Disassembling Garage Time

Today is the start of marking the anniversary of the Best Two Weekends ever. On this date, an unbelievable 13 years ago, Wingman was officially brought into the family when he tied the knot with my Favorite Daughter. I say Best Weekend Ever because, well, it was. A weekend of non-stop fun and memories to last a lifetime. My son, ever the competitor, had this high standard to meet when he and the ABFA married a few years and one calendar day later, but they rose to the occasion. Therefore tomorrow will mark the anniversary of the other Best Weekend Ever. Happy anniversary to two of the coolest people around, and not just because they produced the FBR. So fun remembering that weekend at our old house in Charlton. 

So, as part of my penance for having way, way too much fun back in hometown over the weekend, I attacked the backyard project with a little more zeal and reached an important milestone. I have leveled the entire patio area which was confirmed by a vigorous thunderstorm yesterday which pointed out the low spots and loosened up the clay to make shaving off the high points easier. Once that was accomplished, I placed the paving stones that will serve as part of the future patio for my Favorite Panamanian’s seal of approval (she gets all the style decisions). She loved it but said we needed four more to complete the look. That will be the next step as I make my first of what promises to be a lot of concrete purchases this afternoon. I’ll first pour beneath the stones to raise them to the level of the future patio and then pour around them. I’m going to consult with my son to see if he has any tips and a way to calculate the amount of concrete needed. I can see the end in sight but this final part will require some expertise which is in decidedly short supply.

Today's (Day 29) Progress

I had to dispose of an old window air conditioner that finally bit the dust a couple months back. We inherited it from the former house owner and it developed a coolant leak which rendered it useless. Due to its age, I didn’t want to repair it and after checking online learned I could take it apart as long as the gas was gone, which is why is stopped working. I’ve always weirdly enjoyed disassembling machines. I treat it as another puzzle and find it fascinating trying to figure out how the thing was put together. So that was my Sunday afternoon in the garage. There was only one screw that stripped out which required brute force and ignorance to overcome. I was left with a pile of components which was easy to dispose of. I also learned what made the thing so damn heavy. One piece, some sort of pump, must have constituted more than fifty per cent of the total weight. Such are Sundays in my retired life when I am in the recovery zone.

Starting Point

The Ex-AC Unit

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers, with the same guilty feeling, but keepers: American Wedding (ring recovery gagging) and American Reunion (babysitter club).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Festing Hometown Beer

After all the physical labor involved in hill removal activities my Favorite Panamanian felt I deserved a break. I wholeheartedly shared her opinion in this area. I know, huge surprise. For those of you concerned about the selflessness of my wife’s action, she knew there would be an afternoon filled with tax free shopping involved for herself as well. Yes, we headed north so I could drink beer with friends while she disappeared into the local shopping emporiums. With her mother and granddaughters due in to the house shortly, she wasn’t exactly panting at the opportunity, but it was close. Before we started our journey though I was in the back yard finishing off the last part of the wall. In a truly amazing turnout when I bought the last batch of blocks, I accidently purchased the exact number needed to finish the wall. After that I started the great leveling exercise which I continued today with a shortened pre-church effort. I should finish the leveling tomorrow and then the concrete “fun” will start.

With Keene Friend and the Cantankerous One at the Fest

Day 27, Wall Complete and Leveling Started

Day 28 Leveling Continues

The Cantankerous Friend had a great time at last year’s Wyman Tavern Brewfest despite or maybe because he ended up in the ER afterwards. He invited me to join him for this year’s fest and assured me of two things, the food trucks would serve hamburgers and we would run into other friends. While he failed to deliver on either promise, we still had a great day.  Wyman Tavern is one of the historical landmarks of my hometown, dating back to the 1700s where minutemen gathered and left to participate in the Revolutionary War. Despite growing up in Keene, this was the first time I’d ever been on the grounds.

The Fest

We rallied at Keene Friend’s home and walked over to the nearby tavern. We passed by what used to be Elliot Community Hospital. This was where I had my first job as a dishwasher during high school years. So, a lot of nostalgia and some risqué memories of what went on near the end of those long ago shifts, but I digress. Keene Friend achieved free admittance to the fest when we declared him as our designated driver (they didn’t check us for a car). To insure he didn’t sneak any beers, they festooned him with two wristbands loudly declaring him a DD, those bracelets came in useful later in the day. Cantankerous and I were issued a free beer glass and a bunch of tickets. The tickets were for beer samples from the different local beer vendors.

The Former Hospital, If Those Walls Could Talk!

It was miserably hot and humid but, beer, so, bearable. With the promise of available hamburgers, I hadn’t had lunch yet. I knew I needed food before grazing through the beer vendors. We therefore made a bee line towards the food truck, yep, just one. It turned out they only sold hot dogs and fried dough so, a couple hot dogs were sacrificed to assuage the hunger pains and lay the groundwork for beer consumption. We began circulating and vending those tickets. They only provided a little more than a shot glass worth of beer each time but this was some potent stuff. One of the first ones I tried was called Face Plant, with 8.9% alcohol content, so, powerful.

Wyman Tavern

While we didn’t encounter anybody we knew, we got to meet the Cantankerous Friend’s group of fellow bicyclist enthusiasts who seemed like a great bunch. The only problem was the heat, as we stood around under the tent it felt like we were inside an oven. Keene Friend and I wandered out into the open to escape the swelter. We took in some of the Irish ballads being sung by a kilted vocalist. Eventually the heat relented a little bit when it was replaced by a rain shower. Keene Friend stood out in the rain to get some relief.

At Penuche's with Kindergarten Friend

After a couple hours of this, I finally exhausted my supply of tickets. Keene Friend and I then walked over to one of our favorite watering holes, Penuche’s Ale House. Entering the air-conditioning felt like a small taste of heaven. We reported the move to Kindergarten Friend who showed up shortly thereafter to join us. This was such a great environment after the baking we’d taken at the Brew Fest. We were also able to get our usual fare of Coors Lite versus the exotic brews we were subjected to in the heat. We immediately launched into our usual repertoire of comradery. Another high school classmate, the former Connecticut River Boat Captain, was vectored in to join us and the Cantankerous Friend, breaking away from his fellow bikers, wandered in as the last addition to our very fun group.

The River Boat Captain and Cantankerous

We made the obligatory drunken phone call to the Pittsburgh College Roommate. Luckily his wife was also in the room so he couldn’t blow us off as easily as he has for the past few calls. Too much fun. I was introduced to the bar tender who was an active duty Army sergeant, one of the local recruiters. We started comparing notes and he turned out to be an infantryman who had served in several of the same units I had. I was marveling at this very small world when Keene Friend brought me back to earth by saying I had already met the guy during another trip to Penuche’s and had the same reactions when we compared notes that time. So that was a little embarrassing; the evils of demon alcohol.  I was rescued from further embarrassment by a phone call from my Favorite Panamanian who directed me to look out the window. She was parked out front and gestured for me to join her for dinner. I reluctantly agreed as I didn’t want to leave the very fun group we had assembled but the two hot dogs I’d eaten hadn’t served their purpose and I needed food. My Kindergarten Friend donned Keene Friend’s designated driver wristband for his drive home.

Keene Friend joined my Favorite Panamanian and I at our usual dining spot, Margarita’s. The walk there was interesting and not a little bit concerning for my wife. It may have been my shock at the amount of wifely purchases the back of the car was filled with. In yet another sign we were a small town, our waitress turned out to be Kindergarten Friend’s daughter. It was a fitting end of a truly epic day. I love returning to my hometown not for geographic familiarity but for the special people I get to hang out with. Yesterday was a great example of what makes Keene special for me. You just cannot over emphasize how redeeming it is be around old friends.

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers, guilty feeling notwithstanding, but keepers: American Pie (Nadia!) and American Pie 2 (unfortunate super glue).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Meeting Walls and a Reset

Today had to be the nastiest weather since I started the back yard project, just walking outside was enough to start sweating. No problemo though as it just happens to be the first Friday that’s occurred this week and we all know (or should know) what that means. Before I wax philosophic about the impending celebrations, I spent a couple more hours on wall construction this morning and resorted to using the garden hose to soak the back of my head a few times. I was faced with one of the most concerning aspects of the wall build – the link up with the other wall when I completed the circuit. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good because the walls came together like I knew what I was doing and we all know better than that. With the bases of the two walls connected, all I have left to do is add a few more bricks to complete the build. That will happen tomorrow before traveling to the hometown brew fest (psyched!!!!!!).

Day 26 Completed

Favorite Panamanian Snapped Some Pictures Yesterday While I was Working

Dermatologist Should be Happy, Long Sleeve Shirt and Pants

View Towards Deckzilla, Pipe I had to Cut Out on the Stairs 

I made a tactical error while I was chipping away at the face of the hill to fit in the wall blocks. My new Apple watch doesn’t like the physical blows the arms take when I run into a rock which is virtually every time I strike the hill. The watch has a magnetic watch band which loosened every time this happened. The error I made was putting the watch into my pocket, secretly hoping I would still get credit for all the activity (Soxfather passed on his fascination with closing the activity circles each day). After I finished up and put the watch back on, it notified me that I needed to reset it since, as it was bouncing around in my pocket, it kept looking for the pass code and getting the wrong answer.

Daughter and FBR Sweating Out a Bike Ride Yesterday

My “kids” are my usual “go to” resource for anything technology related, but they are both gainfully employed so I didn’t want to bother them. I went online and asked google how I was supposed to reset and then resynch my watch to my iPhone. While it wasn’t without some issues and some pretty blue language from a certain retired military officer, I eventually figured it out. My son and daughter are now picking themselves up off the floor where they fell from the sheer surprise at that last statement. Even more astonishing, I’d actually created a backup of the settings (don’t know how that happened). I used that to restore and resynch the watch and it’s as if I hadn’t pulled the boneheaded pocket activity grab in the first place. I may have just snuck into the 21^st century, technology-wise. Now – it’s on the First Friday!!!!

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers: American Graffiti (still stands test of time - great music) and American Hustle (non-stop cleavage and epic combover).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Hill Demise

Today became truly miserable outside with high temps and humidity so it came as a major surprise when the back yard hill finally died. It was touch and go who would die first, me or the hill. The hill did have one last, heart stopping surprise in store as I made much quicker progress than I thought possible. As I was leveling out the bottom of the last piece of hill, I ran into what could only be a canvas encased pipe. The dig safe folks said all the pipes were in the front yard but here it was. I was trying to come up with contingency plans on how I would incorporate the pipe into the patio, it would have stuck about three inches over the height of the future patio floor. I felt a bit of despair as I made another trip up the hill lugging two pails of gravel.

Day 25 Progress

I gave the pipe one more look and discovered that it had ribs which meant it wasn’t a utility pipe but one embedded in the gravel to help drain off water when the house was constructed. Since it had been buried four feet underground after construction was completed, I wasn’t needed any more. An exacto knife later the offending pipe had been excised from the job site. I’ve decided, based on the amount of work that has gone down range that I can officially call it a job site. At any rate, the last of the hill was removed and carried up the hill and wall construction continued. I should be able to finish the wall off tomorrow (after another trip to Home Depot for more bricks) and then the great leveling event will start. I’ve included a couple pictures of the amount of dirt, gravel and rocks that made up the excised part of the hill that I carried up the stairs for disposal. In a matter of perspective, the hill of dirt is about six feet tall and twice as wide. I managed to impress myself but I am so glad I don’t have any more two filled bucket trips up those damned stairs.

The Dirt Pile

My Favorite - The Rocks I ran into

The Gravel

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers: American Assassin (based on one of my favorite literary heroes, Mitch Rapp) and American Gangster (much better than remembered Denzel just rules).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Dirt Day

I’m feeling as if I’m approaching the end of the hill eradication effort in the back yard. I thought I had at least three days left but made better progress today than I anticipated. I made more trips up the hill with the two buckets full of dirt than I have on any other day. As I was carving into the last major hunk of the hill my mind started to wander (as it is wont to do) and I reflected how lucky I had been when it came to large rocks. That’s not to say I haven’t had my share of rocks, there’s been hundreds, but most were a little bigger than fist size with a few a little bigger than head sized. I should have known better. In the “careful what you wish for” category I soon had two very large rocks to deal with, both requiring a crow bar to pry out of the hill after I’d dug around the edges. Still, I figure the rest of the hill will fall tomorrow and the wall construction can continue.

Day 24 Progress - The Hill Falls Tomorrow

We had fun conversations with the granddaughters last evening. The FBR referred to her upcoming stay with us as “Grandpa and Abuela Camp”. Very cool, I haven’t been a camp counselor since Camp Wakanda in the 1970s. The New Hampshire bunch is into their second week at the beach house but my Favorite Son returned to work, commuting from there. Apparently BR3 was a bit more than a handful yesterday for the ABFA as BR3 heads back to day care tomorrow. She was still bouncing off the walls during our call last night, a handful indeed. The Cantankerous Friend came up on the net earlier this week and invited us to a beer fest back in my hometown. As long as we continue to test negative, I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I’m sure my Favorite Panamanian will eschew the beer for tax free shopping forays. WE do have granddaughter visits coming up, could get expensive.

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers: Amazing Spiderman and Amazing Spiderman 2 (both better than I remembered)

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Overdue Reduction

In a moment that has been a very long time in the making, the world’s population of absolute oxygen thieves was reduced by one over the weekend when Ayman al-Zawahiri sucked down a pair of hellfire missiles while standing on his Kabul balcony. Al Queda’s leader and Bin Laden’s most fiery deputy was long overdue for a dose of severe justice as one of the masterminds behind that September day. It was nice that we were able to reach out and touch him where he thought he was safe. I won’t post a picture of this gibroni since he is finally doing the first productive thing he’s done in over forty years, serving as fertilizer. As we evolve with ever increasing self-interest amongst newer generations, let’s not forget there are people like al-Zawahiri in need of this kind of very personalized attention for their roles in murdering innocents.

In less bloodthirsty news, the backyard project continues apace. I won’t be extending the wall until I finish removing the last major hunk of the hill which I spent chipping away at this morning. I’m already looking forward to the next major step which will be insuring the floor is completely level all the way around. I think I am falling madly in love with the pick axe. The shovel will bounce off the hardened clay soil but the pick axe never fails. It even split a couple of rocks today that were lurking under the surface, sending a clear message to any other lurkers. I may be losing my sense of reality with all the isolation and digging I’ve been involved in.

Day 23 Progress

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers: Alita Battle Angel (3 Oscar winners in a sci-fi CGI adventure) and All the Right Moves (Cruise looking impossibly young).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

The Smell of Lysol and Departures

I mentioned yesterday that our house was about to undergo a serious scouring at the hands of my Favorite Panamanian. Sometimes (not often), I’m right. The assault began this morning as I was starting my back yard excavations. I heard the door open behind me and this was followed by virtually every carpet in the house ending up out on Deckzilla for airing out. A very determined Panamanian also had every window in the house open as a couple cans of Lysol sanitizing spray gave their lives in the effort to eradicate any vestiges of that pesky virus we’ve been cohabitating with for the past week. The washing machine has been going non-stop as everything we touched in the past week is washed. I’ve decided to contribute to the effort and bought a can of sanitizing spray exclusively for the Man Cave.

Day 22 Progress and my New Overseer

That was the other big news yesterday after we both tested negative. I was finally able to leave the house, masked of course, with trips both to the grocery store as well as Home Depot. I scored the last remaining bricks they had for my project wall and less than I needed. If they don’t resupply in a couple days, I’ll have to wander over to one of the other four Home Depots within easy driving range. I was able to extend the wall around the fireplace and now face the biggest hunk of hill I’ve got to remove so far. My Favorite Panamanian has already started decorating the site, as she is wont to do. Great Aunt gifted us one of the old statues from my mom’s back yard that had been languishing her place. It now sits on the wall to the right of the fireplace overlooking the future patio. I remember this angel statue clearly as it looks just like Namesake Nephew did when he was a toddler. So now I’ve got an angel looking over my job site with connections to my mother, Great Aunt and my Favorite Panamanian. I think I’m being sent a message.

A couple of deaths to report that hit me harder than I would have imagined. Bill Russell, the greatest NBA player ever (look it up, 11 championships in 13 years, averaging over 20 rebounds a game for his career). He provided one of the most memorable events of my life when the Celtics came to my home town for a pre-season intra-squad game in the mid-1960s. I was bound and determined to shake hands with my personal hero, Sam Jones. Late in the game at the local high school gym, I walked over to the Celtics bench and asked Jones for a hand shake. Not only did I get one of those but he had me sit down on the bench between him and Russell for the last minute of the game. A moment I’ll never forget. That was when the NBA was worth watching and not the travesty it has devolved into. Russell was a true renaissance man, both on the court and off it.

The other death was Nichelle Nichols or Lieutenant Nyota Uhura as I first came to know her when I fell in love with her and Star Trek in junior high. I grew up in a very white home town, we had just a couple black families in the entire city, but Nichols captured my heart immediately. Over the years I learned more about her as she was also a civil rights campaigner and beloved by all who worked with her. Martin Luther King junior encouraged her to stay on Star Trek when she was going to quit because of the example she was setting. The world seems a little diminished with the departure of these two icons.

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers as I finish up in my collection of the Alien movies: Alien Versus Predator (because that had to happen) and Alien Versus Predator Requiem (why not).

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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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; 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 namad 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course