tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-272621622012-01-26T20:11:44.278-05:00Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.comBlogger11361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-75789987368498180422010-03-24T18:19:00.015-05:002010-03-25T02:50:47.582-05:00

As the clock has ticked in the last month, I've known this was coming and have avoided writing to avoid IT. But to stay true to the Green Parrot motto of No Snivelling:To put it mildly, I have hated the cold weather here almost as much as the dread foreknowledge that I'm going north. I think this is the end of the blog. Thanks for having been here.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-33667324742081371922010-02-23T20:20:00.003-05:002010-02-24T21:09:44.528-05:00

I wasn't quick enough on the draw to capture the hundreds of gulls that were wheeling and cawing over the grocery parking lot before they swept back out to sea, so I had to settle for another bird: the risotto I whipped up tonight with chicken, onion, garlic, yellow peppers and a touch of chopped pepperoni, for a treble note.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-30128065168040520852010-02-21T20:10:00.000-05:002010-02-24T20:34:43.445-05:00

I thought he made more sense as Jaymee Diane. Looked better, too.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-85157371536021131222010-02-20T20:35:00.007-05:002010-02-24T20:54:42.954-05:00

Yes, it's Christopher Peterson again, as the Divine Miss M, but this time we'd invited a dozen or so people from Robert's bridge club to join us for dinner at La Te Da and then see the show.Dinner -- upstairs, in the "private" room, though it's a porch without walls -- was a lovely time. I wasn't worried about that.I thought that Chris and his show might be a bit much for the half-dozen ladies of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-57334436290608963062010-02-18T20:49:00.007-05:002010-02-24T20:28:56.668-05:00

. . . and a bit of bacon, and roasted garlic, and a dollop of cream, and various cheeses, tossed with bisi (sweet green peas) and finished under the broiler: Savory ravioli di pollo al forno.Perfect for a cool night -- and we've had another spate of them, in the 60s.(Though the prep and cook time, under an hour, didn't give me enough time to warm up at the stove.)

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-27480635823514127682010-02-16T22:44:00.014-05:002010-02-20T21:07:41.471-05:00

Quite a treat, actually, to be invited onto a 65-foot motor yacht, moored in berth No. 1, right behind the Raw Bar in the Old Harbor, for drinks.Robert called me between hands from bridge, to see if I was up for cocktails with the couple who own the boat. It turned out that another couple were there too, as well as Edie.So there we were, rocking gently as the sun went down, and the boat folks

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-4456395217671963042010-02-15T22:05:00.007-05:002010-02-16T22:30:08.332-05:00

I've always been amused by the phrase "window treatment," since I never figured the windows were sick to begin with.But I will say the sliding doors in the bedroom next to the pool let more light in than I'm comfortable with -- enough to bleach the bed skirt to pink, and to start attacking Amanda's fine old rug on the floor.Besides, as I found again when I was showering when my mom and B.J. were

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-77206780481848710312010-02-14T21:54:00.006-05:002010-02-16T22:24:55.495-05:00

I've been working on the ultimate recipe for a poached- pear dessert, and though it lacked any Val- entine's-red color, I gave it a quick shot when we got back from dinner with Dwight at Salsa Loca -- just for the two of us, and it maybe took 20 minutes.Plump up the raisins in rum and orange juice, with a dash of Peychaud's bitters. Poach the pears in simple syrup scented with cinnamon, nutmeg

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-74628999240427627162010-02-13T23:11:00.009-05:002010-02-14T06:56:17.509-05:00

Our friends Barry and Harrell invited us to drift along on their dinner-for-four ticket at a benefit for the Waterfront Playhouse in a swell house in the Truman Annex -- sweet time.I ended up talking with a former vice-chancellor at the University of Illinois, swapping notes on our times in Chicago (and it turned out she knew my cousin Walter there), though she went on to top jobs at Ohio State,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-29946331646803676622010-02-12T22:59:00.008-05:002010-02-12T23:21:06.047-05:00

We got the loveliest Christmas card today from the woman who heads up the Lambda Legal Defense Fund. The group does such good work for people who can't afford to defend themselves against the onslaughts of an uncaring society. . . .Which led me to consider that among the wonders of the world, getting a late card is nothing. At least it was THIS Christmas.The card, after all, had gone through

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-41055639102496651152010-02-11T22:41:00.005-05:002010-02-11T23:20:32.897-05:00

Universal Cleaners, across from the library parking lot, was sure convenient -- and helpful: When Ref died and I had a dark suit packed and FedExed down, they had that sucker pressed in 15 minutes. (The guy who ran the counter went to Ref's church.) Still, after the first time I paid almost as much to have a shirt cleaned and pressed as I'd paid for the shirt, I tended not to use them much.I

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-49930502529807731352010-02-10T01:47:00.004-05:002010-02-11T22:38:52.256-05:00

Last fall our friend Ferron fell on some medical hard times despite the VA, so I pressed some cash in his hand and said when he had a chance he should give us some tiny renderings of our house.When he came by the other night, and borrowed a pencil to install the clapboard, and then sprayed the finished products with clear enamel, I was sure it was the right real-estate investment.But even more to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-47333249664328465652010-02-09T22:33:00.002-05:002010-02-09T22:42:46.054-05:00

"What on earth are those things?," B.J. asked at the back deck last month.I swiveled around, and looked at the big spikes coming up out of the foxtail palms, and told her that with any luck they'd unzip themselves into new fronds while she and my mom were here.No such luck, though this week they've started, dancing in the breezes.[By the way, I've heard that some people in other parts of the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-5633474884009638972010-02-08T21:54:00.000-05:002010-02-09T22:33:01.429-05:00

Not to be outdone by chandelier-cleaning, I pulled out the ladder, the Finish Feeder and some good rags and tried to put the best face possible on Amanda's highboy.[A small design discussion here: When we were putting our house together, Robert was all seagulls and sand, but I thought we shouldn't be afraid to hark back to the island's history as a wrecker's paradise, when precious 1800s flotsam

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-4399158902305088882010-02-07T09:40:00.021-05:002010-02-11T23:00:11.911-05:00

Speaking of Saturday's item, I'm offering a freshly ironed $20 bill to the first person who can provide a diagram, footnoted to cite accepted sources, of the following sentence, sic as it is, which is punctuated as well as my editorial skills allow:"I think, kind of tougher to, um, put our arms around -- but allowing America's spirit to rise again, by not being afraid to kind of go back to some

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-17403961923359490352010-02-06T21:05:00.023-05:002010-02-09T23:17:57.581-05:00

I know other people think the big sports event of the weekend is between New Orleans and Indianapolis, by way of Miami, but the one I've been focusing on was in Nashville (heaven help us), at Opryland (gettin toward hell here), with Sarah Palin (paging Mr. Dante -- Dante, party of 2 million. Dante!).Garsh-DARN, gee!! She told us, several times, that she was SO proud to be an American.Do ya think

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-76575996869278609722010-02-05T20:56:00.001-05:002010-02-07T21:00:50.499-05:00

Last summer we asked Jon, our garden guy, to find some bougainvilleas with a few shots of color to make our southern deck "wall" more interesting.The green things there -- aralias of various kinds -- were doing OK, but. . . they were green things.They are all very much larger green things now, but among them are a few delicious bits of tropical heat.They'll need pruning and braiding in years to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-49257265659711837952010-02-04T20:42:00.003-05:002010-02-07T20:54:47.758-05:00

Sometimes, no matter what the calendar says, you have to do spring cleaning.Of course, it helped that Robert thought a bunch of his bridge pals were coming over for drinks before a dinner and show.But whatever, he was there cleaning the chandelier. And though he's a little rough with the crystals, and they may never hang plumb again, it shines like the day it was cut.(And when I see pictures like

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-6810582416863475072010-02-02T02:56:00.003-05:002010-02-03T09:49:50.283-05:00

The car in the picture was in the second lane, mind you, out from the curb on North Roosevelt, making a hell of a rooster-tail.The curb lane was even deeper.Of course this happens on an island that is mostly glorified rock: If things aren't graded well, rain stands until it runs off or evaporates.What the picture doesn't show, though, is the fella with an umbrella (which will be totally

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-30562867315434951362010-01-31T02:34:00.007-05:002010-02-03T03:12:12.599-05:00

Bike up a couple blocks, and west till the land ends at the Truman Waterfront, and you come up on the Mohawk and Ingham, Coast Guard vessels in our little maritime museum.As I noted in November, the Ingham is the most decorated vessel in American maritime history. When you look at the battle ribbons, you get a sense of that: a little like looking at a chestful of fruit salad on a full-dress

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-24842716382259942052010-01-28T22:25:00.006-05:002010-01-31T05:17:19.872-05:00

This spot is, after all, the original site of Saloon One.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-22080099043096244582010-01-27T22:07:00.005-05:002010-01-31T05:18:41.584-05:00

So, you head out from the house and turn left on Duval and there, a few blocks south, next to the Scrub Club and just north of Katha's old Chicken Store, is a smoking pile that smells like somebody's trash heap in a place where they don't keep so close an eye on such things.It's Hugh Morgan's childhood home, as it turns out, and it was doomed by the time the firemen got there.If ashes to ashes is

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-91513717296379761312010-01-26T21:54:00.003-05:002010-01-30T22:06:26.230-05:00

Mallory Square has been cut in halves over the last few months to accommodate a replacement of its surfaces, but one constant has prevailed:Will Soto has been there. Not right now on the high wire (not enough length), but dancing on the slack rope and juggling.As he has been since the '70s.When the Cultural Preservation Society got the lease for Mallory Square sunset festivities from the city, he

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-37350337564370727932010-01-24T22:20:00.010-05:002010-01-27T08:54:15.719-05:00

Eat your heart out, Monet: My picture came together, too.No matter how much my mom is miserable, because she chooses to be, I'm joyous to let her caregiver, B.J., have a chance to be herself here and have an actual vacation.One crucial question is, of course, food. We all need it, but some love new tastes. And B.J. could eat anything on a menu, while her husband back in Tennessee is just fine

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-45252071809204101982010-01-22T22:09:00.002-05:002010-01-27T08:53:41.789-05:00

Mom and B.J. have been here coincidentally with the regatta, which meant that when we went out to Salute for lunch, there were dozens of boats on the south horizon with spinnakers set, speeding left to right.Thrilling.But no more so than when we went to the Truman Waterfront today and saw them pulling out those big Farr 40 contenders, rocking in the air, centerboards positioned just so to fit in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-21660049846394261742010-01-22T21:49:00.004-05:002010-01-26T22:05:36.225-05:00

Mom was being difficult -- which is a little like saying fish swim in water -- and decided she didn't want to go to the butterfly conser- vatory.B.J. wanted to go, and I of course wanted her to feel as if this was her vacation, not just another part of her job.So she and I went.And wept, as the early risers fluttered about us in iridescent blues, greens, reds and oranges.There are precious few

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-15977620956967522932010-01-21T22:38:00.001-05:002010-01-25T22:39:05.081-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-61954770725093326942010-01-20T22:16:00.004-05:002010-01-25T22:51:01.584-05:00

It's almost a law here that you have to take tourists to Blue Heaven, and we wanted to let B.J. know that her time here with my mom was not just a job.So of course we ended up with lunch among the roosters, one of which was jumping up to eat from my hand at the end of our meal. (I think B.J. really liked the morning-caught lobster, which is somewhat more difficult to get in Tennessee).But over by

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-28108005204140003632010-01-19T21:50:00.003-05:002010-01-25T22:13:08.236-05:00

Yes, that is Robert with a flaming candle in his ear. B.J., my mom's caregiver, is gleefully holding it.As a bit of back- ground: She's here with my mom, and Robert had jammed wax deep into his ear canal. And, as the natural-healing store around the corner confirmed, what you need is a hollow candle to suck everything out on a stream of hot smoke.It did pull some goop out, but there was still a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-86921804714819327312010-01-16T18:53:00.002-05:002010-01-17T19:08:54.998-05:00

I knew Mrs. Sweeting's service was going to be at St. Peter's -- she'd been such a key parishioner in her 96 years, as a teacher when they had a school, and Sunday School teacher all along, and head of this and that guild and league -- but it wasn't till I saw Skipper scrambling up the street with his snare drums that I knew she was going to get a musical march to the cemetery.Skip is about the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-9039941497343184842010-01-14T18:43:00.002-05:002010-01-17T18:46:02.185-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-606343191807794362010-01-12T22:21:00.006-05:002010-01-15T22:44:27.312-05:00

When the temper-atures fall far enough, you have to watch out for other things falling, including iguanas.Their cold-blooded systems get to such s-l-o-w slow-motion levels that gravity takes over.When nature takes its course, they revive. More serious it is for the sea turtles when our waters drop, as they have in the last week, into the 40s: They drift slowly toward hypothermic death unless

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-47090009700560263232010-01-11T16:03:00.006-05:002010-01-14T16:23:46.068-05:00

Robert let me know about noon Sunday that he was inviting Dwight, Michael and Postal Wendy over for dinner after bingo, and I pretty quickly scoured the fridge and decided that I needn't have a coronary (which Michael narrowly avoided last week).So I did angel hair with a low-fat grilled-chicken arrabiata sauce, and a quick green salad with balsamic vinaigrette. But for dessert?I was flummoxed

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-56054519195224695912010-01-09T15:50:00.003-05:002010-01-14T16:01:43.970-05:00

We went out to dinner at Seven Fish for Ben and Ken's last night here, and they treated us -- which they shouldn't have.Not that I didn't love my fresh-caught pompano, which was marvelous.Their visit was a treat in itself, made even sweeter by the fact that they brought Toby along, which let him have a chance to give us some farewell nuzzles, wobbly as they were, and us a chance to scratch him

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-71624328054016557312010-01-07T15:46:00.002-05:002010-01-14T15:49:59.949-05:00

Days that are solid gray, unbroken cold, are a rarity here.So are wind-chill warnings -- the Weather Service was actually reminding us to bundle up, and reporting on the location of warm shelters that churches have been opening throughout the Keys.So when there was a glimmer of sunshine playing with the blinds in the den, I had about two minutes to capture it while it lasted.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-56984982157940466592010-01-05T15:32:00.005-05:002010-01-14T15:43:39.059-05:00

Sometimes I forget just how talented Chris Peterson is, and I don't just mean the witty and scrumptuously risque routines, the chutzpah of changing onstage, the facial control it takes to look like different characters under the same makeup. . . .I mean the pure singing, something I appreciate more every time I hear him, and even more than that when I see the reaction on a newcomer's face.Like

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-57131180383555152082010-01-04T15:22:00.001-05:002010-01-14T15:31:13.719-05:00

We planned a start-of-the-year sunset sail with Captain Steve, which he insisted he was not canceling despite the rainy cold front blowing in from the west.So there we were at the appointed hour at his catamaran in the old seaport, under umbrellas in a frigid drizzle with no cap'n in sight, when we finally got our cell phones synchronized to find out it was scrubbed after all.So into the car,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-25860173783406207292010-01-02T15:11:00.006-05:002010-01-14T16:20:45.817-05:00

Ah, there she is:A much more con- ventional view of the Sush, in the shoe, dropping at midnight.That bright light in the background is John Zarella's vantage point for CNN, and somewhere at top right in that sea of little faces are Robert, Ken and Ben. Not moi. I have been trampled, shoved, poked and jostled quite enough at these things; and if I'm to witness a mad scene, it's gonna be Lucia

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-65829328286245161102010-01-01T15:00:00.003-05:002010-01-14T15:10:35.938-05:00

Sushi, who you saw from another angle if you watched CNN's coverage of New Year's Eve here, was captured taking a break from her usual activities in this picture.I've taken a bit of a break myself -- a blogcation, if you will -- but I'll catch up by dropping a few tardy bits in.Right after Christmas it was busy, with Ben and Ken and Toby here. Then into the new year it was rainy and cold while

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-57027772684572929512009-12-24T08:19:00.000-05:002009-12-24T08:22:26.324-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-3030884927887484252009-12-22T07:50:00.002-05:002009-12-24T08:03:19.026-05:00

We're in central Florida -- the land of lakes that swelter in summer and, in winter. . . .Well, the foggy dawns are in the high 30s, and I've got real shoes on instead of flipflops for the first time in a few years.But there's great warmth, too: precious days with Sharon, Hoyle, Ro-Ro and John Hoyle -- "quality time," as little Robert put it.It's the best gift of Christmas.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-35377131677301306302009-12-20T06:44:00.004-05:002009-12-20T06:57:54.985-05:00

When the Weather Service tells me a cold front's on the way, I get ready for anti-chill food.In this case, it was a pot roast -- a beautifully marbled chunk from Fausto's -- that I browned thoroughly, covered in garlic cloves, further blanketed with onions, celery, carrots, little red potatoes, drizzled in red wine and stock, buttoned up tightly and slow-roasted at maybe 225 for several long,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-39535630894229986512009-12-19T04:25:00.004-05:002009-12-20T04:45:25.719-05:00

It started raining Thursday night, and by the time Friday morning rolled around the storm bands were rolling in, big time, from down Cuba way: howling winds, tornado warnings, walls of rain, flood advisories, darkness at noon.The gusts got up to 50, which is well into tropical storm land, and by the time it tapered off Friday night we had more total rain on the official meter -- almost 3½ inches

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-52928012533789770402009-12-17T03:16:00.005-05:002009-12-20T03:36:55.539-05:00

It's nasty when a cat cacks up a furball, but at least it's pretty easy to clean the damn thing up. Ohhh, how different with Sailor, the Australian shepherd we've been dog-sitting for two weeks and counting. He leaves them in slow-motion.You'd think that with four or five walks daily to rub up against every urine-smelling bush along the track, and with the brushings we give him, there might be

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-41603383685557814162009-12-15T11:03:00.001-05:002009-12-19T11:11:21.648-05:00

I used to think it was odd, putting up Christmas decorations without snow on the ground.Now I look at the weather reports and wonder how I ever survived the cold.And I'm almost accustomed to Santa-capped flamingos and garlands of orchids as icons of the holiday.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-67957668836863954642009-12-14T10:40:00.004-05:002009-12-19T10:57:08.568-05:00

Once you've put all the carb in carbonara, the taste is marvelous, but so are the asso- ciations:Grating the cheese for dinner, I hauled out the grater Ben had given me for the Kitchen-Aid, and started counting the days till he and Ken get here after Christmas.And then I raised a glass in a toast: To absent friends.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-73860977389431338842009-12-13T08:53:00.008-05:002009-12-13T09:03:04.451-05:00

We went to the lighted boat parade Saturday night -- to the convivial bunch at Mallory Square, not the raucous crowd around the judging stand at the Wharf.Dinghies to schooners, cutters to whaleboats, big cats to fastboats, it was a laid-back, slow-motion blast.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-73536331691897490242009-12-12T08:02:00.003-05:002009-12-13T08:37:04.593-05:00

The band's name translates roughly as "We'll ring it!, and we went to hear the commotion Friday night at the release party for their fourth CD at the Green Parrot. They rang all right, and the place rang back.Combine salsa, cumbia, reggae, funk, Afro-Cuban jazz and a whole lotta soul and you get a little idea of what they can do. Better idea: Get to their homepage and click on the "play" button.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-66711221800795026242009-12-11T06:58:00.002-05:002009-12-13T09:08:50.558-05:00

"[T]he job of the gay community is not to deal with extremists who would castigate us or put us on an island and drop an H-bomb on us. The fact of the matter is that there is a small percentage of people in America who understand the true nature of the homosexual community. There is another small percentage who will never understand us. Our job is not to get those people who dislike us to love us

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-32693648055771088462009-12-10T01:16:00.002-05:002009-12-12T01:25:55.049-05:00

We saw on the news the other day that something involving snow, high winds and freezing temperatures was gripping the United States.Thank heaven we're not part of that, though I have had to resort to hoodies on nights that dipped into the low 70s.This orchid tree on Elizabeth sure wouldn't have put up with it.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-46738997633556917442009-12-09T12:46:00.002-05:002009-12-10T02:48:31.414-05:00

Sometimes I forget that our little island is a looong way from the rest of the world.That idea struck again the other day when we were looking for ribbon to candy-cane the porch columns. Not at the craft store, not at Home Depot or Walgreen's or CVS -- not until the lady at the fabric store directed us to a company that makes gift baskets.What they had was four inches wide -- the size of the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-38573978692768090772009-12-09T01:49:00.001-05:002009-12-09T04:27:55.774-05:00

So here we are, in the days between holidays, tourism doldrums. The street at twilight is empty for an hour or more -- no pedestrians, no dog-walkers, no bikes, no scooters, no motorcycles, no cars, no trucks. No one.The light fades, I put my book down, and the streetlights come on. No one.A man walks unsteadily around the corner. He squeezes between the two cars nearest the corner, into the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-21907814542652410652009-12-08T02:29:00.006-05:002009-12-09T02:52:17.014-05:00

I was walking the (borrowed) dog on a typically long pattern late Monday afternoon -- Olivia to Elizabeth, down to Truman, back west -- when I saw a couple coming toward me on the narrow sidewalk near the Deli."Aren't you . . . ?", the man said, looking up from the dog's riveting eyes. "John!," the woman said.I've got your skillet, I said.And there they were, Arthur and Consuelo, who we met two

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-81240952901602867992009-12-07T23:27:00.007-05:002009-12-07T23:46:43.756-05:00

Looking back on it, it seems clear that one of the brothers was coming on to me.But I was in my 20s, better tuned to calls on the police radio than to vibes from restaurateurs. And when I walked into the Corona Cafe, on lower Rush Street just out the newspaper truck bays, I was looking for late-night food.Mostly it was at the backroom counter. When I felt flush, it was in the front room. And

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-49195481792623358602009-12-05T23:17:00.000-05:002009-12-07T23:25:57.137-05:00

This afternoon we went to the Marquesas Room at the Hyatt on Front Street -- felt about 10 feet from Wisteria Island, with every bit of the wind coming right at you, no matter which direction you faced -- for the 90th birthday party for Betty, who plays bridge with Robert.Turns out that her son's partner knew Ro two years before I did in Chicago, but the better part was talking with the people in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-2660734342454122552009-12-04T22:59:00.001-05:002009-12-07T23:08:47.374-05:00

The economy continues to go putt-putt-putt, but we have a little spurt of fuel here.Some say it's other Floridians, coming here because it's close if not cheap. But in any event, the bed fillings were up in the last few months and Fantasy Fest is supposed to have been good at least on the dollar end.For me, there's no better barometer than the number of rental scooters and bikes at the inns and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-45604230684580791862009-12-03T21:10:00.009-05:002009-12-04T02:57:39.793-05:00

Pepperidge Farm has come out with a new cracker -- one that Robert, not me, got at the market -- that has, to my mind, an odd form. Is it just me, or is there something a little strange about a snack food shaped like a bicycle seat?Wooh. Let's put some cheese on that!

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-87067261120999124712009-12-02T20:55:00.005-05:002009-12-03T21:34:13.631-05:00

Emilio plays bridge with Robert (and was one of my phone-bank Obamarobos last year), and he and Hugh were going on a cruise while their regular dog-sitter was out of town. . . .So here we are. His name is Sailor, an Australian shepherd with one ice-blue eye and one nut-brown, and he's the perfect gentleman. Except for a drinking problem: out of the toilet. And like some others I know, he also

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-68468357121034215022009-12-01T20:09:00.003-05:002009-12-03T20:25:46.022-05:00

Cuban bread looks a lot like French bread -- a long baguette about 3 inches thick -- but the crust, though crisp, is thin, and the interior is soft. Lots of flour, a bit of yeast and sugar and water, and you get an interior that reminds you most of WonderBread, but with big air holes.But:-- Stout enough that a stale loaf is the official weapon of the Conch Republic (wielded like a sword);--

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-70096438177776232002009-11-30T19:57:00.002-05:002009-12-04T03:30:55.650-05:00

I'd just loaded a propane refill in the car, and noticed a colorful character on the shoulder of the woman who'd parked next to me.Mind if I get a picture?, I asked."Oh, you have no idea what a ham Paulie is," she said.And as I got the camera out, he climbed down her arm, onto her hand, and gave me a profile and a squawk. And then another.Just your average visit to Home Depot.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-3136070295722408072009-11-29T06:40:00.003-05:002009-12-01T07:07:36.612-05:00

We got a new treasure the other day: The Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, the most decorated, longest-serving vessel in U.S. maritime history, and the floating memorial to the 912 U.S. Coast Guardsmen killed in Korea and Vietnam.At 327 feet, she dwarfs the Mohawk, the 165-foot cutter that was the first ship in Memorial Park on the Truman Waterfront.The Ingham was commissioned in 1936, and saw action

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-53546547196435997972009-11-28T06:21:00.002-05:002009-12-01T06:34:04.466-05:00

Dwight was kind enough to invite us over for Thanks- giving dinner -- delicious, and with a charming couple from Atlanta in the mix -- but I still needed to calm my turkey-cooking jones.So as soon as we got home, I started roasting up a breast, made dressing (cornbread, with a sighing nod to Robert, though I still laced it with sausage, apples, celery and onion), gravy, mashed sweets and the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-48333722245518409792009-11-26T16:13:00.002-05:002009-11-26T16:23:16.220-05:00

A year ago, Mark was onstage three nights a week at La Te Da, in Broadway Three-Ways (with Bobby Nesbitt and Randy Thompson). His partner, the other Mark, owned the joint, so it was a natural fit, given this Mark's talent.Then they weren't partners, and then this Mark's act closed, and then that Mark died, and this Mark went underground for a while and when he emerged he didn't smile much at

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-68853558871692762772009-11-24T06:43:00.003-05:002009-11-25T06:47:33.475-05:00

The old Banana Cafe, down Duval, had four great things going for it:-- A clever chef (who also owned Mr. Z's, which survives, though Banana has peeled out.)-- A great roof deck overlooking the street.-- A good wine list cheap enough to drink.-- Fantastic grilled meatloaf.When I first saw it on the menu, I wondered why anyone would want to tamper with a classic. Then I tasted it and realized that

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-19724903628811723822009-11-23T20:58:00.011-05:002009-11-24T04:05:18.125-05:00

We have a friend who has flummoxed me for years by answering the routine social question, "How are you?" by saying, "Peaceful and Thankful." No "Fine, thanks" for him.In recent months, it has gone to "Peaceful, Thankful and Magical."I hate to think what happens when he discovers the other four New-Age Disney dwarfs and gives me the full roster.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-8361787193972495452009-11-22T07:58:00.001-05:002009-11-23T07:59:33.341-05:00

We won for best team costume (it was either the lazy lizard with a drink or a fierce lizard eye, and we decided to intimidate them with our bowling, not our shirts), high team total score, high individual score (Michael), second high individual score (me, the superjock), third high individual score (Robert) and I don't know what else.Martha came in at the last minute; we'd invited Gary, but he

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-38580538653345329072009-11-20T07:33:00.003-05:002009-11-23T07:45:18.788-05:00

So much for the planned gardens, because now I think the credit should go less to Craig and more to Topsy.Craig's forte is more greenscapes than blooms, so you might not blame him for some unfamiliarity with the way flowers work here. At least his plans looked really beautiful on paper.This little heliconia variety, which makes me think of tongues of flame, went in place of the infected hibiscus

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-23694884418299273842009-11-18T08:53:00.003-05:002009-11-23T21:39:15.642-05:00

She wears her toxic status as a red badge of contagion: The blood she's already drawn from someone else, which she mixes with a solvent to introduce in microscopic amounts to get your own blood flowing more freely.She's an aedes aegyptii mosquito -- a daytime biter harder to manage than the garden-variety twilight-feeding culex our Mosquito Control District is so good at swatting. Aedes is also

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-21017086518392106892009-11-16T08:01:00.000-05:002009-11-18T08:01:46.741-05:00

Robert was thrilled -- me less so -- when we found this footlong iguana in the pygmy datepalm by the pool fountain.They nosh pretty continuously, and have been known to defoliate gardens. This one has not missed many meals.I also feel less connection with reptiles than I do with, say, the skinny tabby cat who has been hanging around, and even startled us by streaking through the den one quiet

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-63761598420198412412009-11-15T07:43:00.001-05:002009-11-18T07:46:15.988-05:00

The big clock in the sky says it's that time again, when turkey vultures form wheels within wheels, riding vortexes in flocks of hundreds, waiting for the right daytime wind to blow them to the Yucatán, or Cuba, or beyond, with one long cool breath.It's not what Yeats had in mind when he wrote that line, which won't leave my mind, and has me in its spinning grip.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-7585977773645346372009-11-14T07:23:00.001-05:002009-11-18T07:27:03.156-05:00

As long as we're on the front porch looking that way, we might as well check out the yellow elder, smack against the fence to the street.It's taken center stage from the mussaenda, whose pink bracts have just about played out for the year.So it's the elder that has passers-by stopping and asking their botanical questions about what we do to get it blooming so. Ironic, since this one grows like a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-17143113001053974302009-11-13T07:12:00.005-05:002009-11-18T07:21:50.627-05:00

. . . It must come down. Thus am I cursed with the memory of Johnny Cochran every time a frond needs trimming -- in this case, the Christmas palm just off the porch, which has been here for decades.It has gouges and nicks in the trunk from construction, though Ref reserved some of his most colorful yelling for any of his sketchy temps who got near it.And when we're primping, feeding and generally

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-11999122694629399372009-11-12T06:50:00.000-05:002009-11-13T06:52:45.987-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-54732933241561673142009-11-11T08:07:00.000-05:002009-11-12T08:19:19.974-05:00

I finally dragged Robert out to the Veterans Day parade -- I think my favorite of the dozens we have every year. Not as if it was a long trip: Our house is maybe 50 more yards on the diagonal beyond that pink building, Duval House.Fortunately, he got it: The service members, scouts, bands, vets, auxiliaries, all passing to applause and shouts of thanks.The Army Special Forces School, whose

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-64144962738893896692009-11-10T11:18:00.001-05:002009-11-11T11:20:05.061-05:00

When we dug the old copper tray out of Amanda's basement, I had no idea what we'd do with it.When we got here, I thought it would be fun to put up in the kitchen, with hooks we could turn to let it down so we could use it on a butler's stand on the deck.When Ben brought home the cat-eye glasses three Fantasy Fests ago, they seemed right at home hooked onto it -- ditto the big round ones Robert

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-1533153326515986952009-11-09T10:55:00.009-05:002009-11-11T11:11:47.127-05:00

We've got two lovely little dendrobiums blooming their hearts out on the left corner of the pool, as you're looking at the fountain.Actually, the mostly-white one isn't so little: It's up and out a good two feet from the palm trunk. (The glossy leaves you see behind and around it are from the allspice bush -- which itself is doing well, too.)We tied both of them up last year with fishing line,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-3163046231994652762009-11-08T17:56:00.007-05:002009-11-09T02:56:12.466-05:00

It's been solid overcast for two days and windy with tropical gusts well into the 30s.Hurricane Ida is well southwest of us, and what we're feeling are feeder bands passing over. There's a worse conga line of storms along Cuba's northern coast, and the only impact forecast for us might be late in the week, if the storm boomerangs as it nears the Gulf coast and heads back south as a depression.But

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-41427326274573967392009-11-07T17:30:00.004-05:002009-11-11T11:30:48.736-05:00

I wish this were a scratch-and-sniff picture, so you'd know what I'm talking about.Because these pots' cool shines belie the heat beneath them, and within, and emerging. And you can't smell the arrabiata sauce simmering on the right, its acid and spice softened a bit by a roast pork reduction, or sense the steam from the pot on the left, ready for cappellini.As often happens, Robert was on the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-22954777199442359022009-11-06T11:06:00.004-05:002009-11-11T11:21:36.595-05:00

Sic transit gloria quercuum.You might think querci, like mundi; but no, the word for "oak" is fourth declension, with its peculiar genitive. . . .But I digress. That big old oak by the summer house was indeed sic, split inside right down to the root, thus it has transited.Both the flaw and the lack of ready funds have kiboshed our grand plan to make it a sculpture. So now it's just a grand memory.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-35162607444214499762009-11-05T11:01:00.001-05:002009-11-07T11:03:45.181-05:00

So, about a week and a half after that picture of the bud, here's the finished product.Each pod is about a foot and a half long -- and for once, they're not covered up by foliage.You can barely see the goop that seeps from the base of the white plumes and makes ants and other little critters delirious with joy.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-4074848750574380392009-11-04T10:18:00.009-05:002009-11-07T03:41:11.251-05:00

Catching up on leftover bits:Jerry takes particular pride in his humility and spirituality, but dangle a piece of fancy liturgical vestment in front of him and the incense comes out of his ears in lust. Tunicle envy.Our friend Gary -- he of the orchids and sweet nature -- is the de facto sacristan of the little church down the street. Handy, because one of his longstanding hobbies has been

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-52184979615891643602009-11-03T02:19:00.000-05:002009-11-06T02:20:16.861-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-22233534330467561132009-11-02T10:20:00.005-05:002009-11-06T03:05:19.334-05:00

1. If a drunken young woman comes toward you with a loopy smile and a fistful of glitter, avoid her at all costs or prepare for every flat surface in your house to glint at you for the next several months -- the carpets, the furniture, the shower floor. Glitter is the radioactive waste of merrymaking.2. If a professional warns you that a headpiece may be too heavy, take the hint. I wasn't

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-43555970544506336342009-11-01T09:07:00.024-05:002009-11-06T07:24:45.621-05:00

When we found out that the big theme was "Vixens, Villains and Vampires," and Gene found some denim on sale. . . .Well, four lace-trimmed bustiers later, there we were: One very pouty drag queen, one I-Dream-of-Jeannie genie, one campy Carmen Miranda and one fairly jovial Denim Dominatrix. Click on the pictures for the large versions if you have the nerve.Gene supplied his own off-the-rack skirt;

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-17431467316271155072009-10-31T01:08:00.002-05:002009-11-03T08:45:51.302-05:00

Friday's Masquerade March is my favorite part of the week. Locals, tourists -- everybody -- meeting up at the cemetery gates on Francis Street. Hets go one way, homos another, stopping at similarly themed guesthouses along two routes, where the management provides a refreshing snort.Then both meet up on Simonton and come down to Duval via Olivia, just half a block from our house. Which means we

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-10434662524528699932009-10-30T07:02:00.004-05:002009-10-31T07:18:56.663-05:00

The, uh, regular folks have a huge toga party at Sloppy's, and gay guys show up by the hundreds at the Equator guesthouse in Roman garb that is one helluva lot better accessorized. Gene sewed up the basic tunics for both Robert and me, and I draped an old Egyptian galabiya over it and put on one of John McBride's Maskerville creations, feeling quite pagan.There is a lot of flesh on display at

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-3430723158604330132009-10-29T06:53:00.002-05:002009-10-31T07:01:43.113-05:00

We took Gene and Jerry on a sunset sail on the big catamaran Mar- quesas, encoun- tered a lot of nice straight people (one couple got engaged on the boat) and, as usual, all watched like little kids as the big ball dropped.Something very elemental about that.Then we hiked up Duval, avoiding the Sloppy Joe's corner and went to Mangoes for some of the fish that could have been swimming under that

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-14430330700173856512009-10-28T04:12:00.003-05:002009-10-28T04:17:05.125-05:00

Gary came by with another armload of leftover orchids, callas and fillers; it's always a surprise to find them on one of the porch chairs (when a mayoral candidate isn't handing them to me).And these are just perfect: They match my nose.Robert got a cold from Joe at bridge last week, and I got it over the weekend.What was it I just wrote? Oh, yeah. Just in time for Fantasy Fest. Jerry and Gene

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-16445839901336695692009-10-27T04:04:00.001-05:002009-10-28T04:09:30.099-05:00

Sometimes plants take a little midwifing, and the big bird of paradise on the south end of our picket fence is a good case.Flowerheads come up between the big fronds -- which are beautifully fanned, but tight. So the flowers kind of twist and sometimes get lost until they're almost played out.This time the frond that would have been at the left of the picture was wind-shredded enough to saw off,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-75617137245591049472009-10-26T04:00:00.000-05:002009-10-28T04:02:52.457-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-16000336245811800572009-10-25T22:52:00.009-05:002009-10-25T23:08:47.536-05:00

I took a look at all the images I might have posted from the Coronation Ball -- Vicki on her dustbin, the Key West Burlesque dancer in her, erm, painted bodysuit, dancer Vinnie sticking his tongue out at me, Nurse Ginger showing what she uses as resuscitation devices --And I settled on the mostly-naked John Mumford swirling his glow-sticks, which were a fixture at Atlantic Shores, which has been

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-85089497731985203012009-10-25T22:38:00.004-05:002009-10-25T22:46:06.810-05:00

Organization makes life possible sometimes.When Robert said it was time to string the porch railing up just as we've done in past years for Fantasy Fest, I went up to the bead-costume-wig containers and -- as NOT in past years -- pulled out the exact bags, with the exact numbers of strands (6 each color), with a few spares to accommodate breakage.The only thing I had trouble with: Every few

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-9499581164370716562009-10-24T04:32:00.004-05:002009-10-25T22:35:40.334-05:00

Vicki did a wonderful number all Kermitted out atop a recycle bin, singing "It Ain't Easy Being Green," with Tony Konrath flinging campaign stuff that was hitting its sell-by date at the very minute (and hitting me on the head: one T-shirt that smacked me harder than I imagined a balled-up T-shirt could as I had my eye in the camera).For his part, Ralph of course had Michael fronting on vocals.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-38186188453055106342009-10-23T21:34:00.008-05:002009-10-24T04:31:10.931-05:00

If you haven't seen "Rat Race," and its scene with the Lucys nagging Cuba Gooding Jr. on that big rolling bus, and one with a special problem. . . .Well, this is the one with the special problem -- but OH, so many talents.As we've seen so often. He's Key West's sweetheart.I'll be picking the puzzle up Saturday.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-72764659435316589542009-10-23T00:01:00.002-05:002009-10-23T03:10:45.220-05:00

So you start out with perfectly low-calorie chicken breasts, sliced thin the long and wide way. Nice low-cal ingredient.But you turn them into involtini: a slice of prosciutto, a good chunk of cheese, just a hint of pepperoni in the middle because I didn't have any roasted peppers handy, all rolled inside the pounded chicken.Brown in butter and olive oil, and braise in dry vermouth and chicken

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-24873393994420430332009-10-22T04:52:00.001-05:002009-10-22T19:49:19.119-05:00

I ought to have one of those Intel stickers on my fore- head, but it would say "Alarm Clock Inside."No matter what we've done the night before -- in this case, dinner at 915 (yes, the pâté, yes, oh yes) so we could nail down our viewing table for the Fantasy Fest parade -- my internal timer puts me on buzz somewhere around 5 a.m. Rain, shine, summer, winter, there I am, hatched fresh for the day,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-24137054114724350592009-10-21T15:03:00.012-05:002009-10-22T04:41:39.890-05:00

Gassy Winds (that's her stage name anyway) had painted and decorated a brand-new one-speed Schwinn for the Markeys' auction Sunday night, bedecked with smileys, and Robert -- well-oiled from Gay Bingo -- was bound and determined to have it.Gassy donated her electric-yellow wig, to match the stickers all over it (fenders, carry-box, cup-holder, mirrors, horn and padded seat, for two smiles under

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-60214412800008171612009-10-20T14:57:00.001-05:002009-10-22T19:59:44.817-05:00

"Cool" is of course relative, but with all the doors open, and a breeze in the 70s wafting through, I decided it was time to perfume the street. Thus last night's risotto: arborio rice, chicken, asparagus tips, sweet red pepper, caramelized onion, parmesan, broth . . . .And enough garlic to make a Sicilian blush.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-88946149147723837822009-10-20T05:22:00.001-05:002009-10-20T05:23:36.455-05:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27262162.post-48122037431356699622009-10-19T05:16:00.003-05:002009-10-20T05:22:04.449-05:00

. . . Be- cause it only got down to about 70 here, a far cry from the frost and freeze warnings in Tennessee.Still, 70 brings the sweaters, windbreakers and extra jackets out of the closet, when we're all used to the 90s at most and mid-80s at least.The ixoras inside the front gate seemed to be thriving in one big floral cooler, much happier since we ripped out the diseased hibiscus. This bunch

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05691737024172890688noreply@blogger.com0