I Owe You a Chicken: Be Careful

I've been remiss. Took last Friday off because I was jet lagged and sick.

For those of you who don't know, I am on a three-week vacation in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. I am here primarily to shoot some photos at a friend's wedding.
But I am also visiting my baby brother who is back here living on the island where we grew up. I am catching up with old friends and making new ones.
My dear friend, Daisy, who I've known since childhood, has kindly offered me a guest room at her house. I fall asleep at night to the sound of pounding surf on the beach just a few hundred feet from here.
Well, a few days ago, I had the house all to myself and decided to go down and walk on the beach in the misting, sporadic rain collecting shells.

It's a beach with primarily rocky stretches, but a few sandy places in between. Perfect for shell hunting.

I was on my way back up the beach and heard the loud cries of a bird that sounded wounded. I looked off to the right and there it was.
But I knew it wasn't hurt. It is an age old ploy birds use to lure you away from their nests when you get close. They flutter around on the ground like they have a broken wing. And when you come toward them, they fly a few feet or yards and do it again.

I figured her nest was up under the sea grape brush that came down to the edge of the beach, and I was way out on the rocks near the breaking waves. So I ignored her. But she kept getting louder and closer, trying to tempt me away.


She was finally less than three feet from my feet, and very loud and very animated. It was almost funny except I knew she was desperate. But I was nowhere near nesting area, so I continued on looking for shells, walking slowly, looking down at the rocks.

And then I noticed four nearly identical rocks arranged in a perfect square just a few feet away. It turns out, it was a bird's nest! Right there on the rocks at the edge of the high tide line. Talk about a house with a view!

I decided to go home and get my camera (which I'd left behind because of the weather.) In my excitement, I was a little less careful than one ought to be when walking on a rocky beach.

My sandaled foot slipped on a rock. My ankle buckled outward and I heard a pop! Not a good sign. Having sprained that same ankle several times (way back in college), I knew not to fight it and just dove toward the ground.
Tuck and roll, baby! Tuck and roll!

So there I lay, on the rocky beach, right at the high tide line with a sprained ankle, and nobody for miles! (Okay, not literally. But out of sight of anyone.)

My first thought was to see if it was bad. Okay. Definitely sore, but not broken. Not even too horribly sprained (thanks to the tuck and roll!)

My first thought was to elevate and ice. Hmm... No luck.

My second thought was "cold water!" I would soak it in the ocean. Oops.... No good. This isn't California. The water is almost body temperature!

I got up and tried it out. Not too bad. I could make it back if I went slowly. But not too slowly, because the sooner you ice, the less it swells...


Got home and the only ice is very tiny and melts in the tropical air almost immediately. Hmmm.... That would never do.

Ahhh!!!! And there on the bottom shelf of the freezer was my answer! A whole, frozen chicken!

I grabbed the chicken, lay down on the livingroom floor with my foot propped up on a chair. I had the chicken snuggled up to my now purpling ankle, and used the 'down time' to mull over plot lines!

So the lesson for today is to be careful. That careless mama bird foolishly built her little nest right at the water's edge. She did well to blend them in with the surrounding area.

But they are still at risk of being washed away. Or picked off by larger birds flying over.

Or stepped on by silly tourists looking for shells.

And that careless toursit needs to be a little more careful and watch where she's stepping while she hunts for shells in her beach shoes!

So I am back in the saddle now, so to speak, and on a borrowed computer (as mine refuses to speak to their wireless internet!)

I'll share some more photos in the next few days, so come back!

PS - I've finished the last chapter of book #2, so we are just in the re-read/editing mode now and should have the book available by summer! :)

(btw - Those are NOT my legs in the sprained ankle picture. Mine were at least shaved! lol)

And Daisy, I owe you a chicken!