Joanne and I have 2 sons and 4 grandchildren and in the past weeks we have hit the Familial Lottery! In that period Grandkids Ruby, Maggie and Jackson visited us in Key West in a whirlwind of eating, sunning, talking, swimming, shopping, laughing, biking, drinking, socializing, chilling, showing off and front porch sitting.  I know I've gained at least 5 pounds striving to keep pace.   Jackson remarked that we were together in their short visit more than all the past 2 years. 

There’s a woman at one of the beach-side shops.

So, we all take vacations, or at least we all SHOULD take vacations, but I digress.... Here are a few questions for you: What is the longest vacation you have taken? What did you do to prepare your office prior to leaving? How long did it take upon your return to normalize your work routine and hours again?

Did you watch the Oscars?  I watched some, frankly, dozing in and out.  

My Dad loved to sing. And he had a beautiful voice.    He grew up on the lower east side in an Orthodox Jewish community. He often told us that his parents urged him to become a Cantor. But he had no interest in that.  

Caught my first live show of 2025 last week: "John Lodge Celebrating 58 Years of Days of Future Passed with special Guest Jon Davision of Yes."  The concert was at Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair.  My fave Moodie is Justin Hayward.  I was not sure what to expect when I decided to go.  I found a few YouTube clips of some prior shows with Davison singing lead on songs that Justin sang lead on the originals like "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin" and "The Voice.

Another unbelievably true story.   No one was injured, but many potatoes were lost when a tractor-trailer hauling a load of curly fries caught fire on a Maine highway last Wednesday.   The firefighters used about 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames, but the tractor-trailer and its spud snack cargo "were a total loss," firefighters wrote.   Although, it did attract a lot of hungry people who were looking for a bottle of ketchup.  

When I was a boy I was made aware of the "Red Scare" (fear of the spread of Communism). It was an abounding tsunami of hate and recrimination abroad in the land. For instance, people were called before congressional committees, found in contempt and jailed for refusing to name names of alleged communists or "fellow travelers."