Four Day

Memorial Day weekend was utterly gorgeous!
I'd planned it as a 4 day "staycation" by taking
Friday off, and by mid-morning I'd stepped out of
work mode with an inner sigh of pleasure.
"I needed this.."
Working outside in the flower beds, moving this
plant over there, and that one over here, edging,
weeding, enjoying the plentiful sunshine, was a
balm to my soul and added balance to my oft times
lop sided life.

Saturday the alarm went off at 4:20am, and I set
to doing my part of the prep work for the Food
Tent I'd be working with other volunteer teammates
at the first Eastern Seaboard Series race of the
season.
Organized by our own SOS coach, Bob Albanese, it's
been blessed each year with bright blue skies and
loads of happy skaters, some driving in from as far
away as Canada.
Things started off pretty slowly for us but picked
up once the grill got going and the enticing aroma
of the free hamburgers and hot dogs we'd be handing
out spilled over into the May air.
Then it was non stop action!
By 2m we were packing it up and I realized I was
quite tired, but in a satisfying way.
One race down, four to go :)

COUNTDOWN:

Seven weeks.
Seven weeks till my son leaves for Basic training
at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Seven weeks till his life, and mine, gets re-arranged
and changes irrevocably.

Seven weeks till Indoor Speedskating Nationals in
Omaha, which I am attending on the absolute cheap.
I am fortunate to be going at all, and have lucked
into two great relays.
One, the Veteran 2 Mix with my very own coach.
He's training and racing again after a long recovery
from knee surgery, which he had to have after a hard
fall at Regionals last year.
Then there is the Master 4 Mix, which is one of the
hottest contested relays at Nationals.
I'll be the slowest one in the group but I'm sorta an
"upgrade" for the gal who had the spot originally.
She hurt her ankle a few weeks ago and stepped down.
Sorry she got hurt, but I'm happy to be able to replace
her, and to have another opportunity to race.