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