Day 1235: Tomato planting

One more backpack.  Yes, he understood the deadline was today.  But, it was his sister's birthday and of course that means he couldn't possibly empty the pack and bring it in.  He'll bring it in tomorrow.  Another was delivered to our house this evening.  And make another trip to Brocton and Silver Creek.  So much for finishing up today.

Last night I slept like a rock, finally.  It's just the beginning of catching up on our sleep deficit.  And we're making progress on cleaning up the house and garage.  Right now, there's just two sleeping bags and a few photos and certificates left on the dining room table. Another day or two and we can put this baby to bed.

Over Wednesday night, the temperature dipped to 28 degrees. Our breath froze on the inside surface of the fly and ice chipped off when we shook it.   Some kids slept, others not at all.  I think we slept maybe two hours.  Just enough to keep functioning.  

Thursday's conditions could not have been more perfect. Temps in the 60s, clear blue sky, not a drop of rain.  That didn't prevent kids from dropping from exhaustion and an injured foot.  Our hikers carried one girl's pack for much of the morning after she hyperventilated from crying.  

Thursday's camp

After we pitched camp, Mike and Shane took half the kids to the pond to swim.  We sent the Go-pro camera off with a student leader we trusted so she could record a bit of the fun.  A few minutes of peace to ease my pounding head, I thought.  But, the remaining boys were restless and started throwing a frisbee into tents and then peeking into the girls' tents.   I hollered at them and crawled into my tent to rest.  A short time later, Shane returned with news.  They lost the Go-Pro in the pond.  A student leader wore it on his head when he jumped in, even though Shane had told them, "NO JUMPING!"  We were furious, but at least the jumper didn't get hurt.  Steve, Shane and Sean returned to the pond to search the area.  Miraculously, on their last pass, Sean's foot caught the strap and he flipped it to the surface.  By the time they returned, they were shivering from spending so much time in the cold water.  All in all, it turned out pretty well.  No one was injured and we have unique footage of the jump and the camera settling the bottom of the pond.  

The best part of the day was planting tomatoes and peppers.  I dug compost and added it to the soil so maybe we'll have better results this year.  With the temps cooling over the next few days, I plan to do lots of gardening!