I hugged a doctor

 I know, it seems strange to say that doesn't it?

I've known my Optometrist for 6 years. He and I had a mutual interest in photography. He has been advocate for my eye care. He is a young fella who loves to photograph nature and birds. We'd discuss camera settings and things we want to photograph while he peered into my eyes. 

He was my after care doctor for my cataract surgery [which turned out excellent!].

During the annual appointment this week, he came into the room beaming and glowing. He had important news to tell me. 

I said, "You're going to have a baby!"

"You are right! A baby girl in 3 weeks!"

He never missed a beat and went on to tell me how excited and scared he was about being a father.  I was over the moon with that and so happy for him.

Unfortunately it also meant that he was going to transfer to a eye clinic closer to home. 

He asked about how I was doing as a Caregiver and expressed his concern over hubby being in Hospice. I told him I was doing good all things considered and that my eyes and photography kept me sane.

My eyes hadn't changed now in two years so our appointment was short.

When I got up to leave, I asked if I could give him a hug. He gave me the biggest smile and there it was, I hugged my eye doctor. 

That was the high point of the week, finding joy in someone else's life. I'll be sad that I won't see him anymore and I won't forget our discussions about photography either.

I swear, if we hadn't been patient and doctor we'd meet up somewhere and have coffee and show each other our work and talk about cameras, lenses, and methods.

He said his photography interests would now change from wildlife to...well, baby portraits!

I have to admit, I will miss him as an eye doctor. However, the one I'm transferring to is another doctor who took care of me when I had a vitreous hemorrhage. That doctor not only had a great sense of humor, but also is quite the character. How lucky can I be?

I will leave you with a photo of the day for fun.

A Lego Migratus flying in to eat next to a Sparrow....

Manus Manum Lavat

This family of eagles with two juveniles and two baldies are still hanging out around our place. I guess I don't mind at all because they are such incredible looking birds.

I have to scan the trees each day before Charlie gets to go out and do his thing. 

Mica has improved immensely with her diaper padded/booted foot. She was trotting around in the farthest part of the pasture at feeding time last night. It doesn't seem to me that there is an abscess, but what exactly do I know? Perhaps she bruised her foot or something. All I know is that it makes me happy to see the old girl happy again.

I got Rich in for an eye appointment finally! He normally goes to the VA for his eye appointments, but getting anything done through their vision department is at best a bit difficult. I imagine it relates to staffing shortages. And who wants to drive 5 hours for an eye exam anyway? [Especially since I have limited distance vision now!]

Today is my consult with the cataract surgeon. While at the appointment yesterday for Rich I asked if they would be dilating my eyes at the consult/exam. The answer was yes. 

Oh. Crap.
When Olive came over to help me with Mica and do a quick walk before she went to pick up her son, she decided that she would drive me to the appointment. I was shocked but pleased at her offer.

I figured I'd have to sit in the waiting room for hours to get some eyesight back from being dilated.

I told her I wouldn't want to impose on her. She laughed. Of course just this week she announced that she was pregnant and I offered my services to help out with anything she might need. Someone to play with her 2 year old if she was tired, or whatever I could do.

She quipped, "Don't worry! There will be times I call on you to come keep an eye on Aiden while we go for baby scans!"

Yep, that sure sounds reasonable!

I got a text from my neighbors at the top of the hill. Would I feed and walk their dogs this weekend when they went out of town? They hated to impose...but they would compensate me.
I replied that there would be no compensation, I'd be thrilled to do it.

There is an old Latin saying that I learned in my first year of  High School Latin.

Manus Manum lavat.
"One hand washes the other."

It certainly works in rural areas with good neighbors.

Weather, Birds, and the Bionic Eyes

 

The big storm is hitting our area. We are experiencing a slew of rain and sleet mixed in together. The winds on the ridge according to my neighbor sounds like heavy machinery sitting outside their house.

Yesterday we had a regular feeding Frenzy at the bird feeders. It was nuts!
I made a short 20 second video with a program called ClipChamp, but since I am not experienced at these things, it isn't very great. I also hate that Windows Movie Maker is no longer free and requires a subscription.

However, you can see the birds as they came and basically chased each other around.

The Downy or Hairy Woodpecker was NOT fazed by the intimidating female blackbird that swooped in and landed on the feeder!

The Titmouse flew in and ran off the Nuthatch...

While I was waiting for my 4th eye appointment this year...due to changes in vision, I took a lot of shots out the window. I use the ProCapture mode which cycles photos in the memory but won't save them until you press the button down. Then it takes up to 10 shots pre push and up to 10 shots when you push the shutter.

That is how I got these action shots. I am not quick enough otherwise to get them.

The Eye Appointment.

The tech tested my vision. She asked me: What brings you in today?
My answer in a bullet list form:
Cannot see anything in the distance beyond 10 feet unless it is blurry.
Up close is okay.
Light causes me to squint.
Halos around lights.
Headaches from eyestrain.
No Medication List.
No Change in Health.
Need sunglasses on dark days to dim the snow.

She did the vision test and kept asking...1 or 2? 3 or 4? 

I said none of the above.
She finished her exam and set me in a little waiting room.

Pretty soon the young and handsome Dr. Williamson came to get me [Yeah, he is young, handsome, and married. Gosh, give an old lady a break, right?]

Damn! He asked how my KVR Trail Challenge went! How could he recall that? We did some small talk about photography and after about 10 minutes we got down to it. [Guys! I must live in a very doctor friendly area. The doctors here actually take an interest in YOU!]

My vision has deteriorated in my right eye a lot [I had Strabismus surgery in 1961 -- that surgery will cause cataracts to develop more rapidly. And that eye always sucked anyway]. Doc said he couldn't fix it with a new prescription.

He also said he could only improve it slightly in the left eye...so... it was time to consider the next step.

Surgery. Cataract Surgery. It is a rather Routine Surgery, however with any surgery, things can go sideways.

He explained in detail how they do the surgery. Replacing the cloudy lens -- much like a cloudy lens on an old headlight. He said I should see colors much better.

Then he talked about new technology. Did you know that there is an option for an intra ocular lens replacement that can 'fix' astigmatism? 

I could be a candidate for a Multifocal/Extended Depth of Focus Lens placement in each eye.

Could be.
That means for a pretty hefty price, I could essentially toss my glasses for most of the rest of my life.

It would be like them surgically putting my glasses as replacement to the clouded cataract lenses.

Yeah. I asked him for bionic eyes and he laughed. "We are not quite there yet!"

I talked this over with Rich regarding the expense. Rich and I checked our finances and if I qualify, I am going for the lenses.

I am the CareGiver and the driver and the everything doer here on the farm. 

Basically I want to see, I am a very visual person as you may have guessed.

Here is another surprise. I will see the surgeon in 4 weeks and they  can do the procedure in our little town at the local hospital.