Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002. Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Big Pine Flea Market is re-opening this weekend. It’s been bought and sold and closed for a long time and we all need stuff. Stop by Hareen’s Suncare & Hats for anything to do with outdoors. She has beach towels and great beach bags that will hold everything. Hats with brims, visors, caps, beach chairs. She’s got it all, and a lot of it! |
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[Some Like It Hot] As of Friday, Key West has had 233 consecutive days of high temperatures 80 degrees or above – the longest streak of temperatures above 80 degrees in Key West’s records dating back to 1872. The last time the daily high was below 80 degrees was on March 27 when the high only reached 78 degrees (which, let’s be honest, is still pretty warm). Before this year, the National Weather Service says the previous longest streak was 225 consecutive days in 1965. Video |
| No-see-ums flying through your screens? I tried the idea of painting my screens with clear lacquer with a fine matt roller. I thinned the paint to a water like thickness so it would not clog each screen square. It worked well and closed the screen openings to half of the original size with several coats. I would suggest using a flat clear lacquer instead of a glossy one due to the Sun’s brightness. Try a sample to practice first. Once rolled or sprayed, it is forever. |
 Tackle box for the modern fisherman: rod, reel, drone. Anglers use the flying machines to drop bait where the big fish swim. If all goes well, the drone releases the line, and the fisherman reels in the catch when a fish bites. If there is a problem, a hooked fish can yank the drone into a costly crash landing.
“Lots of things could go wrong,” said Mr. Riches, a geologist-turned-fisherman. “A bird could get tangled in the line or something, and then pull it into the water. That’s probably the worst thing.” Mr. Riches, 36 years old, has crashed three drones over the past year or so for various reasons: a balky release mechanism, low battery, bad luck. He has insurance but is out the deductible. The risk is outweighed by a shot at bigger fish farther offshore. Mr. Riches said he once bagged a 42-pound mackerel. Other times, drones yield only trouble. Last week, Mr. Riches lost track of how much line was left in his reel. When it reached the end, his fishing rod bent forward, and he saw the drone falling into the water. |
| [Marine Sanctuary] Time is a precious commodity in any business. Across the United States, over $25 million is wasted per day on meetings that aren’t necessary. Each year, this results in $37 billion thrown away on meetings that simply aren’t productive. If those members want to help, get in your wetsuit and get in the water and pick up some garbage and debris. Just how much is the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Sanctuary Advisory Council wasting on useless meetings? |
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| [Freedom] The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant. ~Maximilian Robespierre |
 [Bucktooth Rooster] We hung in there and with a lot of help and local fortitude we were able to reopen with a clean slate. The Rooster was pounded down and lost a lot of feathers but with help and hard work we were able to stay open and even assist the Big Pine Post Office with its renovation needs as well. Our parking area is now back to normal with plenty of space for all.
Due to the hard hit to our friends and employees we decided it would be best to concentrate on lunch and dinner and suspend the daily breakfast menu until Big Pine Key brings back more of the workforce. We understand that this may be a disappointment to some but it offers a huge relief to our staff. We will concentrate on only the very best for lunch and dinner service rather than spreading our staff to thin. The Bucktooth Rooster’s morale is better than ever and we are really excited to be back serving all of you once again! Saturday and Sunday breakfast service will begin at 8:15am-11:00am starting Saturday, February 17. |
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| The next meeting of our Big Pine Computer Club is coming up this Saturday, November 23, 10 am at the senior center. Stop by and say hello. Open to all. Full Menu > Ongoing Events |
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| [Friday Joke] Wife texts husband on a cold winter morning, “Windows frozen, won’t open.” Husband texts back, “Gently pour some lukewarm water over it and then gently tap edges with hammer.” Wife texts back 10 minutes later, “Computer really messed up now.” |
I tried the new MREs (meals ready to eat) after Irma and I think I’d rather starve. I can’t get over how awful they are. The old C-rations were quite good. The main course came in a tuna fish-size can. They had chicken, beef, beans and franks, and a few other entrees. I liked the boiled ham the best. They even gave you a little pack of 4 cigarettes you could trade with. The fruit cake wasn’t half bad either. These newer MREs are totally terrible. They switched so there are no more cans and less waste and the MREs self-heat. Video |
| [Crooks] Balfour Beatty, a major military landlord doctored maintenance repair reports at multiple bases, allowing it to collect Defense Department-approved bonuses, a Reuters investigation finds. Now, Balfour Beatty Communities faces escalating probes into its practices. Link |
At the Big Pine Moose Lodge, we have the NFL package, every game, every Sunday. Not a member? Stop by the Lodge and we’ll tell you how you can join. |
| [Dick Clark Interview] The Doors – The Crystal Ship / Light My Fire. Video |
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| [“Plastic straws”] While on a recent cruise I noticed woman will not drink as much without a straw because they get lipstick on the glass which makes it dirty looking. Booze sales have gone down on ships and in bars all over. Some people carry stainless steel tubes as straws. |
That Kardashian lady sure is beautiful, she’s got great skin although she’s probably known more for her unusual large caboose. What I want to know is how can a senseless tv show stay on that long? |
| [“Police State”] My sympathies, but you can get your record expunged. Go to the FDLE site to see how to do. It will cost you at first $75 and you have to go through several steps. It may be worth checking out as this may be something you might wish to pursue. |
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| [Save The Reef] Thank God for Fodor’s wisdom in putting the Keys on their no-go list. Unfortunately, our own TDC will make up for the loss as they don’t care about our environment as much as outsiders do. Video |
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| [Sanctuary] What causes useless Sanctuary Advisory Council meetings? In a word, politicking. Tell me if this situation sounds familiar: First Idiot, “We are spending too much time and money on X.” Second Idiot, “I get what you’re saying, but I don’t agree. We are spending the right amount of money, in my opinion.” First Idiot, (Now looking at the group) “I think we can agree it’s too much.” Second Idiot, (Now looking at the group) “No. I really think we’re spending the right amount.?Within seconds this became a useless meeting. The two people talking aren’t solving the coral reef issue. They’re politicking. They are attempting to reach a consensus by restating their opinion. That kind of discussion never ends.Why? Well, that’s a bit more complicated. This kind of politicking in the Sanctuary Advisory Council board room can come from a number of personal, professional, or business culture issues. None of which resolves the problem. |
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| You shouldn’t travel to the Florida Keys, says this tourism website. Here’s why. In the case of the Keys, the decline of its coral reefs are the cause for concern. Video |
[Battery Storage] The cost of battery storage plummets. There’s an eye-popping decline in the cost of renewable energy. Link |
| [Refuge Community Night] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a Community Night on Big Pine Key on Wednesday, December 4th from 4:30-6:30 pm at the new Nature Center located at 30587 Overseas Hwy. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Refuge staff and partners, such as The Nature Conservancy and NOAA, will present a short summation about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Restoration Blueprint, including the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) process for the Blueprint and the role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this process. Discussions will also include specific backcountry island regulations within the refuge boundaries that have been in existence since 1992. Staff and partners will be available to discuss proposed recommendations for the future and how the public can provide comments to the Blueprint. Additionally, refuge staff will be available to answer questions related to the Key deer SSA (Species Status Assessment), the refuges prescribed burn program and the recent prescribed burn. This event is open to the public and the community is encouraged to attend.
For more information, please contact Acting Refuge Project Leader Erin Myers at erin_myers@fws.gov or 239-370-6302 |
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| [“Marine Sanctuary”] I too, want to know what they’ve done to make the water clear and restore the reef. |
 [Volunteers Needed to Assemble ‘Holiday Hunger’ Packs for Students in Key West] United Way of the Florida Keys and SOS Foundation are joining in this by hosting the first Key West #GivingTuesdayKids event from 5:30-7pm on Tuesday, December 3 at the SOS Community Kitchen,1010 United St. UWFK and SOS Foundation are creating ‘holiday hunger’ packs for children and families in Key West. Volunteers 10 years and older are needed to decorate and fill 200 boxes. These will then be distributed at Gerald Adams Elementary to provide food to children who might otherwise be hungry without school lunches over the holiday break. |
| [Guns] Here is one of several incidents involving guns lawfully used and his punishment. “Oregon Robber Takes Small Ax to a Gunfight” A Portland man entered a convenience store, approached the cash register and drew a 12-inch hatchet from his pants, announcing a robbery. The clerk, in turn, drew a semi-automatic pistol from his pants, causing the robber to lay his hatchet on the counter, apologize to the clerk and flee the store empty-handed. The President of the Plaid Pantry convenience store company promptly fired the gun-toting clerk, citing its zero-tolerance for guns and training employees to “de-escalate robbery situations to avoid injury. |
[Whales] Orcas and beluga whales make the long trip to freedom after release from Russia’s ‘whale jail’. Link |
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| [“Doctor Chop ‘Em Up”] “South Dakota doctor made millions of dollars performing unnecessary surgeries.” Hey, you got to get them parts somewhere. |
Thanksgiving, bringing out the best in family dysfunction since 1863. |
| [“Police State”] He who has the gun is God. The only way to clean this up is to remove the phycos who think that badge means they are holy warriors. When police had to pass a phyc test it was not like things are today, but things change. |
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