Back to Normal?

Temp's reached down to around 44 degrees in that cold snap, with wind and stronger gusts, I thought I saw flurries!!! I watered my plants before nightfall and brought orchids inside. Within days the yard was littered with leaf drop but that was to be expected. We closed up tight, put the oven on and avoided the windy outside weather. Cooked pies, bread and made hot cocoa. The doors are now reopened with 73 degree weather and news of the fish die off coming to light. Florida Bay evidently dropped quickly in temperature and the smaller fish didn't make it through the island channels out to the ocean side's Hawks channel just inside the reef (much warmer waters). The results were floating bait, snappers, sunfish etc. floating dead on the Gulf side and our Cudjoe Bay made the news with a large amount of dead fish. Our Bow Channel (between Sugarloaf Key and Cudjoe Key) is a spot where they would normally swim through to find the warmer waters but those that got this far died anyway. The fishing reports say that yesterday and today /were/are great days for bridge fishing since activity is still on going or those survivors making a move toward warmer waters. Bob W. would have a great time this week setting hooks! The environmentalists have been out there testing the waters to appease those that think the die off was due to red tide or what-ever... and it simply found to be CaCaCoooold weather. Fishermen will not just be wetting baits this week... I'm sure they'll be catching some hungry larger fish!!

Let's see.... Miss P had Jimmy Carter and his family shopping in Margaritaville last week with an entourage of body guards. I would have liked to shake his hand in thanks for all the reef protection and bird sanctuary work he put in place here in the Keys while he was in office.

Mr. B sat and chatted with Gabriel Butterfield who loves Mr. B's cooking and in return Mr. B loved his father's music (Paul Butterfield was his dad). The reason I bring this up is because Mr. B had brought two Paul Butterfield albums (East-West, Better Days) with him to work that particular day to have another customer burn them onto CD's for them both. Gabriel has been coming in weekly and overheard the two talking and sat with them and they asked, "so, who the hell are you?" and he joined in the conversation and is in KW for the season. He plays the saxophone, and he and his mother sell memorabilia on the internet. Mr. B has such a passion for the Blues. I'm thankful that I've been along for the ride of that passion to listen and share whiskey with to so many great blues artists in tiny back alley bars. Boston in the mid to late 70's was amazing. We're waiting for Dr. John to show up since he is in town working with Jimmy Buffet We think of Queenee and can hear her playing when listening to Dr John.

Winter break is over for Mr. L and it's back to school today for mid year finals.

It really was a virtual Xmas for us here, but Mr. L's one wish was to get the Iphone that he has coveted since he first heard and investigated it. With xmas monies from the wabbit, queenee & poppop, us and savings of his own he reached the 400 he needed to make his xmas dream come true. Zoom... his original wish cost more so he'll have to do with white-strips I guess for now and the usual yearly teeth cleaning. I went to find out if it would up my phone bill and found out it is exactly the same not a penny more, so I got the 100 gift certificate from ATT and a virtual brochure and he was off to the store to spend his loot days after the holiday. He held off begging for an Ipod or second hand computer and now has them all including a phone in one item. I have to tell you.... this thing is amazing. Almost unreal. Star trek is all I can think of. Can't read the small print? just spread your fingers across the screen to enlarge it, 200% 300% whatever suits you.. then zoom it back down... scroll by the flick of a finger across the screen... check email... research the web in a flash.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? even texting is easy. Turn the thing sideways and it goes from vertical to horizontal.. Had I known all this... ya'll would have received one for Xmas!

Yesterday had me putting away all the visual joy of the holidays. It takes me a week or so to adjust to the empty feeling I have after it all disappears into the eaves.

The highway is busy with tourista's. Lot's of characters in town, the famous and the infamous. It's fun to talk to them all. KW is losing its luster for me, and becoming some regular, ordinary town. Folks are moving up the Keys here to get away from it and it's condo, plastic, fast food, overpriced new reality. Some move even further away to the mountains or coastlines of the Carolina's or Georgia. These transplants are trying to change the funkiness that brought them here in the first place. I guess those folks are just seeing dollar signs and don't care what is left behind. What I see is tourista's eventually going to go elsewhere to find the funky laid back feeling, straw markets, open air bars, street music and local food. Hell, even Orlando has an attraction that mimics KW. Why would anyone want to change the original, when they try to copy it all over the country? PROGRESS... the dictionary needs to update the meaning, because I always had the opportunity to look at progress in a positive way. I don't find that true now. Yeah, I hear you, the new word of the day is CHANGE, that still has positive overtones to it doesn't it, but you wait, that'll all be bullshit too.

I'm giving myself a long overdue laugh. I've been out saving the world and need a break. More from the edge of reality... soon.

Oh, and btw, the temp in this short period of time is now up to 76 degrees and climbing.