24 July, 2018

Return From Sabbatical

Wow - almost 9 months since I last posted in my blog.  Finally I am ready to start again after that long, self-imposed sabbatical.  Regarding my last post, Bill got it right; I was in Dallas for cataract surgery.  I figured the photo of the big eye in downtown Dallas was a good image for the location and for the occasion.  The surgery went very well.  I chose to have the surgery performed by Dr. Robert Bowman at the University of Texas SouthWest Medical Center because of his extensive experience with implanting a relatively new kind of lens (Restor Multifocal, for those who are interested) for which I hoped I would be a good candidate.  For many people, the lenses eliminate the need for corrective glasses except for super close work like threading needles or such.  Since Dr. Bowman had also successfully performed cataract surgery on a gorilla at the Dallas Zoo, I figured he could cope with me just fine.  And he did.  I am so pleased with the results.  I only need non-prescription reading glasses with fine print in dim light or for high resolution photo-editing on the computer. 

So much to catch up on since last October, including but not limited to following topics:

Plants In Our Garden.  A good year for the passion fruits, which make a delicious juice.

Construction and Maintenance Projects.  We screened in the lower level and put new cane up for the "flow-through" walls.

Wild Life Observations.  This poor little hermit crab was using a plastic bottle lid for a home.  I supplied a shell and it made the switch to a new, more appropriate home.

Visits with Friends and Family.  Dennis and Melanie preparing to toast with our passion fruit flavored sparkling Pinot Grigio.

The New Puppy.  Clove, a little rescue puppy, on day 2.  At only 4 lbs, she was mostly skin, bones, worms, and mange mites.

Clove.  Growing fast.

Clove meets Barnie - love at first sight.

Progression Through the Seasons.  Winter Sunrise.

Holiday with Family.  Organ pipes in St. Martins in the Field, London.

More Family Holiday.  Trafalgar Square at dusk.
The last 2 shots were taken with my new camera; more about it later, too.

I am happy to be blogging again and I hope a few readers are still hanging around.

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. So happy to see you! Are you in Roseland yet?

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  2. It is lovely to see you back with beautiful photos and a new puppy.
    I have passion flower plants in pots as they would never survive our winters but have flowers only, never a sign of fruit.

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. At least you have the exquisite passion fruit flowers, so incredible to see.

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  3. So happy to see you here again! Great news about the surgery. And, as always, great photos! That passion flower shot is a masterpiece.

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    1. It's good to be back, Mitchell - I just needed some time off. The results from the surgery exceeded my best hopes. You have first hand experience with things not being "right", so you know how important it is to see well. Glad you like the photos. Photography is one of my passions.

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  4. Hi Wilma. Good to know you are well and delighted to learn that your eye surgery was a success. I've had a new lens in my left eye for a while and now waiting for the right-hand cataract to mature!
    Love the new addition to the family and all the other photos.

    Best Wishes … FAB.

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    1. Hi Frank. The eye surgery made a huge difference for me; I had been struggling more than I actually realized. A few minutes ago I weighed Clove and she is up to 48 pounds - more than 10X more than when she first arrived back in early December!

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  5. Great to have you back Wilma and well done on the transformation in that poor little puppy, must be so rewarding to see it doing so well and being happy.

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    1. I knew you would appreciate the story of Clove, Derek. You should see her now! And you will in future blogs. She is very happy and healthy and is catching up to Barnie in size. We are so pleased that she is well-adjusted and loves to spend time with me and Dennis.

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