One of the inevitable consequences of making airline reservations involving my Favorite Panamanian is our entry into what I call, “The Packing Zone”, even if the trip is still weeks away. My wife takes an almost surreal pleasure in the filling of suitcases. I made the reservations for our trip to Panama last Friday and by Saturday afternoon our bed was literally covered with just about every scrap of summer clothes currently residing under our roof. This is the first step as the unworthy are weaned from the pile until only the chosen few are allowed entry into luggage. Of course, this is only the first iteration of many to follow as the clothes that make the actual journey with us will change several times over the next few weeks. I have learned the hard lesson of never questioning the arcane method of her process. To do so would require more courage than I was born with.
The
upside to the start of this procedure means I become less of a target which is
always welcome. That condition lasts as long as she focuses on only her bags.
The next stage is discovering I haven’t even started packing (usually up to the
day before the trip). This is certainly unacceptable and fraught with danger
(mostly for myself). It is also a sad reflection of her winnowing process which
leaves a number of items she wants to take that cannot fit into her bags. She
greedily eyes my pristine luggage and calculates what I really “need” as well
as how that priority stacks up against her requirements. Fortunately living on
the beach doesn’t require an extensive wardrobe (at least for me). The next few
weeks will be contentious as she bemoans my lack of focus on the importance of suitcase
packing.
Bonecrusher Makes the Cut
We
had a fun, if subdued, anniversary weekend. I’d like to thank the surprising
number of family and friends who sent their well wishes our way. Thank you for
your thoughts, it made the day seem even more special. The cake my wife created
tasted better than it looked which is remarkable. I was helpless after my first
taste and by Sunday morning fully half of the cake was gone. My Favorite Panamanian
saved my waistline from further incursions by freezing the remains in order to
save some for the FBR. We snapped the picture above of Bonecrusher’s first cut after
a brief lecture from our children on how to use the timer function on the iPhone.
It Was So Good!
The
granddaughters were in high fettle this weekend. BR3 continues to expand her world
due to her increased mobility. While we were talking with my son, he glanced down
to see she had crossed the room and was about to place my son’s apparently very
fascinating shoe into her mouth. The great bedroom shift happened this past
weekend with the BRS moving into her newly very pink bedroom while BR3 finally
has her own room. The BRS handled sleeping in a big girl bed for the first time
like a champ while BR3 made her parents work a little harder while she adjusted
to a full-sized crib and her very own room for the first time. The FBR is
getting more and more excited about our impending visit, the week before we
head to Panama. In a decision I’m sure to regret, I’ve already committed to
watching all three High School Musical movies as well as something called, Sharpay's
Fabulous Adventure. Life as a grandfather isn’t always easy, but always a lot
of fun.
An Excited FBR
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; Kindergarten
Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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 3rd 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
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