The Pipes, The Pipes

Since we’re rushing pell-mell towards Christmas and our almost immediate subsequent deployment to Panama, it’s been tough to find time to write. You are most welcome for the reprieve from my fractured prose. Vacation’s over though. My Favorite Panamanian has directed prep activities including taking lead in decorating the Christmas tree and other inside venues. I was sent outside for what was needed there. Note to self – damn cold out there, more than ready to head south (such a wimp now with tropicalized blood).

Wife Using Son for Warmth at Parade

A fabulous addition to our Christmas traditions was our weekend trip back to New Hampshire to see the Portsmouth Christmas parade with my son and his family. We went a long time ago, before granddaughters, and it has certainly grown in the interim. See comment above about cold weather. My Favorite Panamanian brought the mink coat out of storage because it is the only garment she feels is up to the challenge of keeping her warm in frigid conditions. In a welcome change from the ordinary, our drive up I-495 was blissfully easy, even that benighted section around Lawrence.

The Rotating Pooh Costume

ABFA Inspecting Sofa Cushion Castle

BRS and BR3 with Mrs. Claus

The granddaughters were in high form upon our arrival, just having returned from a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus with the attendant candy intake. They were switching off wearing a Winnie the Pooh costume all weekend, for unexplained reasons. The ABFA’s more than excellent parents were on hand to share the parade experience. Which it certainly was. My son led the convoy into Portsmouth where we parked in a residential area and walked a half mile to the parade route. Anyone who has spent time in Portsmouth knows how much fun it is to find parking in the center of town.

On the Parade Route

Good Crowd

Moon Rise

There was a steady stream of people making their way to the center, all with obvious Christmas spirit (yes, it is a thing). We set up under an arch on the street the parade would pass down. The BRS and BR3 wiggled to the front while I carved a hole in the ice for my wife to stand in. Once again, everyone seemed to be in a great mood as we waited for the parade. A huge moon was rising over the freshly lighted town Christmas tree up the road from us. It was truly kind of magical, but we all know I’m a sucker for Christmas. The ABFA’s dad and I along with my son had a great time watching the parade pass by from the rear of the crowd, mostly for the reactions of the granddaughters who gleaned a lot more candy from passing parade elements. A lot of the parade consisted of decorated jeeps with my son joking there is probably a shortage of available jeeps in New Hampshire based on what we saw.

Then Came the Bagpipers!

The ABFA was in her usual hero mode keeping on eye of the kids, insuring they stayed far enough back from the constant stream of jeeps. We also saw no less than five Miss New Hampshires. I asked my son about this and we concluded that the word “contestant” was probably in small print, invisible from our distance. The highlight for me, of course, was the police bagpipe band. They were great and were playing one of my favorite songs, The Minstrel Boy. I hasten to add, as I did in my Facebook post, that the true highlight was being there with the family, but that band was up there.

It was a great experience, and it was easy to get caught up in the spirit of the crowd. My wife survived her prolonged exposure to cold weather although she alleged it was a near thing. After the obligatory hojaldra breakfast on Sunday, the granddaughters and ABFA attended church with us. They were really well behaved until the ending announcement that donuts would not be served this week. That brought a couple granddaughter gasps. Both the ABFA and we bought donuts on the drive home. My Favorite Panamanian and I headed home after that since she declared we had a bunch of Christmas prep to accomplish. I didn’t realize that it meant about an hour’s worth of shopping before we left the tax free haven of New Hampshire.

Meanwhile Wingman is Dominating on his Latest
Reunion Tour, Now on the West Coast

Outside the House

Living Room

We finally finished off the inside decorating late last night. I say “we” with a serious qualification since my role was reserved to carrying bins up and down stairs. In my defense it was football Sunday which offered a great excuse since most of the afternoon had been spent shepherding her to shopping, a late lunch, and grocery shopping with her (always 2 to 3 times longer than when I’m alone). The results speak for themselves. The inside/outside door hanging for the front door is gorgeous. She created this herself with ribbons and assorted other craft supplies she found in our Christmas bins. She’s a true artist as I’ve learned to cringe whenever she floats through Pinterest as a new project is the likely result. I cringe because she always asks my opinion which I am wholly unable to provide since I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, I’m truly impressed with what she’s accomplished. You know the old saying, Opposites Attract.

Front Door Hanging

Inside Front Door

Deckzilla Door

Seven movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Uncharted – don’t know the game it was based on but two credible action stars doing their thing; Uncle Buck – Candy was a national treasure, so good in this John Hughes classic; Under Siege – best Seagal movie, know that’s not a high standard to meet, but best cake opening in cinema history; Under the Skin – fantastic and scary sci fi with Scarlett cutting a swath through the Scottish Highlands, fabulous cinematography; Underworld – you had me at vampires versus werewolves, but add Becks in spandex, Yikes!; Underworld Evolution – they’re still at it and Becks gets out of her spandex for a while and battles both sides of vamp/wolf war; Underworld Rise of the Lycans – no Becks nor spandex since it’s in the middle ages, Rhona Mitra does her chain mail proud though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

ID-a-Palooza

December already (and how is that even remotely possible) which has roared in, announcing its arrival with a vengeance. It’s been a while since we had a serious snowstorm in December. They’ve waited for us to head south for the past few years before delivering a serious punch. Strangely, I kind of enjoyed the whole thing (much easier when you’re retired and can hole up for the duration). We received between six to seven inches of snow followed by freezing rain, always a delightful concoction. My Favorite Panamanian kept waiting for me to head out with the snow blower but I assured her that decision fell within my bailiwick (one of the few). I made the mistake of believing the weathermen who said the rain would turn back into snow once it got dark. I kept waiting for that to happen and finally gave up. I knew if I cleared the snow with freezing rain falling, it would coat the driveway and turn it into a skating rink.

Back Yard After the Storm

It's always so much fun running a snow blower in freezing rain (well not so much). However, because I’ve had so few opportunities over the past years, I did sneakily enjoy it. I even went uphill to clear out our next door neighbor’s driveway. The snow blower was awesome, throwing the heavy slush with ease. I say I enjoy this because I spent so many years of my youth shoveling it that it feels like some sort of moral victory. The wife was horrified when I came back in coated in ice but I felt I had, at least temporarily, re-earned my New Englander credentials. The rain reduced the snow cover to about three inches and it finally did turn back over to snow late at night, so, I awoke to a coating on the driveway to clear away.

New Nativity Scene

The Three Trees

Earlier in the day I had the distinct pleasure of fielding my Favorite Panamanian’s latest vision for the front yard Christmas decorations. Fortunately, she no longer requires that I climb trees, which is a welcome development. She had me install three fake white trees as well as the new and obligatory nativity scene (she’s so Catholic). The nativity scene came from China and had one of those rudimentary assembly instructions; basically a blow up of the thing with arrows and numbers (is it racist to call it a Chinese puzzle?). I eventually figured it out and was extremely surprised when it came through the storm without collapsing or being blown over (Divine intervention?).

Handled the Storm

Now, as to that title for this post. My Favorite Panamanian spends a lot of time on the phone, we all know that. She’s usually conversing with Latina friends around the country. As one can imagine in these times, there’s a serious amount of fear in that community about ICE agents. Since there isn’t any situation my wife is not prepared to overreact to, this led to her decision that she needed both a RealID and a passport card (she already has a passport). I tried to assure her, with her military ID, there wasn’t a problem, but she was already in a high hover at this point. Pretty sad comment on our times when an American citizen who dedicated more than twenty years of her life as a fantastic US Army wife is afraid for her freedom. I was volunteered to help her with this effort which included coordinating with the Neighborhood Mafioso who was also energized in this arena.  She got her RealID earlier today and is out with the Mafioso for the passport card. It’s kind of fitting that earlier today I received an email from DOD saying her military ID card will expire while we’re in Panama, so I had to set up an appointment in a couple weeks to get that redone.

Oh Yeah, We Also Got our Tree
Wife Says no Pictures of it until She's Finished Decorating.

You’ll notice a lot of movies have fallen in the A-Z watch. I blame the snowstorm and the continuing cold weather. All the trees still bear their crystal ice coating, two days after the storm. I’ve made significant progress and can sniff the finish line as I’m now into the “U”s. I’m about to finish the main library cabinet with only a few shelves left in the auxiliary shelves (I have way too many movies). I don’t think I’ll finish before our Panamanian deployment but, again, I can sniff it.

Ice Still Coating Everything

Ten movies fell in the A-Z watch, seven keepers: Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning(new addition to library) – epic farewell to Ethan and his buddies saving the world once again; True Romance – one of my favorite movies of all time, love the two main characters, they are so cool; The Truman Show – another great movie skewering reality tv and celebrity worship; Tunnel Vision – thought this 1970s movie was funny at one time, nope, eject; Twins – gotta love the concept of Ahnuld and Danny as twins; Twister – forgot how good this was, keeps you on the edge of your seat; Two Weeks Notice – Bullock and Grant are perfect in this rom-com, love it; The Ugly Truth – what was I thinking, buying this, terrible movie, even with Leonidas carving up scenes, eject; Ultraviolet – once thought this was cool but the CGI is so bad and a muddled action plot, eject; A Working Man (new addition to library) – Statham remains the best at frenzied action.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Well Ended as Well

Once again, I worried a holiday had been anticipated so ardently that there was no way it could live up to its billing. Once again, because of the people I associate with, I should not have been worried. This was the calmest Thanksgiving Day I’ve had in decades. The lifelong tradition of attending the gathering of my cousins from my Father’s Family has passed into history, a victim of too many competing generations, and, to be perfectly honest, the aging cousin base. It has been replaced with a small family gathering at our house which has the added benefit of no driving, the bane of all prior turkey days (yes Connecticut – looking at you). My daughter paid that price with her late Wednesday night arrival.

The Fam at Saturday Lunch at Red Robin

Her two cats, Pistachio and Walnut, became the stars of the weekend as they serially charmed everyone they came into contact with. We had a quiet day in the house, except whenever the cats decided to entertain, which was constant. Walnut decided he liked the smell of turkey and tried in earnest to assist me with the carving. My Favorite Panamanian was on perpetual cat watch as both felines do not share their predecessor’s lack of ability/inclination to counter climb. The best part of the day was watching three consecutive football games with my daughter in the Man Cave. With the cats, there is appreciably less requirement to monitor the FBR who spends every possible moment with them.

Walnut Offering Assistance

Walnut and Pistachio

Rare Quiet Moment

Wife and I with Thanksgiving Dinner

Daughter and FBR

Friday brought the big event of the holiday weekend, the annual day after Thanksgiving dinner/party at Great Aunt’s house. My son’s family and Keene Friend joined the crowd as we gathered in Rhode Island for the party that’s been going on for more than thirty years (no cousin generational issues here). This was also the first Thanksgiving for Namesake’s Nephew’s daughter, who has reintroduced joy into Great Aunt’s life. Last year, a large amount of the conversation addressed her imminent February arrival. She didn’t disappoint with her debut, bringing light wherever she was.

Fabulous Hostess with Death by Chocolate Cake

The Gang

Great Aunt Introducing the Newest Cousin

FBR is an Immediate Fan

Took a While but Predictably my Wife Ended up with the Baby

My three granddaughters immediately drafted Namesake Nephew’s other two kids into their gang. Remy, Great Aunt’s dog, was the immediate beneficiary. The gang groomed him numerous times and he was the object of attention for the entire day. Great Aunt had prepared the usual fabulous dinner and was impervious to several attempts to play our usual practical jokes on her. I blame her granddaughter for her blissful attitude towards our hijinks. Our previous years efforts has resulted in a hyper-prepared Great Aunt. Whenever I asked for an implement, she haughtily produced whatever was asked for. I was impressed, although I successfully prevented myself from demonstrating that to her (I still must fulfill my role as the obnoxious younger brother).

Great Aunt with her Turkey

Second Thanksgiving

The Gang with the FBR Reading

Remy Enjoying the Belly Rubs

BR3 With Crowd Control

The dinner table effortlessly transitioned into the evening party zone with the arrival of Soxfather’s beloved family. I captured the guerrilla style photos of Soxfather’s sister which is also a well-respected Thanksgiving tradition. As I engaged with Soxfather’s family around the table, I couldn’t help but remember all the great Thanksgiving holidays spent at that same table with Soxfather. I think he was there in spirit with us as the laughter was almost non-stop. Our redeployment plan called for two waves. The granddaughters departed first (prisoners of mythical bedtimes which they blissfully ignore whenever together). They were accompanied by their moms and my Favorite Panamanian.

Obligatory Soxfather Sister Photos

Since Keene Friend is now a teetotaler, he was volunteered to be the designated driver for the second wave consisting of my son, I, and him. We were settling in for an extended night of the aforementioned laughter with additional Soxfather family arrivals when I received a panicked call from my Favorite Panamanian. They had arrived back in Worcester with the young ones and the garage door opening code was not working. This meant they were stranded outside and required that the second wave leave immediately, since we had a garage door opener. If I had consumed less Coors Lite, I might have remembered that I had purposely left the back door to the garage unlocked.

The Gang Helping Great Aunt Create her 7 Layer Dip

Great Aunt with Namesake Nephew and his Wife

Post Dinner Football with Daughter, Son and ABFA

We had just got into the car to leave when my resourceful daughter, with a better memory than I, called to report she had remembered me doing that and discovered the unlocked door. We were debating about re-entering Great Aunt’s party when we observed a sizable portion of Soxfather’s family departing. While driving back I became convinced (obsessed) that the whole garage door code failure was simply a ploy by a certain Panamanian to get us to leave early. This theory was dashed upon arrival when the code didn’t work for us either. We were warmly greeted by the cats who had been cooped up in a room all day while we partied in Rhode Island.

BRS and Pistachio

Son and Walnut Bonding

With all three granddaughters now in residence, an early morning was guaranteed with hojaldras, cinnamon rolls, and corn muffins in high demand. My son and Walnut bonded in no uncertain terms. We followed through with what has become yet another Thanksgiving tradition by loading up the cars and taking the granddaughters to the movie for a forgettable animated movie. It was fun watching them enjoy the cinema atmosphere. We followed this with a walk up to the Red Robin (also part of the tradition) where we linked up with my Favorite Panamanian, who had chosen to shop instead of the movie (go figure).

Movie Time

We spent the rest of Saturday back at the homestead where Pistachio and Walnut cemented their status as superstars. If I’m a betting man (and I’m not) I would say there is feline addition to my son’s family in the future. I’m sure that will wait while Riggins is around as that poor guy doesn’t deserve yet another indignity. My son’s family departed late on Friday which meant another night in the Man Cave for my daughter and I, comparing movie notes (something I cherish). So, there you have it. A relatively quiet Thanksgiving weekend, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a very cool family, which includes Keene Friend as well

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Troy – excellent version of the Iliad with Pitt oozing charisma as Achilles; True Grit (1969) – holds up well with Duke abandoning his usual screen personae; True Grit (2010) – Hailey Steinfeld’s coming out party, Bridges awesome as Rooster.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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