Hello, fellow swimmers, and welcome to the Stress Pool! My, summer has come with vengeance, has it not? You would think we'd be in the actual pool daily, but since the days have been so oppressive, and then evening thunderstorms following, well, it just seemed that staying indoors was the right thing to do. Then, there was the cataract surgery.
Yes, be it age or just the fact that my eyes have never been the best, the cataracts are ripe for the picking. I opted for the astigmatism correcting lens for both eyes, and the eye doctor said, "We do the worst eye first." What they don't tell you is that it might take some time before you can actually see! And boy, am I glad I didn't get this done during the school year, which was the original plan.
In this age of instant gratification, I thought for sure it would take a few days, then all would be normal. Nope. I've had the lens taken out of my glasses, only to find that my other eye doesn't adjust to the difference. It has made June very interesting, indeed. Patience is a virtue with which I've often had difficulty, and this experience has been no exception. I'm not prone to deep bouts of depression, but I did come close! I'm not one to sit too idly. and had been looking forward to sketching and painting. Patience, Wendy, Patience.
What you should be grateful for is that I am not driving - with everything being fuzzy, I'm just not comfortable behind the wheel. That means my family has to haul me around if I need to go somewhere, like the eye doctor, the allergist for shots, the pharmacy, and wherever else I need to go. (My eye doctor and I are getting to be great pals, LOL!) And, while I'm not one to meander through the mall, or shop a lot, that's all I've wanted to do, probably because I can't. This too shall pass. (At least, I hope so!) Ms. Business and I went to the parish flea market last week - yay, a trip out of the house! I found something I wanted for the studio, and a book of positive quotations called "It Isn't Easy Being Green" - a Jim Henson Book. Loved him. And, it was nice spending time with them.
Stipulations in the discharge papers: "No gardening. No housework. No lifting anything more than ten pounds. No alcohol (although that might have been because of the anesthesia). No going away for two weeks after surgery. No swimming for a month." WAIT, WHAT?! Summer finally arrives and no pool? So, at the first post-op appointment, when he asked if I had any questions, I said, "Let's talk about the pool."
He chuckled. "We don't want you to get chlorine in your eye."
"I also don't want to get chlorine in my eye - ever. I just walk around the pool and float."
I was given the go ahead, but only after two weeks had passed. That would give me two weeks before the next surgery. Yay! I do intend to get back in again today and as many days as possible next week. Notice, I was not at all concerned about housework or gardening or lifting. DH and I are hoping to go away at the beginning of August for a day or two. My main concern is being able to see well enough to help do some of the driving. As for the alcohol, I don't drink enough to even think about that one.
So, what does one who cannot see do?
Well, I think I'm on the third season of Reba; I watched Disney movies for the first three days; Crazy Rich Asians is on Netflix (if you haven't seen it, please watch - it's one of my favorites!). DH and I have watched The Sympathizer (HBO - a must watch! There are a lot of subtitles, which was difficult for me to see, but I saw enough to get the drift); Bridgerton, season three; and Persuasion. Moink sometimes wants to spend some time with us in the evenings, and we'll watch Taskmaster, New Zealand. Wow, they hold nothing back over there, including language and what they show on television. It's bawdy and a hoot, and we are quite diverted when watching. Seriously though, I've never watched so much on television in such a short time in my life!
And, thank God for the person who invented large print books - as well as the Kindle where you can adjust the size of the font! The summer reading has begun. So far, I have read:
Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - a mystery/comedy that keeps you guessing all the way through;
Simply Lies by David Baldacci - did not disappoint!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - wow. Well done, and I couldn't put it down. Very interesting.
Servant of the Crown Series by Denise Domning, which included, in order:
Season of the Raven
Season of the Fox
Lost Innocents
The Final Toll
Caught Red-Handed
It is a series set in medieval times which, interestingly, involve a Norman born knight who becomes what Briton locals call "the crowner", which later translates to 'coroner'. That being said, you can well guess at what he does - and where these adventures might lead! She has another series that involve some of the same characters, and I'll probably buy that one on the Kindle while I wait for other books from the library.
I am also proof- reading Moink's book - the first in his series. He's good. I hope he's able to get an agent and have it published. In the meantime, he's started writing the second book.
So, three weeks into summer break, and I'm eight books in already. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some artwork in as the eye sight improves - I did finally have some success with a pair of cheaters, which is helping some. I'm wearing them now, and hoping that there aren't too many mistakes!
The actual pool is refreshing, my friends, and maybe if you're in the area, you'll pop in for a dip, and we can talk about how you spend your time in the summer. And, remember, the Stress Pool is always open! Bye for now!
