Sailing with Nine of Cups

Both of us have been battling with small cuts on our feet that we acquired way back in Anatom that don't seem to be healing. In fact, they seem to be more painful than they were originally and in David's case, the area around the cut has blistered and become red and angry looking. Multiple daily washings with hydrogen peroxide, keeping the area clean and dry, applying triple antibiotic ointment and then on recommendation, changing to Cicatrin, a dry, antibacterial powder, has not helped. Since we're heading north to the nether lands soon where medicine equals magic men, we opted to spring for a medical consultation at the clinic across the street from the marina.

Marcie got the short straw, so had to remove her shoes and display her ugly feet and wounds to the doctor. The look on his face wasn't an "Oh, my God" look and he didn't reach for a hacksaw or amputation tools when he made his observations, but it did need attention. He cleaned the area with hydrogen peroxide (we got that part right), applied an antibacterial ointment (different active ingredients than ours), bandaged it up (gauze and tape, not a big band-aid) and wrote a prescription for a week long regimen of antibiotics. We hadn't progressed to the oral antibiotics stage yet (though we do have flucloxacillin sodium aboard), but it was reassuring we were doing everything else right. The doctor, along with his visiting Australian med student, was confident, reassuring and welcomed questions. We are both following the same procedures and hopefully will see some improvement over the next few days. This is not an area for "letting things go". We met an Australian yachtie the other day who had to fly home to Australia last year and was hospitalized when he picked up a rare flesh-eating infection in the waters of Lamen Bay, Epi (further north) and waited so long to seek treatment here, they couldn't handle the situation. The doctors here seem very competent, but have few diagnostic and therapeutic tools with which to work.

The rest of the day was spent trying to find chicken. We had a cup of coffee with friends who had visited this area many times before and they gave us the secret...a small butcher, just out of town named Traverso's had chicken breasts. Hooray! We jumped on a bus, got to Traverso's and they were closed...no electricity. When would they be open? They hoped by 1pm. Another bus ride and we were back in town and it was nearly lunchtime. On several recommendations, we tried "Chill" near the fresh market. It was great although we had chosen a bad day to lunch out...the cruise ship was in. Though crowded, we did have a very good lunch...excellent value for the money and a view of the bay to die for. We shopped a bit, wasted some time and then headed back to Traverso's around 1:30...still no power. Maybe tomorrow? We hope they have generators to keep all their meats/poultry refrigerated during this electrical lapse.

We picked up some fruit at the fresh market and needed a few things at Au Bon Marche. Lo and behold, they had chicken thighs today...second choice, but better than nothing. We decided rather than wager that Traverso's would have breasts tomorrow, we'd pick up 5kg of chicken thighs today and begin the canning process. Home in a flash, Marcie had the pressure cooker ready to go and the chicken thighs skinned, boned and bottled within the hour. Seven new jars of chicken are cooling overnight ready for the larder and we had fresh chicken salad with tomatoes on baguettes for dinner.