Piercing Sister Time

Okay. Just back from the follow up appointment for the Mohs surgery. Finally got the ear bandage removed which had been itching like crazy. The doc was very happy with how everything looks, including the skin graft. Best news, I can start taking full showers tomorrow without the plastic cap and physical gyrations of the past week. It wouldn’t be a visit to the dermatologist if there wasn’t some pain involved. The doc had the nurse clean out all the scabs, which was definitely not fun. On the upside she also got all the gunk that had been sloshing around inside the sealed ear for the last week. I know. Gross! I still can’t exercise until this weekend but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, no more bandage on top of the head after today. That is definitely worth a whoo hoo!

With Great Aunt and Younger Sister Saturday

My family once again rallied to improve morale issues this past weekend with Great Aunt hosting a McShawn’s Night to welcome my Favorite Panamanian and I home. There was an added benefit as I convinced my younger sister to attend with us. We drove over to Framingham to pick her up and then wended our way down to Rhode island. I was a little mystified as to why there was so much traffic on I-495 since the Outlet Mall was closed (thank God) and the Patriots were off season (again, thank God). I learned the next day that Lionel Messi and his soccer team were in town playing against the New England team in Foxboro.

Namesake Nephew Fam & Another Soxfather Niece

Wife with Great Friends

The gathering at Great Aunt’s house was everything I’ve come to expect. It is truly medicinal to spend time with my sisters and Soxfather’s incomparable family. Namesake Nephew was there with his new family and it was another iron clad signal that I am truly home. Soxfather’s sister continued her seemingly endless calumny against my photo taking abilities which, of course, resulted in the below photo. When will she learn? I’ve come to believe she only does this to insure I include a picture of her in the blog. I’ll continue to play along as her ego must need this affirmation. Who am I to deny her this?

Soxfather's Very Photogenic Sister

As usual, Great Aunt had way, way too much food. This included one of those damnable (but hellishly delicious) donut cakes. See note above about lack of exercising. At least this will give me a target rich environment when I do begin exercising again. I had to limit beer consumption since I was the designated driver but nothing could quell the superb comradery that infects these gatherings. Just great people. Once again, proof positive that I am blessed. It was also a great day for Boston sports team with the Red Sox winning in epic fashion while both the Bruins and Celtics won playoff games. Well, alright!

A Very Good Day

Now to that cryptic word in the title about piercing. It was a landmark day down in New Jersey over the weekend. The FBR got her ears pierced for the first time. She was very excited about this and my daughter says she was very brave about the whole process of holes being drilled in her ears. I told her I understood about ear pain but she wasn’t impressed, even with my bandages (she is 8 now, I guess I’ll have to resign myself to being less cool in her eyes). She was impressed, however, in how cool she looked and I had to agree. My God she’s growing up so fast. The FBR also had her first baseball game of the year. Her team lost 1-0 but she was selected to play first base as one of the few people on her team who could both catch and throw the ball with ability. All those back yard throws with Wingman paid dividends. Great Aunt, upon hearing this, remarked that Soxfather had been impressed with the FBR’s throwing motion at an early age. I’m sure he was looking over her shoulder as she took the field on Saturday.

The Deed is Done

Very Happy with Results

Play Ball!!

Finally, I just finished a book Keene Friend gave me for Christmas, Surely You Can’t be Serious, The True Story of Airplane!. Airplane! Is one of the funniest movies ever made and this book, authored by the filmmakers, is fascinating as it tells how the movie came to be. It was a great read and I found myself laughing a lot. It contains quotes from across the movie and comedy worlds where I learned what a huge impact the movie had. If you love movies (you know I do) then you had to love Airplane and I heartily recommend checking this book out. It will make you laugh.

In my A-Z watch, four fell since I last posted, all keepers, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (new addition), awesome underwater spectacle; Armageddon (upgrade) may be best action movie ever made; The Huntsman Winter’s War, much better than I remembered, dwarfs are hilarious and a troika of Theron, Blunt and Chastain, Whooah!; and I am Legend, remake of classic Omega Man, whatever else, Will Smith can carry a movie.

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

The Mark 1 Panty Cranial Bandage Stabilization System

I know. The title bears explanation and will confuse those outside my family who have been laughing at me for the past couple days. Let me explain. I’ve been struggling with keeping the top of the head bandage in place overnight. Despite my best efforts, apparently my head likes to wander at night. This leads to the bandage migrating with it and not always staying on top of the wound. Since it is anchored in the stubble of my Friar Tuck haircut, the bonding doesn’t always hold it in place. I tried, but couldn’t find an old running cap I used to wear when I was allowed to run. My Favorite Panamanian came up with a remarkable solution. She fished an old pair of her panties out of storage and emplaced them on my head to wear while I'm sleeping. It worked, although with entirely too much laughter from her.

The Thunder Run Gang

That laughter was minor compared to the reaction of Great Aunt to my new sleep system. She said I had to post a picture, mainly because I never hesitate to post pictures of others which may not capture them in their best light. After some initial resistance, I decided it would only be fair, so here is the one and only photo in existence of the Mark 1 Panty Cranial Bandage Stabilization System. My Favorite Panamanian, taking pity on my sleeping system delved into the storage area and found the missing running cap so the panty system has been retired. It was funny while it lasted, and hey, it worked. Great Aunt came up with another great line last night during the First Friday Family Facetime call. I reported I was getting an X-ray on my foot which has been bothering me for a long while. She said, you know, you’re hurting from head to toe. Painfully true, in a number of ways.

The System

Of course, as previously stated, the best medicine for pain is hanging with old friends. I admirably accomplished that. Okay, most of the admiration should be ascribed to my magnificent high school friends. I made my first 2024 thunder run back to my hometown on Thursday for the stated purpose of morale embellishment. I wasn’t sure if anyone other than Keene Friend and the Cantankerous One would attend since it was a middle of the week thing (although technically qualifying as Weekend Eve). As is always the case with this bunch, they over achieved. My Kindergarten Friend, the Connecticut River Boat Captain, Keene Friend 2, and another classmate and her husband all showed up at Penuche’s to spend the afternoon catching up and comparing winters. I think I won that contest, although Cantankerous wandered the French Alps for a bit (I’ll still take the beach).

As required when we gather, there was a semi-conscious phone call to the PCR. He was his usual gruff self (I think it’s mostly because he wishes he was sitting next to us), so we called upon his wife to lighten up the mood. We tried unsuccessfully to get his commitment to join us in November for the pub crawl, hope will continue to spring. They were excited about the upcoming nuptials for their youngest son which had the Keene Friend and I planning a road trip to Cleveland. I also made a call, I think, to my daughter where Keene Friend volunteered to help Wingman with an upcoming work project. At a certain point, inexplicably, things got a little foggy (at least the head stopped hurting for a while). My Favorite Panamanian was doing her usual Thunder Run activity, shopping. She spent a lot of time at Home Depot planning a remodel of our first-floor bathroom. That’s going to be interesting. As the sun set, the Penuche’s survivors return to Keene Friend’s house to await her return. She didn’t bother to check her texts and showed up at Penuche’s, which had been overrun by college kids by that point. She eventually found us. We did the usual Margarita’s dinner and then returned to Keene Friend’s house where my Favorite Panamanian received a belated birthday cake form our host. Pre-warned, I had secretly smuggled Bonecrusher up for the occasion. A great day, spent with some truly excellent people and I forgot about the constant thrum of pain for a while. A prodigious day.

I get to Hang with Special People

In my A-Z watch, two fell since I last posted, both keepers, Anyone But You (new addition), funny rom-com, whoever said Sweeney wasn’t attractive needs their eyes checked and Hunter Killer, a simply great submarine thriller, gets better every time I watch it.

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Recovery Fun

No, it’s not fun, at least the recovery part, but I’ve been ably assisted by friends and family over the past few days. I’ve ventured out into the public despite feeling like a watered-down Elephant Man with the huge bandages I’ve been sporting since Monday. I’ve come to loath these damned things, but I understand their need, especially after peeking underneath to see the delving sites the surgeon left behind, pretty gross, especially the one on top of the skull. I’ve also been called out by my Favorite Panamanian for being a grouch. She believes it’s because my daily dose of boogie boarding has ceased with our return. I assured it was more about the constant dull pain of the two surgical sites, despite the best efforts of the modern chemistry to quell. I’ve resolved to be in a better mood and it helps that the pain is finally dampening a bit. I got a full night’s sleep last night for the first time since Sunday.

Outside Restaurant with Great Aunt Yesterday
Note the Jury Rigged Bandaging

We’ve kind of reversed roles in the house. I’m under strict orders from the surgeon to attempt no physical labor, including exercise, for the next couple weeks. I made the mistake of telling my Favorite Panamanian about that edict which she is enforcing in her usual strident fashion. She, on the other hand, was personally offended last Friday when she felt gassed after only one dance and realized she had let herself get out of shape (although that’s very hard to tell). She’s thrown herself into an exercise regimen this week while I sit slothfully in the Man Cave ardently willing these incisions to heal. This afternoon I head north for my first thunder run to Keene which should help the healing process (at least mental aspects) as I get to hang with my hometown friends again. That’s something I truly missed during my tropical sojourn. We’ve been to the movie theater twice over the past two days as I try to re-acquire that routine. So much fun to hear English spoken movies again. The best day was yesterday since it involved lunch and the movie with Great Aunt who journeyed up from Rhode Island to join us and provide some medical advice on parking lot bandaging. I’ll get to my travails with these bandages later. She met us at the restaurant where we had a great time catching up with her adventures over the past few months before we hit the cinema. We’ve got a McShawn’s night scheduled for her house on Saturday night which will be additional fun.

The Mafioso Upgrades

Now to those bandages. On Monday, the surgical nurses said I had to keep the bandages on for the entire week, keeping them dry and in place. The dry part is fairly easy although it does call for some acrobatic showering. They emphasized that the ear bandage was most important since that’s where the skin graft went in and there’s a bandage actually stitched onto the ear (I know, gross!). Luckily that outer bandage has stayed in place although the ear has a tendency to itch, really strongly. The other two bandaged sites, in front of the ear and on top of the head have been problematic. The front of the ear one, where they took the skin from for the graft, fell off Tuesday night and yesterday when the AAA guy showed up to start my car (dead battery) I hadn’t realized the top of the head one had fallen off while I changing my shirt. This gave me the first aforementioned look at that site and it made me a little queasy, the surgeon really went to town up there. I’m guessing north of 30 stiches are involved, surrounded by my Friar Tuck haircut.

I made my amateur efforts to replace the bandages which did not meet my wife’s approval. We bought a bunch of bandaging material at CVS on our way to meet Great Aunt which led to her using her medical experience to try and jury-rig a replacement in the restaurant parking lot. I did get some stares when we entered the restaurant. Later, back home, the Neighborhood Mafioso heard about my wound coverage issues and hurried down the street to assist. She brought with her some industrial strength medical tape. She cleaned and effectively bandaged both troublesome sites. Both held overnight which was the acid test. I am so grateful for her assistance, a true friend. Thankfully she’s blessed with a strong stomach and years of working in a hospital herself for dealing with that scalp incision. It’s the stuff of nightmares.

FBR and Her Mom, Off to Work Together!

Today is bring your daughter to work day and the FBR accompanied my daughter to her corporate job office. She was very excited telling us about that and you can see from the picture that she was more than ready. I can’t wait to get a report tonight. We’ve also had updates from Panama thanks to our upstairs neighbors. They sent us a video showing them stepping off the repaired elevator in excited fashion. It was broken for our entire four month stay which made grocery days so much fun They also experienced yet another earthquake Tuesday night, 5.3 on the scale, so noticeable, but not as violent as the one we experienced last year and the elevator still worked afterwards!

The first movie was saw this week was Monkey Man, a big disappointment. This is getting marketed as India’s answer to John Wick. Nope. Dev Patel is always great but this just didn’t work for me. Patel plays his usual Indian, downtrodden everyman, seeking revenge against the murderers of his mother. There are some very pointed attacks on India’s political system (glad we’re not the only ones with demagogical issues). The action scenes are every bit as bloody and well done as anything Wickian but the movie grinds to a halt between these. We spend a lot of time watching Patel contemplate his navel between fights. I’m still trying to figure out what the fights in the ring were all about. Finally, any movie that criminally underuses Sharlto Copley is fatally flawed. Didn’t like this very much, even though I am probably the guy this was aimed at.

We had much better luck yesterday with The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. I’m a huge fan of Guy Ritchie films and he really delivers here. It’s loosely (very loosely) based on a real WW2 commando raid, Operation Postmaster. They really nailed the casting with Superman, Reacher, and the very hot gal from Ambulance leading. There was plenty of the understated British humor I love in Ritchie films. The action was expertly woven into the plot as the commandos have to fight both the Germans and the British high command who wants to surrender to Germany (remember, highly fictionalized). I loved this movie.

In my A-Z watch, I’ll be alternating between newly acquired movies for the library, including some upgrades for which I only had DVD versions before upgrading the 4K, and the alphabetic sequence. Two fell since I last posted, both keepers, Animal House (upgrade), holds up so well, even after all these years, and The Hunt for Red October, Connery was such a star and Alec Baldwin was a great Jack Ryan.

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Head Case

For the very first time since my return last week, I find myself yearning to be back in Panama. Why, you might ask. For the very simple reason that my dermatologist would then be thousands of miles away. Back in December I was diagnosed with two more sites, right ear and top of head, that required Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer. I believe this would be the seventh time I’ve had the procedure, so big deal. I was scheduled for two separate sessions, separated by a couple weeks. Feeling kind of froggy yesterday when I got into the surgical room, I asked if they could do both sites that day. I think it was the right decision as it shortened the recovery time from a month to two weeks.

My New Look

I’d sailed through the former procedures with hardly any pain. That was about to change. I’m guessing it was due to the location, turns out there’s a lot of nerve endings on the top of the head, who knew? I’m usually pretty good with pain but yesterday provided an acid test. Part of the procedure involves using a cauterizing iron to stop bleeding. Every time they went to use it for the site on my scalp, I could feel it and it kept getting worse. A nurse finally noticed my winces and asked me in a surprising tone if I was feeling anything. That led to more numbing medication shots which also kind of hurt. I had the same doctor as I had for the last four iterations so I had a lot of confidence in him. He was assisted by a resident in training who was also very good. It was interesting because I got to listen as they discussed what was happening. Usually, I’m just laying there while the skin gets pulled, prodded, cut and stitched. Mohs surgery involves cutting out, mapping the cancer detected, and then checking the fringe of the cut to see if they got it all. For the last three times I was lucky enough to get everything on the first cut. That changed yesterday. The ear required two cuts and the scalp (the one that really hurt) took four cuts. This thing had been growing for a while apparently. Yikes! The whole thing took about four hours as there is a lot of waiting as the latest extraction is tested.

Earlier in the Day During one of the Waiting Periods, Yecch!

The stitching up at the end was the “funfest” part of the day. They had to do a skin graft on the one inside the ear, taking skin form in front of the ear. While I couldn’t see anything, it led to some very interesting sound effects. Before they closed everything up the nurse asked if I wanted to see pictures of the excavations they had created. I made the mistake in prior sessions of saying yes to that question. Some things are best left unseen, it cuts down on subsequent nightmares. Then we got to the pesky top of the head site. That was a very big hole and the surgeon warned me I would feel a lot of pulling (I guess this qualifies as an unofficial facelift). Those damnable nerve ends came into play again which led to additional numbing shots. Fun. The nurse asked me if I had ever been a redhead. She responded to my confused look by saying red heads tend to metabolize the numbing medication faster. I guess I’m a latent red head.  I started cursing my younger self for not wearing sun block years ago when the Army sent me to all those sunny places.

FBR and Wingman

FBR's Team

Hanging with her Best Bud

My Favorite Panamanian picked me up and marveled at the extensive bandages I sported. I have to keep them dry and in place for a week, so that’ll be fun. They had to “Friar Tuck” the top of my head, shaving a large circle around the top, to get the bandage to stick so I’ll have a very punk rock kind of look when the bandages come off (Wingman will approve). It’s not as if I’ve majored in attractive hair styles during my adult life (Thank you Army once again). I was home less than fifteen minutes when I banged the top of my head reaching for something in the Man Cave. The numbing medication had definitely worn off at that point. I just passed it of as another of my frequent accidents until my Favorite Panamanian gave me a panicked look, claiming blood was seeping from the bandage. I assured her the new injury was to the side of the surgery site; she shook her head in disbelief at my ineptitude.The final indignity was trying to fall asleep last night. I was understandably tired but I had to figure out a position for my head on the pillow that wouldn’t mess with the surgery sites. Easier said then done, especially for that cursed scalp site. Every time I though I had it set, I could feel the tug on those top of the head stiches. I eventually decamped for the guest room to continue my adjustments since I didn’t want to mess with my Favorite Panamanian’s sleep. I finally found the right arrangement around 3am. A long day. Kids, use sun block.

Bounce House Time

The Neighborhood Gang

She had a Long Day Also

I received the accompanying pictures from the FBR chronicling her weekend adventures. She’s very excited about her approaching baseball season and, as always, hanging out with her friends. She’s growing up so fast. My Favorite Panamanian and I are trying to figure out a way to schedule a trip to New Jersey in the next couple weeks. That’ll be the best possible medicine I could get for this aching head. I’ve restarted my A-Z watch, picking up where I left off in December. I’ve also acquired a stack of new movies (Amazon gift cards don’tcha know) that’ll be inserted into the lineup as well. Two fell yesterday, both keepers. The Heiress, a classic gifted by my daughter, amazing movie, Olivia de Havilland, playing against type as a spinster; and The Hunt, about as different a movie as could be but still so sneakily funny, Betty Gilpin stars as one of my favorite movie characters of all time.

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Returns Weekend

I’m still adjusting to having to wear long pants, shoes, and socks again. It’s a process. I finally finished unpacking early Saturday morning. For my Favorite Panamanian, well, it’s yet another process. We’re hoping by early this week her unpacking will finish. Family and friends have made our return to the States everything we could have hoped for. On our way to the grocery store on Friday we stopped off at the Neighborhood Mafioso’s house to report our return. She wasn’t home but her husband promised to pass our news on. We were on our third aisle in the supermarket when she called and a couple moments later, we were invited to join them and another couple friends for a night of dancing at the Auburn Legion Post.

Fun Friday Night Group

With my Dance Partner

I was a little concerned the injured foot would limit my mobility when it came to dancing. My Favorite Panamanian opined that it would keep me from bouncing around too much which she has tried to curb opposite me on dance floors for nearly a half century. It was too much fun hanging with these good friends again. It certainly softened the blow of leaving the great friends we have in Panama behind. That recovery was further embellished Saturday when we drove up to New Hampshire to link up with my son and his family. Getting there was a little educational as I found myself driving in an environment where most traffic laws are respected (I haven’t been to Rhode Island yet). This is in direct contrast to where I’ve been driving for the last four months. In Panama, it is survival of the fittest where every stop sign is treated as a pick-up game of chicken to see who will actually slow down, God forbid actually stop. 

Obligatory Gifts from Abuela Upon Arrival

BR3 Demonstrating Gymnastics Progress

Having the BRS and BR3 charging across the driveway to deliver granddaughter hugs completed the feeling of being home again. I just wished the FBR and her parental units weren’t so far away. I made a rookie tactical error with mother day gifting. My Favorite Panamanian is a recognized master of the shopping art and there we were, in her tax-free shopping heaven. My error, telling her to go shopping and pick out whatever she wanted for Mother’s Day gifts. The ABFA and BRS accompanied her. My son and I were left at home to frolic (okay, that was mostly BR3) in the backyard, prepping for an evening bonfire. I received a call from my Favorite Panamanian where she apologized for the damage she was doing. She revealed that, much like her cousin the FBR, the BRS had inherited her abuela’s shopping genes and was a huge help in the acquisition phase. When my wife told me how much she was spending, my son overheard and was laughing his head off at my predicament. His laughter came to a screeching halt when he received a text from the ABFA who had overheard my wife’s end of the conversation and admitted she was outdoing her mother-in-law.

Neighbor's Flowering Trees Begged for Photos

They returned for an excellent steak dinner followed by the aforementioned back yard fire. The BRS inherited something from me as well, she is the family fire bug as she got my pyromaniacal genes. She assumed control of the s’more’s construction, ably assisted by her fellow chocaholic, the ABFA. The sun was still up as we circled the fire, trying (unsuccessfully) to stay away from the smoke emitted. The granddaughters headed up to bed while my son and I descended into his massive home theater to watch the Bruins playoff game while my wife and the ABFA set up to watch a concert movie by Travis Kelce’s girlfriend. I think we won that tradeoff.

S'More's Boss

BR3 Ready

Son and his Fam

BR3 Giving her Abuela Pointers

Those Trees Again

Mother, Son, Daughter

ABFA and BRS

This morning’s wakeup featured the requisite hojaldras where the BRS once again asserted her dominance as the family hojaldra queen. Somehow, and I still trying to figure out how she did it, my Favorite Panamanian convinced everyone to join her for Sunday mass. The ladies looked thoroughly fetching in their Sunday garb. BR3 came up to me to show me her dress and told me, “I know. I look very cute in this.” The granddaughters handled the service with aplomb and we decided to celebrate with lunch at the nearby 110 Grill.  My son had declared the ladies were restricted to one rest room visit. This was needed as the last time we were there, the ABFA spent more time escorting them to the lady’s room than at the table. The BRS took on the role of advocate protesting her dad’s ruling to no avail. They both snuck in an extra visit, the ABFA is a softy. It was a very fun weekend with this bunch and, once again, cementing the feelings of being home.

Ladies in Front of the ABFA's Daffodils

Riggins Keeping on Eye on his Charges

Sunday Lunch

BR3 Celebrating Bike Day at School on Friday

With her Mom

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course