Fathering a Glider Demise

I’m gearing up for a very busy week, at least for a retired old fart such as I am. It all started yesterday with Father’s Day. Today I graduated from physical therapy with the shoulder in much better shape than when I started but still a little balky. Tomorrow, in addition to date night, I have my semi-annual dermatology screening (keeping fingers securely crossed that no biopsies are needed). Wednesday is my first WooSox game of the year with accompanying worthies. While Thursday is suspiciously open (I’m sure it’ll get filled), my daughter and the FBR show up on Friday. We’re going to see the Broadway play Mrs. Doubtfire which is playing that night in Worcester. It all culminates with all three granddaughters in residence on Saturday with accompanying barbecue and attending nobility.

Father's Day Feast

Yesterday was kind of a subdued Father’s Day. My Favorite Panamanian, to the point of annoyance, would not let me do anything. That meant she was charging around performing a lot of the daily chores I’m usually devoted to. She’s finally able to achieve a close approximation of my cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon breakfast which culminated with gifts. We journeyed up to New Hampshire later in the day to link up with my son and his family at the ABFA’s parents house which has become our traditional Father’s Day destination. The ABFA’s parents are the perfect hosts and make everybody that walks through their door feel welcome. The BRS and BR3 are approaching that age, already achieved by the FBR, where they start to practice being teenagers. Where our arrival used to be an event, now their parents must encourage them to welcome us.

Son Opening his Gifts Under BRS/BR3 Supervision

Once they’ve overcome their need to be “cool”, they revert to being the usual very fun bunch of energy. The BRS “forced” me to eat one of the ice cream sundaes she created which was a small price to pay for how good it was (additional PT this week, for sure). The ladies prepared a truly excellent feast; the kind where getting up from the table afterwards becomes actual exercise. We retired to the sunroom for some gift giving where I was surprised with a new iWatch. My wife and children have been conspiring over the past few weeks to replace the one that died in Panama earlier this year. So, it’s back to tracking my sleep and exercise daily, something I’d missed (a little). In a major surprise, I was able to activate the watch last night without help from my IT team (children and grandchildren) even when it called for manual pairing with my iPhone.

The Dads 

It was a very fun afternoon spent with some of the finest people in existence. It has been a true joy grandparenting with the ABFA’s parents and yesterday was yet another sterling example of that fundamental truth. Returning home to Worcester was less fun. My son did a map recon on his phone and assured me that I-495 was clear. Twenty minutes later I entered that benighted roadway which more closely resembled a parking lot. I only had eleven miles to traverse on it but that eleven miles took longer than the rest of the trip combined. Still, a very good day.

Finished Another 1000-Piecer

On Saturday, the day before I was forbidden to work, my wife informed me that the Deckzilla glider required a coup de grâce. We received this as a housewarming gift from Great Aunt and Soxfather for our house in Charlton, so it had seen more than twenty years of solar radiation which finally caused to to start dissolving in front of our eyes. Last year small pieces of plastic started falling off and we accused the back yard squirrels (villains that they are) of gnawing on it. This year the falling became a cascade as Deckzilla was liberally festooned with small pieces of white plastic. My mission (which I had no option to not accept) was to reduce it to manageable size to fit in city issued rubbish bags (okay that was my idea – she just told me to remove it).

Sad State of Glider

Brute force and ignorance are my strong suits when it comes to chores, so I actually enjoyed this task since it involved destroying something without taking too much care. I made the usual donation of blood which had my Favorite Panamanian just shaking her head at my acknowledged idiocy. I thought the thing was made of plastic, but it turned out to have some underlying metal tubing. I learned that when the circular saw I was using made some interesting noises. It cut through fairly easily but that’s probably where the leg wound came from. I eventually reduced the glider to a pile of refuse and getting into the bag was the hardest part. I made some liberal use of duct tape (which every house should have) to cover the protruding pipes. I was a little nervous the resulting bag wouldn’t meet whatever standards the city rubbish collectors have but it was gone this morning when I returned from my swim, so a win.

Initial Cuts - Discovering the Metal

The Final Debris Field

Just a Flesh Wound!

I ordered a new glider that will be delivered on Wednesday (so Thursday is no longer free since it will require assembly). My Favorite Panamanian was very put out that I did not bring her into the shopping process to approve the new glider. She felt I had not made use of her talents and self-styled status as a world class shopper. I assured her she would love it (which almost guarantees she won’t, at first) but that I couldn’t bring myself to spend the two and half hours online it would have taken her to make a decision. I reminded her it was Father’s Day so she couldn’t get mad, that will have to await its Wednesday arrival.

Got it All in One Bag!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 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 (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course