2020 continues to bestow its largesse on everyone and it seems to have
taken a special interest in me this week. I’ve been away from Frail Deeds for a
couple days as I dealt with those attentions. I normally write the blog posts
at home and then post them at my desk around noon time during the lunch hour. I
haven’t had time to do any of that over the past few days. I know my problems
are microscopic compared to those more seriously affected by the pandemic, not
to mention police brutality. At least there is some light at the ends of the
tunnel. The brightest light being a trip up to New Hampshire tomorrow to meet
BR3 for the very first time!
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| BRS Gets Some Abuela Time Over the Next Two Weeks |
My Favorite Panamanian is going up there to assist my son and the ABFA
over the next two weeks. Since I’m the transportation coordinator for the house
I appointed myself as her driver. I’ll have to be distanced and wearing a mask
but I will get to see granddaughter #3 in the flesh for the first time, color
me extremely excited. I spent part of
the week meeting various contractors who wanted to bid on the new driveway the
house really needs. They had me charging around after work as I started on yet another
garden retaining wall (I know – crazy).
The biggest curveball thrown my way occurred yesterday though. Wednesday
night I noticed the refrigerator was leaking water out of hate ice/water dispenser
in the door. I opened it up to find the ice was melting. I turned it off,
emptied the ice tray and cursed my luck; figuring I would eventually get it
repaired. Yesterday morning my wife called to frantically report all the food in
the freezer was thawing out. In the midst of a pandemic with two weeks’ worth
of food at risk – this was not good news.
Google came to the rescue as I did a search for appliance repair and sent
in a request to the first agency that popped up. They actually called me back
within ten minutes and had a repair guy at the house before 1pm. His news wasn’t
reassuring as the compressor is gone and it’ll be next week before the parts
can come in. He said since the compressor was still under warranty I could
arrange to have that part installed by an authorized dealer. Since I had this
guy in the house I asked some questions like, how much would the labor cost for
that course of action. It came within a couple hundred dollars of what this guy
was going to charge me and since I’d already sunk a tidy sum having him come to
the house and he was actually there I told him to arrange to come back next
week to fix it.
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| Bright, Shiny & Non-Functional |
This all begs the question as to what I’m supposed to do with the aforementioned
two weeks’ worth of food. We have a venerable old fridge sitting unplugged in
the basement. I bought it cheap in Kansas in 1995 and it made the last nine
house moves with us since then. It was last plugged in just before we moved out
of Charlton in 2015. Over the last couple years I’ve thought about the state
program where they’ll come and dispose of unwanted old fridges for free but
never got around to doing it. I crossed my fingers and told my wife to give it
shot.
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| My New Hero |
The venerable old dog started right up and the food was saved. That
turned out to be the best $200 I ever spent. You never know until you need it. Meals
will add a new exercise function as we’ll have to tramp up and down the stairs
to the fridge until the bright, shiny, broken one is fixed. On the upside the
old fridge is right outside the entrance to the Man Cave where I’ve been
spending so much pandemic time so snacks will be closer for a while.
 |
| Wingman Exploring his Roots |
The pandemic attacks in different ways. Wingman’s new nemesis is his backyard.
They are going to install a playground and a sprinkler system but Wingman has
spent the last couple weeks wrestling significant tree roots out of the ground.
I’m not saying the pandemic is responsible but it does make you go “Hmmm”. In reality
the prior owners had let the back yard go back to nature for a really long time
which resulted in number of weed tress setting up shop. Good luck Wingman.
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| You Deserved So Much Better |
I don’t usually comment on the latest social issue of the day but the death
of George Floyd is as inexplicable as it is despicable. I usually wait to hear more
about the catalyzing situation but there is no explanation for why the
policeman had to keep his knee on Floyd’s neck until he died. The image of a
white police officer kneeling on a black man’s neck will be seared into the
nation’s consciousness forever. If anyone doubts the existence of evil in the world
take a look at that image.
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| My Once and Always Hero |
Finally, because, to steal a line from John Krasinski, there is some good
news in the world, yesterday was Soxfather’s birthday. There is no better news
than having met my brother for the first time way back in 1979 as I returned
home for Christmas from Germany. He’s been a warm and decidedly welcome (I grew
up with three sisters) addition to the family ever since. He’s someone I’ve
come to rely on at some of the most important times in my life and one of the
best people I’ve ever met. Happy Birthday Soxfather – you are the verified
best.
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| Started my Trek through LOTR |
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RECURRING
CHARACTERS
BR3
– 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 3rd 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
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