Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

28 August

New Life To My Eyes, A Miracle All The Way, A Bow To Life

by Jon Katz

What a beautiful day! This morning, I saw Dr. Solomon, who removed the shield from my right eye and tested me.

He wanted to check my eyes after the surgery yesterday. I scored 100 percent on the reading tests, reading microscopic letters one after another for the first time in years, maybe ever. He said the eye had healed beautifully, and I no longer needed to wear glasses at all unless I wanted to. If I read a lot, I might need close-up lenses for reading. I’ll get some.

But the real explosion in my mind came when I went outside and saw the color—in the sky, in stop signs, in parked cars. I have seen the colors in my photos, but not like I saw them this morning. I feel like one of those poor kids in the movies who runs to his parents and yells, “Look, I can see!”

I know I never suffered like the blind do, but losing the color in my eyes was painful and disturbing, or more. I couldn’t imagine the change.

It’s miraculous and exciting. The second operation comes in three weeks. I have a non-prescription glass lens in exchange for the one I don’t need anymore, and I can drive without glasses now, probably for good. I might wear glasses because I like them and am used to them; I have to figure it out.

Maria and I were both stunned. The procedure could not have been better or made me happier. It turned my world upside down.

Once again, it is a healthcare procedure that makes me better, happier, and healthier. I’m swamped with work and tech issues today, and I need to send out my pantry help request and get my blog showing up on Facebook, which has been a while since it has been done. I also need to rest my eyes.

Thanks to those who told me this would end or begin this way. I appreciate your support and can’t wait to experiment a bit with my flower photos. Dr. Solomon said he would prefer I take very few pictures for a few days, not in bright light, until next week. I might not last that long, but I will try to take it easy and soak up my gratitude and joy. Thanks again. Many good people are out there, and they are the ones to listen to.

I’ve had several surgeries, and everyone has made me better. More later, I need to sit in the quiet and absorb this.

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Flower Art

27 August

Flower Art, In Honor Of My Renovating Eyes, One Gorgeous Gladiola, And My New Lens. I Want To Keep Getting Better.

by Jon Katz

“It’s not enough to be nice in life. You’ve got to have nerve…”

– Georgia O’Keeffe.

I couldn’t go outside for most of the day. I had to wait until the sun was nearly gone before testing my one refurbished eye, which was still covered in a shield until tomorrow. I can see that the surgery was a great success; the new eye, if I can call that, is seeing rich and deep color, which is a great surprise and gift to me. I can’t wait for the other eye to get his chance.

The sun was still blinding, but the color was rich and beautiful. I promised I’d post and blog every day, and I will.

It was a more exhausting day than I expected, but I never expected to get exhausted, a trait I need to get past at 77.

With the new lens, I’m trying to take some still photos of flowers, especially those as beautiful as the gladiolas. It gives them some space and dignity. The 50 mm is perfect for that, not for the closeups the macro lenses can do. It’s a promising debut.

I was also pleased to take out my new (old) 50 mm lens to start experimenting with it. This is my first time using it on flowers, and I chose a beautiful gladiola for the experiment. I love the color and detail on this lens; this excursion was successful. I’ve got to see the surgeon again in the morning to ensure the surgery went well; so far, so good.

It’s still a bit fuzzy, but that could be the eye drops I plopped in while I slept. I’ll be home around noon tomorrow and hope to get to the food pantry before the patrons arrive. It’s their busiest day.

Maria is an angel for driving me around; I hope she doesn’t get sick of it. If she does, she hides it generously and graciously.

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The Cambridge Food Pantry

27 August

8 Items To Choose From. $3 Amazon Sales And Specials Day, Pantry Support, Tuesday. What They Really Want, What They Really Need, From Dressings To Coffee

by Jon Katz

Thanks for filling in for me while I was off fixing my eyes. Sarah says you did some wonderful work. Thanks. I can see out of one eye right now, so I’m at it again. Sarah promoted me a bit she said I ought to pick my own choices along with here. I brought the Wish List appeals into two sections, first the ones they ask for all the time – the $3 items that are in great demand and rarely available.

Secondly, I chose some dinner options now that the weather is getting cooler and energy and filling food becomes important. They cost a little more, but they are just as vital as urgent.

All of them are on the Cambridge Food Pantry Wish List and can be seen and donated daily. They can also be found on the green pantry support button at the bottom of every blog post that I put up.

You can decide what, if anything, to send to the food pantry at your earliest convenience and on your own budget to help these very hard-working people eat.

Sarah’s Wish List Appeals: What the pantry patrons want. All of those below are being offered at special prices on Amazon.

Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing, $2.53, 16 Fl oz Bottle, $2.53.

Near East Rice Pilaf, 6.09 Oz, $2.19.

Grated Parmesan Cheese, Shaker, 8 Oz., $2.

Wish Bone Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, 15 Fl.oz, $2.67.

Thousand Island Salad Dressing, 15 Fl.oz, $2.50.

________________

Jon’s Specials: Special Sale What The Pantry Patrons Need, Special Prices on Amazon.

PLUS: Tide Laundry Detergent, Heavy Duty, 21 Loads, $5.50.

Del Monte Fresh Cut Canned Beets Sliced, Canned Vegetables, 12 Pack, 8.25 Oz Can., $12.72.

Seattle’s Best Coffee Dark Road Blend, (Pack of 3), $16.66. More than any other thing, this is the hardest for Sarah to keep on her shelve.

Both categories are equally important, I hope we can get some of them back on the shelves. The tide might be the most eagerly requested item on the list, but the other two are essential for families and hard to find and get at the pantry. We look for Amazon sales and special orders. Thanks so much.

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My Health

27 August

Cataract Surgery Report: No Pirate Patch, But I Have Just One Eye Anyway. And Donkey Manure On My Shoe

by Jon Katz

The humorless doctors and news scoffed at my request for a pirate-like patch. Instead, I got this cheap, ugly, and uncomfortable plastic shield.

I was told sternly not to strain my eye (or eyes) today, to rest, and to see the doctor in the morning to have my yellow shield removed.

I didn’t need to get knocked out.

The surgery itself took about nine almost entirely painless minutes. I got a mild sedative, but no anesthesia and I was grateful for that. I felt and saw everything, but it went by quickly and was a colorful light show. I felt like I was floating in space.

It took a little over two hours from sign-in to wheelchair-outs, and I had to do it again with my left eye in early September. Even though I saw it, I couldn’t believe that Doctor Solomon was replacing a part in my eye, and I was wide awake and watching.

It’s not true that this is simple and no surgery is, but it’s a walk in the park compared to open heart surgery. It is unsettling to have somebody stick even the tiniest knife in the eye while you watch, and it happened so fast I wasn’t sure it had happened at all.

I have to see the doctor early tomorrow to get checked over, and I was urged to take it easy to sleep and try not to strain my eyes. Nuts to that, I’m back at work. The shield goes in the morning.

I felt like one of those first cars in one of Henry Ford’s assembly lines; they go from one eye to the next all day. Having diabetes and heart disease, there were some hoops to jump through for me ahead of any kind of surgery, including this one.

But the good news was that when my strict, take-no-prisoners nurse asked me to confirm my age—77—she said, “Wow, you really don’t look that; you look as healthy as a horse!” I’m not sure that’s a compliment, but I was glad to hear it. She didn’t see me smile.

So, it’s back to work for me. Maria has had enough of nursing me and is back in her studio, where she belongs. Thanks to her for driving me and bringing me back.

I protested being taken out in a wheelchair, but the nurse explained that my shoes had manure on the bottoms; they didn’t want them touching the floor. I explained it was donkey manure, but that didn’t matter. The nurse looked at me strangely.

The real test will be to see if I can take some flower photos with one eye and blinding light in the sunlight.

I have no doubts, and I love this photo Maria took when she stopped to buy me an herbal iced tea. There will be a nap somewhere in here. First, here are the Cambridge Pantry Food Requests for today.

Thanks for the good wishes and kind notes. It’s true; it’s not that big a deal. I will be glad to get the other eye done and see how the renovated one is doing.

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Flower Art

26 August

Flower Art: Squiggles And Curves, Sunshine And Light, The Souls Of Flowers

by Jon Katz

“I think it is Tuesday – no, it is Wednesday – and this is certainly a place – and we have a still better one that we go to today – we got out of the car to take a walk and found a cabin under trees over a grand high rock and the sea with a sandy beach below that is so perfect I still can’t believe it is true – The sandy beach protected by high rocks at either end and magnificent rocks rising behind it very high – soft sort of velvety rocks and out behind a vast cliff that the gulls and wild geese see to think their own…”

-Georgia O’Keeffe in Quebec. The high rocks became a painting.

From My Faraway One, O’keeffe’s letters to Alfred Stieglitz. Her letter captured the great joy of creativity and discovery.

My cataract surgery starts at 7:10 tomorrow morning and an hour or so away.

I’m excited about it. Just today, direct sunlight blinded me while I was trying to take one of my flower photos, and I had to go and get a towel, wrap it around my head, and hold a hand over one eye to get the picture I wanted. I will enjoy coming home and seeing that rich color up close.

Many people share their cataract experiences with me and tell me what to expect. I’m up to date on that. The doctors have been quite thorough, and I’ve done my homework. It isn’t open-heart surgery, that’s for sure, but I’m still amazed that they can do it all. And grateful.

I’ll be back in touch sometime tomorrow. Thanks for your support and very kind words about my flowers.