No Camelot-Type Weather!

It’s time to bring out the blankets—it’s high school track season!

The high temperature today in the wind-chilled Houston area is expected to be only 45 degrees (that really should be the LOW!). Tonight’s temp? Should go down to about 27 degrees, which will feel much colder due to the northerly breeze.

What does all this mean? Must be high school track season!

Yes, I’m sad to report . . . mainly to myself . . . that my younger son starts life as a junior varsity trackster tonight. Remember how I froze during the first track meet of the year last winter? It’s supposed to be even colder. And, of course, the Mister and I pretty much have to stay the entire time, because our #2 son will compete in the long jump and triple jump early and then run the 800 meters in the middle and the 1600 meters near the end.

The upside? He’s no longer in the final 4 x 400-meter relay. But we have to pick him up after the meet at his high school, so we might as well continue our ice cube imitation and stay until the bitter (no doubt) end.

I can’t wait to salute the sky with my mitt-gloves!

At least this time I’m going to remember to wear my long underwear, plus I found a pair of Thinsulate mitt-gloves in a cabinet that will help keep my fingers from freezing while wielding my Nikon. But don’t expect me to be a happy camper!

A Graceful Segue

A recent text “conversation” with my older son

Lately I’ve had a song stuck in my head, and I think it’s applicable for tonight’s track meet. My older son texted me about a Wii game we’ve promised to buy him for his birthday. When he wrote that Conduit 2 has been delayed, my natural reaction was to text “Fie!” back. Which, as you can see, confused him. But it made me smile.

The Broadway album of “Camelot”

Back in my youth when every teen yearned for a record player and couldn’t imagine an iPod future, I about wore out the grooves on a “Camelot” LP. Mine was the Broadway musical version starring the incomparable Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. How I loved listening to those tunes, which told the story of a fantasy land of might and right.

One of the songs is called “Fie on Goodness,” sung by the knights of the legendary round table, spurred on by the up-to-no-good Mordred, played by Roddy McDowall pre-“Planet of the Apes.” So, of course, when I texted “Fie!” back to my son, in my head I immediately heard that scratchy needle moving through the grooves again.

Naturally, I bought the entire original album on iTunes soon after (I still remember all the words!) and e-mailed “Fie on Goodness” to my #1 son. He never said how he felt about it, but I like to imagine him putting the song on his iPod Touch and tapping his toe to it every now and then.

Talk about a fantasy!

Is there a point to all this blathering, you ask? I’m sure that when I’m at the track meet tonight that “Camelot” songs will be rattling around in my frosty brain, tempting me to put my own special twist on them. What readily comes to mind?

“Fie on Winter!”