Xmas Eve

Mr Peters to me our dating years, senior year at Bay High December 1952 through graduation from UnivFlorida June 1957; Linda's father, Urban to friends and family; Pete later and to his grandchildren Malinda and Joe, Jody who is named after him. He died at age 65 in December 1970, fifty-one years ago this month, but that's not what causes this memory to cloud up and precipitate sunshine, what brought this on is sudden memories of his breakfast before one of his happy early mornings - - cracking a raw egg and gulping it down, or eating a can of Hormel Tamales - -

and then out the door for his boat the Blue Bonnet, tied up at the little "marina" in Massalina Bayou on the Cove side of Tarpon Dock Bridge. Remember that docking place? It's where Hurricane Michael left dozens of pricey yachts piled up against the bridge, and where there was a U S Coast Guard Station during World War Two when I was a boy.

In fact, not to stray too far, which no matter I've already done and it's my bent anyway, in response to the extreme housing shortage during the War, we had military families living in the two bedrooms upstairs in our house, (one family each room, they shared the bathroom), and we had at least one Coast Guard man and wife during those years.

At any rate, that was Pete's breakfast hurried mornings. I am more fortunate, blessed, than Pete: Linda's mother was not an early person, never prepared breakfast for anyone, are you kidding me, Lucy (the grandchildren called her Paint, her suggestion, she was an artist and said she was not old enough to be grandmother - - she did the pastel portrait above) was served coffee in bed and Linda and Pete got their own. Linda's her Cove School and Bay High years was a milkshake with a raw egg blended in.

Here this morning because we're up early about to head out the door for the airport ECP to pick up Joe, who is on the plane leaving Louisville KY as I type, he changes planes in Atlanta and his flight is due in at 8:36. When I woke at oh-four-hundred-hours (I love that military talk) Linda was already dressed and ready to go. I had one mug of black in a failed attempt to wake up, and just now finished my breakfast that she fixed me, a favorite, her cheese eggs, scrambled light, and a slice of cooked tomato.

I leave off the toast because the carbs cause my BP to drop and I have to collapse in the bed for an hour or so nap, so've been avoiding that by no carbs before about eleven o'clock.

OUT THE DOOR AND ON THE WAY TO ECP FOR JOE