Mobility Upgrade, Some Delving, and First Days

My Favorite Panamanian recovery from knee surgery continues apace. That last word was chosen specifically because I’m amazed, especially considering my own experience with the same procedure thirty years ago. She abandoned the crutches the day after surgery and is now walking pain free. Granted, she’s still not ready for a marathon and the steps are tentative but I can see the joy she feels to finally be free of the pain she had been experiencing. She owes a debt of gratitude to Great Aunt for some medical counseling. Great Aunt sent her some get well flowers earlier this week and when my wife called to thank her, she admitted to feeling some pain as the last vestiges of anesthesia wore off. Great Aunt gave her some advice on the medications she’d been prescribed and that resulted in the remarkable past couple days. My Favorite Panamanian even did a small dancing jig on the First Friday Family Facetime call last night when the FBR was amazed at how well she was walking.

Pain Free Strides

I’ve tried to be a good nurse over the past week and had to add gardener to my resume as my wife’s vast garden complex needed attention during this current dry spell. This morning, I was harvesting jalapenos. As she's had to spend a lot of time on the couch with the knee elevated I've endeavored to spend less time in the Man Cave and keep her company. After a failed attempt at two person Uno Flip I resorted to the old reliable, jigsaw puzzles. We finished one in two days. We also had a semi-amusing toilet incident. Wait, I know there’s some people out there cringing about what they’re about to read, hang in there, it is pretty funny. I conduct what the PCR refers to as a “morning constitutional” each day which involves an extended reading session while taking care of necessities. I may spend too much time doing that, if the granddaughters’ opinions during their recent time with us are any indication. Due to my advanced age, reading glasses are needed and kept right next to the commode. You might be able to connect the dots at this point.

The Finesse Tool

My Favorite Panamanian swore she thought she’d knocked the glasses off their perch earlier this week but couldn’t find them on the floor. She initially thought the family poltergeist had struck again, hiding them from her. I advanced the theory that she had accidently flushed them. This theory was validated when the toilet started backing up but still emptying. A plunger helped but didn’t fix the problem. The spectacles were apparently wedged into a strategic spot. Off to Home Depot where I discovered some really interesting tools available. I settled on one which had a retractable claw designed to fish jewelry out of drains. I gave that a shot with no success. Since finesse hadn’t worked, I fell back on old reliable, brute force and ignorance. I also bought a mini-snake which I ground into the pipe until I felt resistance and then proceeded to crank. That seemed to work and the toilet flushed normally. I felt like a hero for a few minutes and my wife, embarrassed at initiating the whole episode, felt relieved. Wait till she hears that I wrote about it here. Hero status will be immediately revoked.

Puzzle Polished Off

Someone just mentioned that it was already September which seems almost impossible but here it is. I remember September from my youth as being the end of summer and the onerous task of returning to school. Things must have changed because both of my school age granddaughters seemed genuinely excited about going back to school. The BRS started first grade last week and is a proud member of the Lion Class. According to her parents, her first week in class has been an unqualified success, despite an unfortunate after-school encounter with a yellow jacket. Said encounter took place as she was learning to ride her bike without training wheels, yet another milestone achieved despite the pain involved. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the FBR started third grade on Thursday and was effusive last night about her new teacher, whom she really likes. Time doth march on.

BRS Heading out For First Day of First Grade

And the FBR for Third Grade

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Limitless, Cooper tries a little too hard but still a very entertaining sci fi drama; Lincoln, what can’t Day-Lewis do?, only Spielberg could make congressional politicking fascinating; The Lincoln Lawyer, belove character from one of my favorite novelists superbly brought to the screen.

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course