I am first to admit that my vision is far from what it used to be even with the glasses that are always with me. Not that it is terrible but sometimes, I do have trouble. Couple that declining vision with a bunch of shadows and things can get downright befuddled. Take this morning, for instance. I was out at dawn with the old dog. He had another rough night so I wanted to get him fed, out and back to his bed as quickly as possible. He needed his rest. So, as we were slowly meandering down to his "spot", I had time to scan the marsh line for critters. The tide was high and there was a bit of a south wind. Suddenly, I spied something in the shallows where the water had come above the marsh line and was puddling in the underbrush. A undulating movement of something...long, round, dark and wiggly. Uh, oh. Perhaps this was that large cottonmouth that I had seen earlier in the spring. I was sure glad the old dog was not nearby.
After I got him back safely inside, I ventured out to find my "snake". I wanted to make sure the thing did not decide to make itself at home on the path to Mr. PJ's loo. By now, the sun was starting to brighten things a bit which gave me a much better view. To my surprise, that "snake" was still in the same spot...still undulating.
Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief. That "snake" was no snake, at all! Some storm must have washed an old bike inner tube into the marsh and the high tide of this morning pushed it further ashore. My "snake" was completely harmless. There was no need to worry about Mr. PJ this morning. Still, I will scan the path each time he walks. With his vision and sense of smell going the wayside, I have to be extra vigilant....even to the point of watching for those "dangerous" bike tubes!
I will be the first to tell you that my vision is getting weak. What started as just needed reading glasses has now developed into a full-time spectacles wearing adventure. This aggravates me somewhat. I miss being able to see things as clearly as I once did. Weird thing is...prescription glasses do not help. Wearing cheap reading glasses constantly seems to have filled the need. I asked the doctor about this and she simply replied that it might be all in my head. Well, she has a point. My eyes are in my head and whatever helps them must be ok...prescription or not.
This morning, however, I noticed something. While my vision may be blurred at certain distances, miles and miles away, things seem mighty clear. Mr. PJ and I sat on the ground near a path heading to the back of the property. The old dog had decided this was a good resting spot so he and I took a few moments to relax. As the dog stared into the bushes at some unseen critter that was scratching about in the leaves, I stared upwards. I COULD SEE FOR MILES! Yep, just look upwards and marvel at your eyes' capabilities! Think about it for a moment. The treetops were clear. The clouds were clear. Planes passing overhead were clear. Things were clear with a $1 pair of reading glasses!
Speaking of treetops and clouds, have you ever thought just how many little fluffy wads of water droplets pass above us unnoticed every day? How many birds, planes, bugs, dust particles and other things zoom past us without our ever looking up to see them? I say when things get a bit foggy down at eye level, look up! Great things are up there as far as the eye can see! Sometimes our vision is not what we see but how we look at things.
There is something to be said for failing eyesight. No, it is not fun by any means but you deal with it as it seems to be a common part of aging. Without my glasses, things seem blurry and out of focus so I depend upon those things. But...without them, things are brought into a different perspective. Objects that appear to be one thing can prove to be something quite totally different. This has actually made a difference in my days here on the Bayou.
This time of year, snakes are out and on the prowl (or crawl, as it may be). One has to watch every step as an old cottonmouth moccasin might just be underfoot in any given area. I have found them as far from the house as the marsh edge but as near as the front step. They are hard to see. I do not depend on my eyesight to find these critters. I go back to that fine skill that Pop taught me so long ago. He always said that it was easier to smell a moccasin than to see one and he was right. Still, any snake is not fun to come across on a daily hike. Even a nonvenomous one can scare the bejeebies out of you if it is stepped on unawares. It is best to be wary...which brings me to today and my poor eyesight.
I was out pushing that lawnmower again when I noticed my brother waving at me. Stopping my machine, I had a nice chat with him before cutting the conversation short with "I need to get back to work." As he turned to walk back down the lane, he gave a bit of a start and then said "Uh, oh!" That did not seem to good so I held off cranking my mower. He was pointing up under the azalea bush at what appeared to be a rather large snake. Well, now! I figured it could not be anything too dangerous unless the sweet aroma of the orange blossoms was masking the stench of a moccasin. We drew a bit closer to check out just what type our slithery visitor was. At this point, we both had a good laugh. Our snake turned out to be a perfectly snake-shaped stick! It even had its "head" raised about six inches off the ground. Wow! What a good impostor!
After another round of chatting (this time about our "snake"), he headed home and I went back to work. My cutting took me far down behind the peach orchard and into an area dotted with palmetto clumps. These are a favorite hiding place for snakes and being as I was only wearing leather moccasins, I needed to watch my every step. The recent "scare" of the stick snake might have been a good thing. My wariness was already on edge. I was alert. I was careful. Sometimes we can become so caught up in our thoughts and chores that we become careless. Perhaps that stick was put there as a reminder that I need to watch my step. Had I been wearing my glasses, I would have surely seen that it was just a stick and had never made me more cautious. Sometimes, we have to see things a bit blurred to see them more clearly.
I will be the first to admit that my vision is far from what it used to be. Age has a sneaky way of catching up with you. The past few years have seen me getting stronger and stronger strength spectacles in hopes of at least keeping myself functioning. Some days seem to be worse than others and lighting plays a huge role in how clearly I view things. I just want to maintain healthy enough vision to enjoy my surroundings.
This morning, what with the time change and all, I was on the pier bright and early. I wanted to catch the sunrise as that always seems to start my day on a positive note. The Master Artist did not disappoint. As usual, the horizon was a fantastic display of colors and patterns. It was with these patterns that I soon was questioning the strength of my eyesight once again. Something seemed amiss. Although the water was calm, the lower part or reflected part of the sunrise appeared awfully blurry. Still, I photographed the sunrise in all its glory. I would investigate later.
Sure enough, even when I put the photographs on my computer, the reflection seemed far more blurred than ever before. What was up with that? My glasses did not even help! Obviously, there was some bit of haze lingering just over the water's surface which was making things seem distorted. The reflection actually reminded me of how I see without my eyeglasses! It then occurred to me that the difference in the top part of the photograph (skyline) and the bottom (reflection) could be compared to the difference that my spectacles make in my vision. The top...with glasses, the reflection...without glasses. Now at least I have a definite way to describe to some unknowing person just how bad the eyesight is becoming! Yep, I guess it is time for another visit to the eye doctor for another vision test.
