Well,
I finally have a weekend without social plans, which means some much needed rest.
I’m sure my liver is more than grateful for the break. The rest of my far-flung
clan is not as sedentary. My Favorite Son and his family took a weekend trip up
into the White Mountains to patronize Storyland. This brought back a lot of
memories for me but not for my son. He didn’t remember the family trip we took
up there when we lived in Rhode Island and he was a mere lad of six. From the accompanying
photos it looks like the BRS and BR3 really enjoyed the trip, especially since
the BRS got to commune with a real live princess. Wait til she gets a load of
Disneyworld!
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| Son and BRS at Storyland |
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| ABFA with BR3 |
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| Two Princesses |
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| BRS Riding |
The
FBR was back on our air waves yesterday morning as she finally agreed to talk
with us and then wouldn’t stop. I spent over an hour on a FaceTime call with
her while my Favorite Daughter made muffins. We played at least four different games
and read three books during that time. It was the best present a granddad could
have hoped for on a quiet weekend. Their weekend however was anything but as yesterday
saw their annual bock party. I’ve written before about how fortunate they were
to land on this block in Maplewood with a slew of neighborhood traditions, the
block party being one of them.
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| FBR All Wrapped Up |
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| FBR Getting Tattooed |
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| FBR & Her Gang |
They
seal off both ends of their long street and turn it over to the residents to
enjoy a variety of social options. It had to be canceled last year because,
well, 2020; need I say more? From the accompanying photos it looks like the FBR
was on her game throughout the day. Her smile and my daughter’s comment on the
last photo says it all. Wingman wasn’t present because he had a previously scheduled
reunion tour with his band. From the size of the crowd in the attached video I
think I can state their band has not been forgotten.
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| FBR Had a Good Time |
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| Heading Home |
I
only had a couple tasks to accomplish this weekend. I had to mow the lawn which
was down with only a minor incident involving some insect that stung the hell
out of the back of my neck. My Favorite Panamanian was ready to rush me to the emergency
room since I’m seriously allergic to bees. There wasn’t any stinger left in so
I’m thinking it was one of those nasty yellow jacket a-holes. When my head didn’t
blow up I finished the lawn and went unsuccessfully looking for a yellow jacket
nest to eradicate. Now to that haunted snow blower.
I
wrote back in the winter that my trusty snow blower blew out the shift cable
during a particularly heavy snow storm. This locked it onto high speed forward
which meant I spent the rest of the winter wrestling the damned thing for
control. I knew I had to replace the cable and it looked simple enough. Those who
know just how mechanically dis-inclined I am smiled when they read that last
sentence. Anyways, I went on line this week and easily found the part. As an
aside, if you can’t find something on the internet, does it really exist? The
part arrived on Friday and I went out yesterday planning to make the repair.
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| Glad I didn't Have to Do This! |
This
is the haunted part. The snow blower appeared to be repaired already. I ran
through the gears and the cable appeared intact. This left me with two possibilities,
neither of them confidence boosting. The first option was that I had already repaired
it and then forgot (this was, of course, my Favorite Panamanian’s conclusion).
The only other option was a nighttime gremlin invading the garage and making the
repair. As I said, not confidence boosting and I was seriously doubting my
sanity. I went out for one more look and jiggled the handle again and the cable
fell out. I had wedged it into place during one of my winter repairs and it
stuck in place. I’m sure the neighbors were amused this morning to see me out on
my half driveway making the needed repair. I’m just glad there weren’t any
spirits involved and I hadn’t forgotten that I had already fixed it. I take
this as good news that I’m not senile yet!
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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; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; 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 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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