Reloading

Because those antibiotics were making me feel so crummy Friday, I took Saturday off from taking them.  I resumed Sunday morning, and by yesterday morning I was back to aching all over and feeling very sluggish.  I spent most of yesterday around the house doing some post-trip chores, putting gear away and stuff like that.  I also began the annual ritual of washing my heaviest winter paddling clothing and putting it away.  Here, my fleece-lines pogies and (in the background) a pair of furry tights dry out after getting washed in the laundry room sink downstairs:

Of course, April hasn't even begun yet, and it's entirely possible we'll be in for some more chilly weather.  But I feel fairly confident I can put away the stuff I wear in sub-freezing temperatures.  The coldest temperature I see in the current ten-day forecast for Memphis is 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and I still have some clothes not yet put away that'll do in that kind of weather.

Today I am still feeling low on energy.  After some lethargic stretching this morning I went down to the river and got in the boat, and felt surprisingly good there.  I did three eight-stroke sprints, and then paddled out on the Mississippi, which was placid and free of barge traffic.  The light was beautiful: it was largely cloudy, but the sun was peeking through in spots.  At one point it rained on me for a couple of minutes, and that was a lovely scene.  After this nice taut paddling session I gave my boat a long-overdue washing, cleaning off the Gulf salt as well as a winter's worth of grime.

I take my last antibiotic pill tonight at suppertime, so I'm hopeful better days are ahead.  My next scheduled race is a week from Saturday down at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and with any luck I'll enjoy some better health as I prepare.