The eyes have it - plus some news about alcohol consumption

 

Last Friday I went to optometrist for annual eye exam. But the day before the appointment, they called to say my insurance had dropped them from covered list...so did I want to private pay? I agreed, for this time, and intend to call my insurance and complain. The optometrist office said that small outfits aren't being kept on the provider lists from insurance often now. I think I'll find a new one, though this one has been close to my home so I've used it for years. 

See, even the camera can't read the bottom line! My prescription for far sightedness and astigmatism hadn't changed, so I didn't need new lenses. She said the right eye can't be corrected any more than 20-25, whatever that means. 

After all the tests she found two interesting things.

I already knew I was dealing with dry eyes. But she also saw some mucous so said I needed to do antihistamine drops daily as well as the ones that help with dry eye. Now if I can just remember to do so!

The other interesting thing about my right eye is that she found wrinkles in it. I didn't get clarification as to where, but she said that contributed to not being able to correct it to 20-20. I'm quite satisfied that the worst I have to deal with is wrinkles, since I have them all over my body by now anyway.

However, it does limit my binocular vision, of being able to tell the distance things are away from me, which usually means I reach and come up short to touch them. But sometimes it can end up with me bumping into things. That I really don't need.

So the upshot of my eye exam was incredible gratitude to have the miracle of eyesight at all...where light hits those cones and rods, and turns them into electric messages to go through nerves to my brain and give me the information that I am seeing a lake, a sky, a bird, and colors of blue and green all around me. 

Yes, I'm visually oriented in the world. 

And last night I saw that Black Mountain, my quiet little town where all stores close at 5 pm, and just a few night clubs and restaurants are open the rest of the evening, now will have liquor available for special events on sidewalks and streets! Wow. The first one will be the Blues Festival in 2 weeks, I assume, since the promoters of it are also those who promoted the Social Event Ordinance which allows vendors to apply for ABC licenses for the events. Not sure what that means. Here's the article in the Citizen Times, which I couldn't share on FB, but it has a link HERE.

I don't feel good about this. Maybe I've just seen too many negative experiences with people drinking to excess. But it is akin to the New Orleans Mardi Gras experience to my mind. Not the town I want to live in at this point in my life.

Today's quote:

In 1917 Herbert B. Swope of the New York World won the first Pulitzer prize for journalism, and when he picked up his award, said: “I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula of failure — which is try to please everybody.”

Feeling low

 

Several of my best friends are dealing with serious physical conditions. I try to be a caring friend, talking with them in various media (text, phone, email as they prefer.)

But the other evening when I was getting ready for bed, I looked in the mirror (which for some reason I avoid) and was surprised how drawn but ruddy my face looked. I hadn't been doing anything but reading and watching videos most of the day. I noticed I had some shortness of breath. Which also means coughing a lot.

It gave me pause. Without any pain, would this be my last night? I did finally go to sleep. And when dawn came, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Hey girl, you woke up!

Nope it didn't work. So I'm still kind of dragging around. It kind of hit me like a freight train this time. Or maybe my lungs really are ready to stop...but I think it's just the emotional reaction to knowing one of these nights I very well may not be waking up in the morning. That thought and feeling just depressed me no end.

Well rather than continue to whine, I'll just say the sun is shining, it will be getting warm today, and I have a commitment that I will honor, so I'm getting out there! I only write this down because I want to remember that I've been here (emotionally) today, and before...this is seasonal also. I'm not trying to get my blog buddies to send me good wishes...I think each of us has our own "cross to bear" as my mother would have said. Challenge is the term I use. 

This is a journal in one sense...my sharing with you mostly the externals of my life, but sometimes my internal doings just bubble up. Thanks for reading.

PS, I didn't go to the studio yesterday afternoon, but did laundry. I felt so much better having given myself a closet full of clean clothes, and a bed with clean sheets. I can be creative again soon. For now I'm just creating my own life to be as good as I can.

Today's quote:

Breath.  If a person wishes to study the self, to know the self, what is important isnot the study of the mind, of the thought, the imagination, nor ofthe body, but the study of the breath.  The Breath has made themind and the body for its expression.  It has made all from thevibration to the physical atom, from the finest to the grossest.

Hazrat Inayat Khan

From:  The Philosophy of Breath
and The Healing Papers

The Microwave Story

 As I drove out the parking lot of my apartments the other day, my maintenance man, Barry, flagged me down. I stopped, and he handed me a card for a potter in Banardsville. He has shared some pieces of pottery with me, and I show him some I have collected and made.

Anyway, he said I should look up this potter. I said ok.

Then I mentioned I was off to Walmart to purchase a new microwave as mine had broken. As he is super handy in many ways, he asked what was wrong with it. When I explained that it turned on every time I closed the door, and didn't respond to any of the buttons any more, he agreed it was a goner.

I asked how could I dispose of it, and he said to bring it down for the Friday household goods pickup by the town.

Old door release button had broken and been taped back onto the microwave, which worked for 4 years.

Then he said he had one that I could have free. Another resident had died recently and her relative was cleaning out her apartment, and there was a red microwave I could have. He said he'd bring it over the next day.

He didn't, and I didn't see him the next day. So when I told my friends of my good fortune, they raised their eyebrows a bit. Well, I could do nothing but wait and see.

And the next day I saw Barry, and he said he was cleaning it up and would bring it right over. I said, I know how to clean up things, don't bother. Within 10 minutes he arrived with this!

I only had a tiny bit of cleaning on the back still to do...he'd already covered front and interior!

The button to push to open the door is much harder, and thus probably won't break like the old one did. It has 1350 watts, at least that's the only number that I could discern on the back (being made in China just like the old one had been). It does heat water to a higher temp in 1:30 which is how I like to make tea or warm up coffee.

I'm so grateful. 

Barry said the guy wouldn't take any money for it. But I think Barry deserves a nice tip, if I can ever see him and slip it to him. 

I finally walked down the hill to where Barry parks his car, and leaves the window open. I slipped a thank you note (with Snoopy of course) and a few bills to him that way. He just finished work for the day and connected my new shower nozzle with a hose...can't wait till the morning to try it out! I told him he's the Papa of the place, taking care of so many of us.

Today's quote:

We can never underestimate this truth: No matter who you are, the biggest thing you do in any day is most often going to be a small act of kindness, decency, or love.

CORY BOOKER