YAG Laser Surgery

 Within a year of cataract surgery in 2007, I had laser surgery on my right eye to restore clear vision because of posterior capsule opacification. Now 18 years later, I have the same condition in my left eye!

 I will have YAG laser surgery this Friday. It is day surgery that will be done at an eyecare center locally. I have noticed in the past few weeks that I could not see as well as I needed. The thought of my past experience crossed my mind, but I thought certainly something like that would not happen so many years later. The optometrist did the exam and verified that is the problem.

 The surgery scheduler (nurse) said everybody has different experiences after cataract surgery. Some people have no opacification. She added that each eye can also be different as in my case. At least this is an easily-fixed problem. 

The maskless male cardinal came to our feeder this weekend. My husband was able to take a photo of him. I talked about him in my January post: From a Beggar's Bowl: Odd Male Cardinal but did not have a photo of my bird, just one from the internet. This bird was born without eumelanin. It is fairly rare.

Blooms

 

One of my housecleaners remarked to me, "You sure do like flowers." I do sometimes have fresh flowers in my home, but I think she was referring to my decorating. I have 2 framed prints of flowers (irises; pink generic blossoms), a decorative cross-stitched pillow, and my bedspread which is pictured above.

I have pots of flowers on the front porch to enjoy. Geraniums, calibrachoa, and the violas are still hanging around with the cool spring weather continuing.

The geraniums are the same as what I bought last year. I was glad to see Meijer had them again this year.

Since I put the pot of geraniums under the Victorian gazing ball, I moved the violas to the other side of the porch. I expect them to fade out once hot weather arrives.

My cheddar pinks in the patio plot are in full bloom now. Once the flowers dry up, I will cut them off. Usually, I will get a second blooming later in the summer. They smell nice. I always take a sniff while standing on the patio grilling.

What is in bloom at your house?

Food Thoughts

 Notice that this is not food for thought but thoughts about food. 

This afternoon Winona IT, who Grace Village has used for a few years now, brought a little freezer of Igloo ice cream as a free treat for the Grace Village residents and staff. They did this last year as well.

They had about a dozen flavors. Usually, I would go with chocolate, but the name of this ice cream intrigued me: This Just Got Serious.

It was good, but the chocolate flavor was not very strong. Since we have a hot spell right now with temps in the 80s, the ice cream was a welcome snack.

After going to the bank, I stopped at Martin's to pick up a few things. I used to buy a slice of strawberry pie this time of year from Richard's restaurant, but they closed down a few years ago. I saw in their ad that Martin's had strawberry pie. Pretty pricey, but it will just be a one-time splurge to enjoy strawberry pie again.

I placed a Home Chef order which arrived today. I plan to eat the salmon tonight, the stuffed meatloaf tomorrow. I do not always see things on the weekly menu that interest me, but these two did.

This week has been super busy. Once the choir concert is over on the 20th, things will slow down a bit. I am looking forward to a less-busy schedule.

Drippy Day

 

We have had light rain since about 11:30 a.m. We drove to Fort Wayne on a less-travelled road, getting off of Highway 30 with so much truck traffic. It would have been more pleasant without the rain; definitely less trucks. Saw some farmers have readied their fields for planting. A few already have little green sprouts. 

We enjoyed lunch at Casa Grille on Dupont Road. Then I saw a gastroenterologist about whether to have my LINX device removed. He said I might need to do that, but first he wants me to try a different stronger PPI. The past 3-4 weeks I have had acid reflux including while in bed along with some swallowing/regurgitation problems. He wants me to try the new med for 6 weeks to see if it helps my problems and what kind of side effects I have. 

Since I am also having some swallowing problems in the upper esophagus, he has ordered a modified barium swallow test. I will call in the next few days to set that up. 

I kind of laugh when I tell people that which of my problems get attention depends on which specialist can fit me into their schedules. It has little to do with my priorities. This gastro doctor wants to see me again in 6 months, but the scheduler can only find openings 7 months out. I did finally get an appointment with a urogynecologist (well with the NP) after waiting over 4 months. That will be in June. 

I get along as best as I can. I talk to Holly and the Lambs pretty often to keep my spirits up, to remind me God is in control. I am His little lamb. 

Past Bargains

 Do you, like me, feel a little thrill when you find an unexpected bargain? Some really nice things can be found at garage sales and rummage sales; of course there is also a lot of junk. Sometimes it is a discount coupon that allows you to buy something you probably would not buy at the regular price. I do not make it a practice to go to garage sales, but once in a while I will go to those nearby.

This set of two Lenox Winter Greetings bowls I bought at a church rummage sale. They appeared to be unused as they sat in the original box. I paid $2 for the set. I had gone to a sale in the North Webster community center, and somebody from a church in that community had posted at the exits information about a rummage sale close by. I mostly use these bowls at Christmas, but sometimes I continue using them for several more weeks since they have a winter theme. They came with lids for storage or to use vented in a microwave. 

A few years ago, I went to a community garage sale in a nearby neighborhood. It was starting to rain lightly when I perused some items. They lady saw me looking at a hammered aluminum basket; she said, "We are not getting many customers because of the weather. We are cold and tired and ready to close up our sale. If you want that, you can have it for fifty cents." I have a few other hammered aluminum items, and yes, I did want it at that bargain price. 

Another item I purchased for fifty cents was a Pfaltzgraff Yorktowne trivet. I had to work to find this item. We had an "antique"/consignment store on Winona Avenue in Warsaw that had been divided up into lots of different rooms. I was about to leave with nothing when I talked myself into going down into the dimly lit basement on a rickety staircase. I held tightly to the railing. It was spooky down there. Here was the flotsam and jetsam of the store, things they had taken in but didn't feel were worthy of a nice display. I have two small bowls, a sauce/gravy bowl, and a pitcher in the Yorktowne pattern. The trivet fit right in. Recently, I searched eBay to verify this was Yorktowne. All of the Yorktowne trivets had the company blue and white logo badge, but otherwise they were pure white. Somebody had painted the basket and flowers of the trivet I bought. It is unique. I like its rustic nature, and blue is my favorite color.

When I lived in Mesquite, Texas, the Hobby Lobby issued a coupon for $10 off anything in the store. I did not have anything in mind, just walked around the store browsing. Then I met Ellie. I found her tennis shoes worn with her Sunday-best dress and her hat hanging down her back by its ribbons charming. I think she was $12. I never would have spent $12 on a frivolous trinket, but $2 sealed the deal and she became part of our home.

Through the years I have worked to down-size our home and get rid of stuff, but I am not beyond the temptation of a bargain. I enjoy all of these things. What kind of bargains make you smile?