Nostalgia Morning

Breakfast Yesterday

After a late night watching the Patriots advance to their record 6^th consecutive conference championship game yesterday morning was bound to be challenging. It wasn’t. I got to hang out with my Favorite Panamanian and the Keene Friend for the first part of it which contributed significantly to that good feeling. Keene Friend has spoiled the Wonder Pooch over the years by taking him out for long walks first thing in the morning. Buddy is nothing if not an opportunist and now believes that whatever hour he awakes in the morning at Keene Friend’s house – the walk is on. As my Favorite Son will attest Buddy has pushed this early morning deadline earlier and earlier. I went downstairs at 6am when he was making serial statements about the lack of support from the human population for his timetable. I was just about to take him out myself when Keene Friend descended and said it was his duty since he was the one that “created the monster”. Buddy was soon defecating over a wide range of East Keene. 

The Remains of the YMCA

When the Favorite Panamanian deigned to descend herself we all headed out (except for the exhausted Buddy) for a late breakfast. The breakfast place had lots of historic photos of Keene. The conversation inevitably led to our shared earlier days growing up in Keene. After breakfast we wandered around town a little. I drove by my main haunt during my early years – the YMCA. It was a huge pile of rubble. It was strange to see it truly gone after so many years of disrepair and kind jarring to see a side of the former Junior High no longer hidden by the Y. A town wag walking by when we stopped to take the above photo remarked - "It's a bit of a fixer upper."

My First Home with "The Woods" Behind

We passed by the two places I remember living in Keene. The house I recall as “home” has been repaired and looks fabulous. I drive by that house every time I’m back in Keene but since we were diving deeply into reminiscence yesterday I also drove by the first house I remember where I lived from my earliest days until the third grade. The house is still there, as are what I and other neighborhood kids called “The Woods”. They seemed a huge expanse of wildlife and mystery to the five year old version of myself. More than a half century later I still smile every time I see the very sparse space I assigned so much mystery to.

Big News Below Grampa

The drive home to Worcester from Keene always seems longer than a drive up. I think that has everything to do with the hopeless hold the place has on my heart. Yesterday’s seemed even longer due to the deep dip into the pool of wistfulness. Of course it could have been the afternoon of grocery shopping and laundry I was facing as well. Some very entertaining playoff football games helped assuage the tedium.

At the Homeless Shelter this Weekend

My Favorite Son and the ABFA were up to some typical hijinks this weekend as well. They donated part of their free time this weekend time to a homeless shelter. Every time I worry about the millennial generation something like this pops up. I’m proud to be associated with them. In other, fairly astounding news which I am now free to reveal – the California Contingent will soon have to apply an “Ex-“ to that appellation. They are buying that house in New Jersey and hope to move back to the east coast by the end of March! You can probably understand the happy dance I’ve been engaged in for the past few weeks. 

We're Tearing up This California Contract