back. Do not underestimate him. He has done it several times in the business world when everyone thought he was buried. If he does, the only person it will prove good for is Donald Trump Not the United States. It would mean our Nation’s ultimate destruction. We were not meant to be ruled by a Putin, Stalin or Hitler.

Proof that the tide is turning is evidenced by the dollars raised by Harris and Trump in July. Harris raised $310 million, more than double that of Trump.

Fireflies. How many remember fireflies. You have to be a bit on the elderly side to recall them.

Fireflies are a dying breed!

Depending on your age again, there was a time when children chased them at night, caught them and placed them in a capped jar. Created light for you on such an evening.

It was common practice 100 years ago. Even when I was a kid some 80 years ago. Not so now. Few young children play the catch game today because fireflies have dramatically diminished in number. Two reasons therefore. Climate change and rising housing developments.

Things have gotten so bad there is serious consideration to placing fireflies on endangered species lists.

How did Key West come to be called Key West?

The name Key West is actually a misnomer. Spanish settlers originally called Key West Cayo Hueso. Cayo Hueso translates to bone island, referring to the bones of the Calusa Indians  who had once lived in the Florida Keys. English speakers mistook Cayo Hueso, thinking it sounded like Key West and the name stuck.

On this day in 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail on his first voyage seeking the “Indies.” Three ships under his command: The Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina.

World War I began this day in 1914 when Germany invaded Belgium and declared war on France. The action caused British Foreign Secretary Edward Grey to say: “The lamps are going out all over Europe.” Famous words etched in history.

The massive storm which has been tracked for days with the “I’m not sure it will become Tropical Storm Debby,” is within our area. Close but not touching. At 5 am as I am writing not yet officially Debby. It is 75 miles south of Cuba and 260 miles south-southeast of Key West.

Cone diagram shows it missing Key West and the Keys. It appears at the moment the storm will run into the Gulf and west of Key West.

Looks like a heavy rain and wind situation for us at worst.

One tough President Ronald Reagan. On this day in 1981, 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers began their strike. Reagan offered them an alternative. Actually an ultimatum: “If they do not return for work in 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.”

Most did not return to work. Reagan fired all that did not. The Nation survived.

Enjoy your day!

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