This time I made sure to have my phone cam.  First, I watered again, as it’s supposed to be a high of 100º and feels like 109º.  Everything really needed more water.  I had to wear my dorky free shades from the eye doctor so I didn’t get blinded by the light.

I made sure I got photos of the Mexican sunflowers soaring into the sun, and the masses of native blue mist flower, which I’m excited about.  The air was fragrant with sweet autumn clematis draping everything.  There are drifts of delicate white allium/garlic chives all over.  The tall forest of yellow silphium is hanging over the path, it’s so heavy, and covered with bees and pollinators.  The red amaranth is drooping over like arches.

The okra has gone wild like a crazed red sculpture garden.  The shade natives area looks like an actual jungle.  The eucalyptus variety I planted in the herb garden has tripled in height, as have the lemon verbena and lemon balm.  It’s pretty fragrant over there.  Pumpkin-like gourds are hanging from fences.  I’m seeing all kinds of butterflies and hummers, enjoying all the flowers.  I could go on and on.  But I won’t.

You’ll never guess where I was today–without my phone!?  So there’s no evidence…except the obvious, if anyone notices!  It was the cleaning ghost.

And there were so many things to take pics of!  But mostly to water, they were so parched in the furnace.  The Mexican sunflowers finally bloomed bright red, but so high up I could barely see them.

The veg haul was amazing!!  Huge ripe tomatoes, and lots of smaller ones, two zucchinis and two eggplants, all of which I divided between us.  I actually have homegrown produce in my fridge!

It was insanely hot out.  I got lots done indoors, probably too much for my “condition”, but I seem to be alright.  Loucious was my only witness, and he’s not talking.

Yesterday I was able to divide and repot my smaller indoor plants.  I’m starting to think about getting back to normal at Avdi’s.  I can probably drive.  I just have to avoid infection, injury, or too much time in bright sunlight.

I wasn’t imagining the sight improvement–it was instantly clearer and brighter, as it’s supposed to be.  I don’t seem to be having any issues like infection, but I’ll find out Wed. at my second post-op (to which I can drive).

With my “old” right eye alone, everything is blurry and yellowish.  With my “new” left eye alone, distance is more distinct, and the light is bright white!  I can’t wait to see how both “new” eyes will function.

When my brother Robert visits next weekend, I’ll be able to see him 50% more clearly!  Unfortunately, the weather will be a furnace, as he put it, which will continue well into September.  Even CA is getting unusual humidity along with their 100s.

I know I’m sounding particularly self-absorbed at the moment, having spent the last few days alone in my apartment.  I confess I’m not bored or feeling cut off at all.  I found a singularly strange cinematic rabbit hole to go down on Kanopy which keeps getting deeper and weirder!  I have to force myself away from screen-time.  I know, the luxury.  So fire me.

Last night Avdi brought me a plate of Shabbat dinner, made by Stacey, K/S, and N.  It was stir-fry veg, chicken, rice, fresh fruit salad, and challah, and it was excellent.  We walked outside to see the huge colorful full moon (waning) behind trees.  It was the first time I’ve been out of my apt since the surgery.

Today is Jess’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Jess!  I think they might be starting to notice my absence, at least in little things like the coffee set up the night before!

This rest was just what the doctor ordered.  (Literally, he ordered it!)  I’m getting all the sleep I need, and being forced to not put my surgery at risk.  I can’t wait to see the improvement, once both eyes are done.  Soon I’ll be all synthetically enhanced!

I’m not even worrying about the garden.  This came at just the right timing, between seasons.  There will be plenty for me to do when I get back out.  It’s the indoors I’m not looking forward to!

I’m very grateful for all the material help with medical expenses and food, and for our extended family stepping in to cover all the bases.

Even if I could have seen the blood moon, I was too “under” the influence of drugs to stay awake.  I’ve seen many extraordinary moons hanging in Ohio’s big skies, so I’m good.  In fact, I saw a blood moon partial eclipse on this exact date in 2015.  I hope this one is an auspicious sign.

Is it just the time of year, or did the light seem particularly clear and white this morning?   Am I imagining that I can see more distinctly with my left eye than before, or that the light is cooler?  Something’s different.

Stacey and the kids are graciously taking over erev Shabbat preps this evening, amid all their other responsibilities.  I like that others are willing and able to do that.

As for me, I needed a medical excuse to not be able to do much of anything for a few days.  If I could even get there, I’d be more in the way than anything.  I’m sure I’ll have plenty to do to make up for my absence once I get back.

Here’s an eyeball, c. 2024.

It was a hyper-efficient assembly line.  They have this surgery down to such a hi-tech science that they crank patients in and out by the herds every few minutes, starting before dawn.  It’s like an eye deli.  Take a number.  Left or right?  You’re in, you’re out, next!  (Though not surly, just businesslike.)

The most time-consuming part is not the waiting, but coming out of the stupor of the not-even-twilight zone; they say they have to keep you awake enough to respond to directions(?).  If they say so!  I wonder what I did in there?!

I remember being wheeled on a bed from pre-op, all tubed and wired up, into the bright room with the equipment and various technicians, waiting for the relaxing sedative to kick in, when supposedly the doc whizzed in and out at some point like the roadrunner (too fast to see), then I was lying in recovery, feeling like a stupid stoned person after tripping.  To my credit (or preparedness), I never said the famous words, “when are we doing the operation?”!  I had been primed for the part.

There wasn’t any pain, just mild discomfort from the millions of different eyedrops before and after.  Mostly I was parched from having fasted, including liquids, since midnight; all I could think about was water!  I know I said some weird things as I wandered   loopily out with my driver’s help.

At the Dr’s office post-op (different location), I was in loopy company with many of the same patients from the surgery, or their spouses.  It was kind of humorous, everyone recounting the same strange experience!  We fruit loops all had the same dorky disposable sunglasses, like some aging blues brothers, wearing the same dopey zombie look, like produce.

So I wobbled from the driver’s car to my bed, via water, meds, and break-fast of sorts, and picked up from where I was so rudely awakened.  I have to wear a colander-looking thing taped over my left eye to protect it when I lie down, being careful to always keep my eye above my heart.  No bending, no lifting, no getting it wet in the shower, basically no nothing, but still with the endless assorted eyedrops.  An enforced vacation.  Woe is me.  But I’ll be back soon– and then do it all over again!

I keep thinking there’s something caught in my eye, but it’s probably just the new fake lens stitches or whatever.  Routine factory byproduct.  Nothing to see here!!

I’ve been virtually ghosted.  Spooky.  Is it something I said?  Sensitive!

I got a lot of weeding of various beds done.  Word to the wise: never plant native green dragon, it’s extremely aggressive.  Or, if you need a permanent native shade ground cover that will crowd out everything else, plant green dragon!  It will take over the earth.

The kids seem to have survived their first day at schools.  Although predictably, Y almost didn’t go back today, but got persuaded.

I think fake fall lasted one day, then went back to hot!  It didn’t fake me out for a second.

Tomorrow, butt-crack of dawn, is my first eye surgery.  Wish me sight!

Did I scare you off?  I guess you’ll miss all the excitement yet to come!  Your loss!

I started preps for my first surgery yesterday–three different eye drops, three times a day, for seven days (pre- and post-).

It was nice out, and in the evening it rained, no doubt because I watered!  I wanted to get the garden prepped for my absence.  I also repotted the cactuses.  All my native tree seedlings are rooting well, for planting “the forest”!

Flowers are blooming, reblooming, and about to bloom.  It will be very flowery when I get back from recovery.  I noticed there are lots of pipevine caterpillars on the Dutchman’s pipe vines.  They will become beautiful blue-black swallowtail butterflies with orange/red spots.

Today is the first day of school.  Yesterday Stacey and SQ practice-walked the route from Hixson MS to Avdi’s, since he’ll be doing that every day.  It went without a hitch.

It was very quiet, with that impending feeling of the unknown school year ahead.  A year of firsts: Y starting HS, SQ starting MS, and K/S graduating next year.  E/N practiced driving with Avdi, and is predictably on top of it.  (Just N from now on.)  The two oldest kids want to move to Europe/Scandinavia as soon as they can.

Hopefully this will be a year of good changes for all of us.

In the last few days, we had: K/S’s 18th birthday celebration at Avdi’s, U of Michigan School of Social Work Graduation (virtual) Watch Party at Stacey’s, and lots in between.

For erev, Stacey baked the challot, I made an Indian dinner, and Jess brought a cheesecake for K/S.  J&C joined us.

N (E) baked a cake for Stacey’s grad.  Avdi gave her a very nice Irish whiskey.  We watched the whole ceremony, they read out Stacey’s name and Master’s creds, and she turned the tassel!  The dog and cat sat around posing cutely or sleeping.

I was finally persuaded to get in the pool with Stacey and SQ.  That was after weeding the whole veg garden.  N used the wood shredder to make a mulch for around the pool.

Y stayed out of things as usual, and had friends over.

Stacey and I got to talk shop about her garden plans.  Yay, someone else who likes gardening to talk to!  I have to restrain myself and let her design her own garden.

The spirits of the universe gave us a “new” sofa!

I wonder if my readership of 2.5 are all 30-somethings living off their parents, because they all disappeared right about then!  I’m not taking it down though, because it’s still my opinion, even if the inspiring parties went and got jobs!  It’s my blahg and I’ll whine if I want to.

I’m excited because my native mist flower plants are blooming (blue)!  They look like a large native version of annual ageratum, thus they’re also called wild ageratum, or blue boneset because they look like a blue version of the white boneset that starts to bloom around now.

Today is K/S’s birthday–she’s 18!!  I have an adult Gkid!  Of course it just means she has obligations but not rights.  Still, a major milestone.  K/S herself insisted on baking her special cheesecake.  Naturally she’s still sleeping at 3PM!

It doesn’t slow down the daily revolving door and shuttle service.  Avdi, Stacey, and Jess take turns.  Sometimes I get let off the hook, as in the other day when Y decided at the last minute not to go to his salon appointment.  It was both annoying and a relief!

On top of schlepping kids to and from orientations, meetings, therapies, rehearsals, shopping, etc., Stacey actually volunteered to bake the challot for this evening!  That took a load off.  I’m making an Indian meal, including lots of garden veggies.

Avdi’s couch bit the dust–it literally collapsed from all the kid action.  We go through a lot of furnishings.  Maybe we need military/industrial strength.