Downsizing

It’s been a very busy week on several fronts. The major effort has been downsizing the contents of our basement storage area. I’ve written before about one of the major differences between our lives in the military versus civilian life is the accumulation of junk. In the military we would be moving every couple years which led to the jettison of stuff that we really didn’t need or want. That discipline resulted from the requirement to unpack everything and the sometimes sparse storage areas available. That all went out the window upon becoming a civilian. People have a tendency, at least we do, to expand our possessions to fill whatever space we occupy. Our first ten years, postmilitary, was spent in a very large house with a huge basement storage area. We expanded and it was full when it came to move.

Keene Friend and I, A "Few" Years Ago

Now, in our second and hopefully last house after that first one, we have another large basement. Fortunately, half of that basement is dedicated to my Man Cave (reason I wanted to buy the house). The remaining half is devoted to mechanical systems, storage, and my exercise bike. Since my Favorite Panamanian possesses one of the Western Hemisphere’s premiere collection of Christmas decorations, half of that space is consumed. That left a quarter of the basement available for storing everything else we have “pack ratted” as civilians. We were crowded there but surviving until my Man Cave bathroom was greenlit. That meant we had to shift the massive toy cache the granddaughters maintain in the new bathroom’s location.

Area we Have To Clear

That remaining quarter of the basement had to take the brunt of this shift. Yesterday, one of the queen sized mattresses (had hoped for both) and box spring we donated to a local charity were picked up. This morning I lugged a couple hundred pounds of clothes we are donating out to the curb, 8 bags worth.  This afternoon, I made a trip to the Worcester rubbish collection point where I had made an appointment for a bulk drop off. The bulk consisted of two huge bed sets that dominated that lonely quarter of the basement. That included the first bed my wife and I bought after getting married, so it was older than 40 years and had made all of the household moves we made since then. I felt a little guilty throwing it away, but it was time. I’m glad my Favorite Panamanian wasn’t around when I compacted the old bed into a size that would fit in the car.

The Drop Off Today

Going through today brought back some memories of my early childhood. That was the weekly trip to the “dump”. Each Saturday my dad would load up the family station wagon with the week’s worth of rubbish and then we would travel (still remember the pungent smell in the car during summer months) to the dump. My dad would back the car up to edge of the deep landfill pit and I had a great time throwing things as far as I could into it. Strange, that remains such a profound memory of time I spent with my dad. As I backed up my car today, those memories re-surfaced. It smelled a lot better today. As I throwing the beds away I found some photos had accidently been wedged inside. The PCR’s wife had taken them back in 2008 (I think) for one of my KHS ’73 class reunions. The photo above shows a much younger Keene Friend and I.

Finished Another Puzzle

Earlier this week, on date night, we saw the Heart of the Beast. This is a great movie honoring the unsung heroes of military working dogs. Brad Pitt plays a retired special forces soldier who adopted Odin, with whom he served multiple combat tours. They are both dealing with PTSD as they seek peace in the remote Alaskan wilderness. A plane crash forces them to make a nearly impossible 58 mile trek though that wilderness dealing with grizzly bears and wolves in addition to the stark wilderness. There are only two other actors in the entire movie but it works because Pitt is so authentic and the dog steals every scene (as expected).  It’s one of those movies where you can’t help feeling for the characters as they make their impossible journey. I really loved the ending which didn’t involve a Hollywood cop out. A great movie I recommend heartily.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Storming Heights

As I sit here typing Sunday night, the rain continues to beat against the nearby window. For once the New England weathermen seems to have gotten it right. They’ve been wringing their collective hands all week leading up to Friday about a serious Nor’easter scheduled to hit us from Friday through Monday. I’ve developed a healthy disdain whenever they wax this eloquently about how serious a storm is, a symptom of what afflicts all TV news coverage, the more serious we make it sound, the more people will watch. This storm however met their dire predictions, starting to dump significant rain Friday night and embellishing it with some serious winds on Saturday.

I Love it When the Front Hall Looks Like This
It Means we have Family in Residence

Why am I talking about a large meteorological events, you might rightly ask. The answer lies in my two kids and the bone-deep pride I have in them. They both drove through the teeth of the storm to be with us this weekend. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday and to celebrate she and the FBR were attending an Olivia Rodrigo concert in Hartford. They correctly surmised that Worcester is much closer to Hartford than New Jersey and decided to spend the weekend with us. This provided us with the opportunity to celebrate the aforementioned birthday as well, so we summoned my son and his brood for a Saturday celebration before the birthday girl left for the concert.

Fabulous Birthday Dinner

Granddaughters Escorting the Birthday Cake

My daughter planned on leaving New Jersey around noontime but the FBR insisted they depart later because her 5^th grade class was conducting a scavenger hunt which she was loath to miss. They rolled into town late Friday night, having braved the storm’s fury. They also brought the renowned feline pair, Walnut and Pistachio. They quickly set about claiming the house as their own. My son drove down Saturday morning as the storm moved into his environs. BR3 proudly reported she had scored a goal that morning in her soccer game and then got very wet as the storm arrived. Riggins also accompanied them which had the cats in a bit of a snit until they re-learned that, being blind, he wasn’t much of a threat. We had to protect Riggins from Walnut rather than vice versa.

Candles Extinguished

Birthday Girl and FBR

My Favorite Panamanian had been planning a special birthday dinner for my daughter for Saturday afternoon. Keene Friend, as an honorary member of the family, joined us. Great Aunt wanted to, but the storm was especially nasty in Rhode Island so she had to beg off. We still had a great meal, accompanied by smoke alarms as my wife tried a new steak recipe that called for a lot of smoke (that was her story at least). The steaks were amazing, redeeming all the noise emitted in their creation. My wife had also spent her usual late nights creating a special cake for our daughter. She made it appropriately cat themed and I contributed by ordering some cat figures (matching my daughter’s two) from Amazon. It was very cool that the black cat figurine featured a tongue sticking out, just like Pistachio. Bonecrusher emerged from its Man Cave slumber to properly cleave the cake for my daughter, ably assisted by the FBR.

The Cake

Bonecrusher Get to Cleaving

FBR Offering Some Pointers

Opening Presents

They then set off through the rain and wind for Hartford while the rest of us holed up for the night. My wife, the ABFA, and BR3 engaged in a lively game of Uno with BR3 singing though most of the game. We then set up in the Man Cave for some movies. My son and I stayed up late to watch a horror movie neither of our wives would ever agree to see with us. My daughter and the FBR had what they described as a magical night in Hartford. The FBR, a huge fan of Rodrigo, went so far as to declare it the best night of her life. At least until it came time to drive back to Worcester, though the inundations, getting home around midnight.

Walnut is Not Impressed

Dressed up for Concert

Glitter was Involved

We were all up early this morning as my son and his bunch had to leave by 830am to get back home in time for the BRS’ first Spanish lesson. My Favorite Panamanian was very pleased to see how excited the BRS was for the class. Early this evening the BRS called her abuela to report on the class and the fact that the teacher is a Panamanian! After their departure my daughter tried to grab some rest, at least as much as the cats would allow. They left a little after noon and are safely back in New Jersey. I’m a little tired as expected whenever granddaughters are involved but it was a truly great weekend despite the storm and it added yet another chapter in the pride I feel for my two kids for making the effort to reach our house despite the harsh weather.

FBR Showing her Cousins Videos of Concert

BRS Assisting her Abuela with Hojaldras this Morning

BR3 Looking Maniacal

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Firsting Once Again

One of the more welcome results of last week’s retirement luncheon with my old office mates was a determination to revive the tradition I started there of celebrating the First Friday of Each Week. I made the tactical error of choosing Peppercorns which is a great bar but requires the transition on Park Avenue in the late afternoon which is not for the weak of heart. Rookie mistake. I allowed the half hour needed to make it and arrived on time to find my former work buddies already ensconced. We proceeded to renew the bond that First Fridays were created for, catching up on the goings on and telling new stories while embellishing former ones. It’s what we do. It was a great interlude with these great people and we committed to maintaining the tradition. I chastised the guy who replaced me when we left for not realizing that our former dedicated bar, Brew City, had closed over a year ago.

Bond Renewed

Meanwhile a massive Nor’easter is blowing into New England this weekend which put a serious strain on our planned celebration of my daughter’s birthday. She and the FBR journeyed through the teeth of the storm last night in order to be in place today to go to Hartford to see someone named Olivia Rodrigo. I guess that’s a big deal but I’m clueless when it comes to music. While they await that time we are going to celebrate. My Favorite Son and his bunch are enroute and we also have my daughter’s two cats, Walnut and Pistachio, in residence which is always entertaining. Well, at least after the point early this morning when the FBR charged into our bedroom with Walnut and dumped him on me. It brought back memories of Grandpa and Abuela’s summer camp. So, no more writing because, fun is to be had, one floor above me.

Intrepid Travelers

----

Walnut Sets up Shop

Who You Looking At!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

The Week That Is

It has been one of those weeks that defines retired life, which means it speeds by much more quickly than it ever seemed to while employed. As I’ve stated before, that probably occurs because I’m doing things I enjoy rather than am forced to by the inscrutable requirements of employment. Well, a couple of the requirements this week definitely do not fall into the enjoyable category. Both my Favorite Panamanian and I got both our flu and updated Covid shots earlier this week. We were assured that these were the updated versions. No aftereffects for either of us except for a mild case of dizziness for me while putting up the flags the next day. That definitely has improved.

Fun Times at the Lab with These Worthies

The second experience could be categorized as the payment of long overdue dues. In a statement that will surprise nobody who knows her, my wife has been a big fan of the online emporium known as Wayfair. Come to think of it, there isn’t an emporium she’s not a fan of. The overdue part comes in from her discovery, years ago, that Wayfair operates an outlet store not too far from us. She has periodically come up on the spousal net to request I take her there, usually because of some diabolical advertising campaign from Wayfair. Anyways. I finally succumbed, figuring I needed some hero points and off we went on Wednesday.

The Wayfair Outlet Exists!

I took along my trusty Kindle as I expected to be waiting in the parking lot for an extended period. I am not brave or foolish enough to think I should accompany her inside. I was therefore shocked when she emerged after a mere twenty minutes and sadly objected to the fact that they only had furniture in the store. I was smart enough to cut myself off from reminding her that is what Wayfair sells. Apparently, she had been lured there by the prospect of decorative plates. I was content, hero status confirmed, at a minor expenditure of time and effort. Feeling my oats, I gallantly suggested we stop by a steakhouse on our way home. My day turned catastrophic when we pulled into the parking lot and I saw the location also sported a Marshalls. Doomed.

My New Footwear

She knew we still had plenty of time unspent, so after lunch I trudged back to the car and my Kindle while she fairly skipped towards one of her favored hunting grounds. After a very serious steak and the accompanying treasures, I found reading an excellent sleep agent. I put my cap down over my eyes and with the glorious autumn day outside, quickly succumbed and had a very nice one hour nap. I woke up believing my time in purgatory was ending, however, Marshall’s had other ideas, since my Favorite Panamanian had found some long sought after jeans. A couple hours later she finally re-appeared and advised me I was joining the “clog” generation. Wingman and my daughter had long worn this hideous footwear and I had solemnly pledged to never wear them, for no other reason than being ornery. She had bought me a pair, suitability camouflaged, and I am surprisingly happy since it makes going on for flags and other assorted outside chores so much easier to just slip on; just don’t tell anyone. Okay?!

Our Table at the Luncheon

Yesterday had a decidedly more pleasant agenda, including the monthly luncheon of the incomparable KHS class of ’73. My Favorite Panamanian had a PT appointment in the morning which meant I had to drive her there and we would leave for the luncheon from there. So, back to reading my Kindle in the parking lot, no nap this time. We arrived at the luncheon only to receive a call from the Toyota dealership saying they had found the Highlander we were looking for and it would be ready by 4 October. It’s blue instead of black and has gray interior instead of black but has everything else we asked for. The luncheon was the usual assembly of fantastic people, including Keene Friend 2 and the Cantankerous Friend.

The Other Half

My Favorite Panamanian is more popular with my classmates than I am, so there was a groundswell of happiness that she had returned. We had a lively discussion at our table with a classmate who is dedicated hunter of salmon. We adjourned after a very fun lunch for the drive to Keene for the obligatory post-luncheon social hour(s).  We were blessed with the emerging autumnal foliage as we made our way to Keene. We assembled at Keene Friend’s house before my wife left for her usual perusal of tax-free shopping while the Cantankerous Friend, Keene Friend and I made our way to the Lab ‘n Lager. That prestigious location has become the dedicated post luncheon socialization location.

The Foliage in Front of Old Friend Mount Monadnock

The afternoon evolved into a truly special time as the Lab performed its usual role and we were joined by another classmate and her husband. The Kindergarten Friend also deigned to join us which always adds a significant amount of gravitas to an otherwise mundane encounter. The CRC also appeared as an unplanned addition as he had already set up a meeting at the Lab with some other friends. It was every bit as much fun as I hoped. We realized our time was coming to an end and we had yet to make our usual, well lubricated, conference call to the PCR. We hurriedly made that call while my Favorite Panamanian was already enroute to effect my extraction.

Finished Another Puzzle

The call was only mildly encouraging since the Lab decibel level increased. The PCR’s wife was blessedly forgiving of some of the salty language from our end before we realized she was listening as well. The call was just about over when I noticed my wife pulling up out front. I ended the call and rushed outside with the Kindergarten Friend who wanted to say hi to her. She had given up on us and drove on in search of parking. She found it nearly a quarter mile away near the head of the square, so the Kindergarten Friend and I parted while I set out in search of her. A great day ending with my Favorite Panamanian providing the requisite driving service back to Worcester.

School Photos are in
BR3 Looking Less Maniacal This Year

The Very Elegant BRS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Developments

It has been a busy couple of days in the casa. Before I get into that, I have to comment on the photo below. My daughter sent this and commented that the FBR calls this, “The Breakfast Bunch”. I’m sure it has something to do with her eating breakfast on the couch as both Pistachio and especially Walnut are renowned scavengers of food. As you can tell from the look on the FBR’s face, she enjoys these meetings immensely.

The Breakfast Bunch This Morning

Now, on to business. I heard from our contractor today and he provided the anticipated estimate for the addition of a small bathroom in the Man Cave. This is a big deal, as a senior citizen I know spends an inordinate amount of time in the Man Cave and this will save him the nearly constant need to mount the stairs to the nearest bathroom. As you can tell, a large amount of junk will have to be moved, mostly granddaughter toys. For that reason, it’s good that the work won’t start until November as I’ll need that interval to clear the space out and the corollary effort in other areas of the unfinished part of the basement where the junk will be moved to. My Favorite Panamanian lodged a complaint about the new bathroom, saying she’ll hardly ever see me since my regular trips up the stairs will no longer be needed. I’ll need to be a better husband. I also scored some hero points with the spouse for a surprise purchase of a cushion for the new pooch swing. I took a huge chance by not consulting with my inhouse shopping guru. She was, however, pleased that I chose the color red to match the other Deckzilla cushions. This is a rare win in the color department (see below) for me. 

Site of Future Basement Bathroom

New Cushion

The other major development is the hunt for a new Highlander. Our current Highlander is now six years old and while we love it, it’s time to get a replacement. I didn’t make the same mistake as last time and made sure my Favorite Panamanian accompanied me. She’s constantly complained about my choice of color (who knew that was important) for the current one. We linked up with same salesman that got us into the GR86 and he passed on the sad news that Toyota was transitioning out of gas-powered Highlanders and all new ones will be electric. He got us into a Grand Highlander (still gas powered) which we loved. Then the color discussion started. She wanted a bench seat in the second row instead of the captains chairs and wanted a different color. We signed an agreement to buy the car when they got the right color and everything else she wanted. It should happen over the next couple weeks.

Leaving the dealership we headed out for date night. Since the major openings this week were horror movies, I had to dig deep to find something mutually acceptable. We ended up watching The Uprising. This film chronicles, with a severe case of Hollywood re-imaging, the peasant’s revolt in England in the 14^th century. The Amazing Spiderman is called upon to lead the revolt against taxes and sports a Game of Thrones level of mud in the face throughout. I guess washcloths hadn’t been invented yet. Garfield is excellent as the conscience of the revolt as they march on London to confront the king over taxes. The film offers an interesting perspective of not being ready to get what you’re asking for from political leaders. I liked the film but found the camerawork a little disjointed and the dialogue sometimes hard to hear. A dour historical epic, saved by the superb acting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Autumnal Welcome

It’s been a busy couple days involving retirement dinners and mafioso happy hours. I’ll take things chronologically. Thursday night, my Favorito Panamanian and I returned to Joey’s restaurant for the first since the last retirement dinner we attended there over six years ago. Joey’s is a great place and the designated location for retirement dinners for my old job. I wrote in my last post about returning to my old office to bid farewell to the guest of honor for Thursday night’s dinner, my old maintenance director. An added treat to the evening was meeting his entire family for the first time. I’d met his wife a couple times but not his kids although I’d heard many stories from him over the many years we worked together. They were, as I expected, a fabulous family who obviously had been brought up right by their hard-working dad.

With the Guest of Honor

The night was also special due to meeting many of the managers that worked for me over the years. It was so nice to catch up with these special people who made a challenging work environment actually fun. There were also many who joined the company after I retired, but they mostly stuck to themselves (probably heard horror stories about me). The night belonged to the honoree though as the stories from his career were shared, with his family delighted to hear what he was like at work. I also got to spend some time with my former Assistant General Manager who replaced me when I moved up to VP. He’s still hilarious in this type situation and committed to a celebration of First Friday this coming week. Something that apparently has fallen to the wayside with my departure. They didn’t even know that Brew City closed more than a year ago. Egregious. A great night.

Our Fun Table

With his Great Family

With his Wife and Granddaughter

My great nights were not over though. Last evening we hosted a happy hour party on Deckzilla for the Panamanian Mafia and the Czech Friends. My Favorite Panamanian wasn’t her usual mildly psychotic self during party prep which was a nice departure. I still walked nimbly through any potential minefield and tried to help as much as possible. The stated reason (other than assembling these great people together to enjoy their company) was to welcome autumn, which officially doesn’t start until Tuesday. Mother Nature didn’t get the memo though as we had a delicious autumn day and evening with cool temperatures.

The Party Gets Started

All the Dishes Assembling

This had to predictable response from the Latinas as temperatures descended into the low sixties after the sun went down. Surprisingly, my wife declared that the cool temperatures were not bothering her. Update on that, she just spent the entire Patriots game encased in blankets and cuddled up to my side (for body heat, not romance). It was a great evening spent with these special friends. The Czech Shadow did not attend as she is now a working girl. She was upset with the late notice of the party, so she couldn’t arrange a night off. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get her parents in trouble during a phone call by claiming they had known about the party for weeks. The Shadow got her revenge by sending her diabolical chocolate chip cookies. They are so good that I am incapable of resisting them. My wife moved them away from me before dinner as I was nibbling on them during party preparations.

Dancing Breaks Out

I actively campaigned with other party goers to eat them to keep as many as possible off my waistline. Each guest brought a dish to share which led to a very eclectic table involving food from Panama, Peru, India, and the Czech Republic. The Czech entry included wiener schnitzel which saved me and my definitive non-exotic taste palate. After the sun set, the guys finished our repeated renditions of “Alouette, Gentille Alouette” which I’m sure the neighbors appreciated (our ladies certainly did not). This was followed by the usual dice game of right, left, and center. I continued my lifelong losing streak in this game as the Neighborhood Mafioso took home the honors amidst the usual nonstop laughter this game always engenders. The requisite interval of dancing followed where hopefully some of those cookies were worked off. As stated above, another great night spent with special friends.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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