Blooming

My Favorite Panamanian is just about finished (I fervently hope) with her annual rite of spring. This involves transforming her vast garden complex from the barren wasteland of winter into something straight out of Good Housekeeping (for those of you who remember what magazines used to be). She’s blessed with the proverbial green thumb and despite my grumbling about the serial shopping trips to acquire annuals, the results speak for themselves. I’m even more amazed because I know if I had attempted something similar I would fail spectacularly. Therefore, based on my many years of witnessing this, I simply follow orders and provide the brute force and ignorance that is sometimes required. I also chase off the rabbits, who admire, for much different reasons, my wife’s gardens almost as much as me.

ABFA, BR3 and the BRS at the Beach This past Weekend

This year has been a weather challenge. I don’t remember a time when I had to turn on the heat this late in the year followed less than a week later by the requirement to turn on the air conditioning. New England showing its vicissitudes again. (my high school English teacher would be so proud of me for using that word correctly and I can’t believe I spelled it correctly the first time out, now if I can only learn to spell “the” without typos). My Favorite Panamanian, in addition to her gardening acumen has turned out to be a bit bloodthirsty. She was fascinated with my new BB pistol which shoots plastic BBs to scare off the squirrels. I gave her one lesson and she’s turned into a fanatic. She’s also a very good shot which gives me pause about ever truly messing with her.

In truly tragic news I’ve learned today that the Worcester North movie theaters, three minutes from my front door, are closing for good. This was one of the key selling points for my love of this neighborhood and I’ll now have to travel as much as fifteen minutes to reach a first run movie theater. Life can be so tough at times. 😊 I may have to put the house on the market. At least the vast garden complex will be a selling point.

We watched Land, last night which is a very good movie. Robin Wright plays a seriously depressed women who decides to live a solitary life in the Wyoming mountains despite having no experience or talent for the rough life. She is assisted in surviving her first winter by another damaged soul and gradually finds redemption. This movie would have been unbearable with a less talented actress. She also directs the movie with some stunningly beautiful shots of the wilderness. There is a definite arc for her character to follow and she doesn’t make it easy on herself. You don’t learn the basis of her personal tragedy until the end and there is a very poignant moment with her benefactor that is worth staying with her through this journey. A very good film.

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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; 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