The Death of Sailing

Here it is the week of Spring Break and as I stated weeks ago, you may dream of warm spring activities, South Texas is in a throws of winter. Spring Break started out and stayed funky all week long. To the detriment of spring goers across the state, Funky is the Kids M.O so this random weather did not deter his Spring Break plans: Sailing Regatta. On Tuesday's practice it was chilly, windy, and cloudy.

On Thursday's practice, the weather was warmer but the wind was still cold.  Still, this did not deter the Kid from the upcoming Regatta.

On Friday's trip to the Regatta is was significantly warmer and one could argue long sleeves were not needed.  Sleeves were needed as far I was concerned but the warm fuzzy hat was not.  Pleasant enough at Plan473, the Regatta was being held in the Hill Country where temperatures average 10-20 degrees colder in the winter.

The further north we drove, the less we saw and the colder the temperature drop.  During camp set up a little after noon, the cloud cover was dense and the temperature required sleeves.  Just look at this kid, he set up the tent all by himself.  The last time the tent was used was during our Solar Eclipse trip and the Kid was too small to erect it alone.  Once camp was done, the kid was gone to roam the hills and do kid things with other kids.  Having only recovered from the Not Flu just a few short days ago, I napped.  Climbed in the sleeping bag fully clothed with fuzzy hat and sleep like only camping will do.  Goodbye world, hello drool.

Saturday morning woke crisp and cold but sunny and gentle winds.  Perfect for sailing.  Perfect for sleeping.  Don't think me non supportive, watching sailing is torture.  They sail too far away to watch even with binoculars and can't watch from a boat because depending upon perspective one's position changes. With today's technology, the race scores are posted within minutes of race completion. Checking scores is awesome but drives me nuts.  Neither the Planner nor myself are competitive people, what we are however are push yourself to the best you can do and then do some more.  There is always room for improvement.  Will the Kid place first, no.  Will the Kid place, maybe.  All we ask is that he tries his hardest.

With Saturday races complete, and a few hours worth of hill scrambling and tree climbing with friends later, the Kid crashes for bed by 8:30.  But before a quick lesson in static electricity.  With the lights out, he ran his finger across the tent until all sparks were snapped out.  It was fun!  It reminded me of camping in the winter many years ago.  A time long, long ago....

Sunday dawned way to early, cloudy, and still.  What little wind was present yesterday vanished during the night and with it came warmer weather.  Warmer weather is great, lack of wind not so great.  Lack of wind is the death of sailing. Drifting along waiting for to catch any puff of wind is like slowly dying.  Windless races take a toll on the patience of races, the patience of coaches, and the patience of parents waiting to wrap the event up because there is still a 5 hour drive home. 

Since Harvey, Plan473 has worked tirelessly on the Work Box and the business it encompasses.  Our only reprieve has been the occasional regatta weekends for the Kid. Of all the Regattas attended this was my favorite as it allowed me time to spend with just me and the Kid.  As it turned out, it was a bitter sweet moment and I did not even know it.  Maybe I am glad the moment was just the moment otherwise I might not have enjoyed it as much.  Not two weeks after this dead duck regatta, the Kid decided he needed a break from sailing.  No more bi-weekly practice.  No more bi-monthly weekend practice.  No more regattas.  No more sailing.  As it turned out, this weekend was the death of sailing for Plan473. 

Death and Wishing for Death

Sometimes life throws a punch.  I am not talking about making lemonade out of bright shiny tasty lemons, I am talking about trying to make lemonade from bitter rotten lemons.  It started two weeks ago on a sunny Friday afternoon.  Spent the evening with friends having some delicious local pizza and a tasty drink. Halfway thru my tasty drink and something is not right.  Thinking it is the lack of food as it has been close to 8 hours since substance was consumed, I continued on.  Dinner arrived and the pizza was not helping.  Finding it difficult to concentrate on conversation, I noticed a headache. Damn, a headache.  Must have really waited too long to eat as I cannot remember the last time I had a headache.  Couple of hours later, I am lying in bed, thinking I am dying.

By Sunday, I was still laid up in bed.  This was getting to be down right out ridiculous.  Having slept my entire Saturday away, I was determined not miss all of Sunday.  Besides there were eggs to check up on as the brooder was almost done with her 21 days time frame.  Having left her post to do her thing, another hen moved in on her domain and there was a fight.  It was enough to draw human attention.  B.U. was besides herself as she paced, she squawked, she fussed.  Much to her determent, the other hen was not moving.  So while the hen did her thing, the brooder did her thing wishing death to this hen.  Seriously, her eyes were like lasers.  DIE.  Knowing hens take forever to lay an egg, I went back to bed.  Besides the bed was warm and the air was too cold for me. 

Here it is the first week in March and while most breathing bodies are pondering Spring Break in a few weeks, South Texas is in the midst of full on winter fury.

Monday came and went.  If I wasn't sleeping, I was crying.  The poor Kid was beside himself as he did not know how to handle this new concept, mama is sick.  Never have I been too sick to cook dinner, to read to the Kid, to tuck the Kid into bed, too sick to move.  He was becoming so unstable the Planner had to take him aside and explain the flu.  Well not the flu, but the NOT FLU.  Having all the symptoms of the flu but the virus that makes the flu.  Flu, Not Flu, whatever death's door step.

Tuesday was the same as before expect freaking cold!  Cold as cold.  Cold as in cold other states experience. The only saving grace to the cold temperature was the lack of wind and the sunny conditions.

It was so cold and I was so sick I could not muster any energy to go outside to enjoy the sunshine. So instead I took a picture of the warm sunshine through the window above the bed.

Good grief, death has yet to come but I feel and look dead. Needing a break from the bed I came outside to enjoy some nice warm weather on Thursday afternoon.  Sitting on the steps of the Work Box, I quietly enjoyed the warmth, the soft winter sounds, and waited for the Kid to get home from school. The first day all week I have had the to energy to greet him off the bus.  It has been a long week and the Not Flu was only the start.  The incubated eggs froze one day during the day during the week.  They were checked on in the morning and in the afternoon while yet again lying in bed I saw through window the broody hen walk by with the other chickens.  She was outside doing happy hen things like catching bugs and scratching in the grass.  Dragging myself out of bed to check on the eggs, I found them to be stone cold.  Guess she got tired of waiting for the other hen to leave.  Without constant warmth in below 40 degrees temperature it doesn't take long to freeze an egg.  Incubated eggs need constant warmth otherwise they will not develop.  Taking all seven off the Xed eggs and the new five to boot, they were tossed in the compost bin.  Upon hitting the bin wire, one of the eggs broke and feather development could be seen laying upon the compost.  Waste not want not, the frozen dead embryos were consumed by the other chickens. Yuk. Had the brooder stayed Plan473 would have had little peppers, only home grown this time. Growing up the Planner's younger brother incubated ducks so this was not as exciting for him. But for me, I had been uber stoked.  Frozen dead embryos when little peppers were just days away from hatching.  So sad.

Friday was the first day in a week I felt human again. It is amazing how much does not get done when one half of the family is dead.  Using my new found energy, a weeks worth of left overs were cleaned out of the fridge and thrown into the compost bin. Sometime later when the dog had not been seen, she was found stuck like duck in the compost bin.  Fearing her death I was immediately exhausted by the thought.  As you can see by the pictures she cannot reach any of the food morsels unless the chickens scratch goodies outward. Dead chicken eggs are one thing, dead dog by strangulation would have just be too much for this week. Yet again, she has defied death for she is the Unsinkable Sally Dog.

Death and dying are part of growing up. Chickens and loved pets are all part of the growth.  The Flu or the Not Flu brings death to many of people every year. And while this should not be part of growth, some sort of illness related death is.  At this point in time, the Kid has yet to experience any sort of death related growth experiences.  Not wanting to experience wishing for death and myself having had the Not Flu I can tell you this, wishing for death will not be an issue next year as we are all getting the flu shot.

And because the week still has a few hours remaining, guess who has the Not Flu now?  Of course, the Planner since he was the only one allowed in close proximity.  Guess since I have already wished for death and death did not come, it my turn to take care of the Planner. Oh the Not Flu, how dare you...