Just Another Pretty Face

 Two days along.  The eye is still pretty puffy.  And the pupil is still very dilated.

But I can see top to bottom, just not very clear yet.

Unfortunately, my apprentice seems to have taken over my job.

She has finished contouring the fill over the drain line, and today starting cutting grass.  Good work Kathryn!

So folks, if you start to get occasional streaks of light in your eye, head to the doctor for laser treatment.  Your retina is trying to tell you something.  And if a shadow shows up you're in the same boat as me, with surgery likely.

In the meantime, stay well.

Update

 An interesting few days! 

After the doctor visit on Friday I spent over 50 hours (less pee breaks) in bed, turning from east to west every hour or two (or three at night).  Unfortunately, the gas bubble in my eye, while interesting to watch, didn't solve the problem.

So this morning we left at 5:30 a.m. for Mississauga (the OCC Eye Clinic opens at 6).  Spent most of the 11 hour day getting eye drops, taking tests, and parking my butt in various locations.  Saw the doctor for a couple of minutes in the morning, and finally, got all dressed up at about 2:30 p.m. for the big event.

I'm smiling, did you notice?  

Probably not the first time I've had a target on my head, but it is the first time that I knew it was for real!

Finally, they did the surgery.  As you can see, they missed the target.  Probably just as well.

So, where do we stand now?  The patch stays on overnight and the doctor will take it off when we visit tomorrow afternoon.  That might tell us how it went, but he says it will be a few months before we know for sure if the problem has been solved.  Also, another visit scheduled for May 6.

In the meantime, no golf or greenhouse work for two or three weeks.  And NO CAFFEINE OR ALCOHOL!  How will I be able to cope when the Blue Jays keep losing?

Thank you all for your good wishes as I try to manage this challenge!

Stay well.

 

Closed For Repair

 Had a couple of interesting days!

Thursday was our first golf game of the season and we had some interesting results.

First of all, the weather was phenomenal.

More importantly, Matt got a hole-in-one of a sort.

He resisted cutting the tree down and settled for a penalty stroke.

All in all a good day.

But yesterday was not.  I'll let Mardi tell the story.

We spent yesterday at eye clinics.  First off, Bud told me Thursday after golf he had a gray area in one eye.  He had a 10am appointment scheduled for Friday and when I suggested we call Dr. Arora right away, he said no, we'll go in the am.  We went to the Friday appointment for laser on the eye only to be told he needed to see a surgeon and should have gone to the hospital right away.  Dr. Arora then made 2 calls.  The first call resulted in finding the eye surgeon at St. Joe's is away so he called a doctor in Mississausa.  The second call resulted in no satisfying answer -Dr.s phone was busy so we were sent to St. Joe's  eye clinic.  After a considerable wait, (we arrived mear noon so there seemed to be many lunch breaks) we finally saw a resident about 1:30 and half way through her examination, she received a phone call from a Dr. Armogan telling her to get Bud on his way to Mississauga now!  

Off we went and arrived there about 2:55 and after the paper work was taken care of, we sat waiting with a room full of others waiting.  By this time the gray area had increased to cover about half of his sight line.  

The trip and worry was worth the wait.  Bud saw Dr. Armogan close to 5 and we were both very impressed with this young man.  Pleasant, detailed in his very specific instructions, explained procedures in detail and he wore a pair of shiny pinky gold sneakers.  Quite the character.

He agreed, detached retina.

After the examination he decided to inject gas into Bud's eye to "crush the loose retina back to where it should be".  We were sent home with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops and  instructions for Bud to lie down for 2 days - I hour on the right side, 1 hour on the left and repeat. We are to return to see him at his clinic on Monday at 6:30 am.  He thinks we should be able to avoid traffic that early. Also he thought he might give us a call on Sunday to check in.  Bud may still need surgery.

Bud put the passenger seat down and dozed.  A quick stop for the eye drops and home.  Instructions:  into bed.  Needless to say, We made that hourly turning into <2 hours through the sleep hours.

His vision is still blurry this morning but he thinks it is a little better this am.

There!  You have chapter and verse of our scary day yesterday.

O.K.  a few things to talk about.  I feel sorry for Mardi.  She has been dealing for several months wlth health issues of her friend Mary as she descended into an angry, turbulent dementia.  And she has been taking Joyce to her medical appointments, and fretting that she can't spend more time with Barb.  And now she has me on her hands.  She needs a break!  Sorry my love!

Now for my situation.  The gas bubble option is successful 60-70 percent of the time.  If it hasn't worked by Monday morning then surgery will occur.  That is successful 80 percent.  So it seems to me that blind in one eye is successful 20 percent.

We'll see (get it?).  

Stay well my friends.  That is what I'm trying to do.

A Good Day

 The first item of business is to wish my buddy of over 80 years, Wayne Hilts, a happy birthday.  Have a great day my friend!

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Yesterday, Kathryn and I made good progress - one more session should finish our earth moving project.   And I have found a good place to put some of the dirt that we are removing - to cover up the holes that Muskrats are creating on David's side of the neighbour's pond.

One of the holes was a foot in diameter and two feet deep.  Others were about four inches wide and deep.  It took three wagon loads to fill them.

That's just the first step, because there are horizontal tunnels connecting these holes, so the earth will settle in as rainy conditions turn it to mud.  Some day I hope to be successful in convincing the Muskrats to dig on the other side of the pond and leave this side to the Snapping Turtles.  I don't mind them making their nests here - those nests are easy to refill after the young ones hatch.  But the Muskrat network puts the mower at risk.  I could get swallowed up!

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Today I started on the next project.  As the Pine trees along the driveway grow, they spread.  So sod needs to be removed to make it look pretty.  Started here........

........and moved it to here, where the erosion occurred.

With the new drain line that problem should be behind us, so it's time to repair.

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Tonight was our Optimist meeting, and we headed to Mount Hope to see how T.E.A.D. (the therapeutic equestrian folks that we support), does its good work.

They work with the folks in the arena.....

.........and when the weather is as good as it was tonight, they also head outside.

Depending on the situation with the rider, there may be as many as three volunteers for each one.

We got a wonderful demonstration of what the staff, and over 200 volunteers, do for the clients, day in and day out.

And after the horses were put back in their stalls, they had some fans show up.  Both Kathryn......

.......and Mardi, enjoyed meeting their new friends.

If you ever get a chance to go to the T.E.A.D. facility you won't regret it.  Great work that they do!

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Blue Jays lost again!  If this keeps up I may have to start watching the Leafs! 😟

Stay well.

Yoda's Friend

 A very special birthday today - my Mardi's!  No numbers allowed.

The crazy lady that I love.............

...................and the beautiful one who stole my heart!

We'll have a toast or two tonight to celebrate.

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I think that I've mentioned the work that Pat does in our building for the benefit of the Food Bank.  She diligently goes through the building's recycle to remove and cash in the bottles and cans that can be returned to the LCBO and Brewers Retail.  Look at her results for 2024 (the lower results from January 1 to April 30 are, no doubt, the result of Mardi and I not being here and contributing our empties).

Save the environment and help the needy at the same time.  Well done Pat!  

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Apparently, it turned out to be a very exciting afternoon for me.......

.........following which, Mardi and I headed up to Pat's apartment for our weekly dose of Boston Legal.

It takes a committee to tune up her TV....

.......but we did get to watch some of the show.

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Unfortunately, the day ended with the Blue Jays suffering their third loss in a row.

Stay well.

Bon Voyage S.J.

 I've come to the conclusion that weather forecasts are as accurate as my golf swing!  We were expecting to have to wait until Monday to play in the mud again, but Kathryn and I managed to get in an hour yesterday morning after a pretty dry night.

Then I headed home in time to watch the Blue Jays lose to Seattle in 12 innings.  

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Today it was back to the greenhouse for another stint.  We're making good progress.

Then, Mardi and I headed to Hagersville to visit her brother Greg and Diane.  Had a nice visit.

We also went to Hagersville Cemetery to visit her parents' graves, and Stoney Creek Cemetery to visit my family's graves (Mom, Dad and Stepdad, and sister Lorraine).  An emotional time for both of us.  

Fortunately, those activities kept us from seeing the Blue Jays lose 8 - 3.  Small mercies.

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Tomorrow will be a mixed emotional day.  Granddaughter Sarah-Jean and her mom are heading out early as they start their trip to Campbell River, B.C. where Sarah-Jean will begin the next leg of life's journey as a nurse.  Exciting for S.J., but the rest of us will certainly miss her😘.  

Sarah-Jean R.N. as the sweatshirt says.  Campbell River is certainly a lucky place!

My three daughters have nixed Florida for next year and plan to instead spend the winter in a rented house in Campbell River, visiting Sarah-Jean.  Poor S.J 😏!

Stay well folks.

Teamwork

 I spent my usual hour at Trillium Hill again today.

But this time I had some help.  Kathryn is looking for exercise (silly woman) and helped me with some digging.

She dug and filled the wagon, I spread the dirt and levelled.  We made good progress.

And we met a new friend.  The Killdeer are back and on the nest already.  This is the prospective dad trying to lure us away.  

They lay their eggs on gravel where they blend in - we saw the mom in the Mum field (mom-Mum, how appropriate).  

Based on the weather forecast, it will likely be Monday before we get back to work.   No panic - I just want to finish moving the earth before the lawn cutting season begins.

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After leaving the greenhouse (with six free Lilies) I headed to the advance polling booth and cast my ballot.  Took about twenty minutes, a small sacrifice for democracy.

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Didn't watch the Blue Jays game tonight - it was on Apple TV.  But I got live updates on my computer via their website.  They beat Seattle 3 - 1.

Stay well.

Athletes

 Today was an important day as we golfers set out to prove that we were skilled at more than one sport - in this case, bowling.

It also happened to be Matt's birthday.

We managed the birthday part a lot better than the bowling part!

Actually, I think we are equally skilled at bowling and golf, if you know what I mean.

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Watched the leaders' debate tonight.  Seemed to go well.  Carney didn't come off as good as I had expected, but he scored points with me for being the only one who didn't interrupt and try to speak over the others.

Advance voting begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow.  Your vote is important.  Make the effort please.

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And stay well.

Putting In Time

 Yesterday was a bit of a washout.  I was heading for Grimsby when a sudden downpour, with high winds, went through.  Not being fond of playing in the mud (even the other days when it was reasonably dry I ended up with an inch of mud on my shoes each time) I headed back home.

The Blue Jays won convincingly last night so the day wasn't a total loss.

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Today in the Spectator, there's a Gwynne Dyer column that hits the spot.

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/columnists/gwynne-dyer-as-trump-backs-down-the-world-plans-on-a-new-future/article_459ae995-9257-5f99-9d99-46866b17d85a.html?source=newsletter&utm_content=a01&utm_source=rd_sa&utm_medium=email&utm_email=400C06A32042D6834F3B76EFB16B6E74&utm_campaign=spec_gwynne_dyer_alerts_28005

Sounds a bit reassuring doesn't it? 

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Today I headed up to the Dofasco Recreation Park to pick up the membership cards for our foursome.  Chippewa Creek will open April 24th and, weather permitting we will be there that day for our 8:44 tee time.  See you guys!

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Blue Jays won again!  Fantastic.

And we had a nice visit with Sandy, who is down from Forest, Ontario.

Altogether a better day.   And tomorrow I'm going bowling with my buddies.

Stay well.

Good and Bad

Birthday greetings today to Sean Cowie.  Have a great day Sean!

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Jo-Anne Vanstone dropped down to say hello this morning and we brought each other up-to-date on our winter activities and what's been happening in our building.  We had a nice visit, and Jo-Anne, based on the problems that you had with your tire guys, I would recommend Ace Tire in Vinemount, above the escarpment on McNeilly Road.  The place looks like a dump, but Al and his crew are friendly, do good work, and their pricing is reasonable.  I plan to be in touch with them in a few days and will get a comparable price for you on switching and storing tires.

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Then I headed to the greenhouse.  Dug up some sod from around the Pine trees - an ongoing project - and used it to make the new Globe Cedar feel welcome (that grass was too far under the trees to cut last year, that's why it looks straggly).  Added some mulch and we're good to go 😎.

Then I cleaned up a bunch of refuse that the prevailing winds blew onto the neighbour's farm.

As you can see, most of it came from Trillium Hill.  But I also found quite a bit of stuff that our wonderful customers had thrown from their car windows on the way out - coffee cups, water bottles, and even an unopened bag of cannabis!  Sorry folks, it's in the dumpster.

A lot of digging, walking and bending today, so I only lasted an hour.  I'll try to do better next time.

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Then, Mardi and I headed upstairs to join Pat and Carol to watch old DVD's of Boston Legal.  Don't laugh - you'll be old some day too!

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The only down note on the day?  Blue Jays lost 8 - 4 to the Atlanta Braves.

Stay well.

A Good Day

 Mardi and I joined Bonnie and Steve for lunch at Scout's Cafe, a Serbian restaurant that serves great food.  That was the first good thing about today.

Second, Steve didn't brag about his Leafs and their victory last night that kept the Canadiens out of the playoffs and gave the Leafs home ice advantage in the playoffs.  Thanks Steve!

Next, the four of us headed to Trillium Hill for free Lilies.  Bonnie added to that with three Boston Ferns and some Hydrangea plants.  While they were shopping I took a minute to water the Cedar that I planted yesterday.

Then, when we got home, Mardi and I watched the Blue Jays come back from three runs behind to win their game against the Orioles in the 10th inning.

And finally, we watched Rory McIlroy's very emotional win at the Masters, in a sudden death playoff, which completed his grand slam of golf's four majors.  Quite an up and down day for him, but he finally achieved  a feat that only six other golfers have accomplished, the last one 25 years ago.

All in all, a very positive and uplifting day.

Stay well.

Muddy Job

 Stepped up my game today.  Worked for an hour and a half - that's a 50% increase!  Way to go!

Some of the dirt that I dug up was used to fill in an area that had experienced some serious erosion (which is why the new drain line was installed).

While I was at it I decided to plant a small Globe Cedar.  Couldn't help myself.

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Stay well.

Playing In The Mud

 Two special people are celebrating birthdays today.  Mardi's granddaughter Reggie and our Sue.  Best wishes to both.

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Visited the greenhouse (for just one hour again) and started on my next project.

A new drain line was put in last fall, and after giving it time to settle over the winter it's now time to level it off and move the excess earth somewhere else.

When that's done, the next project is to finish covering the drain line that was replaced at the bottom of the hill.

I'll have to up my effort!

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Stay well.

Games We Play

 Expected to have my laser welding process done this morning.  But it was just drops in the eyes and ticking off all the boxes.  Back on the 25th for laser. Nevertheless, since I still can't focus really well, I'm taking the rest of the day off.

So, let's just talk about silly stuff.  Like the games we play to try to keep our brains alive.

I do Wordle every morning.  Used to be in a group, but I realized that the only way that I could win would be to get help from a hint site.  Not going to happen.  So now Mardi and I just compete with each other.

I do Sudoku every day (Pennypress Books) but that's a solitary game.

And I do Freecell on the computer.  I learned early on that I could not match the speed of some players.

So, I simply try to get the answer in the least number of moves.  And occasionally..........

Although "Bestican" did it faster, his eight attempts all took one more move than mine.

And the most challenging brain drain of all is my daily Skip-Bo game against Mardi.   She plays a mean game (including today!).

Who knows if these games help to keep your brain alive?  But it's fun to keep trying.

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Later this year I'm going to be asking for your help with our Optimist Turkey Roll, where 100% of the proceeds go back to the community.

Right now we're selling Peach Festival tickets.  While we don't get much revenue for our own cause, we do want to help this community event.  So, if you are interested please let Mardi or me know.

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Stay well.

 Today's birthday boy is my nephew Stefan.  Enjoy the day!

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I made a trek to the greenhouse today.  Enjoyed some of these Vietnamese crackers at lunch time.

They are not only a good crew, but they share too.  Nice!

Then I spent some time repairing winter damage.

First, where someone used the driveway to turn around and didn't care about what they did to the grass.

Then, a spot where the forklift got stuck and the forks had to be used to escape.  This picture is after the temporary repair (no problem Sean).

Then, back to the septic bed area.  Apparently the guys who were checking it out couldn't use the driveway because of the snow, so they bypassed and left tracks on the neighbour's property.

Flattened it out as much as I could and then added some top soil to finish the job, for now.

And finally, raked the mulch back onto the gardens from whence it came.

After an hour or so it seemed like time to quit (spring training after all - it takes time to get back in shape).

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Came home and enjoyed a couple of hands of Skip-Bo with Mardi and Jo-Anne.

Jo-Anne and I each won a hand.  Sorry Mardi!

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Tomorrow I get my left eye welded again, to avoid retina detachment.  May not be any other news so it may be Friday for the next issue (important birthdays coming up that day).

Stay well.

No News Is Good News?

 Best wishes today to A.J. who is celebrating his 52nd birthday.

Meanwhile, his mom went for a test to see how dense she is 😉.

I do like living dangerously, but I'm going to keep it short tonight.

Jays won their second in a row over Boston, with the young pitcher whose names are backward, Easton Lucas, winning his second big league game.  Fun to watch.

That's it for tonight.  I'll try to do better tomorrow - maybe head to the greenhouse to do some lawn repair.

Stay well.

What a Day!

 Mardi surprised me this morning with a birthday get-together with some of our friends - Maureen and Matt, Rose and Ed, and Pat and Carol.

That's me with the hat, thanks to Ed.

Watched the Blue Jays lose again, and then headed to the greenhouse for a shared celebration: my birthday today, Sean's tomorrow, and Sarah-Jean's career move later this month.

Others who will celebrate this month - Sue, Mardi and Alexandra, with David following up May 2.  Sean's is tomorrow.

Even Yoda made an appearance.

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It's a big day for me as I turn 88, a particularly symbolic number.

In amateur radio, 88 is used as shorthand for "love and kisses".

Angel number 88 is a sign of great success, abundance and prosperity.  When this number keeps appearing in your life (for the next 365 days 😁) it indicates that exciting and positive changes are on the horizon.  Your guardian angels or spirit guides are trying to prepare you for the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead.

In an ATM it means the machine couldn't read your card.  Which happened yesterday! But then I got a new bank card so that problem shouldn't reoccur.

Feng Shui practitioners believe that incorporating the number 88 into home and office designs can amplify positive energy and invite abundance.

Look out world!  

And stay well my friends!