Improvement, packing, good noise, getting set up

Using the neti pot through the day yesterday made a huge difference in my symptoms. I had clear sinuses through the night and was able to sleep very well. My cough has abated as well. Mama is happy about that. And I still have three more days to recover before we meet our Honduran crew. All is as well as can be expected. I am not fully recovered but am greatly improved. Mama’s prescription going forward is that I use the neti pot to purge my sinuses each time I clean the coop in the future. (That is what she attributes my current sinus infection to.) That is a capital idea!

We are in the process of packing for the trip. Getting together those items that we must not forget and making lists to help us remember the typical travel items is the order of the day. Being in the US facilitates getting to Cori and Nate items that are difficult and expensive to send to them in Honduras. We have accumulated a couple boxes of those items as our address is often used as the stateside postal destination for online orders. Two boxes are less than I expected the amount to be. The list is so that we remember to pack the things we will need for days at the beach, fishing in the surf, and meeting some of the needs that arise from being away from home. Towels, toiletries, tools and tackle boxes that are accessible at home but must be packed along for use away from home are all being added to the lengthening list. It is rare that the vehicle we drive on any trip is not packed completely full by the time we leave the farm. That tradition will probably hold true for this trip as well.

Of the beach items we are taking, the canopy Mama and I bought for her business and three fishing poles to do some surf fishing are the most important to Cori and the kids, respectively. As far as I have been told, the weather will be nice. Some overcast days but mostly sunny with soft breezes. I have no idea about the prospects of catching any fish, but it is always fun to try. I very much miss the fishing I was able to do in the quarry lakes, so maybe a few wet lines in the Gulf will satisfy the itch for a while. Trying not to get too sunburned is my chief goal. Thus, the canopy is important to me as well.

The ambient temperature here is pleasant enough that Mama and I have the windows opened as long as possible each day. The high temperature yesterday was 67°. Today is forecast to reach the mid-seventies, but the humidity is almost ninety percent. So, as I work from my desk with the windows open, I can hear the chickens announcing the arrival of each newly laid egg and fussing with each other to make way for the next hen to occupy the nesting box. It can be quite a commotion at times, but it makes for some very pleasant background noises. When the younger goats see any movement outside the house, they try through their incessant bleating to convince us how hungry they are. Bird songs and cattle lowing make up the other recurring sounds in the ambient noise. Not many people get this type of natural auditory input through their days, so we do not take it for granted.

I will treat the beehives one last time this evening. Since the winds are light, I will also open the hives to check for brood, for queen activity, and check for swarm cells. That will take about an hour to accomplish but I thoroughly enjoy the time I get to spend on the hives. I learn something new every time and when I come across something I do not understand, I have friends to get help from. That takes a lot of the trepidation out of being on a steep learning curve. The prospect of getting to harvest honey this year is encouraging. We have had the bees for two years now and have not gotten that reward yet. Maybe this will be the year for us and our bees to succeed.

We have set things up the best we are able to help Tres take care of the animals on his schedule – evening feedings only. So, having done all we can, we leave it to the Lord to watch over the farm in our absence. If the forecast holds true, no additional watering will be required while we are gone. We have several days of rain spaced out over the week. The amounts predicted will be sufficient to give the plants, bushes, and trees all the water they need. Mama and I may water tomorrow morning but that should carry our garden into the days of rain that are forecast.

I am not planning on taking a computer with me on this trip. We will be happily occupied every day, so I see no need to complicate the trip trying to keep track of my computer. Besides, for most of the light duty communications required while out of the office, my cell phone will suffice. Since Mama does most of her business on her cell phone there is no need of a computer on her part either.

Mama and I will certainly not need the additional distraction.