V-Day

The fascinating election week came to blessed close yesterday when Joe Biden was declared victor. Predictably, the Trumpster refuses to accept the result but he’s painted himself into such a finite corner with his prior statements there is no way he could exit gracefully, if he is even capable of such an act. He should be allowed to fade into the dustbin of history as a failed experiment in American populism. His numbers can’t be ignored however and that will be the challenge for the new administration.

As much as they would like to grind their opponents into the dust, someone has to break this cycle of political vengeance that dates back to the Clinton years. I’m heartened to hear people from both sides of the political spectrum voice their confidence that Biden is one who can breach the barriers we’ve set up between ourselves. His speech last night was an excellent start where he once again promised to be a president for the entire country, even those who voted against him. He reached out to them in a meaningful way. My fervent hope is that he means it and, more importantly, proves capable of doing it. While he received more votes than any president in history, he didn’t have coattails for the house and maybe the Senate. This means a lot of people (myself included) voted more against Trump than for him. The nation needs healing and that can’t happen if he takes the Trumpian tact of marginalizing his opponents. The best line in his speech (paraphrased): “we’re all Americans!”. It’s will be so nice to have a president that at least sounds presidential and doesn’t govern through twitter.

'Nuff Said

The next few months will be equally fascinating as Trump will certainly refuse to cooperate. I have confidence in the federal government, at the worker bee level, will be ready to do the nuts and bolts work of ushering in the Biden administration. They, along with he military, serve the constitution and not the occupant of 1600. The new administration will have to work hard not to rise to the ample bait Trump will provide with his lack of cooperation. They should continue doing what they have started out with, being professional and conciliatory. Don’t let the radical elements of their party/society and their need to scour delay the needed healing. This was an opportunity that Obama didn’t take full advantage of.

Latest Puzzle Completed

I’ve gotten too good at jigsaw puzzles which is a direct symptom of life in Pandemia. I knocked out the latest 1000-piece puzzle in less than two days. I did this while continuing to work and also catching up on Netflix and Disney shows my lack of internet delayed. The good/bad news is that was the last puzzle I have although every time I wander through Amazon they have a huge number to recommend to me, damn those algorithms. I took full advantage of my freedom from post-surgery physical restrictions yesterday. I mowed the lawn and started to winterize the yard even though we had temps in the 70s. That was weird because last week I was clearing five inches of snow away. My Favorite Panamanian was monitoring me all day and kept asking if I was feeling okay. It was almost fun being able to do physical labor again. She wandered into the house at one point which is when we learned Biden had been declared the winner. She was jumping up and down in joy and immediately started putting every American flag we have outside. We called our kids and found my daughter celebrating in a socially distanced neighbor’s back yard. The FBR actually wanted to talk with us because there were no other children around. After a couple celebratory beers and lunch I wandered down to the Man Cave and promptly fell asleep. Apparently the six weeks without physical labor meant I was more tired than I thought. Still, very satisfying day and you can almost feel the malaise of 2020 starting to fade.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – 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