Chipmunk Wall Down

One of the toughest things about this enforced isolation has been the lack of outdoor projects to keep me busy. It’s too early for lawn work and too cold/wet for most of anything else. The FBR’s good friends, the back yard chipmunks, took care of that for me. I noticed the lowest of the three terrace walls I built in the back yard three years ago was leaning badly in one section. Since the rain stopped for a few hours I disassembled the wall to find out what happened.

FBR Got Outside to Exercise

It turns out the industrious rodents had tunneled all along that section of the wall taking away the supporting earth. I wasn’t even upset because, again, I was looking for something to do outside of the Man Cave. After removing the bricks I shoveled in some additional dirt and packed it down as I rebuilt the wall. It actually went much faster than I thought and in the end looked a lot better.

The Comprised Part of the Wall

Had to take This Many Bricks Out

The Chipmunk Tunnels Exposed

Repair Complete

I was looking to get out of the Man Cave for a spell because I may have, against all odds, reached a saturation level with movie watching. Who even thought that was possible! I finished my watch of the all eleven Star Wars movies in order. Now that I’ve taken some time to think about it this is where I think all of them fall (best to worst). I still think Ewoks were a major mistake and the Anikin/Padme relationship might be the worst romance in cinematic history.

1 - The Force Awakens (Ep 7)

2 - The Rise of Skywalker (Ep 9)

3 - Rogue One

4 - The Empire Strikes Back (Ep 5)

5 - Solo

6 - A New Hope (Ep 4)

7 - The Last Jedi (Ep 8)

8 - Return of the Jedi (Ep 6)

9 - Revenge of the Sith(Ep 3)

10 - The Phantom Menace (Ep 1)

11 - Attack of the Clones (Ep 2)

FBR on a Lonely Beach This Morning

In other major developments at home my wife ended her two week isolation following her return from Panama and I got to hug her for the first time since she returned. That has made the stay at home orders a lot more palatable. We’ve really come to depend on our children and granddaughters via our nightly FaceTime calls. The parents in those two homes have a much tougher job than we do handling two very precocious young ladies. The BRS was out yesterday and confounding her parents by trying to run full speed down a small hill, apparently unconcerned about the occasional face plant. The FBR and Wingman escaped the house today for a trip to a nearby, deserted beach. This after the FBR’s favorite rock throwing creek was unavailable when the park it is within closed.

My Favorite Panamanian and I Can Get Close Again

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn