We Will Miss Micheal Arendell--Bannie

I had a very nice day today but then life can change in the blink of an eye.  The sun was shining (been cloudy for well over a week), had a very nice early morning run followed by deep yoga stretches, got my household chores done, my daughter got her cattle to market and life was flowing along nicely. I appreciated the nice little moments of the morning.  Then things changed quickly.  One of my dogs, the Jack Russell Terrier, Addy, got stung multiple times by wasps and swelled up like crazy.  I suppose that is what she gets for sticking her head in places where it doesn't belong.  But nonetheless I treated her swollen face and babied her some.  Then we get a phone call that one of our good friends Bonnie died this morning.  It appears he had a heart attack.  Looks can be deceiving as he always seemed very fit and healthy.  He was a waiter/bartender at our local hangout and was in love with Addy.  Addy loved him back.  He never failed to bring her scraps every time we were there.  Like everyday.  Once Bunnie, short on table scraps, had the chef grill up a Filet Mignon for her!

Bonnie was a humorous man, full of good jokes and card tricks.  He was warm, sensitive and tenderhearted.  I know he struggled with alcoholism in the past but it seemed he had a good handle on things lately.  He took his hat off to me for maintaining sobriety in this environment.  Like I said before, it ain't easy.

So Bonnie we will all miss you and our little restaurant will never be quite the same.  Addy?  she will keep looking around the restaurant for you.  Go in peace my friend.

Shortly after getting the news about Bonnie we hear some acquaintances of ours from Antigua were making the ocean journey back home but apparently didn't make it.  The story is sketchy as of yet but so far we know that 2 of the 3 sailors are dead, one is hospitalized and the boat is adrift according to Antigua coast guard.  There is some question as to whether the man in the hospital is off the boat or another man.  Pirates immediately come to mind.  The ocean was very rough that day as well but not sunk, just adrift with (rumor has it) 500 cases of Heineken on board.  We may never really know what happened.  Just very tragic. They were Caribbean men full of life and laughs. Maybe today we will hear more via the coconut telegraph.