As some of my vast and loyal readership know, I embark on a two-week odyssey in ultra trendy Bradenton, Florida this week. With a ride to and from the airport safe and secure, I may not even have to wear a jacket on the plane. You probably haven't been paying attention, but the highs in Bradenton lately have been in the low 80s. So . . . I probably won't be needing a jacket.

I have a special present for the gecko hunter with whom I will be spending eight days alone in my parents' palatial estate while they go on a cruise to Central America with my sister's family. As it turned out, my sister got a hotel room for her family for the night before the cruise leaves from Florida and the night after it returns. Enough said.

And for those of you who follow baseball, you know it is Spring Training in Florida. My father offered me his tickets to the Pirate games during their cruise, and I said no thanks. While this season may very well be his FIRST without some kind of ticket plan for the Pirates at a time when he was residing in Pittsburgh, he still hasn't given up the Spring Training tickets. It's what all the seniors do down there. Most of the games are in the afternoon, they only last about two hours, and the old folks can drive home in time for the early bird special and be off the roads by dark.