Meanwhile, Down South

View from our Condo on Sunday

I specifically failed to include an update yesterday on what my Favorite Panamanian has been up to down in her southern refuge. She’s made her annual winter pilgrimage south and has been decisively engaged in getting our condo ready for the season. Her mother additionally threw another tasking into the arena. The pope is visiting Panama this week and my mother in law volunteered to host two pilgrims from Colombia coming to see the pontiff.

My Front Yard This Morning - My Wife Wins

This meant my wife as tasked with ferrying them around to a number of events as well as showing them her gorgeous home province of Chiriquí. It culminated with a weekend visit to our condo. She felt really bad about sending me pictures of what it was like there while I was dealing with a minus 26 degree wind chill while clearing snow and ice from the driveway after returning from New Jersey. I’ll be down there for a couple weeks in February and can hardly wait, mainly for the company I’ll acquire, but the beach front doesn’t hurt either.

Wife and her Niece at one of Pope Rallies

Pilgrims From all Over the World

Wife with the Two Colombian Guests on Either Side of Her

At The Beach

Wife Taunting Me About the Cold

Condo Pool

I’ve contented myself with a trip to the movies and putting together my two favorite puzzles from Christmas. I now have both my granddaughters to keep me company in the lonely kitchen. I’m sure the presence of their images will not survive my wife’s return, at least where I’m keeping them in the middle of the kitchen island, but it is a nice reminder of how lucky I am each time I walk through.

My Two Puzzles

I was eagerly awaiting the chance to see Glass when I heard M. Night was making the final movie in the trilogy that started with Unbreakable. While I enjoyed this, mainly for multiple personality McAvoy, it was more of an “ehhh”. Willis sleep walks through his character but Samuel L. is at the top of his as the title character, even without having to issue one of his trademark M.F.s. The movie truly belongs to McAvoy who is mesmerizing switching between the multiple personalities that comprise “The Horde”. His performance was worth the price of admission. M. Night’s awkward attempt at creating multiple twists seemed forced and ultimately not rewarding. In the end, this was okay but it could have been so much more given the talent involved.

Wife Definitely Wins

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues