Piecemeal

I feel like I’m stuck in one of the very bad horror movies I’ve watched over the years. It’s most telling on my morning commute. During normal times it takes me about 10-15 minutes to navigate traffic through Worcester to my office. I’m now making it in six minutes because there is literally no traffic on the road. I’m not complaining obviously but it’s a daily message that life has changed significantly. I think my life goal of driving all of the lower 48 states this summer may have to be postponed for a year because this thing doesn’t look like it’s slowing down at all. It’s so much tougher for an open society like ours to deal with a crisis like this. Totalitarian/authoritarian states have much more control that is unfortunately needed at times like this.

BRS Stealing Marshmallows From Dad's Cereal

Granddaughters and their parental packages both seem to be handling the new normal very well, although the BRS was in a time out yesterday for biting the ABFA. This was a result of just getting too excited versus malicious intent. She had a multi-room lineup of all her dolls and stuffed toys wrapped up, put to bed, and perfectly aligned. Methinks she’s getting ready for the arrival of her sister, BR3.

Some Samples of FBR Artwork
A Girl Crying Because She took too Long Eating
Dinner And Couldn't Play and a Rat 

A Triangle Monster and a Layer Cake

A Cell Phone Cut out to Specifications

During our call with the FBR last night we witnessed an occasion of the new socialization norm. One of my daughter’s and Wingman’s best friends live a couple houses down from them. Their twins, boy and girl, are good friends with the FBR. They were out walking last night and my daughter, Wingman, and a very excited FBR talked to them through an open living room window. The kids were very excited to see each other after all the time spent with parents only. During this conversation another girl, from directly across the street, opened her window to join in. It was so cool to hear these four year olds conducting a separated but very excited update with each other. It’s in basic human nature to reach out to each other.

The Progress So Far

I’ve continued my march through the Marvel universe and doing a lot of reading when that burns out. I finally started seeing the benefits of the solar system I installed last October. The vendor cautioned me that the winter months wouldn’t be as productive but I was starting to question the efficacy as I didn’t see a big reduction in my electric bills. The vendor checked things out and related that the electric company was six to seven months behind in creating the special billing required to credit me with the electricity I’m producing. Yesterday the bill came and it was obvious they caught up because I now have a more than $200 credit. So some good news in this morass of negativity.

This Month's Electric Bill

I’ve stopped commenting on the books I’ve read but I finished one yesterday that sparked a lot. It was Sally Field’s autobiography, In Pieces. It was a fascinating look at the underside of the movie industry with a movie star I grew up watching. She pulls no punches and it was obvious she, not some ghost writer, penned this. It’s very personal and at times uncomfortable as she details a step father’s (a former Tarzan!) childhood molestation of her and the perils of actresses in pre-MeToo Hollywood. Burt Reynolds does not emerge unscathed. Field comes across as a very strong woman who self-taught herself not to be a victim. The book was hard to put down and deals with her life in depth up to her first Oscar win for Norma Rae. She speeds through her most productive years and I was disappointed there was very little on Steel Magnolias which is my favorite movie of hers. For a bona fide movie nut (guilty) I truly enjoyed the read and left with a profound respect for Ms. Field. I like her, I really do.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; 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^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn