Solitarity

Yeah, I know it’s not a word, but maybe it should be. I’m into day three of a five day period of solitude as my Favorite Panamanian is spending some time with her mom back in David. I don’t begrudge her this because I know how precious time with an aging mom is. I was cheated out of the same with my mom by her untimely death just a couple years before I retired from the Army and returned to New England. So, I’m here at the condo with no car and a dwindling supply of food and beverages, but she’ll be back tomorrow.

Daily Sunset Ceremony with Upstairs Neighbors

Her absence has caused me to reflect (so sue me). I’m not cut out any more for a life of isolation. When I’m being counseled by her(which happens daily), I wish for some alone time. while time with the wife can be challenging with her, at times, orneriness; I miss the almost constant entertainment her presence can also represent. She’s always full of energy and a continuous source of opinion, much of which is rightfully aimed in my direction. She makes me a better man, or at least more honest with myself. She’s also possessed of those flashing eyes, which have lost nothing in terms of impact. I’m so married.

She’s stayed busy back in her hometown. She’s taken her mom for visits to Bocaron (home of a former member of the Worcester chapter of the Panamanian Mafia) and Boquete (where gelato will probably be involved). In the interim, she’s also met with the cell phone vendor to sort out a problem and purchased what is called a “pergola wall” to go behind the condo’s living room television. That last item is proof positive that Pinterest is a dangerous website. She also met with our handyman who will install the new wall on Thursday.

Could Not Stop Laughing When I saw this
This Happens So Often with her

Life has been a lot less stressful here at the beach. I’ve continued my assault on the expanded waistline those damnably delicious Christmas cookies produced. I haven’t washed the dishes immediately after the meal and toilet seats are in a constant state of present arms (there are some benefits to her absence). Thank God for the upstairs neighbors who are the only other residents in the condo now. He came down to watch the NFL game Sunday night. We had a full complex over the weekend including some more thongs (win!). A fairly well-crafted wooden chair washed up on shore on Sunday. This kind of thing happens a lot here, probably due to ocean currents and weird happenings on boats beyond the horizon. The upstairs neighbors claimed the chair and have plans for refurbishing it to become a conversation piece, complete with barnacles.

Chair Rescue

Sunset Ceremony Last Night

Yesterday they invited me to attend a party of American ex-pats down the beach. My immediate thought was that I didn’t want my wife to hear I was out partying while she was chaperoning her 91-year-old mom, so I turned them down. I was later roundly criticized by the Favorite Panamanian for not attending (I’ll take that because I know how she’d react if I had gone). That left me alone on the beach for the daily sunset ceremony. This meant no beer because I refuse to drink alone. That was when I felt the most alone but my wife’s dad stopped by for a visit. My wife is convinced a small bird that joins us right at sunset each day is inhabited by the spirit of either her dad or similarly deceased sister. It brought a smile to my face when he showed up.

Father in Law Stops By

My Morning Workout Location

Last Few Sunsets

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course