Separation Anxiety

We are officially down to zero granddaughters in residence which is not a prescription for absolute happiness but I have the past couple weeks to lean back on for a morale boost. My Favorite Daughter showed up yesterday to reclaim parental rights over the FBR. She fought through dastardly Connecticut holiday weekend traffic to accomplish that. As I look at my iPhone, she and the FBR just pulled into their New Jersey home on the return trip. My daughter wisely chose not to tempt fate with a Monday drive. This all means the decibel level in the house is at a decidedly low level, the lowest since early August. Over the past week the FBR and I have become kind of partners in crime so I feel additional loss on that level.

Driveway Hug

On the up side, I received a chance to participate in a JD Powers survey which came with a whole $1 in cold hard cash. I also have two Panamanian ladies remaining in residence so the decibel level isn’t devoid of measurable noise, especially when they video call Tia Loca. Loudest one talks in a group of Panamanian ladies. I’ll probably pay for that comment if/when my Favorite Panamanian reads that.

At Elm Park

For the FBR’s last couple days with us we patronized the Elm Park playground which the FBR had identified as her favorite after some on the ground research over the last couple years. In past years I was always called upon to trail behind her to be available for swing pushing when needed. I picked up my usual role upon arrival but five minutes later she’d made friends with a couple of kids and I was completely forgotten about. I forlornly took my place on a nearby bench with the Favorite Panamanian who patted my leg with an understanding look in her eyes. The young boy who came up to her and challenged her to a game of tag couldn't catch the FBR (a good indicator for teenage years) so he and his sister invented other, less competitive games to play.

New Friends

Over the past week the FBR and I have taken up repeated residencies in the Man Cave where we’ve been exploring the Star Wars movies. She recently saw her first one with Wingman, a huge Star Wars fan. He lit the fire and I picked up the torch as we watched the first three movies in the series and since she’d already seen Episode 4, we topped off the week with The Empire Strikes Back for Friday movie night. The FBR is now firmly in the family Star Wars fan club. It became progressively harder to pry her away from the Man Cave, especially after she set herself up with a profile on my Netflix account (by herself). I had to physically lift her up and carry her outside yesterday when it was a beautiful day. We drove back to Elm Park where she once again quickly made a friend and summarily dismissed me. We returned home just as her mother was arriving from New Jersey. It was a very long driveway hug. As much fun as we had over the past couple weeks pales in comparison to an actual parent.

FBR Catching her Mom up on Our Adventures

One movie fell in my A-Z effort, a keeper, barely, Bachelor Party (not sure this will feature prominently in Tom Hanks’ resume).

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                        

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course