It is Upon Us!

First of all, a very merry Christmas to all my far flung family and friends. I wish we could have gotten together this year but 2020 had other plans. We’re going to be able to enjoy at least a semblance of our usual raucous Christmas because of the presence of my daughter, Wingman, and of course, the FBR. My thoughts keep sneaking back however to the people who will be missing the day with us - my son’s family, Great Aunt, Soxfather, Namesake Nephew, and of course Keene Friend (even though he is habitually very late). Again, a very Merry Christmas – I hope you are as blessed as I have been with family and friends. 2021 will rock!

Gingerbread House Engineers

We were back on the sliding hill yesterday as the snow continues to melt. The FBR has become a true expert on the hill and revels in the wind in her hair. I took a video (below) of one of her epic spin runs where she crashes and burns at the end – she got up laughing at the chaos. Both Wingman and I took runs down the hill with her and cannot for the life of us understand how her butt is not incredibly sore. Oh, to be young again.

It is a Process

Finished House Complete with Stored Sugar Cache 

Yesterday also saw the creation of a gingerbread house by the FBR and her abuela. It was fun watching these two very strong personalities operating together. Shortly after the house was completed my Favorite Panamanian was asking what happened to her jars of colored sugars. She couldn’t remember where she had stored them. I told her the last time I had seen them was when she was using them to brace the inner walls of the gingerbread house. A lightbulb flashed over her head as she realized he had entombed the jars inside the house. Luckily the freeing process has begun with the FBR making serious inroads into the superstructure today. Her grandfather may be helping in the effort.

Down the Hill with Wingman

Last night I made another gift swapping road trip. Earlier in the week I’d gone up to New Hampshire to gather my son’s family’s presents for his sister’s family. Last night my wife and the FBR joined me in a trip down to Rhode Island for a similar mission to Great Aunt and Soxfather’s house. We had a late start as the final gift for them was late in arriving and quickly wrapped so we could head out. We arrived to find Great Aunt similarly engaged in wrapping a present that had just been delivered to their door. Ahh, 2020 – the gift that keeps on giving. I was ten minutes out on the return trip when I received a call from Great Aunt telling me I had brought down and left presents both for myself and, more importantly, the BRS so we turned around and righted that wrong. We were entertained throughout the trip as the FBR sang along with a program on her iPad.

Out Delivering Christmas Cookies Today

I had my first appointment with the physical therapist today as part of my recovery from prostate surgery. She was a revelation. She’ll be working on pelvic muscle strengthening and said I was ahead of most people she’s seen at this stage. She spent more time talking about my bad right knee and said this contributed to hip problems that were likely not helping in my recovery. I’ll be working with her twice a week over the next month and as I said I was totally impressed. Every other time I’d been to see a physical therapist was after knee surgery and the sessions were always torture. This really lifted my spirits in the recovery effort.

Grandpa Getting Schooled today

The FBR has been literally begging her dad to let her show me how to play video games since I confessed I am hopeless in that area, never having indulged. Wingman got a PlayStation Five and the FBR has quickly shown promise there. She was very concerned and wanted to be a proper teacher as she walked me through a session this afternoon. I am still hopeless but much richer from the experience shared with my granddaughter. I’ll cut off now so I can go spend some more time with her and the rest of the family. Again, I hope you have the very merriest of Christmases.

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

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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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