Attack of the Animal Farm

My favorite swim of the week was derailed by the world's ugliest chicken. Well, not precisely, but my husband found this rooster so disturbing that I figured I had to at least picture it on my blog somewhere.

I can count the number of times in my life that I haven't wanted to swim on about three fingers. Sadly, this morning was one of them. I was supposed to go swim the long course with my friend Kay. It was a lovely and warm morning. My day was so jam-packed that I knew I wasn't going to get a workout in at any other point.... and I woke up with the sinus headache from hell and ears that were not only stuffy and painful but screaming with tinnitus.

As it turned out, I think it was a reaction to all the hours I spent in the animal barns at the county fair last night. You see, my kids are animal nuts. You wouldn't know that from the fact that our family has sixteen animals, right? So of course when we go to the fair we have to pet every goat, watch every last chicken hatch, take photos of the baby pigs, compare breeds of chickens, and ooh and aaah over every baby bunny and guinea pig. I don't know if it was some kind of animal dander or one of the millions of varities of hay particles floating around, but something did a fandango on my sinuses and I woke up simply unable to drag myself to the pool.

Of course, within a couple of hours it was all gone and I was feeling hunky dory again, but by then my lovely early morning hours in the long course lanes were all gone. Friday is my last chance before the high school water polo practice steals away our early morning long course hours. And I may have to whisk the kids away to the pool tomorrow afternoon just to steal a few laps in the sunshine as well.

In order to make up for torturing you with the photo of that rooster, I hereby post a cute little tiny fluffy bunny in a pink hat. Even Steven.