Robert Frosting

New England’s most famous poet (apologies to all those 19^th century guys and gals who bored the hell out of me in high school) once waxed eloquently on the importance of walls, stating they made good neighbors. I’ve always loved Robert Frost, more for stopping by the woods or the road not taken than Mending Walls, but I needed some appropriately literary intro to my latest adventures with my next-door neighbor that started today and that’s all I came up with. While I’m disappointed being neighbors isn’t what it used to be with everybody a lot more insular, I don’t think we’ll every get back to Ward Cleaver type neighborhoods. That being said, we’ve really connected with our uphill neighbors, an elderly couple, immigrants from Syria. My Favorite Panamanian semi-volunteered me to build them a retaining wall a couple years ago.

Neighbor Inspecting the Work we Did Today

They, since they have Deckzilla in their view all the time, decided to expand their own deck this past summer. In late August the neighbor came over and offered me $300 to install the chicken wire barrier and lattice work under the new deck as I had for Deckzilla to keep the rabbits out. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that I was insulted he offered to pay me and that a couple beers would suffice. We, however, had the granddaughters inbound at that time and when they left, it seemed to rain every day. This week has been dry so I wandered over there this morning and started work this afternoon. I’d forgotten how much fun (not) it was to crawl around amidst the spider webs and mud underneath the deck to staple in the chicken wire.

Our 7 Year old Teenager Last Night

I was more or less coated with dirt in short order, so much so the Favorite Panamanian made me disrobe in the garage before entering the abode. I got most of the chicken wire and a start on the lattice work done today and will finish it off tomorrow. In a major surprise, one my wife believes is worthy of reporting to the Vatican as evidence of celestial overwatch, I didn’t shed any blood or injure myself during the work. Surprised even myself with that. We finally connected with 2/3s of the granddaughters last night. BR3 was causing extreme supervision from my son as she careened around the house with a fresh bruise on chin. She’d fallen off a tricycle and then jumped off a wall at day care reinjuring the same impact point on her chin. While bruised she hadn’t slowed down at all as my son was forced to try and keep up with her during our call as she circled the house seeking out mischief. We didn’t get to speak with the ABFA or the BRS since they were at dance class. The FBR was maintain her almost teenage-like personae during our second call. She was alone with Wingmom as her mom was out with friends and Wingman had just started the latest tour with his band. She’s raising “nonchalant” to heights a seven-year-old should not be capable of, so much fun.

Date night this week had the Favorite Panamanian and I at the cinema, believe it or not. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 wasn't very good, although I loved the first movie. Nia Vardalos goes way too far in search of laughs as her crazy family heads back to Greece after the death of her father. I couldn’t keep track of all the different subplots and they were never woven together in any kind of coherent fashion. There were plot holes you could march a phalanx through and way, way too much Andrea Mitchell. The cute joke of the initial film has been worn to a nub and this just wasn’t that funny outside of a couple scenes. Pass on this, we should have.

Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers, as I begin the “Gs”: Galaxy Quest, still unbelievably funny, may be the best parody film ever made; Game Night, fabulous comedic cast with a great concept; and new addition to the library, Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3; heart warming send off to the galaxy’s biggest reprobates.

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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