Ups and Downs of Fixer Uppers

I decided I finally have something to say so I'll be posting again for a while.

Velcro (Bob) turned 85 in June. I'll be posting some of our 'adventures,' and some of the things I've learned along the way. Some of our adventures haven't left me time to post.

We had an appointment this morning with the ophthalmologist for him. He's had cataract surgery but has never been as pleased with his surgery as I am with mine.

He'd been fretting a lot about not being able to see. Take note of his pocket and you'll see why he doesn't see well. I've never found wearing glasses in my pocket to be very successful.

He sees well enough without his glasses for most things. Mostly just needs reading glasses. Says he doesn't know when he needs to be wearing them, and I need to tell him. Quick, let me add that to my to-do-list.

I've now put his glasses on a chain around his neck to see if he can manage that. He's constantly hunting his glasses, has sat on them twice, requiring a trip to get them untwisted and aligned again.

I went through this with my father and was never able to please him, and it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to please Velcro.

I asked the doctor to tell me what I can expect for the future, and what I need to do to be sure I don't miss anything.

He recommended a yearly medical appointment just to be sure all is well. (Medical is the key word. Medicare pays for the yearly medical appointment. If you make an eye exam appointment you have to pay, at least at our opthomologist's office.) He does not have glaucoma, or macular degeneration. It's possible, but unlikely, he could grow a film over the left eye. He's already had laser on the right eye.

He says it's unlikely his prescription will change much. After all, we're dealing with artificial lens now.

This was helpful guidance that I needed. I can go forth with confidence now.

Here I Sit

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon. I'm quite sure Sunday is the longest day of the week.

Fall has arrived, leaves cover the ground. Fall is my favorite season and I enjoy seeing piles of fallen leaves. I do not enjoy sidewalks covered in wet leaves. I took a walk in the rain this afternoon and enjoyed it but I was not relaxed. I have a new walking stick, not a cane, a stick. I was very glad to have it as I find wet leaves a safety hazard.
_______________

I had cataract surgery two years ago and have been extremely pleased with the results. I am very close to not needing glasses but not quite there. At first I was thrilled to be free of wearing trifocals. It was fun for a while to use the little reader glasses. They are inexpensive and come in a large assortment of frames.

The fun is over now. I'm longing for trifocals again. I'm tired of chasing glasses, and having glasses perched on my nose only to find another pair pushed up into my hair. I need a little correction for reading. I can do the computer without glasses but a tiny bit makes it easier but not the strength of reading glasses. I can see most things on the TV (not a big screen) but sometimes not everything.

Next week I'm calling for an eye exam with hopes of going back to trifocals (with lines). For many years glasses were the first thing I put on in the morning and the last thing I took off at night. I miss that. Does that make me a creature of habit? Am I hanging on to my past?
________________

In thinking about the election there are a few faces beside Donald Trump's I would be pleased to see no more in media.

Republican faces would be Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and Reince Prebius, to name only three.
Democrat faces would be Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Terry McAuliffe, and Lanny Davis.

Are there political faces you would like to see no more in media?

Aging Eyes

When I was about six years old both my parents came home wearing new glasses.  I was impressed and made wearing glasses one of my life goals.

By the time I reached forty wearing glasses was no longer one of my goals in life but they began printing paper items in smaller fonts and I was forced to take a look at non-prescription reading glasses. I loved them.  I had them in many colors and in every room in the house.  I could push them up into my hair when not in use.

Then things got serious, no more reading glasses, it was trifocals time.  For the next thirty or so years I wore those, and they were not nearly as fun as wearing reading glasses.

Eventually aging eyes caught up with me and it was time for cataract surgery.  I learned if I paid the $1,000 Medicare would not pay on a lens to correct my astigmatism I could almost certainly go back to non-prescription reading glasses.  I was excited.

I had myself a good time at the $1 store in those early days after surgery.

Then I became more selective.  I like the very narrow ones. I was no longer shopping at the $1 store.

Then it was on to some online shopping.

The difference these days is I can no longer remember where I laid my glasses and my hair's now too thin to hold them if I push them on top my head.  I lost a pair I'd stuck in a vest pocket.  I've now ordered this item to wear when I leave the house that will hopefully keep my glasses safe when not on my face.

I've also realized it's too much effort to keep up with multiple pairs of glasses.  Most of these are now relaxing in a drawer waiting for the opportunity to be passed on to someone else having cataract surgery.
-------------------
A fun article: Jon Favreau, Speechwriter