A Cold Day In Paradise...

Burr....It's cold in paradise today...the temp is about 60 and that's cold for southern Florida...its supposed to stay cold til next Wednesday...the only thing I caught this week was a chest cold that moved to my head and now I think it wants to go back to my chest again...No way was I going fishing this week....I could barely move from my bed...everybody is catching whatever this bug is and it really does knock you for a loop....

Even though I feel like crap...I did manage to make it to my favorite spot for coffee today...a little gift shop on Dearborn Street appropriately named Village Gifts and Coffee....I wrote most of my book there last season....a friend of mine took my picture while I was working last year...see picture on left...they have Wi-Fi so I can link to the Internet, check my email and see if anyone has even read my blog....so far my kids and a few friends are the only ones that know this exists....that's OK...like I said in my first post...I'm not expecting to change world opinion with the words I write here...

As I write this my son Kyle is on his way to paradise...he just got out of the Air Force a few months ago and decided that life back in New York was not for him...a friend of mine has offered to put him up rent free and give him a job...boy do I wish I was 20 again and had the same opportunity....I hope he finds himself soon..like most young people today...finding a direction in life is hard when there are so many choices...good and bad....I've been very lucky.. my children seen to have a good grasp on reality and whats right and wrong...they are and were all honor students and stayed out of trouble...I'm proud of every one of them...Kyle is going to love it down here simply because its new and exciting...when that wears off and he realizes that he is surrounded (for the most part) by a lot of old farts and that summer here is like the fourth level of hell....he may not like it so much...only time will tell....In any case it will be a life experience and if hes anything like his father, its just one more adventure in the book of life....the true test for him will be when I go back north for the summer and he stays here....

My one and only daughter..Kelsey...sent me a valentine that I haven't received yet...she called last night to see if I had gotten it yet...she is my pride and joy...a high honor role student and a cheerleader...isn't that an oxymoron?.... in any case she is my favorite girl and I couldn't be more proud of her...she makes me smile every time I think about her....

No news on the new grandson or granddaughter from Travis and his wife Shannon...hes the one still in the Air Force....her due date is today....his friend's wife was due later and she had her baby two days ago...10 and half pounds... that's one big kid....It would have been nice to have the baby born on Valentines Day....but now as long as its healthy that's all that matters...hey the baby could have been born on Ground Hog Day...so I'm thankful for small favors...Travis was born on the first of February and we really pushed to make sure he wasn't a Ground Hog Baby....or I should say my wife really "pushed".....

Well that's all from paradise for now...Kyle will be arriving and my life in paradise will be forever changed...I hope for the better....only time will tell...

Monk