New Coats and Epic Win(s)

These Two Ladies Continue to Entertain

A couple days to catch up with. Some notable birthdays are going down all around me. My mother in law, currently going through a really tough time with the love of her life ailing, celebrated her birthday on Saturday. I don’t think I’m supposed to assign a number to the birthday since she ascribes to the female persuasion. I do know that she’s one of the nicest people in the world and wish/hope my father in law rallied a least a little bit for his “changita” on her special day.

Birthday Girl

Today is the birthday of no less an august personality than Keene Friend himself. He typically downplays any personal attention but I’m going to descend on him with a horde of Panamanians at some point in the next two weeks to celebrate his special day, whether he likes it or not. He’s been a friend since junior high and is more of a brother than a friend. While I was still in the Army and too far to help my aging mother, unasked, he would show up to shovel her driveway and make sure she was okay. During her last few days on earth he was visited her while I could not. He’d tell you it’s no big deal, but it certainly was for me and for her. That’s how he rolls, understated, but bone deep excellence.

Birthday Boy

The horde, consisting of my wife’s cousin of the legendary laugh and her husband were supposed to arrive tonight. When they checked into the airport this morning they found their travel agent at actually booked them on a flight for tomorrow, so, delayed gratification.

Saturday was filled with getting re-acquainted with my Favorite Panamanian as well as addressing the seemingly insatiable requirements of Deckzilla. While my wife made a bee line for the beauty shop I had to move all the furniture and plants (no small task there) off of Deckzilla. The contractor recommended we add another coat of sealant before the cold descends, which it’s starting to, thank God. Since we’re going to be fully engaged for the next few weekends, Saturday was the day. After moving everything off, I power washed the immense being despite the Worcester drought induced water ban. I don’t think I was reported.

Wingman Was in Australia for the Week

We ended the day with the Neighborhood Mafiosos for dinner at Val’s in nearby Holden. It was a perfect evening of laughs and catching up. The Panamanian ladies were hard pressed to see the bio-pic Hand of Stones after dinner. My counterpart really got under their skin by saying he didn’t want to see a movie about a Puerto Rican boxer. Once they were peeled off the ceiling and he and I stopped laughing, we made our way west to Sturbridge (passing by the old Charlton homestead enroute) where the movie was playing. At least that’s what we thought until we pulled up to a vacant theater which a water main break had forced to close. A dash back to Worcester and the theater less than two miles from our houses resulted in an action movie we all enjoyed with a distinct lack of boxing.

Now He's in Japan with a Few Close Freinds

Yesterday I faced a true conundrum. The Red Sox were playing a crucial game north of the border against the Blue Jays, it was the first Sunday with the NFL Red Zone (a personal and undying addiction), and Deckzilla needed his new coat of sealant. Luckily the Patriots were playing a night game so there wasn’t further competition injected. I was strangely detached from the NFL this year, fallout from the whole Deflate-gate fiasco, but as soon as Red Zone appeared I was hooked once again. Our Fantasy League commissioner, the Favorite Son, was decisively engaged on the home front so the Family League is out of commission this year. I think I’m going to have to step up next year, if he thinks I’m trainable.

Deckzilla with His New Coat

Deckzilla won out, of course, but with some codicils. I DVRed the Red Zone and had the Red Sox game on in the kitchen while we slathered more sealant on nearby Deckzilla. It turned out to be one of the signature wins for the Red Sox all year. I also learned that it is much more pleasant applying a coat of sealant on a cool September afternoon than a stifling August one, go figure. The work seemed to go a lot faster because of that.

Big Win

After Deckzilla started absorbing his new coat I returned to the Man Cave to wend my way through the stored afternoon of NFL football on the Red Zone. This was all preparatory for the Patriots big game out in Arizona. I fully expected the Cardinals to crush the undermanned Pats but I hoped they would give a good account of themselves. I should have remembered the mantra, “In Belichick We Trust” because he coached a masterful game letting Brady’s fill-in negotiate a fantastic game plan that milked the clock and kept the Cardinals high powered offense grounded for most of the night. It was a stirring win that kept me up way too late after a long day slinging sealant but more than worth it for the consternation I’m sure was rampant in the New York based NFL offices.

Yoga Posing Continues

Conquering her Fear of Grass

She Finally Caught Him