It’s nearing the end of July, and I just got my second wasp sting of the summer. This morning I was trying to rotate a big planter/bench that’s on our back deck off the bedroom. Dad planted coral bells in the planter, and the ones at the end gets more sun so it’s shiny, but the one closest to the house, always dull. I’ve dragged the planter around in years past to balance out the two sides before but didn’t feel confident enough to do it til today, as my knee continues to improve.
As I almost got it into place I reached under the edge of the pot and I thought I got a spiky thing in my finger but when I pulled it away I realized, nope, it was another wasp sting.
I hurried into the house calling Kevin, who found some anti-sting stuff. It didn’t do a lot of good so I’ve been icing it periodically ever since. It’s on my left ring finger and as I type this I’m very aware of how many times the left index finger is used for typing. SWX are the letters but somehow it feels like it must be more than that.
And last week I sprained my ankle.
Maybe it’s time to spend much more time inside the house.
Meanwhile… Glenn’s sailboats were in our driveway for a while now and Kevin realized that there was a nest of little birds living in the hole at the bottom of the mast. In June they were super cute and kept popping out with wide-open mouths, clamoring for food.
The parents kept flying in to feed them.
So much summertime wildlife.
They had to wait to step the mast til the birds had flown the coop. Actually, Glenn’s sailboat was still in the driveway til last week, as is his other sailboat and Kevin’s sailboat. I keep saying TIME’S A WASTIN’, BOYS. They ‘ve had some issues, like there put old gas in the motors I think, and so they had to take them in to be serviced. Last week Glenn’s big sailboat was ready to go so we took it over to the sailboat launch, they spent a lot of time putting up the very tall mast, then Kevin had a heck of a time trying to navigate his truck with boat attached past the tall trees.
He only took off a couple of branches and finally the boat was in the water, yay! But as Glenn and I motored toward the Vachel Lindsay Bridge we suddenly realized that the power lines looked might close to the top of the sail.
Oh dear. Kevin called at that point and he’d rushed down to the rocks and said that the boat could clear the lines. It was a little scary because when sitting in the boat looking up at the lines they looked like we’d certainly crash into them. Kevin assured us that we’d be fine so Glenn motored closer to the bridge. Kevin, still on the phone, said, “You[re not going to make it under the bridge.”
Oh boy. So back under the lines we went and safely moored the boat overnight at our dock. it was then that I tripped over a brick down at the fire pit and twisted my ankle. I went to Prompt Care and it was only a minor sprain but they gave me a nifty ankle brace which will be good to have around.
The next day they lowered the mast and we successfully motored to the boat launch on the other side of the bridge and they had a heck of a time getting that mast back up.
After a lot of pushing and pulling and swearing and only dropping one fairly insignificant piece of something in the lake, they were eventually successful and Glenn and I motored the sailboat over to the yacht club and i got to drink a refreshing cocktail at the outdoor bar while Glenn and Kevin did some more final boat stuff. Finally, the sailboat is now snugly secure in its berth
Now for Kevin’s sailboat…he keeps working on it even though the temps feel like it’s 100 outside, but I do think he’s getting super close.
Kevin had been using Glenn’s other motor but it’s still in the shop and Kevin’s motor doesn’tt go backwards. It seems to me that going backwards is critical. Kevin took the motor apart, ordered a critical piece, and I’m pretty sure he’s very close to launching it.
Hopefully he’ll set sail before August, although that is coming right up…
ok then,
Gracefully Grace