On Being Tempest-Toss’d – UPDATED

Greetings, my fellow port swillers!

Another Saturday afternoon and ol’ Robbo finds himself with a few minutes to kill between the eldest gel’s high school crew open house and the youngest gel’s fallball batting practice.  (If the latter happens, that is:  It’s a boiling hot and humid day ahead of the first major cold front of the season and there’s a line of awfully nasty looking thunderstorms bearing down on the environs of Port Swiller Manor which, at least according to my radar observations, look to hit right about the time practice is set to start.)

The open house was a nice little trip down memory lane for me.   Even though I’d never been to this particular boathouse before, all the sights and sounds of my own time down on the water came back to me, especially when I wandered out on to the floating docks to take a look round.  And when I got on one of the ergometers the crew had parked outside and did a twenty for old time’s sake, one of the yoot on the school’s team was kind enough to compliment me on my technique with genuine enthusiasm.   I sincerely hope the gel gets into the sport herself.  I know what it did for me in college, and getting started in it four years earlier than that can only be even more beneficial to her.

In general,  the Family Robbo finishes up the first week of the new school year feeling somewhat dazed by the new patterns of demands and responsibilities, very much feeling as if we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.   So far, however, everyone seems to have stepped up to the challenge pretty well.  Curiously enough, I’ve actually found the new regime to be invigorating.  Regular friends of the decanter will know that Robbo has been plagued by chronic health problems this summah, problems which have left him really rayther enervated and unfocused.  Although I’ve been feeling gradually better of late anyway, the sudden arrival of All This seems to be having a tonic effect rather than otherwise.

Post-Apocalyptic Update:  Whoa.  Speaking of arrivals, even as I typed this post, the nasty storms I mentioned above suddenly made their presence felt with authoritah.  I was not aware that Verizon provides a severe weather alert service until all the blackberries and i-whatevers in the house started screeching at us.  Apparently, there was a confirmed tornado sighting nearby, the thing passing somewhere to the south of Port Swiller Manor.  Scared the bejebus out of the youngest gel, I can tell you.   The temperature has dropped about twenty degrees in the last twenty minutes, and except for the fact that it’s still thundering and raining, it’s quite delightful outside.  Awfully glad I got the lawn mown this morning, however.

UPDATE DEUX:  With all the silly running about behavior generated by son of derecho this afternoon, I nearly forgot to mention that tomorrow is the first time the middle gel will sing the eucharistic service with the choristers down the cathedral.  They’re singing the 11:15 service and it will be live-streamed here and also archived for later viewing.  I offer this not to stick on side but because several port swiller family members and friends have requested the heads up.