Opening Day Cousins Rule

Yesterday was the first day of our new bus hub in Worcester and I went in first thing  to check it out.  From the operational side everything went swimmingly as the drivers, our toughest critics, almost immediately fell in love with the new facility.  This being Worcester, though there were some Luddites up at City Hall wondering where the buses were.  They obviously had their heads in the sand for the past six months as we bombarded people with the news of the new facility.

1st Bus Into the New Hub!

When I returned home my wife was patronizing her favorite Italian – getting her hair done.  This offered the rare opportunity to accomplish a project without over the shoulder carping, I mean supervision.  I had a plan for the space between the new garden and a garden staircase.  This place is a pain in the butt to keep mowed so I was going to eradicate the grass and mulch it.

In a rare turn of luck this space was one of the few areas in the yard that offered some shade which was key as the heat wave continues without mercy.  It was still noticeable though.  I was able to get the work done before supervision returned – she even admitted she liked it, despite the critical shortcoming of her input!

The Area Before

Half Way Through

The Result

The afternoon saw us travelling across the state to a graduation party for the daughter of a cousin.  This had the combined effect of making me feel really old because this cousin was always the baby of the family at the gatherings of my father’s family and here he was with a college kid himself.  A number of my fellow cousins were there as well and we quickly fell into a group catching up.  There really is something special about cousins and it could not have been a more pleasant afternoon.

The Cousin Party

The diet experienced some extreme challenges as there were various and sundry cakes and cookies present, including my personal kryptonite - chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies.  I survived this battle and even my wife was impressed after she put several cookies directly in front of me and I didn’t attack.  Apparently I am trainable.

The Cousins Around the Pit

The cousins established themselves around a hornet infested fire pit and were soon conversing as if almost six months hadn’t passed since we last saw each other.  My wife and I got wrapped into a golf outing next weekend even though neither of us play golf – it sounds like fun. 

As evening approached we started getting antsy, like all good New Englanders, we knew the Bruins were starting their playoff series against the vaunted Pittsburgh Penguins while the Sox were engaged in battle with the hated Yankees.  There was communal agreement on a “Mass” departure.

The Wonder Pooch in his Thundershirt

We got home to find the Thundershirt had arrived to help Buddy with his thunderstorm adventures.  It even had Wonder Pooch stitched into the cover.  Some neighbor were firing off some fireworks last night so we got a chance to test drive it.  He still seemed a little jazzed so we’re not sure about the technology yet.

Bruin Surprise

We sat down and switched between the hockey and baseball games all night.  You really appreciate how slow baseball is compared to hockey when you do that – especially the glacial pace of a sox-yankees game.  It turned out to be a fantastic night for Boston sports.  The Bruins beat a talented but frustrated Penguin team.  Their leader Crosby acted like a little bitch for the entire game.  It’s sad to see a guy so talented that acts like such a complete punk.  The Sox put a real spanking on the Yankees as well which put a great signature on a very enjoyable day.

Sox Celebrating in Yankee Stadium - Always a Welcome Scene