I’ve been a delinquent about High Holy Days this year.  For Rosh HaShana I had an excuse–I was recovering at home from surgery.  Today, Yom Kippur, I had no such excuse.  I did mostly fast, but I also worked hard in the garden, it being the first day of a cool spell after rain.  Gardening is about as spiritual as it gets for me lately.

I worked on three big projects on my fall list: I hand-cultivated half of the veg garden, raking the weeds and cardboard out of the way; I cleaned up the compost area, and designated sections for leaves and brush; and I cleared and rototilled a wider bed along the woodsy area for natives.  Toward the end, it was all misty and breezy, a far cry from the humid furnace.  I felt back in my element.

I’m now learning that when you get cat surgery for distance only (the most affordable, covered type), your closeup vision does get worse, because the artificial monofocal lens doesn’t adjust like the natural one does.  They didn’t really clarify that pre-op; they just said I’d need to get upgraded reading glasses (prescription or not) after the eyes heal and stabilize completely, which can be months.

It turns out many people had this same experience and weren’t really advised about it.  Not that I had a choice, or more accurately, I had the choice of one or the other, unless I paid thousands out of pocket for the progressive/adjustable lenses (to avoid glasses altogether).

In a less capitalist system, maybe it’s possible for most people to get the comprehensive lenses affordably.  Here, the insurance companies own the parts of your body and assign value to them, on a schedule, and you have to prioritize which can get treatment.  Assuming you can even afford privatized insurance.

I am not complaining; they supplied the basic information I needed to go forward, and met those terms efficiently and thoroughly.  The surgery had to be done, and I chose the most accessible procedure, with help from friends.  My eyes are not done recovering and adjusting, so I’ll reassess in a month or two, when I’ll be cleared for glasses, which is what I signed up for.

Now back to our usual programming.

I must be out of practice doing erev Shabbat, because my challot didn’t rise or get fully baked inside, and the meal was not my most inspired.  But everyone seemed OK with it.

Then A, Stacey, S, N, Y, and I introduced Stacey to Grant’s Farm, for Octoberfest.  We took the tram ride in the dark, past all the different kinds of deer and animals grazing in the trees.  Then we had fun with the herd of adorable little goats in their corral.  Then past all the other exotic animals in their pens, to the Anheuser-Busch biergarten with its live music, dancing 🤮, and Free Beer!! 😁  Under the still hot circumstances, even Bud on tap tasted good!

I could still see to drive home in the dark, so no worries.  There’s a large, bright halo around every light, but hopefully that will tone down.

Today I slept in, lounged around, got things done, and then went over to the Avdi’s to supposedly sleep over.  I joined Avdi, Stacey, and S in the pool, my first time since the surgeries, and chilled out.  Then Avdi baked pizzas, and I started to watch “The Terror”, which Stacey turned me on to.  Then it turned out I didn’t need to spend the night after all, so I came back home!  It’s almost like that archaic concept of “the weekend”!

Side note: I can’t believe I accidentally grew a whole pumpkin!

Innumerable species of goldenrods, asters, boneset, snakeroot, and many other natives bloom this time of year.  Some people may consider them weeds, but they are essential for late-season pollinators when other flowers are fading.

En masse they are beautiful, though modest, as well as drought-tolerant.  They’ll outlast cultivars any day in this heat.  Also, they are not allergens.  They serve many purposes for wildlife going into fall and winter.  If there is a winter, anymore!  Consider them your allies in the fight to preserve the natural environment that we depend on for survival.

Possibly unrelated, though maybe not so much, repugs are actually trying to outlaw food vendors and shop-owners from giving out water to unhoused people in this dangerous extended heat wave.  Can you imagine the psychopathic hate it takes to treat fellow humans like that?!  Even the god they claim to follow in the book they claim is infallible, says, and I quote, (Matt. 25:42-3):

“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”  It’s equating any humans they treated inhumanely to god, and threatening the perpetrators with hell for such cruelty.

I never quote biblical anything these days, but the hypocrisy!  Just like repugs are propping up an undead corpse named Mitch to try to get the vile votes they require to eradicate justice and human rights, while they eliminate perfectly qualified and competent people of color from serving or voting, because “DEI”.  If dems used a corpse to get a majority vote, repugs would condemn them to communist hell, or voting fraud, or something.

Somehow these two topics are metaphorically related, because I’m a gardener!  It’s all related.  Humans are not weeds to be torn down or eliminated.  There are consequences for heedless, reckless behavior.  The perps will pay for what they did to all of us and nature itself, hopefully in a proportionally extreme way.

For illustration, here are natives blooming!  😇

My post-op #2 revealed both eyes doing great!  Once I’m done with home treatments in a couple of weeks, and go to my final exam in October, I can get prescription reading glasses mostly covered by my insurance except for blue-light filtering for screen-time.  As for driving, I now see better without glasses, although at some point I’ll need light-reactive, glare-resistant, etc., lenses for driving, whenever my insurance will cover another pair, maybe in a year or two.

So I took myself food-shopping, thanks to more of Robert’s gift card, then to Avdi’s.  Not surprisingly, the latest extreme heat advisory has been extended through Saturday.  It’s just one long tropical summer around here.  I think I may be allowed to go swimming now.  All I did out there today (and yesterday) was some watering and photos.

It’s 101º FEELS LIKE 115!!  So much for cooling off.  All that’s missing is flamingos, palm trees, alligators, and an ocean.  For now!  The ocean is the only feature I miss.

All I did outside was make some plant cuttings to root and propagate, repot a couple of N’s downstairs plants and move them outside because they needed it, cut some fall (FALL??) native flowers to bring in, and take some photos.  It’s an actual furnace out there.

Avdi and S jumped in the pool, which was strangely cold in this heat.  I wanted to, but I can’t while my eyes are healing.  At this rate, it will be summer all fall, so I may get my chance again.

Full disclosure, we didn’t grow the white pumpkin.

I’m getting back in the swing of things at the Avdi’s.  In the seeing of things!  Here are some things I saw:

(Can you find the hiding dog?)

I drove over to A’s yesterday evening for the weekly meeting; on the way I took off my distance glasses, and–I could see even more clearly and farther without them!!  Just as the doc said I might!  Everything was so focused and sharp!

When I got there, I just stared and stared at the yard,  I saw lots of different butterflies perched way on top of the Mexican sunflowers.  Many of the fall natives have started to bloom, white and yellow, and I could make them out from a distance.  (Also all the dead stuff from the continued drought; I think I’ll be ok to just water, and straighten things up in the house.)

After the first eye surgery, I was like an invalid in quarantine; this time around I’m too anxious to get back to work!  And excited about my “new” eyesight– I want to go out and look at things!  I have to restrain myself until it’s ok to get back to normal.

I know, it’s all about me!  Just indulge me, until after I get my new prescription reading glasses, then I’ll go back to droning on about nature and kids, with the occasional political rant, as usual.

Loucious has been sick, and couldn’t even eat, which is unusual for him; now he’s on meds and hopefully recovering.  Poor doggie!  I was so proud of him, because he went straight to the back fence to do his business like he’s supposed to, without being coaxed or led.  I’ve been away, so he remembered all on his own.

I was able to go to the grand finale of N’s musical “Ride the Cyclone” last night, courtesy of a ride with Stacey.  It’s hard to put into words just how superb and masterful a production the kids put on.

N was beyond brilliant as Karnak; I get chills just remembering his role.  As Stacey said, you could almost hear the gears turning, it was so compelling.  I recognized most of the cast, who were absolutely incredible actors and singers.  The girl who played Jane Doe was magnificent, and her voice was opera-quality.  More chills!

These kids are so talented, I again felt like I had been to a Broadway (or off-B) production, and would probably find the latter to be less genuine!  Mr. Schaefer is listed as Producer, but I understand it was the kids who did the actual producing and managing.  Just the rehearsals took months!  You could tell.  These kids may or may not go on to be drama professionals, but they easily could.

Like I said, words don’t even begin…

I feel honored to have been there–and grateful to have seen it clearly without my glasses!  (My phone cam is officially blinder than I was!)

It’s only the first day after surgery, but I feel like I’m seeing much more clearly at a distance.  Amaze amaze amaze!!

Yesterday I was telling my driver how my insurance will only cover the standard distance OR closeup surgery, with no added enhancements.  She and I agreed it shouldn’t be that way for a basic human need, vision, just as with dental.  Only rich people get to have the full improvements available.  That’s our current system.  Still, I’m grateful for what I can get, with help.

So with an upgraded closeup prescription, I’ll be able to see to read with glasses, which I have to do already, so that’s not bad.

Speaking of enhancements, here is my expanded apartment jungle, with the plants I brought home, before I give some more away.  My mini-climatron.

It didn’t rain as much as expected, but it did cool down a little.  Once I can get back to “work”, the timing should just work out for preparing the garden for dormancy and convalescence.  I’m looking forward to it.

Today I had my right eye surgery, and it appears to have gone well.  This time I knew the drill, so I wasn’t nervous.  Just like the first time, I remember nothing after I was sedated.  I did remember David the anesthesiologist!  Also like last time the nurses and technicians complimented me on not looking my age, and what’s my secret?  I said gardening.

Next my driver took me to my post-op, where I recognize most of the doctors, nurses, and technicians.  They examined me and determined everything looks good.

Now I’m recuperating at home for a few days.  My first destination was bed!

It rained last night, so I’m not worried about the garden.

Here are photos from yesterday.  After I cleaned up all the potted tropicals at Avdi’s, I brought them home, and was able to share a couple, as well as more veggies, with one of my neighbors.  Others will go to Stacey.  My apt jungle has grown!