Independence Weekend

The past few days of this holiday weekend have more than validated the decision to move into Worcester and remerge in a more urbanized environment. Everything is so convenient and there are actual options. Friday was a day off from work, at least of the employment related variety, not so much at home where the move in continues although it does approach its death throes, reluctantly and holding a grudge.

My Coup Rendering Photo

Living in Worcester allowed me the opportunity to count some coup on my operations manager in regards to First Friday. I took my wife to Brew City and then texted him a photo with our favorite waitress while querying where he was at since I was dutifully on station. My wife was also allowed to procure her first Brew City Mudslide which turned out to be a real knee bender. I’m going to talk to the girls about granting her some mercy in the future.

Buddy and I on Our Back Deck

Yesterday was spent out in the yard trimming back the lawn which had encroached onto the sidewalk since it was left untended for a few years. Buddy supervised from the front porch until the neighbors across the street (card carrying members of the Panamanian Mafia) brought over a longer leash so he could roam the entire front yard and properly supervise my efforts. He promptly went with his signature move – defecating right next to where I was working.

Buddy Supervising the Work

After the yard work and assorted tasks inside the house we teamed up with Mafioso neighbors and headed back to our old haunts west of Worcester for the annual 4^th of July party at a friend’s house. Even though I made the drive daily for nearly ten years, it seemed a lot longer this time. I’m rapidly becoming a Worcesterite if such a short drive seemed long!

Wife and I at 4th Party

Wife and Mafioso Neighbor

Neighbor and I Comparing Notes on Living with Panamanian Wives

The party was a lot of fun and there was an abundance of overhead cover which came in handy when it started to rain for the better part of two hours. The party continued unabated as we started tallying up the different nations represented. We had immigrants from Columbia, Italy, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, England, Panama (of course), and probably a couple more that I’ve forgotten, a true American Independence Day celebration.

The Friends' Table

We stopped by another house on our way home to check in with the resident joker of the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia. He was up to h is old way of joking and gross exaggerations - a lot of fun.  After returning home we found the neighborhood under steady fire from private fireworks (thank God the nanny state has outlawed those). Since our house sits on top of one of Worcester’s many hills this provided some spectacular views. The only downside was a certain black dog who went into DEFCON 5 levels of panic and observed the holiday from inside his kennel after trying to climb on top of the basement storage section.

The Sun Did Come Out and Shone on this Assembly of Latina Pulchritude

We ended the night down the street was another neighbor who’s something of a neighborhood celebrity when it comes to his annual fireworks show. He and his wife were setting off a series of fairly prodigious explosions in competition with another unknown neighbor a couple streets away. The Mafia neighbors introduced us and it was a great way to end the day. I’m just glad the neighbors across the street were away when the neighbor’s wife ignited a set of rockets that rained a direct fire barrage on the house. We were all looking around for garden hoses if it caught on fire when thankfully the rockets ran out and the house stood intact if a little shaken, dignity wise.