Been a busy time since our return from New Jersey which culminated yesterday with two high school graduation parties. Before you leap to a judgmental stance questioning why an old fart such as I is attending high school graduation parties. Let me explain. The grads, both gals, are progeny of the Panamanian Mafia, Worcester chapter. The Neighborhood Mafioso’s youngest granddaughter, as well as the youngest daughter of another Mafia member were the graduates. It is at this point that I feel it necessary to lodge a formal complaint about the all too rapid passage of time. It seemed like yesterday that we first met the granddaughter as she rushed around with her sister at a golf course club house where we were celebrating her first communion. The other graduate is famous within our family for not only running through the screen door of our Charlton house, but doing it twice. She was a charming little girl who befriended Buddy the Wonder Pooch and always sought him out when he was sentenced to the basement for counter climbing during one of our mafia get togethers. My whole point here being, what are these little girls I remember doing being all grown up as high school graduates?!
We
returned from New Jersey on Thursday to find the driveway and Deckzilla
liberally coated with what looked like yellow powder. Apparently, there was a
heavy pollen fall which hadn’t been disturbed since we weren’t in residence. That
absence also seemed to have provided the back yard animals with a bit more
bravado than they should possess. I found a rabbit munching away on the deck
and he was soon joined by no less than three squirrels! I immediately disabused
them of their new found audacity with a few well aimed BBs. Along with the pollen
fall nearly all of the Favorite Panamanian’s roses are blooming which provide amazing
color. I was mowing the lawn on Friday morning when a young couple walking by complimented
me on “our fantastic landscaping”. I pointed to the upstairs window and said my
wife deserved all the credit as I only performed dumb labor at her direction. 
Neighborhood Mafioso with her Beautiful Daughter and Granddaughters
Pollen Covering the Deck
Now,
as to those parties yesterday. Both parties were scheduled to start at 2pm. My
social director, AKA the Favorite Panamanian, declared we would go to the
daughter one in central Worcester first, stay a bit, and then return to our neighborhood
for the granddaughter one. I thought I was being crafty by sneaking through the
middle of town, thinking Main Street would be deserted on a Saturday afternoon.
I was wrong. There as some sort of LBGTQ rally at city hall so I had to divert
onto some back streets while listening to my wife’s constant criticism of my
route choices. We arrived at the party location, ran into another member of the
mafia, and as we entered the party found we were the first and only arrivals so
far. The hostess reminded my wife that since most of the attendees were Latinos
it would be a late arriving crowd. 
Some of the Wife's Roses
A
conference with our hostess as well as a quick plate of arroz con pollo for my Favorite
Panamanian resulted in a change of plans. We would return to the Mafioso’s
party with the other couple we had run into and return later. I cautioned my
wife that the Mafioso’s husband and I had perfected a beer smuggling technique (to
avoid spousal supervision) which meant I did not plan on being in any shape to
drive. She made another caustic remark about my earlier choice of routes and
said she would drive. We arrived to find the second party in full swing. We had
some interesting weather yesterday (it is New England) as an un-forecasted rain
storm swept through, followed by some healthy winds, especially on our hill
top. This led to some very funny attempts to take pictures of my wife and her
mafia gang.
Grad #1, Mafioso's Granddaughter
Wife with Mafia on Windy Patio
We’d
stayed longer than we planned but that happens when you’re surrounded by such
excellent people and our hosts. We eventually returned to that first party,
following the wife approved route. We found the missing Latinos had arrived in
our absence along with several from the Mafioso’s party who followed us over. The
winds had produced a brisk early evening which called for the deployment of a
fire table (got to get one of those!) which we gathered around to continue the
laughter and comradery of the other party. I ran into another old infantryman, the
hostess’ brother-in-law, which led the inevitable comparing of notes since we
had both served in Panama, Germany, and Ft Campbell. 
Mafioso's Husband, My Partner in Crime
Finally Gets to Eat
So,
yesterday we validated the main reason we’ve decided to put down roots here in Worcester.
The remarkable collection of friends I’ve labeled the Panamanian Mafia. We
spent nearly seven hours partying with them and the time seemed to fly by with
the attendant laughter that is endemic to our mafia gatherings. That’s probably
why those high school graduates seemed to have grown up so fast. 
Grad #2 with my Wife
Wife and I at Fire Table
Now,
as to that latest weigh in. I’ve reached the 25-pound weight loss goal I
established following my post-surgery weight gain! Returning to the pool on
Friday had to help but it was every bit as painful as I anticipated, mostly in
the arms. I also discovered that my blood, thinned in the tropics, wasn’t
prepared for the pool temperature which took my breath away when I jumped in; something
I’ll have to get used to again. I didn’t want to ruin that success by indulging
yesterday in the wide spread delicacies on display. I sat next to a table with
a cut opened chocolate cake which I spent the entire time inhaling but never ate.
That was tough. I’m now at the weight I was when I left for Panama but a couple
more off the belt wouldn’t hurt since that was following Christmas and all the
cookies that entailed. 
Very Fun Evening
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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 3rd 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; Seis Amigos
- two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger
sister; Wingman
– my son in law; Wingmom –
Wingman’s mom, of course
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