Peasantry

Most people, when they claim reincarnation, harken back to previous lives as someone famous, usually nobility or royalty. Napoleon and Cleopatra are the most often claimed. I’m not sure what to think about the whole concept but, if it is possible, I think I can confidently assert I was a peasant in any prior life. I base this on what happens when I get to perform physical labor, such as I did today. I enjoy getting dirty and working hard. It’s a temporal crime that the peasantry were not blessed with power washers. If they were they’d have enjoyed it as much as I did today. I launched out today trying to rehab the garage and Deckzilla from their winter accumulation of grime; hence the power washer.

One Last Easter Shot - BRS and BR3 Sporting their Ears

Deckzilla was sporting her usual post-winter seasoning of green. I think it gets into the St Patty’s Day spirit a little too much. There were wide swaths of green mold, mainly on the upper portion of the deck. That’s a situation begging for liberal use of the power washer, one of my favorite activities. The condo caretaker was using one a couple weeks ago, which must have lit the desire to get my own out there. I always feel a little guilty that I can’t go out and lend a hand with the caretaker’s daily tasks, as stated above, a latent peasant. The last part of my military career and my entire civilian career after I retired from the military did not involve much physical labor (outside of physical training). I guess I’ve missed it although I wish I didn’t have a nearly 70-year-old body to engage in this labor (moving the grill out by myself was not fun).

Deckzilla Before I got Started

The Green Slime

I washed everything within range. I think a couple squirrels were a little nervous and kept their distance (wise move). We checked in earlier this week with the Neighborhood Mafiosos who related the neighborhood hawks have been hard at work over the winter thinning the rabbit hordes along with other rodents. I found evidence of their predation on our front porch. I couldn’t resist adding that to the power washing schedule and found a furry piece of flesh there. I couldn’t say what it was part of and didn’t feel like investigating. Less rabbits is a very good thing. By the end of the day, I had Deckzilla cleaned and set up for the beginning of spring which involve my Favorite Panamanian’s liberal application of flowers.

The Mystery Flesh

Deckzilla at End of Day

Slime Gone

I’m happily falling back into the Stateside lifestyle. Chief amongst that descent is returning to the king sized bed and Leesa mattress. I have to force myself not to fall onto it every time I walk by it. I also restarted my A-Z watch. I’m into the O’s now but I also have to knock off the pile of movies I received for Christmas to add to my library. I didn’t make it to the movie theater today because of the power washing obsession but hope to fix that tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to Thursday where I’ll get to re-connect with my Keene based friends.

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Oblivion – Tom Cruise sci fi with cool twists; the new additions from Christmas: Alien Romulus – outstanding reconnect with original Alien movie; Borderlands – Cate Blanchett reveling in campy sci fi action flick; Boy Kills World – bizarre killathon, too funny inner dialogue

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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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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