Happy Birthday United States

I'm having too much fun enjoying the weekend with the Keene Friend, et al to waste time writing about it. I'll do that tomorrow when I'm trying to recover - I promise a full rundown. As a place holder I'll re-blog thoughts from prior 4ths. Some truths are self-evident, I've heard. 

Independence Day always leads to thoughts of what it means and looking back on the history of the day.  It’s fascinating to ponder what the founders would think of what they created.  I think they’d be a little astounded that they generated such an imperfect yet wildly successful proof of the power of human freedom unrestricted by the yoke of the European class system that produced it.  Even when we’re poorly led this country shines as a fountain of possibility.  I think that’s what the medieval thinkers of radical Islam hate most about us; the power of belief.  The genie of free thought can never be put back in the bottle after its released; the taste is too sweet and that’s why they’ll never succeed.  Happy Birthday America, I thank God every day I was blessed to be born here and allowed to defend you for a quarter century.  The honor was mine.

Independence Kick Off

Wife and I Rocking the Red White and Blue at the Party

Where to start with a day as varied as yesterday turned out to be? We awoke to the continued task of sorting out where everything goes in the new house. I finished up in the garage and it now resembles some sort of organization. I still have to find a spot for the wife’s varied and somewhat bizarre collection of gardening accoutrement. I finally got around to assembling the electric lawnmower I’ve had for several weeks. It hasn’t been a pressing need since the drought has rendered lawn mowing superfluous. It will be interesting learning to mow with this. The biggest challenge will be not running over the electric cord.

The New Lawnmower

My wife has moved upstairs to probably the biggest challenge facing her with this move – her shoes. My suggestion to re-name the guest room closet chosen as her vault the “Imelda Room” was met with stony silence. We should be hanging pictures soon which will constitute the final act. So less than a week to get settled, we’ve still got it!

My Wife was Her Usual Effervescent Self

Why We Were There Celebrating

We had to break away from unpacking duty to attend an annual pool party to celebrate Independence Day thrown by a member of the Latina Mafia. It’s always fun trying to remember the names of the people we enjoy spending the day with since this is the only day of the year we see each other. It was an eclectic mix of attendees with a large immigrant population as well as a number who could trace their ancestry back to the earliest days of New England. Since I was reflecting under the assistance of several Coors Lites I thought it was a perfect way to celebrate Independence Day since we are a country of immigrants – one of our true strengths. 

My Daughter's Old Shelves

We were surprised to see a set of bookcases we'd given away as part of the move. They had belonged to my daughter who painted them some weird colors when she was in middle school. The party hosts had re-purposed and re-painted them and they looked great.

Re-Purposed and Patriotic

We returned home to await the Worcester fireworks display which allegedly could be seen from our back yard. This turned out to be true but only if, as my wife did, you climbed onto the top railing of the deck. I journeyed to the top of the hillside behind the house while the backyard Mafiosos and their family found a spot on our driveway. It was a fun neighborhood celebration but fireworks at a distance are not as entertaining. It was interesting that I now feel more a part of the neighborhood now that I own a house versus the past year’s renting.

Back Into the Swing of Things

Both the granddaughter and grandpuppy provided pictures today. I can’t believe how fast Riggins is growing or that the First Blog Reader can maintain her cuteness at the stratospheric level as consistently as she does. 

Getting so Big!

Increased Mobility has Led to Restrictions

Can Still Fit (barely) Under the Coffee Table

Out to Dinner with Mom and Dad

Spreading her Wings

Cave Storming

The Very Happy Young Lady in Cali

The weekend got off to a stormy start last night with a series of thunder storms rolling through the area just after my wife and I returned from First Friday celebrations. Anyone who knows the Wonder Pooch realizes this spelled trouble with his predictable psychotic break from reality imminent. This already promised to be a tough weekend with the fireworks but the last thing his fragile psyche needed was this type weather.

Buddy Digging the Man Cave

My wife was in mid-lecture on our weekend plans when we both noticed he was missing. We found him trying to burrow his way through the upstairs bathtub. I escorted him down to the man cave expecting he’d eventually end up in solitary in his cage which is the only way to contain him when thunder strikes. He hid under the edge of the couch but then seemed to calm down, even with repeated lightning strikes underway.

I guess he felt safe enough underground with only the small window or maybe he’s finally figuring out there’s nothing to fear. No, that would be too much to hope for. This was the first thunderstorm in memory that he’s spent outside the cage though. I was watching a movie with lots of explosions so maybe that contributed to his calm. I think he likes the fact the man cave and my predictable presence there in the room right next to his makes him happy.

I Got You!

Grandpa Taught me How to Make Scrambled Eggs!

Speaking of happy my granddaughter certainly seems to be enjoying the reemergence of her father in her life. The daily dose of photos shows a very happy young lady. The same could not be said of the family cat, Pee Wee. It seems to be dawning on him that the First Blog Reader returned from her East Coast sojourn with drastically improved mobility which impacts directly on his ability to take care free naps wherever he chooses. My granddaughter can finally pursue the beautiful toy that moves on its own and try to latch onto it. Luckily Pee Wee seems to take the change in his status in stride.

Pee Wee's Life has Changed

My reading time has taken a serious hit over the past few weeks with everything else going on. I did sneak in some lunch time reading to finish off my latest Lawrence Block novel, Hit and Run. Once again Block’s tight prose and intricate plotting make the read something special. I’m still amazed he can make a sociopathic hit man sympathetic but he’s really that good. This one has Keller framed for a killing that he actually didn’t do, a high profile political candidate (where was Keller when Trump started to emerge but I digress). This sets off a nationwide manhunt with everybody looking at a picture of him. Instead of taking the easy path of action packed confrontations Block takes the reader on a thoughtful re-invention of Keller as he finds a home and love and of course a dose of revenge. I almost hope the series ends here because the likable (against all odds) Keller finds some peace.

Well back to unpacking….

In Settling

The Return of Wingman has a Certain Young Lady Happy

We seem to be on the down slope of the cresting wave of moving activities. As I reported yesterday, my new best friend, my Geek Squad partner, showed up yesterday on his own initiative to fully deploy the new sound system in my man cave. I think I’m in love. Central air is still a few weeks away but I don’t have to worry about that in the cave as it’s below ground and comfortably cool regardless. I just wish we could get all the unpacking done. I am so tired of being sore. Apparently you use a lot of seldom employed muscles when you move furniture around. As anybody with a middle-aged body will tell you – that comes with a price tag. I knew I should have bought stock in Motrin. The house is feeling more and more like a home as my wife performs her usual miracles.

This Guy(the Grandpuppy) is Getting Huge

I may have made a tactical error yesterday by showing her how easy it is to drive to one of her favorite box stores since it was festooned with flowers. I can see her glancing at the hillside behind our new home and imagining the garden she’s going to create there. Our stated mission was to return the extra lawnmower I picked up on Father’s Day but she soon wandered into the flower area and I was doomed. Luckily there was a Barnes and Noble nearby where I could pass some nostalgic time with an old friend (rows of actual books) the Kindle denies me. Last evening, while I was organizing the mass of boxes in the garage my wife was out on the massive deck talking with her new acquisitions while she transplanted them into more suitable pots. We were also finally able to connect with the California contingent while our granddaughter was still awake. She hasn’t been gone a week yet and she’s already acquired some new talents. She actually waved to us (one of those new aptitudes) and it almost burst my heart. She’s also continued her habit of inventing new games. It was good to see the family intact again with Wingman’s return. My granddaughter could not stop smiling whenever she looked over at her dad; heartwarming.

She's Outgrown Her First Car Seat
Taking the New One out for a Spin

The rush is on to complete the unpacking so we can wring some fun out of the upcoming holiday weekend. There’s an annual pool party at a friend’s house on Saturday. That’s followed up by a planned drive up to Keene late on Sunday to link up with Keene Friend for the Alumni Field fireworks display, an indelible part of my personal history with my hometown. Still tired and sore from the cumulative efforts of the week my wife and I took the man cave out for a spin late last night. We used the newly gifted Blu-ray player to connect to Netflix and continue into season 2 of Parenthood and followed that with a movie with a lot of explosions. The sound system was everything I hoped it would be; the walls were shaking.