I had a task this week I had been dreading since our return. I had to apply a new coat of sealer and stain on my old friend, Deckzilla. Deckzilla acquired its nom de guerre because of its excessive size (due to an evil collaboration by my Favorite Panamanian and the Neighborhood Mafioso). That size means applying the stain is a monumental task. My back hasn’t been the same since I tried candlepin bowling a few weeks ago, so that made the job even more exciting (not). My wife, to assist with the back, bought a Wagner paint sprayer which would reduce the bending over using a paint brush involves.
I have a checkered history with paint
sprayers, dating back to the early 1990s. I was nervous about getting it to
work, mainly because the directions were obviously written in China by someone
with a fractured sense of the English language. In a surprise to everyone
(myself most of all), I got it to work; for all of one hour. After just one of
the three gallons needed to cover the surface, the spray head launched off the sprayer.
My Wagner curse re-emerging. Luckily, my Favorite Panamanian was out shopping
(where else), so I was left to deal with the situation. The sprayer still
dumped a bunch of stain on the deck, so I improvised by applying the stain with
the sprayer and then spreading it with a paint brush. While a significant amount
of bending over was involved, my back held up and I got all of Deckzilla covered
before my supervisor/wife returned. Her one comment was that she spotted a single
pine needle that had blown down, so I considered that a win.
Great Lunch Crowd Today
Yesterday, after Deckzilla had dried I
moved all the flowerpots and furniture back onto station. That was harder than
the painting (some of those pots are huge). My Favorite Panamanian was on site
for this move as she has doubts about my connection with her flowers and despite
depending on my brute force and ignorance, she feels the need to protect her “children”
from my rough handling. Deckzilla is officially back in full operation, we’re
just waiting for the arrival of new bench cushions she decided it needed (thank
you Amazon). Some heavy rain fell today and the sealant is working, keeping the
moisture out of the wood, so win.
Deckzilla Before Picture
And After
After that frustrating beginning of the
week, I had a real treat today to re-establish morale. My Favorite Panamanian informed
me this morning that we were returning to our old Charlton haunts to have lunch
with a contingent of the Latina Mafia in Sturbridge. We’d only seen this couple
once since our return, as they were leaving a movie we were walking into a
couple weeks ago. She’s from Peru and had Peruvian friends visiting along with
a couple from Ecuador. We met up in the Cracker Barrel where we had so many
meals when we lived in Charlton (being close to the movie theater). I always
get a tinge of nostalgia driving west on Route 20, especially when I drive past
the now defunct Zorba’s Pizza place (our designated Friday night dinner spot). 
Today with all the Flowers Back in Place
Lunch was every bit as fun as
anticipated. There’s just something about spending time with old friends that
is almost rejuvenating. Of course, my Favorite Panamanian was in her element and
when the food had long been sent downrange and it was obviously time to leave,
she showed no inclination to abandon the spirited Spanish conversation she was
engaged in. There was always one more picture of a granddaughter, or her mother,
or our place in Panama, etc. etc. to be shown. I didn’t have to resort to a
small crane to get her up, but it was a close thing. Nothing to diminish how
much fun it was though. Morale was re-established and tomorrow should get a further
and huge nudge in the right direction when we head up to New Hampshire to celebrate
BR3’s fifth birthday (the cake is under construction in our kitchen as I write this).
Lunch Bunch
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 her single days in
Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends
along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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 3rd 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 (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca –
wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my
son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom,
of course
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