Flower Breakthrough

Thank you to the friends who reached out and sent messages to my Favorite Panamanian after her procedure, chronicled in my last post. She read all of them and really appreciated the thoughts and well wishes. She needed the support on Wednesday because after the drugs wore off, she had a really tough day. They went in through her right arm which she was recently diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury as well. By late afternoon her entire arm was throbbing in pain and I felt a bit helpless trying to make her comfortable. We eventually put heat patches in three different locations along her arm/shoulder and packed the injection site with ice. She was able to get some rest that night and awoke yesterday feeling much improved. She still can’t do dishes, which she reminds of at least a couple times daily. She was able to drive this morning (to church of course) for the first time and that was a big step. I still have to help her with some simple things because the wrist doesn’t turn without a lot of pain. After a long career of trying to get bras off, I am now trained in putting them on, so there.

Part of my Wife's Flower Horde Purchases Earlier this Week

One of the corollary effects of her inability to use her right wrist is my being drafted to actually transplant a couple of her recently purchased flower horde into pots. With my brute force and ignorance reputation I have heretofore been forbidden from interacting that closely with the delicate flowers. She had no choice now since the flowers had to get planted. I told her to wait inside while I did it because I felt the agony (for her) of watching me perform this delicate task would be too much for her. I tried to be careful and didn’t break a single stem (win!!). She inspected my work afterwards and grudgingly admitted I did a good job. I'm not sure I should crow about this accomplishment because it probably means more work in the future.

BRS Looking Dashingly Feline in an FBR Hand Me Down

One of the advantages of having three granddaughters is the hand-me-down clothes highway. That means whatever the FBR receives and subsequently outgrows (which happens way too fast), ends up in a large bag headed north for the BRS. I am now seeing clothes that started with the FBR, worn by the BRS, end up on BR3. Since these girls receive a lot of clothes for presents, they usually only get to wear certain outfits a couple times before they’re outgrown. It’s still cool to see the migration. It’s also an all too real reminder of how fast they’re all growing up.

Civilians often get confused about Memorial Day. Since they know I’m a veteran they go out of their way to congratulate me on this weekend, which is cool (I have great friends) but also awkward. Ask any Soldier and they know Memorial Day is to remember and celebrate the lives of those who died in service to the country; a club I honor but am reasonably sure I don’t quality for. Veteran’s Day in November is to thank Vets while Armed Forces Day in May is to honor currently swerving Soldiers, Sailors, Air Force, and yes, even the Marines. I was born ten years after the end of World War 2 which had an indelible mark in my upbringing my dad as well as all the parents of my friends had served and the community was still dealing with the awful price that had been paid in the 1940s. That meant Memorial Day was a big deal while I was young and the Memorial Day parade always an annual highlight. The reverence that day was shown by those I looked up to probably started me, as well as Cantankerous Friend, on the path that led us to wearing the uniform ourselves for nearly thirty years. So, I’m glad not to be the focus of this weekend’s celebration but I join with a mostly grateful nation to thank those, including my Uncle Pete (Guadalcanal) and Great-Great Uncle Warren (Gettysburg) who laid their lives down for this greatest of all human experiments, the United States of America.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, they’re out of order alphabetically because they represent new additions to the library: Operation Fortune, Ruse de Guerre, a very funny action comedy, Guy Ritchie, need I say more; and Antman and the Wasp Quantumania, still likable but not as much fun as predecessors.

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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; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; 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