Mainsail Is On!

Low-lying gray clouds, nearly fog, hung over everything this morning, but it was not chilly and it was not raining, so Peter thought it would be a great day to get the mainsail on. For a couple hours, we worked diligently, putting in battens and securing them and then, starting with the head, attaching the sail to the mast cars. There are about 16 cars, and we had finished with two when we sensed the predicted rain would begin soon. We heaved and flaked the mainsail from the dock to the port deck and got down below just before drops started falling. 

I made a beautiful spinach salad with apples, mandarins, dried cranberries, carrots and shredded cheese. (Peter's also had walnuts.) He would have preferred his leftover meatloaf from yesterday, but he had to wait for dinner for that meal. I'm sure the meatloaf was good, but I felt a bit insulted that he would prefer someone else's cooking to my nutritious and colorful meal.

As I was again helping Katya study for her final exam of this semester, Peter donned his rain jacket and proceeded to get the rest of the battens in and attach the sail to the rest of the mast cars, so that important job is done. At least there was no wind.

Mantra with the main on under a very temporary blue sky

It finally stopped pouring around 5 p.m., and I was suffering from cabin fever. Peter was just having his afternoon tea, so I left him to enjoy it while I walked around town and, later than I would have liked, purchased my Diet Coke. In just ten days, there have changes in the blooming flora. The white azaleas and the tulips are gone, but there are still plenty of irises and the roses are flourishing. The splashes of color along the streets help to alleviate the gloominess and are probably saving me from sinking into full-blown depression. That and the cottontail rabbits.

Azalea in bloom in front of the former bank building

Pink ladies

Flowering dogwood

Cottontail rabbit

Irises with raindrops

Yellow, white and orange iris

I do miss the California sunshine as well as the drier climate. The dishes do not even dry here! What I wash after dinner and put in the rack still needs to be dried with a towel in the morning. Oh, well! Sunshine is predicted for two of the next seven days. I will relish it.