Eye Surgery, Easter, and Beyond

 4/4/22: I totally forgot to mention that I will be having the first of two cataract surgeries on Wednesday The process began on Monday when I started putting 3 different drops in my left eye twice a day. I will be doing some version of that for the whole month, if not longer when my right eye is down. Chris is going to be my caretaker who has to remain at the facility the whole time. I’m not sure why that is necessary, but it is! They will also go over all instructions with her in case I’m too woozy to remember. I feel bad that it ties up so much of her time, but I will return the favor when she needs it and I’m repaying her with the promise of a delicious meal of her choice in Savannah. It will be another excuse for us to get into Savannah.

At this point, my major concern is that I’m not to lift anything heavy (no chance!) or bend over for the first two days. Well, my little buddy has short legs and must go out to poop, which has to be picked up. I may just take the easy way out and put her on her tether outback. I can sit with her and pick up poop on the third day.

My left eye went well. I was in and out of the outpatient clinic in two hours. It probably seemed much longer for Chris who spent that time in the waiting room! Since the surgery, I have basically been going without my glasses with one eye done and the other not, my vision is a little bit off with or without my glasses. Even so, when the right eye is done I think my distance vision will be great. I may get away with readers, which I never believed would be possible. So, we shall see. I have my right eye done this coming Wednesday (4/20) and am eager to see how it all shakes out. There was no pain or discomfort. My greatest concern was at night as I sleep on my sides and was afraid of digging my face into the pillow and hurting the eye. I did have to wear goggles the first two nights but that was too awkward to maintain for longer than that. All in all, it went very well and I hope the second goes as well as the first.

Unfortunately, Tippy had a setback. As mentioned last time, she had very little pain or discomfort after her shoulder surgery but last week she unbuckled her hand in order to do her forearm exercises. In the process of using her phone, it fell and she grabbed for it, moving her whole arm and shoulder. She immediately felt the full degree of pain that she had avoided up to that point, and even minor movements hurt. She was advised to do very little over the weekend, and they would check with her on Monday to see if x-rays were necessary. Luckily, things settled and she is back on the mend.

Chris and I joined Liberal Ladies for a program at Penn Center. It has an interesting history and the presentation was informative. It was followed by a box lunch on the grounds. Other than being a bit windy, it was a lovely day and we enjoyed lunch and a walk around the grounds. It was here that Dr. King wrote his "I Have a Dream" speech and some years ago my mother and I came to see Bill Clinton when he was campaigning for Hillary.

Lynn and I arranged a gathering of Crescent Democrats (called the Crescent Blue Wave) at Oak Terrace restaurant. Several years ago there was a concerted effort to organize “social” groups within gated communities as a way of communicating with liberals, getting volunteers, etc. We had one social gathering early on but then Covid hit. Over the years of Covid, we pretty much discovered that getting people in our age group to do anything other than write postcards is expecting too much. So, we weren’t disappointed when we had only 12 people show up. They seemed to have a very good time and there were others who would have attended except for company, being out of town, etc. We did our bit and that’s all we can do!

Easter weekend was quiet but pleasant. On Friday, I spent a couple of hours tending the Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate’s table at the Gullah Market at Martin Family Park in downtown Bluffton. It was fun because it was the first time most of us had seen each other in person since Covid started! Everyone was jovial and in good spirits and it was a lovely day to be outside. Sunday Tippy and I got together at First Watch for breakfast and Tippy actually drove herself I fully expected to be her chauffeur but she felt she could do it. Kieran backed her car out to the street, got her buckled in, and put the car in D. She drove to my house, where I unbuckled her and put the car in P!! When she left, I got her set up and pointed in the right direction and away she went, getting home safely. But before that, she stopped in to see Rosie and we took her for a walk. As we were leaving the house, we were joined by Mark, my neighbor across the street. and The Adorable Felix for our walk to the clubhouse and back. It was leisurely and a nice way to enjoy the day. Before leaving, I showed Tippy Wordle since she is a crossword fan. Being a crossword fan, I thought she would enjoy it. I guess the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament went well and the rain predicted for the whole weekend held off until the evening. So, I went to bed to gentle rain and awakened to the same.

For some reason, around Easter, my Facebook feed was bombarded with beautiful pictures of Malta, which brought back fond memories. One repat Allan and I started out in the UK with no plans other than to go to a travel agent and see where we could go. I was hoping for Kenya but we didn't have time for vaccinations, paperwork, etc. In any case, we would up in Malta, which was a total delight. The weather was nice, the scenery was beautiful, and the history was much more than I ever knew. On top of that, it was Easter week! There was one whole day of enactment and processions like I had never seen before. We had a prime spot in front of a church by which everything passed. It was amazing. Another thing that stands out is a famous restaurant that someone recommended that did not disappoint, as well as me driving us around one day in a Mini with the hand brake up!!

4/19/22: As a thank you to Chris for being my chauffeur for both of my eye surgeries, I promised her a lunch of her choice in Savannah. She chose Troupial, a Venezuelan “coffee service” which we’d had our eye on for a while as they were renovating an old house to become their restaurant. They had just reopened at their new location, and it was totally charming and the food was delicious (the link above shows the work they put into getting the new place ready, and you can get a feel for the setting and food on their FB page.). The staff was young, pleasant, and attentive. As we were leaving, one of them invited us to go upstairs and check out their dining area there. While the downstairs area was limited, there were dining spaces on the front porch, a deck outback, and the upstairs area. It was a fun way to spend part of a very nice day and I think we both enjoyed it.

The following day (yesterday) was my second eye surgery, which went as smoothly as the first except there was a short delay before I was seen. Once the process begins, it runs like clockwork. It’s a small out-patient clinic with about 4 operating rooms and several other procedure rooms (I was on my way to the OR when I asked, and I forgot the complete answer!). They see about 40 people/day – and to think they can do what they did to my eyes with such amazing results! Needless to say, I am very pleased!.

April - The Year Marches On!

 After describing the glorious weather we’d been having, we had the weekend from hell. Saturday was high winds such that I doubted Rosie would go for her walk. She braved it and was only frightened when the gusts were so strong that they blew leaves, pine cones, etc past her. She would then scurry ahead with ears back and tail down. Late in the day, the winds subsided and the temperature took a dive. We had 2 nights in the 20s and 30s. I think it felt colder because we had shed our layers of clothing and we weren’t prepared for it. It’s warming up again and it looks like we’re good for the next 10 days – but I’m moving into it slowly!

The time change has thrown me for a loop. It is now pitch black at 7AM so I’m sleeping in until 8+ AM! I’m not sure why I feel guilty about that as there is nothing requiring that I get up early – but I do!! It also means that by the time Rosie and I get up and going, have our walk and breakfast, the morning is gone! Today (3/16/22) I was to Zoom with Eileen and Ann. It was rainy and I rushed Rosie out between showers so I could be in and ready for the call at 11AM. I got all set and nothing happened! Due to the time change, I was an hour early! Oh well, it will all work itself out and I’ll catch on eventually. (Since writing this, it is now light at 7AM and we're getting into the swing of spring)

My basic feeling is that the whole Universe is trying to tell us that we need to do things differently in almost every area of our society, and we are doing a good job of ignoring that. While there are so many atrocious things going on in the world (Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, on and on - to say nothing of other issues like climate changes, etc), what we see in Ukraine is heartbreaking. It is one more people added to the long list of those sacrificed at the whim of the evil and powerful. On our repat before the first Gulf War, Allan and I took a Black Sea cruise and we stopped in Odesa and Yalta (now part of Crimea). At that time, they may have still been a part of Russia – not sure. In any case, this painting was by a young woman who was selling her work to afford her education. She was welcoming and spent some time walking with us. Now I see the photos of how they have flourished since being independent of Russia and the current situation breaks my heart. They are doing everything right – they have shown respect for one another and for the frail and fragile. They love their animals and are not deserting them during this horrible time. They are showing heroism in the face of demonic assault.  I fully understand the need to prevent a nuclear world war, but I pray there is a way out of this that will spare the people of Ukraine (and all those in other countries who suffer these atrocities!) – and ensure that NO ONE else will ever be able to do this again! I know, I’m a dreamer….

3/26/22: Got a very good night’s sleep last night and awaken to a sunny, though windy day. After a nice morning walk with Rosie which included coffee with Lynn and Tom, I gave Tippy a call to ask if I could stop by for a visit. This is only her third day home after shoulder replacement surgery and I was pleasantly surprised when she walked down the driveway to greet me! She looked and felt surprisingly well, which I was happy the see. She has taken no meds since being home except Tylenol, which I find amazing. I am relieved to see that she has come through it so well.

From there, I went to the Palmetto Quilt Guild Show. I expected a quiet, quick walk-through, but it was teeming with viewers and vendors, so I just took my time and enjoyed it. Remembering all of those projects I’ve just gotten rid of, and some of them being quilting books, I didn’t even browse through the vendor stalls! It really was impressive and I enjoyed it. I came home and took Rosie for a walk right away as the day was still beautiful. 

Then, the next day, Sunday, Chris and I went to Savannah for VegFest 2022. In years past, a local lady had organized a great one on the island, but since Covid, she seems to be out of the picture! In any case, it was a beautiful day and Forsyth Park was prime people-watching territory. Everyone was out enjoying the day with their kids, dogs, etc. The VegFest itself was smaller than expected but we enjoyed browsing the vendors. Within an easy walk from the park was a vegetarian restaurant we had long wanted to try - The Haunt. We had no trouble getting in and enjoyed a delicious meal. Chris had a flatbread and I had "A Decent Breakfast." The description was such (wild mushroom sausage, lion's mane, wild huckleberry, etc) that I could not even guess what I was getting, but it really was delicious. A lot of vegetarian/vegan restaurants, food trucks, etc. are springing up in Savannah so our options are increasing, but I would definitely put The Haunt at the top of the list.

Amy, a friend whom I haven't seen in a while since Covid, texted to see if Rosie and I would like to get together so we could meet her new puppy, Jesse, a Havanese. I was a bit reticent because Rosie is sometimes timid/frightened in new surroundings and is can be put off by the exuberance of puppies. But, we met up at Jarvis Creek Park and had a nice walk-around. Rosie and Jesse got along fine. Rosie even had zoomies and was taunting Jesse to join in. Once home, she was out like a light, not even having her dinner until sometime in the night!

Had to share this photo from my continuing purge of the house. These (from the garage) are a collection of protest posters from the last few years. The RBG poster brings back vivid memories of a group of local rabid republicans when we protested a meeting where Lindsey Graham was to appear (by didn't)! You're talking about an eye-opener as to how nasty people can be! Some of my "resista-sistas" will get a kick out of this and may even have their own collection!