Baseline, Rebound

My first day back at work yesterday was rather busy, we had to covert a branch over to the county IP phone system.  Normally I wouldn’t try to schedule this sort of task the first day back after being out but it is just the way the schedule worked out.  The work went smoothly so it wasn’t a huge deal.

Tonight after work I am picking up Sadie for a weekend visit.   This weekend is the Run for the Paws race, an event I helped Ali with since it’s inception some 14 years ago.  Last year was the first year I wasn’t in attendance and this year that trend will continue.  During the last few years Ali has turned over most functions of the event to the Humane Society where as before she had her hands in pretty much everything.  This change happened because of other demands on Ali’s time.

For me, missing the event does bring some feelings of guilt. However it also felt weird to be back in the race environment that was such an ingrained portion of my life for 10 years after I stepped away from my timing duties.  Being there solely as a participant felt odd and it wasn’t a feeling I liked.  When you are used to doing battle in the middle of the arena floor, sitting in the stands later while eating popcorn just feels hollow.

Kathy one of our barred rock hens has been really struggling the last month or two.  She had some sort of injury that made walking/standing very difficult for her.  Cindy and I have accommodated this by trying to carry her off and on the perch and placing food and water on the ground nearby wherever she was sitting.  When she would try to walk she could only go a foot or two at a time before she would sit back down. In the past week she finally has shown signs of improvement.  Last night she walked the entire width of the fence with barely resting.  It’s great for us to see her rebound like this.  Last night she walked up into the coop all by herself, only requiring a quick lift onto the perch above.

This weekend I want to get the grass trimmed and mowed.  With winter here most growth is stunted but after a month the yard just has an overall unkempt appearance that I’m not a fan of.  I also want to start doing some prep in order to get some fill and sod put in the chicken area.  That is a winter project that needs to happen so I can avoid the chicken pond scenario we have had for years during rainy season.