I’ve been away from Frail Deeds for nearly
a week and it’s not because I was recovering from my annual birthday pub crawl.
Well, not only because. I’ve been decisively engaged with granddaughter support
activities since Wednesday of last week. The FBR, my daughter, Wingman, and
Wingmom joined us Wednesday night for the holiday weekend. The FBR(2d) and my
daughter (booster) knocked out their Covid vaccination shots in the morning and
then joined the traffic flow north. They made fairly good time and were with us
in time for dinner. The first thing the FBR asked was when her cousin, the BRS,
was going to join us. This question was to be repeated approximately seven
thousand times over the next 26 hours.
 |
| The Cacophonic Element |
 |
| 2d Shot!!!!! |
Thanksgiving was a lot more subdued and
local this year. We decided not to go to my father’s family’s traditional Thanksgiving
dinner, one of the most cherished events of the year, because of Covid concerns
on behalf of my granddaughters. This meant I was prepping another of my turkey
dinners with the able assistance of my daughter’s family. My Favorite Son and
his family passed the day at the ABFA’s parents’ house while we were constantly
peppered by FBR questions about the BRS arrival time.
 |
| Adventuring with the FBR |
 |
| First Night Fire |
In an effort to distract her from this
obsession the FBR and I went “adventuring” (her term) in the woods behind our
house. She reminded me so much of her mother at the same age as she reveled in
ducking through and around the forest. She and I started walking down the
trunks of the many felled trees and I had a very lucky moment when my foot slipped
off one side of the trunk while I was taking a step and the other foot came
down on the other. The luck manifested itself in that the ground was not further
below the log than the length of my legs which could have been very painful if
not so. We actually had two of these sessions during the day which I enjoyed
almost as much as she apparently did. When it was time to return home, she insisted
we take the “adventure” way back instead of a path. In another effort to
distract the FBR we had a fire in my style challenged back yard fireplace where
S’mores were created and enjoyed.
 |
| FBR With "Her" Binos |
 |
| Thanksgiving Dinner |
 |
| From the Other End |
We were still recovering from tryptophan
shock in the early evening when my eldest granddaughter’s persistent
information requests were finally answered and my other two granddaughters
arrived with two very tired parents. Even though it was after everybody under
ten’s bedtime we allowed then some time to calm down after the initial joy of
reunited cousins. The BRS and FBR were bunking together so the fun continued
after they retired for the night. With the assistance of baby monitors we were
watching the hijinks unfold as both fought the
best fight against sleep since my daughter’s toddler heydays. There were
repeated parent and grandparent interventions to quell the excitement but they
resisted all efforts until my Favorite Panamanian spent about twenty minutes
with them and they finally went to sleep.
 |
| Cousins Together at Last |
 |
| BR3 Charming Everyone in Sight |
 |
| Including her Granddad |
They were up shortly after four in the
morning to resume their reunion activities. I went downstairs a little after
six AM to find some bleary eyed parents supervising some highly energized cousins.
Thus commenced the first full day of all three granddaughters under our roof
for the first time ever. The big event of the day was the annual day after
Thanksgiving second Thanksgiving dinner at Great Aunt and Soxfather’s house. We’ve
been doing this since the 1990s and was yet another event screwed up by 2020.
It took three cars to deploy as we also acquired Keene Friend to rejoin this
cherished event. The dinner was every bit as good as usual but we added a new
chapter to Great Aunt’s sketchy history with electric knives; duct tape was
involved.
 |
| The ABFA was in Charge of Marshmallow Application Again |
 |
| Second Thanksgiving Dinner |
 |
| Soxfather Sister Action Shot |
I love the after party for this event as
the dinner dishes are cleared away and we all set up shop at the cleared table
surrounded by desserts and adult beverages. The granddaughters and their support
element (most of the ladies + Wingman) departed early in order to make granddaughter
bed times. Keene Friend once again volunteered to be the designated driver for
the rest of us. The ladies reported they ran into the first fairly hefty snow
shower of the winter as they made their way home. Meanwhile back in Rhode Island
we were fully engaged with the Namesake Nephew and the assembled family of
Soxfather. I got into my usual contentious bantering with Soxfather’s sister concerning
the quality of Frail Deeds photos, especially those featuring her. That meant,
of course, the requirement to take even more. It marked yet another annual
event that returned to a semblance of normal after taking the last year off. We
made our way home, courtesy of Keene Friend, to find the snow had ceased after leaving
just a dusting.
 |
| After Party |
 |
| Namesake Nephew and Great Aunt |
 |
| With Soxfather Sister |
 |
| Trying to Sneak another Shot |
 |
| Drive Home for the Ladies |
Everyone, except Keene Friend, who made
one of his patented early morning departures, stayed over through Saturday. There
was a repeat of the morning activities although the granddaughters had done a
better job of actually achieving some sleep. At the urging of the FBR there was
a combined adventure walk back through the snowy woods with both the FBR and
BRS. The stated purpose was to get some more
firewood for yet another s’more laced fire Saturday evening. The FBR reveled in
the chance to show her younger cousin the secret ways through the woods she had
reconnoitered. We took some time out of the fun to take our adventurers to see the
movie Encanto which was more than worth the effort (review below).
 |
| Double Adventurers |
 |
| Abuela and BR3 |
 |
| Having so Much Fun |
 |
| Cousin Time |
We returned home for pizza and a celebration
of the FBR’s birthday once again. My Favorite Panamanian created another of her
very special cakes, this one with a doll somehow emerging from the crown. Soxfather
and Great Aunt journeyed up to join in the celebration. It was fun to watch
Soxfather once again working his Pied Piper type magic with another generation of
toddlers as he entranced both the FBR and BRS with his signature silliness.
Most of the crowd wimped out on my fire since it was cold outside. Alright, it
was damned cold outside, but I had promised the BSR a fire and, well, there you
have it. To her immense credit the BSR hung out there with me for the entire
fire where adults only came out for short stretches. I did appreciate the effort
of these family members to come out and enjoy the bracing night air with me.
 |
| Soxfather Working his Magic |
 |
| Great Aunt as Well |
 |
| The Birthday Cake |
 |
| Son Giving Rhythmic Gymnastic Lesson |
This morning dawned with the knowledge
the four-day sojourn in bliss was to come to an end as the granddaughters and
their parental units were departing. Another hojaldra laced breakfast and the pack
out began. I told the parents the house was going to be so quiet with their departure.
I got the impression these parents of toddlers would love to have a few days of
this lack of decibels. I always caution
them to savor the noise because these times with the very young children are so
fleeting and despite the numerous and sometimes onerous price parents must pay,
this is a magical time. Having granddaughters has reminded me these long lost
times when my kids were this age and how much damned fun it was to be around
them as they discovered the world. As I stated above, I urged them to savor
this beloved cacophony.
 |
| Birthday Celebration |
 |
| Birthday Girl |
 |
| More Hojaldras |
 |
| Abuela Supplied Outfits |
 |
| Bath Time for BR3 |
 |
| Back in New Jersey and Resting |
In some housekeeping from my absence
from the blog I saw three movies this week. The first was the biggest surprise.
King Richard is the story of the incredible, tennis playing, Williams sisters.
I wasn’t a big fan of their dad when they first burst on the scene as I thought
he was a publicity seeking vampire capitalizing on his daughters’ unbelievable
talents. While I know this is a Hollywood version of the true story, I still
found it compelling as it chronicled the steadfast and thoroughly irritating
way he protected Venus and Serena during their formative years. A lot of credit
has to go to Will Smith who proves once again he is a true movie star who made the
frustrating lead lovable even at his worst. The sisters were obviously involved
in this biopic and you could sense the love they still feel for their departed father
and all he did for them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – 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; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; 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
No comments:
Post a Comment