Volunteer party and more

Michelle and me

On Friday, I attended a gala party held by the staff at the Bellingham Senior Center, to honor the volunteers (I am one). Although there are more than 300 of us, about 125 signed up with an RSVP to attend. My friend and co-worker Michelle asked me if I would be her date, and I agreed if she would drive and pick me up and transport me to the Senior Center. She readily agreed, so we ended up arriving in time to be regaled with the theme: Mardi Gras (a little bit late, but whatever). We received beads, masks, and this lovely tapestry to stand in front of to have our pictures taken.

The makeshift "bar"

As you can see from this picture (the clock on the wall), our party began at 5:00pm, and many of us headed to the coffee bar that had been turned into a regular "bar" for the evening. We had wine, beer, and plenty of nonalcoholic fruit drinks. After taking that first picture in front of the tapestry, we were seated at tables (our usual lunch tables, but covered with tablecloths) and served three dishes: a lovely salad (with not a single lettuce leaf in sight), some fancy chicken dish and a side of veggies, and finally a creme brulee sort of dessert. It was lovely, and I think we all enjoyed being treated to such a fun event. Apparently they do this every year, but this one the first for me. 

It was still light out when Michelle drove me back home. I spent a few moments with my sweet partner before heading to bed. I was really tired, since the night before I hadn't gotten much sleep. I made up for it, though, barely moving during a more-than-nine-hour sleep. I woke Saturday morning feeling great and well rested.

My friend Steve and I had a nice Saturday walk around the harbor, and we enjoyed the sunshine and light breeze. It never got all that warm yesterday, even though the sun was shining brightly. It's been cool and perfect for someone like me who really doesn't feel comfortable in hot weather. I know there are some people who would be complaining about the temperatures being cool, but I am not one of them. And I was able, yesterday, to walk almost five miles without incident. That makes me very happy, thinking that it won't be long now before I might be able to join one of the Tuesday hikes again. But I will be taking it easy and not pushing myself. I have become a member of the octogenarian crowd and learning how to navigate through it without becoming too sedentary.

I had some rather unexpectedly good news when I got my eye jab this week. Because the left eye seems stable, I will not need another treatment until late July! That means a twelve-week period between jabs. I know that the shots don't stop the progression, but slows it down significantly. I was afraid that by this time I would have lost my central vision in both eyes, but fortunately I can still read using low vision settings, and recognize people by using my left eye. Not having central vision in both eyes has definitely been something to adjust to, because without realizing how much we need both eyes for depth perception, I now have difficulty making sense of pictures. They need to be bright and distinct, or my brain can't interpret what I'm seeing. Once I do figure out what I'm looking at, I am actually surprised that I had such difficulty, because it seems obvious once the puzzle pieces coalesce. This getting old business takes some getting used to, and nothing stays the same for long. 

Everything considered, I feel very lucky to be in as good a situation as I am. The country is going through some unpleasantness, and it seems to be everywhere. I was very sad to see that Pope Francis died, but he was 88 after all. Most of us don't make it out of our ninth decade of life, and he was only six years older than me. I am beginning to understand how one's perception changes as we age, and suddenly it seems quite normal to settle into a comfortable chair and put my feet up. I've spent most of my life being active, and now I'm reaping the benefits. I just wish my eyesight had kept up with the rest of me. Oh well, I am sure there are many lessons to be learned. It seems to me so basic: to have friends and family to commiserate with, and ways to still enjoy and give thanks for my life, my friends, both "skin" friends, and virtual ones, too.

Now it's time to wrap things up and enjoy the rest of my day. John will pick me up for our Sunday breakfast, and I will read your blogs and find out how your lives are going on this spring day. Until we meet again, I wish you all good things, dear friends. Be well.