Vision-Latest Eye Chart

Latest Eye Chart

5" x 7"

ink

I showed my art work on vision to the doctor and others in his office, while I went for an appointment to check my cataracts last week. This was very interesting and informative, to me, because this doctor explained some of the things that I had experienced. I wish I had had a tape recorder or asked him to write down what he told me, so that I could share it with my readers. The big words that had to do with things that happen between the brain and eyes, just flew over my head. I was a bit nervous, and astonished at what he was saying. And he did go over it kind of fast. I remember that he did say the word "classic", and he would recognize the different things, without my explanation.

They saw my pictures first, and seemed to think there wasn't much point in showing me the whole chart, down to the tiny letters at the bottom. They first showed the big 'E', which was blurry. I told them that it was an E, but I only knew that because the last time they showed it, I first said it was a landscape! Don't know why I was looking for a picture and not a letter. But, then, that is me and my right brain at work. I'm always looking for pictures, even within other pictures!

They moved the setting to the next line and I just told them it was all blurry and I really couldn't make it out. The woman who was giving me the test, left the room , and, while I sat there, I pulled out my pen and sketched what I saw. I was going to sketch some of the equipment in the room, but there wasn't time. They were amazed that I drew the chart, as I saw it.

In fact, the doctor said that he is amazed that I can draw as well as I can, the way that my eyes are.

He is ready to do my eyes toward the end of this month. But, I am thinking that maybe I should wait until I can get Medicare, which will be in another year. (Depending on what happens with all that is being proposed in this country regarding health care, and everything else! We may not be able to get anything by then, especially at my age.)

Plans are to do the good eye, then see about doing the other. I'm just chicken about this, just like I am with anything that involves needles, cutting and such things as stitiches. And I don't want to know anything, but they say you have to be awake. The worst part, for me, is usually getting an IV in!

Someone told me that they give you "the good stuff" and you wouldn't care if they cut your head off.

That's not what the doctor said. He explained that they come in, numb everything, then put you out for about 45 seconds, and then you are awake, but, by then, you can't see anything that is going on. I guess that means that you can hear and know everything. Kind of makes me sick to think about lenses and taking things out, putting other things in, cutting, etc.

He asked if I want better distance or up close. I said both, of course! I need to see distance, but I also need to be able to read, draw, and such. He advised getting better distance, for reading signs and he said that they have better results with ordinary reading glasses for up close.

He said it will only take about 10 minutes, and I would be seeing better by the next day.

I looked up cost online and it seems that this costs around $6,000 or more for each eye. I don't know about this particular place, though. I believe that they expect insurance to take care of most things. Mine won't pay for very much.

I already am going to have huge medical bills, that haven't come in yet. And have more things that need to be done. So, I am wondering about waiting on this.

Goodness knows, we all need better more affordable health care, but what is being proposed, is just wrong. Won't help a bit. I've been in that group that needed help so many times, so I have experience in this.

It hasn't been that long ago, when people complained that an office visit went up from $5 to $10. Now, it's hundreds of dollars for a simple office visit. It was once possible to pay for visits to the doctor, and it was possible to pay for a hospital visit. Now, you have to have insurance, or prepare to pay out enough to buy a home, with a few days in the hospital. I heard a local doctor being interviewed on tv last week. He said it cost $3 for an office visit and $25 for a hospital stay when he first came here. People could pay for a new baby with $125, then. I remember that an office visit was only $2, and, even then, some people could pay their medical bills with a chicken or produce from their garden.

I'm scheduled, but I'm having second thoughts about it all. It's too late for me to be able to drive again, and I'm not sure that I could even get a license, if I had to take another test, with only one eye working properly. But, would it make a big difference if I were to wait a year? Who knows what will happen in a year.

One funny thought is that, if I should get my eyes fixed, I might not see the weird things that I have been seeing. That might be a good thing! Of course, the eye with Macular Degenertation will probably never get better. I wonder if it will get worse, or has all the damage been done that is possible? The doctor said "There is the scarring" when he looked with those bright lights.

I thought that the first doctor said that there was a little AMD in the good eye. I certainly hope not!

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The next World Wide Sketch Crawl date has been announced for Saturday September 19, 2009. See http://www.sketchcrawl.com/ for more information.

Hope that we can have a group this time! Anyone else interested?

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Vision-Night Lights

Night Lights

9" x 12"

watercolor

I was sleeping in my aunt's room that night. I don't like the dark and, at home, I keep my tv on all night. It takes me a long time to fall asleep, so I have something to watch. I sleep a little while, wake up and watch, and go back to sleep. I sleep best after the sun comes up.

This night, I had a small radio to listen to, and no tv or light. I opened the drapes to let light from the street light on the corner come into the room. As I used to do when I was a child, before we had tv to watch, I looked out the window at the trees and light, looking for some activity, listening to the trains go through town.

But, in the old days, I didn't have Macular Degeneration and cataracts to deal with. As I looked at the windows, I blinked to try to clear up the image, but it didn't help. I could see the glow of the street light, looking somewhat like fireworks. As I looked into the dark of the street, neon green shapes marched from out of the dark window into the room. They were similar to a loose boomerang and were different sizes. But they did march, in rows, moving through the window and disappearing into the dark room. Along with the green boomerang shapes, there were some small yellow lights that floated around. One was round and stayed low while another was a sort of rectangle that flowed along with the boomerang shapes. These were not lights from houses, as the street was dark except for one house that had a hall light on, that I could not see from the bed. That light was still, while these moved along with the other shapes.

In the painting, the area below the lighter blue line is the wall. Drapes are on each side of the picture.

I closed my eyes and there were still shapes moving around, but these were more like purple against the dark.

"What are these things?" I wondered. "How can I make them go away!"

"Could they be ghosts of the people who once lived here?"

I couldn't make them disappear, so I might as well enjoy them. Just as I have said about the shapes that I saw when I got the Lucentis injection. (See posts from last year.) I might as well sit back, relax, enjoy the abstract art show. Then do some paintings of what I have seen.

Share those with others who might encounter the same thing.

Maybe I could just remember the people who once lived here, or write a story from the images. They do seem to make me think of other things besides the colors, shapes, and movement.

It is true, that, even with your eyes closed, you still see moving shapes, that make it hard to go to sleep, not to mention making it hard to see things.

At this stage, when I close my right eye, there are wavey lines on things I see around the outside edges and an irregular purple spot covering all that I try to look at. The left eye is the one with wet macular degeneration and cataracts. The right eye has cataracts, too, but I can see things better with that eye. I tend to close the "bad" eye when I try to see things.

I watched the shapes until I finally fell asleep that night, and made mental notes about shapes, direction, and colors. Later, I sketched the shapes and window, and, much later, added the color with watercolors. This probably would have worked better on watercolor paper. But I used my sketchbook with 65 # Canson acid free paper. I used Winsor Newton watercolors to add a light layer of color, then added the darker Indigo Blue and the brighter greens after the first layer dried.

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In my post about James DeGraffenreid Miles, I left out the names of his brothers. They are all listed on CSA Military Men of Central Alabama. I found this list through the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History online.

Albert Thomas "Tommie" Miles married Ida Katerine Day, sister of Ellen L. Day. CSA, MS 1863. (Truthfully, I don't know what MS, 1863 means. This was on the list. There is more information in the book, "Your Inheritance" Vol. II by Robbie Lee Gillis Ross.)

James "Jim" DeGraffenreid Miles married Ellen L. Day, sister to Ida Katherine, Officer in the CSA, taken prisoner at Ft. Donaldson in 1862, according to the list. He was a POW at the notorious Camp Douglas in Chicago, but was released before the worst times there. He fought again in other battles.

John L. "Bud" Miles, married Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" "Mollie" Holcomb. Was an officer itn the CSA. He joined Capt. Marcellus Fagg's company in 1862. Fagg was a brother-in-law to the Miles brothers and sisters.

William Miles, MD, married Julia M. Robinson. W.S. Army in Mexico, joined the CSA in Norfolk, VA in 1863.

This is all according to the list. There is a lot more information about them.

Most of these families moved to Texas about the time of the Civil War. Fagg moved to North Carolina after the War.

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Whew! We had a quick power outage and I thought I had lost this blog! I'm relieved to find that it had all been saved.

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If you are following the EDM (Everyday Matters) challenges, the next one is to draw a shell. Those of you on the coast can do this easier than we can here. Fortunately, I have a shell in my bathroom! Maybe someone will bring me back a good one from the coast. I probably will have drawn one, by then-the one that I have beside my garden tub!

We had some good times, looking for shells out on the little islands off Port O'Conner. It was hard to find good shells on the bay since they were usually broken apart before they hit the beach. I think that I bought the one I have in Galveston, years ago.

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If you are in this area, or plan to come here during Sketch Crawl, or for the plein aire workshop, you might like to join the Yahoo Group that I started for people interested in sketching and painting, and such activities in the Brazos Valley area. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers. I put quite a few pictures on there from previous Sketch Crawls and the Plein Aire Workshop from last October in Calvert.

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A big get well wish goes out to Walter in Calvert. Hope you get better quickly!

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I apologize for the big space again. I don't know how to keep this from happening. I went back and pulled the lines closer together by backspacing, but that is going to leave even more space at the bottom.

I would blame this on the power outage, but this has happened before. I don't know why. I didn't type it with double spacing or anything like that.

Vision- Migrane In The Eye

Migrane In The Eye

Ocular Migrane

8.5" x 11"

ink

Seventh period. Last class of the day, finally. I stood at the door as teenagers tumbled and dragged into my room, laughing, talking, sulking, glaring.

I smiled, but tried to be firm, as I encouraged them to get in the room before the tardy bell rang. Inside, I wondered what my little mischief-makers in the class might be up to today. It should go smoothly, though. They already had a project started that they were enjoying doing-one that allowed them to visit and talk as they worked. But, this class always had someone who would either come in late, angry, and wanting to stir things up, or they would lose patience, or get upset over having to be in class instead of out playing sports. Those teenage hormones and emotions could spill over at any time.

I walked into the room to my desk, and, one tall, big, quiet, football player followed me to stand beside me. I stood by my desk as the tardy bell rang, ready to check my roll and put it out on the clip outside my door. The football player continued to stand by me. He didn't say anything, but he didn't sit down, either.

I needed to get that roll done, but this one student would not sit down, no matter what I said to him. "Please sit down" didn't work. Neither did, " You need to be in your seat", "I said to sit down," or "You will be tardy if you are not in your seat, " or "Did you need something?"

The assignment was on the board, but the students knew what to do anyway. Projects had been started, and they just waited for their materials to be passed out. For once, they were content to talk quietly as they waited.

I had to get that roll checked and decided that it was not worth an argument at that moment to get this boy to move. I picked up the roll sheet from my desk and started to look at the names.

A cold fear struck me. I'm sure that I gasped as I gripped the roll sheet and my pen.

Across the names on the sheet, it looked as if there was a tear in the paper. Jagged edges that separated and would not go back together. I blinked, I squinted, I moved the paper around, but the two parts of the paper would not go back together. Nothing worked. Was I going blind all of a sudden? I wanted to grab the boy beside me and ask if the paper was torn. But, I couldn't do that. I had to control myself and be the grown-up here.

Instead, resourceful person that I am, I handed the roll sheet and my pen to the boy.

"Here," I said. "You might as well do this since you are standing there. I need to get papers passed out."

The boy smiled and eagerly checked the roll and hung it out for me. Then he sat down at his desk. Maybe he just wanted to be a helper that day. I still don't know, but, I felt like he was put there, at that moment, to help me out. Instead of being upset with him, I was just glad that he was there.

I picked up the stack of art work to pass out, but I still couldn't read any names on them. There was that tear across all of the writing. So, I split the papers up and had three students pass them out, to speed things up. Some students liked to do things like pass out papers, not to help me, but just to give them something to do while they waited.

The students were busy with their projects and I sat in my chair behind my desk. I put my hands over my eyes for a few minutes, hoping my vision would clear.

"Maybe if I just rest my eyes, or myself, for a few minutes, it will get better."

No one asked about me, why I wasn't working along with them that day, or why I was sitting with my hands over my eyes. One girl did look at me, and I offered, "I have a headache." I didn't have a headache, but I didn't want to tell the class that I was terrified that I might be going blind, right there in class, and to go to the office for help.

"Just make it through this period," I thought.

The end of the period came, students put their work up, still engaged in their conversations, and left the room as the bell rang. After they were gone, I picked up my grade sheet, which was similar to the roll sheet, and I could see again.

"Whew! I hope that never happens again! Whatever it was." I breathed a big sigh of relief.

I had not thought that I had to drive home to the next town after school. What would have happened if it had not gone away, and I couldn't see? And, what if everyone left school and I was there, alone, as I often was, working late, and still couldn't see?

I decided to go home early, and call my opthamologist.

I couldn't get an appointment to see him for two weeks. Fearing that it could happen again, I drove to his office and told the young lady at the desk what had happened. She talked to the doctor, and said that it would be okay, and to come in for my appointment.

I spent a very anxious two weeks, worrying about what happened and that it might happen again.

At the exam, the doctor explained that this was like a migrane, but in the eye. It could have been brought on by stress. (I didn't think I was particularly stressed, and had never in my life had a migrane headache. It was just a normal, in fact, even a little bit better, day at school. But, I did have a lot of anxiety as I tend to be a perfectionist. But that was normal for me.) My eyes checked out fine, and he told me that I could get some reading glasses at the drugstore to help when reading, or he could give me a prescription as the distance reading had changed a little bit. I always had 20/20 vision, and used some reading glasses from the drugstore, for some reading like computer printouts and small print in newspapers. I thought that was just a normal part of aging.

The doctor did tell me that, the thing to look for, was flashing lights. If that happened, I should call him immediately. That could indicate a detached retina. But, as for the migrane in the eye, that was not anything to be concerned about. He said that I might call him if it happened again, though.

This happened several years before I had my diagnosis of Macular Degeneration last year. It was probably about in 2002, and has not happened again. The doctors that I have seen told me that the migrane in the eyes had nothing to do with the MD.

On the MD Support list, there has been a discussion about ocular migranes. So, I thought it was time to show my drawing and share my experience with that vision problem, although it is not a part of Macular Degeneration, as far as I can tell.

I have to emphasize to readers that it is important to get a good eye care professional to check your eyes. You can't always tell, either by looking or by reading of symptoms, just exactly what is going on in the eyes. In some cases, an early diagnosis is imperitive. Sometimes symptoms can be of something that is not serious at all, but other times, they can be extremely telling and urgent. Self diagnosis is not the way to go. The only way that some things can be detected is by

a good exam of the inside of the eye.

We can talk about and share experiences, and that can be of help in understanding and in coping. But there is no substitute for seeing a good eye care professional. So, have regular exams, and see your doctor when you notice any changes in your vision. And, of course, you want to do things that will promote good health for your eyes, as well as for the rest of your body.

You can check out some of the links I have listed under Eye Sites to learn more.

Among Her People

Among Her People

9" x 12 "

colored pencil on paper

I made a slide show of this one, beginning with the first drawing. (Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the slide show.) So far, I like the drawing best. I think it is because I have looked at this for so long, that I need to see it with fresh eyes, as they say.

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Originally, I had intended to dress my central figure in a white flowing scarf and a light blue dress and jacket. However, at night, when I started to color, I just couldn't find my white or light blue pencils. I picked up what I thought was light blue and colored away, before I could tell that it was actually green. I thought I could go on and work with that, but I was disappointed. I guess I could have started over, but I wanted to work this picture out. The next day, in the sunshine, I found the light blue and white pencils! So, I used those on the lower part of her clothing, and in the scarf.

Then I couldn't find the black pencil, and so I substituted brown and indigo blue, which usually works. I even added some violet and blue violet to darken. It wasn't dark enough, I thought. The next day, the black pencil appeared in the container. So, I blended the black with the other dark colors.

I liked the lilac color and added that to the figure in the right foreground and those around her, then, to lead the eye, I added a bit of that color on up into the trees, the sky, and down into the left side to lead back to the center and the first figure. I knew that I would layer colors over each figure to get the final colors and highlight and shadow. Since the figure to her left is wearing dark purple, I thought of , perhaps, using more indigo blue over the lilac and going darker on her clothing. But, I liked the way that lilac led the eye around the page. So, I settled, so far, on just blending some darker colors from the bottom. (Of course, I like purple, and green, so that part is satisfying, to me. I'm just not sure that it is the best choice for this particular picture.)

The sky was another problem. Working with thin pencil points, and layering colors, takes a long time. With these type of pencils, I try to avoid scratchy pencil marks, and insist that I try to get everything super smooth. I'm not there yet, in this one. So far, I used cerulean blue, then white, then indigo blue, true blue, and white, with a tiny bit of violet, all blended with white.

Prismacolors are my choice when using colored pencils because of the ability to layer and blend to an almost photographic finish. In this one, I also used some Derwent pencils to vary my colors. I did have black in that set, which helped. They do have a very different feel than Prismacolors.

This picture was done on Canson 65# acid free paper.

As I worked on the clear blue sky, I felt that this left the background too empty. So, I added a hint of buildings on the left, and some vertical trees on the right, to echo the upright figure. I also darkened a few areas of the sky to give it more variety.

The skin tones are also layered, and show up a bit more yellow in the scan, than they actually are. I feel like I should have worked larger, as it is really hard to do those small lines of things like lipstick and eyeliner. Of course, I always feel like I need to work very large, but it is not convenient to carry around or to store those large pieces of paper and pictures.

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There is an old saying that goes, "It takes two people to paint a picture. One person to paint the picture. The other to hit the first in the head and make them stop!"

I think that is true. I often reach a point where I have to stop and ask someone else's opinion. Sometimes that is my grandson, who has a good eye. He is extremely observant! We have had several discussions about this picture.

Another option is to just put the work back for a while, and look at it again much later. All kinds of things that could be done will usually show up then. And, if I put something back to work on later, I may never get back to it. I find it best to try to finish something all at once. Besides just losing the work, I also lose that original feeling that is so important. I'm not disciplined enough, I guess, to be able to work on something for a little while, then do something else, and come back later and continue. I can always tell where I left off. Everything changes.

Sometimes, I just stop because I am tired of looking at the work, and it looks like it needs so much work still, and, at that point, I'm often ready to just throw it away. It takes a lot of self talk to convince myself to put it back for a while and not put it in the trash can. I'm much better at saving things than I used to be.

I am tempted to stop on this one, but I still think the sky could use some more layering and blending.

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The first Prismacolor drawings that I ever saw, were on display at the University of Texas in Austin. They were quite large, and were just amazing. I had taken students there on a field trip, and we fell in love with Prismacolors. We just had to get some and learn how to use them. Those original drawings had around 32 layers of color on them. I remind myself of that when I am tempted to stop with only 8 or so layers of color.

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I do like to draw "girls" and drapery in material. And I love to play around with makeup and hairstyles. As a student, I would do that instead of my classwork, and try to hide my papers so the teachers wouldn't catch me. I think that they all knew that I was drawing instead of doing my work!

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This picture is of a beautiful, elegant, amazing woman, surrounded by her people-the people she loves. It is a clear, beautiful day, to match the beauty that she exhibits. There have been such women in history. We can use many more dedicated, intelligent, strong, beautiful, and loving women who will make this world a better place for us all.

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Thank you for reading, and for your support. I hope that you enjoy my work.

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Be sure to read my previous post on The Vision Test and Macular Degeneration. Other art work and experiences on the subject can be found in the Archives and are prefaced with the word "Vision". Also there are links in the side bar under Eye Sites.

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Virginia Vaughan is having workshops and also shows of her paintings on the subject of "The Last Year On The Farm". Her book of that title will also be coming out very soon. Check out her website and her blog for more information. There is a link in my sidebar.

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Russell Baker posted another touching painting of a rescued dog that didn't make it, on his blog. You can find a link to him in my sidebar also. These are such touching paintings and stories!

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Laura Brittain's post on "Sandpaper People" was certainly timely for me. You can check out her link on my sidebar, too.

Check out my Guest Book!

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.

Vision-Eye Chart A Year Ago

Eye Chart

A Year Ago

11" x 14"

watercolors

Yesterday, I wrote about seeing the eye chart in a different doctor's office while my aunt was getting her eyes checked. I have posted this painting before in my Vision series. I wanted to show it again as a comparison to the eye chart as I saw it last January and the chart that I saw this week.

Recently, I joined a list or forum online for MD (Macular Degeneration) support. There are people on there of all ages and who have, or someone in their life has, MD or some similar vision problem. There are some very knowledgeable, highly qualified, and experienced people on the list. I have put a link to this group and others under Eye Sites on my sidebar.

Richard Trevino is one of the helpful people on the list. I wrote a little about the online vision test for MD that he has developed in a previous post.

Information about the test, and the test itself, can be found at http://myvisiontest.com/about.php . You can find out more about Richard Trevino on his website which I have listed under Interesting Sites in my sidebar.

I'm not a professional, by any means, and didn't even need glasses except for close, small things like threading a needle or reading computer printouts, until recent years. So, I do not feel very experienced in vision problems. I am trying to learn all I can and prepare myself as best as I can for this journey. And I am trying to share what I learn and experience in order to help others who find themselves, or someone in their lives, in a similar situation.

I took the test at MyVisionTest.com and found my results. Each time I check my vision on the test, now, it will tell me if my vision has changed by comparing the results to my previous visits.

I was curious about the test and the man who created it. So, I wrote to him and asked for information. I also told him that I wanted to share with my readers. He was kind enough to send me some very interesting information that I think is important to know. He certainly seems well-qualified to develop and offer this test and information to benefit the public.

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Richard Trevino

MyVisionTest

Richard Trevino's ultimate goal is to improve the ability of people with macular degeneration to test their vision at home between visits to the eye doctor. This is important because, if bleeding occurs, doctors want to get treatment started as soon as possible to prevent permanent vision loss. There has been great progress over the past several years in the treatment of wet macular degeneration (Avastin, Macugen, Lucentis, etc.), but the ability to reach people that need this treatment has lagged. There is good research that is pointing in the direction of an online vision test. The exact form that the ideal vision test will take is unclear.

Trevino's project is the first of its kind. It is just a prototype. It is a proof of concept that vision testing over the internet for patients with macular degeneration is possible, and that people will use it and can benefit from it. It is still very much a work in progress. He is continually adjusting it in reponse to feedback from users. He also plans to develop other vision tests using different testing strategies in an attempt to find one that works best. So this project is still very much in its infancy.

Trevino has given presentations and he is writing papers to try to raise awareness among optometrists of the need for imporoved home vision testing for patients with macular degeneration. You can find a powerpoint presentation that he gave to a group of optomoetrists on this topic at slideshare.net

http://www.slideshare.net/rhodopsin/macular-function-surveillance-revisited/

He has also written a paper on this topic that will be published in the "Journal of the American Optometric Association" in July, 2008. A second paper is currently being written, which he hopes to have published later in the year.

Trevino has approached several researchers about doing a study using MVT (My Vision Test), but has been unable to get anyone interested to date.

Trevino is a practicing optometrist, and works at a Veterans Administration medical center in Evansville, Indiana. He has an interest in research and teaching, and has published numerous papers in the optometric literature over his 20 + year career.

He developed an interest in computers in the early 1990s and has become quite a computer geek. He taught himself computer programming, and has developed numberous web sites and computer programs over the years. He never charges for his services, as he does it just for the fun and personal satisfaction that he derives from helping others.

He has no intention of ever charging people to use MyVisionTest.

Trevino got the idea for developing an online vision test for macular degeneration after reading several research papers by scientists that were trying to develop a better vision test for macular degeneration.. Although these papers were published years ago, and the results of the research was very promising, he was unable to find anything available on the internet for people to use. So, he decided to do it himself.

Currently, patients are advised by their doctors to use the Amsler Grid daily to check for changes in their vision. This is given in the form of a chart printed on heavy paper or even in a brochure. There are also examples of the Amsler Grid online. If changes are detected, patients are instructed to contact their Retina Specialist immediately. Time is very important in preventing futher damage due to a bleed or fluid leaking.

You can find a link to Richard Trevino in my sidebar under Interesting Sites, and to MyVision Test under Eye Sites.

My thanks to Rick for providing the information about himself, and for his work with those who have, or will have, vision loss.

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Please share this with anyone who you think might be interested. Thanks for reading. I do welcome your comments and your support.

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Don't forget to sign my Guest Book at the very bottom of this page. And join my group if you haven't already done so.

Vision-The Eye Chart

The Eye Chart

January 8, 2008

5.25" x 8.25"

watercolors

Yesterday, I sat in my aunt's eye doctors' examining room with her while she had her annual eye exam. My aunt is in a wheel chair, so she needed to have someone there with her. She has one bad eye, that she truly can't see out of, and was using only reading glasses until last year. We determined that she can see much better with glasses, so they gave her some to wear all the time.

They went through putting drops in her eyes,and covering each eye, shining a light in her eyes. All the things they do in an eye exam. They had to keep directing her where to look. But, she actually read the letters as they flashed on a mirror beside where I was sitting.

I looked, too, to see what she was looking at and even checked the wall behind her, where the letters were displayed on a wall.

I was getting a little distressed. I didn't even think to close each eye and look, but I did try to see the test she was taking. I couldnt' make out any letters, while my aunt was able to read some of the letters.

The above painting shows several of the rows of letters that was shown to her, as I saw them.

For the large letters, I saw a simple diamond ring with a cold, blue stone in it. On the opposite end, there was a gift wrapped package, with a red ribbon and a bow on top. In the center, there was an abstract purple shape. In another row of letters of a different size, there seemed to be stylized shapes that resembled flowing letters, but with holes in them, like lace. One seemed to have something like a broken pencil or popsicle stick on one side of it. The smaller lines of letters were just a bunch of scratchy marks on gray.

I do realize that this is leaning a bit, and that my lines are not straight. But remember that I was sitting to one side, out of the way, looking into a mirror in a darkened room. Things were not straight or even as I looked into that mirror.

This reminded me of the eye exam I had a year ago, to renew my drivers license. Two eye doctors told me that my eyes were good enough to pass that drivers test. But, when I got there, all I could see was a black background with some green squiggles instead of letters. ( I have a painting about that called "Vision-Ready To Go" in my archives on the sidebar.) When I got my Lucentis injection, just before that exam at the DPS, and as soon as I was pronounced ready to go, I could see the eye chart in the room. I could make out letters, although some were blurry and overlapped, but I could still make them out. So why couldn't I see any letters on the eye test at the DPS office?

I wondered, yesterday, if this was my imagination, if something was not connecting with my brain, or is it the Macular Degeneration and cataracts. Maybe he was giving her a different kind of test, like they might give to children, where there are objects instead of letters. But, no, that couldn't be. She was telling the doctor what letters were there, and he was reacting to that.

So, I knew there were letters that I should be seeing.

"One of these days, I may have to get these cataracts taken care of, " I commented to the tech lady or whatever her job is called now. (I would have said nurse, but there are so many different people working in doctors' offices these days, that I don't know who is what unless I ask them.)

I expected her to say something like, "Oh, do you have a problem? We do that here." Instead, she just said a disinterested "Oh".

I didn't mention the AMD or ask any questions. After all, this was not the doctor I had been to. But, I really don't have a doctor, and just saw a doctor that I had gone to many years before when I thought I needed glasses last year. And he immediately sent me to a Retina Specialist, who won't see me anymore due to his demand for payment of thousands of dollars, before each visit, or much better insurance than I have. So, I'm kind of shopping around to see who might be interested in me and my health, at an affordable price. I guess that person no longer exists.

I didn't mention the fact that their letters looked like objects to me, but now I am wondering why I saw things the way that I did.

"Okay, we'll see you next year!" the tech lady said as she wheeled my aunt to the door.

As I stood up, I could see some of the letters still reflected on the wall. Those were thick, black letters, and not a sign of an object, or anything that looked like an object among them. And, there certainly was no color.

Maybe, in my mind, I just made up a more interesting eye chart. I'll bet I could make a story out of the eye chart as I saw it yesterday.

Look back in my Archives for more of my art work and experiences with Macular Degeneration. All of those posts are prefaced with the word "Vision".

Also, read my post from yesterday where I began telling about a website that has an online test for Macular Degeneration. I have a link to MyVisionTest in my sidebar under Eye Sites.

Virginia Vaughan has announced that her book of some of her paintings about "The Last Year On The Farm" is out and ready to be ordered. See her blog or website for more information. I have a link to her site under Artists and Authors in my sidebar.

I was struck by the work of artist Russell Baker as I looked at various artists' blogs today. He does lovely work and has some of the most compelling paintings of dogs that you will see. In some of his work, he shows dogs that have encountered terrible circumstances. Some of the stories will just tear at your heart, especially if you love animals and life. I've put a link to Russ, as well, for you to take a look at.

I hope that you enjoy my blog, and that you will pass it on to others who might be interested. Please let me know if you find something of interest to you. And be sure to stop by and sign my Guest Book at the very bottom of my page. Scroll all the way down to the very end of my blog.

Vision- Symptoms

Symptoms

(composite)

11" x 14"

watercolors

It doesn't hurt. There isn't pain. But, vision might be a little blurred. Colors may be hard to distinguish, such as in trying to pick out something in navy blue or black. But that is just part of growing older, just like having to get reading glasses because, as you get older, your arms tend to not be long enough to read, isn't it?

But, then, one day, suddenly, you may look across a room and notice that the venetian blinds are not completely straight. One end has a bump in it. The lines are wavey at one end. You blink, look away, go into another room and return, and the blinds look normal again. You wonder why that happened. Maybe it's time for new glasses? The old reading glasses from the drugstore may not be enough.

Later, that night, at a school function, you are looking down a long hall while talking to a teacher. Odd. The handrail at the end of the hall has a lump in it at one end. It's wavey, not straight. You blink, look away, walk around, then look again. The handrail is as it should be.

You forget about it, although it was a little unsettling. With a lifetime of 20/20 vision, these little quirks of sight are a bit annoying and you hope they will not happen again.

While stopped at a traffic light in town, with someone else driving, you look down the street in front of you, noticing the perspective of the road, the lack of cars driving across the intersection, the buildings where there once was a pasture. But, suddenly, you notice that the telephone poles are, like the venetian blinds and handrail, wavey. Only this time, these are vertical lines. Again, you blink, you turn away, and just hope to get across the intersection quickly so that these wavey lines will stop. It's beginning to make you a little nauseated or sea sick.

"You've got to be the navigator and tell me where to turn," the driver said to me. I watched for the street sign that told me where to turn to go to my house.

"I think that's it, " but I couldn't be sure. The letters just appeared to be marks on the sign. The pole, like the telephone poles, was wavey and making me feel nauseated. I covered my face.

It was the right street and we did make it home. But no thanks to me. I couldn't read the sign and didn't want to look anymore and risk having that seasick feeling again.

Riding with the family at night, you notice that the light pole in a shopping center parking light has 22 lights on it, instead of one! It was so annoying that you made it a point to count how many seperate lights you were seeing on the pole. Usually, it doesn't matter whether the light has one or 4 lights on it, just so it provides the needed light in that spot.

My vision was alright after each little incident. But, more frequently, the same sort of things would happen again.

And then came the time to renew my drivers license. I knew I must need glasses, so I went to my eye doctor for an exam. I've gone into those experiences on previous posts. You can go into my archives to read those posts. Each title is prefaced with the word Vision.

When I asked about the wavey lines, the doctor brought out an Amsler Grid and had me look at that. The right eye was fine, but, with the left eye, the grid had lots of wavey lines, lines that didn't connect, and a purple spot in the center. The doctor got me in to see a Retina Specialist by the next Monday. He wanted me to go that afternoon, but the Retina Specialist was not in town.

I was stunned, shocked, terrified, and had never heard of such a thing.

The wavey or bent lines is a symptom of Macular Degeneration. If you experience that sort of thing, you are supposed to get to your eye doctor or Retina Specialist immediately. I've also heard that trouble in distinguishing colors can also be a symptom of Macular Degeneration.

In my case, there was fluid accumulated in the macula. This makes the macula bend or swell and distorts vision. My doctor wanted me to see a specialist before blood could start leaking from weak blood vessels that would form behind the macula. These weak vessels would leak fluid first, then blood. Once the blood leaked and vision was damaged, it would be gone and could not be recovered.

I was diagnosed with the wet form of AMD. This is said to be one that develops suddenly and does its damage rather fast. The dry form develps slower. But there are treatments for wet AMD, and very little for the dry form. New treatments and tests are being developled.

You can't see anything happening from the exterior of your eye. Your eye looks like it always has. People can't look at you and see that there is something wrong with your vision. And, there isn't pain that makes AMD unbearable. So, looking for early symptoms is important in minimizing the damage that AMD can do.

The painting above is a composite painting I did of the first symptoms I experienced at the beginning of my vision problem. The explanation I wrote tells about what happened in each of the smaller pictures. It begins with the upper left hand corner, moves down to the lower left corner, then over to the right side and back up to the top right-counter clockwise.

I used Winsor Newton watercolors on 140 # Arches watercolor paper to do this painting.

Look under my Eye Sites section on my sidebar to see more links to information on vision and Macular Degeneration.

One new link that I added was to a site called "My Vision Test", which was created by Richard Trevino. I discovered that site through MD Forum, a list that has a focus on sharing about MD and related eye problems.

From their site, in the About section:

MY VISION TEST

"MyVisionTest is an entoptic perimetry computer program. It is intended to supplement the Amsler Grid for patients with macular disease that need to monitor their vision for progression. It is offered free of charge to the public. The vision test and website were developed by Richard Trevino, an optometrist located in Indiana, USA. Although numberous published studies have demonstrated the soundness of entoptic perimetry for the purpose of detecting vision defects caused by macular disease, there are currently no published studies that have employed our computer program. However, we are in discussions with researchers about undertaking such a study. Hopefully, published studies employing MyVisionTest will be forthcoming. "

I'll write more about Rick and the test in another post as this one is getting long, I'm sure. Rick was kind enough to give me some information that is most helpful in knowing more about the test and also about the person who created the test. He certainly seems qualified and interested in doing what he can to help people with Macular Degeneration.

I also added a link to Richard Trevino's website under Interesting Sites.

Thank you for reading and sharing. Don't forget to go to the bottom of the page and sign my Guest Book. Also, join my group, Art By Cecelia, if you haven't already.

Let me know if you see something of interest to you.

Vision-The News

The News

4.25" x 6"

watercolors

I watch the news a lot. Not just for the information or to know what is going on. But, I have been known to take notes, just to see if I can keep up with getting the important things down, keeping in practice. And to think about how I would write up what I am watching as a news story. Thinking back to the times when I worked for a small newspaper, and also wrote for a couple of other small newspapers and was a stringer for a couple of larger dailies.

I got my training through experience. It was very interesting, but a bit nerve wracking. I wanted to be sure that I didn't have any mistakes and that everything was as perfect as possible.

When I first started writng a column of local news, my old high school English teacher told me that she was so proud of what I was doing! She told me that she read my articles with a red grading pen and circled any mistakes. She said she couldn't find many.

I thought, "She should have seen what I turned in!" A lot of Xs on each page. The editor told me to not worry about taking time to make it neat, just X out any errors, and write in things I needed to add. The editor, typesetter, and all whose hands it passed through, would make corrections as they worked.

I did give credit for the lack of mistakes to the editor, but she was convinced that I did it all myself.

This, of course, was in the days before computers.

In the painting above, I was watching some of the caucus coverage on Fox News. Greta Van Susteran and Shep Smith were the anchors for a special last week. I closed my bad eye to watch. And, just to check my bad eye, I closed the good eye and watched for a few minutes. I did a little sketch of Greta. I was struck that, in the middle of the purple circle that I see, I could still make out her black blazer, which formed a point at the bottom of the screen. Her white blouse stood out somewhat as did parts of her blonde hair. Her face had a bit of orange across her forehead, but the rest of her face was shadowed a bit. Around the purple circle, there was a dark, mossy green circle.

As usual, I could see the edge of the tv set, the wall, part of the cabinet that the set is on, and the pictures above the tv set, but not her face, when I looked at it.

I can make out that there is something there, and know that there is a head, a face, several heads, and a bit of the things in the center of what I am looking at, but there is that dark circle that covers most of it, when I look through the eye with Macular Degeneration.

I've read that one thing that people with Macular Degeneration really have a problem with is not being able to see faces and to be able to recognize people. I've read that some people can't see the faces of their children, grandchildren, friends, or even people that they meet.

So far, I'm lucky in that one eye is affected, and the other is just blurry from cataracts. But I can still see faces if I am close enough and if I use the good eye. I just hope that this doesn't happen to the other eye. I guess that, since this dark spot is here all the time, I have lost the center vision in that eye.

On Gretawire, Greta's blog, there was a discussion a few weeks ago about Macular Degeneration. I know that she has a bit of an interest in the subject. The discussion is probably still there in the archives.

Maybe I should send her portrait, as she looks to someone with AMD, to her. She is a good sport so I don't think she would be upset by it.

Meanwhile, back to the news!

I have some more information on AMD and "My Vision Test", to share with you. Click on the link in my sidebar under Eye Sites if you would like to see the test. It might help for you to know more about the creator of the test and more information about it. I contacted the man who created the test and will try to share what I learned in my next post.

Be sure to check out the Guest Book at the very bottom of my page. Just scroll down. You can sign it, and even add a picture.

Thank you for reading and sharing. Let me know if you see something that appeals to you!

New Year's Eve

I haven't posted in a few days. I've been working on a picture in colored pencil and I was having some trouble with it. It's kind of slow going because you are working with the small pencil point and you can't just color something. You have to build layers of color, then blend, to smooth it out, with white. I had a little trouble picking out the colors in my containers. I have them all sorted so they are easy to find. (I thought!) However, at night, I couldn't find the white, light blue, cream, or the flesh colors. So, I switched colors. Hopefully, with more layering and blending, I am going to be more satisfied with it. Maybe it is just me! I envisioned my main figure in a light blue outfit with a white scarf. But, I ended up with turquoise, green, peacock blue, and turquoise and white in her scarf. Maybe I will be more satisfied with it when it is finished.

Note that I have added a new link to an artist in my More Artists section on the sidebar. William Hessian has a blog on bearded bunnies that he creates, which reminded me of the flower pot bunnies that my students made. (See the post below with instructions and pictures).

Scroll all the way down to the bottom of my page to see my guest book, if you haven't already.

Night Lights

Acrylic on Paper

Confetti In The Dark

Acrylic on Paper

I have posted the above paintings before in my Vison postings. These are some of the things I saw last January when I got my injection of Lucentis in my eye for wet Macular Degeneration. I thought that it looked like a parade at night, or a celebration. The fireworks are actually the way that I see various outdoor lights. Appropriate for New Years Eve.

We don't usually have a big celebration. We just watch tv, maybe a movie on tv, until midnight. Then we have champagne or egg nog, and maybe a little snack and the kids throw confetti. They go out on the porch and throw "poppers" down, which make a noise like firecrackers. Safe and no fire that way! (We've had to be careful about fire due to drought conditions in recent years, although this year we are okay. )

Then, we go to bed. Well, the family does, and I watch tv, do some art work, or work on the computer.

When I was growing up in Calvert, we didn't really celebrate New Years Eve. We watched tv, drank Coca Cola, or, if it was cold, Daddy told my mother to make some hot chocolate. One year, we discovered hot Dr. Pepper with a little lemon in it and tried that when it was cold. We might have crackers with peanut butter or cheese or a marshmallow on top, which Mama put in the oven to toast. Daddy also liked to roast peanuts on a pan in the oven, or have pecans, and spend the evening cracking and eating them while we watched tv.

Daddy always wanted us in bed early so he could sleep. He would stay up to watch the news, and that was the celebration.

Night owl that I was, I would lay in the bed and wait to see the magical changes that would occur with the arrival of a new year. Would the New Year Baby come floating in from the skies and the Old Year float up to the sky, never to be seen again? Would the world come to an end? Would we all feel a difference? Above all, would I be different after midnight?

I waited, sometimes with my heart pounding, anxious to see what midnight might bring, and a little afraid that it would be something really bad and scarey.

At midnight, the deep knoll of a bell rang out across the neigborhood. Charlie, on the corner, had an old bell from a school out in their yard, and, at midnight, that bell would welcome in the new year. Somewhere in town, we could hear firecrackers popping, and, sometimes, a few left- over- from- Christmas Roman Candles would burst above the trees. Dogs in the distance began barking and howling, sending communication across town, and our own dog would join in until the fireworks were silent again.

My sister slept, my parents slept, but I was wide awake, thinking that we should be doing something.

"Daddy! Did you hear that?" I demanded. Charlie rang the bell. It's midnight! The new year!" I went into my parents' room and tried to wake them. Other people were up. We should be, too.

"Okay," my mother said sleepily, and turned over.

"Get back in bed!" Daddy said and began his earth shattering snoring again.

I couldn't sleep with all that snoring, anyway, and I had to look outside to make sure that our neighborhood was still okay. I sat up in bed, looking out the window.

The neighborhood was still there, but would it be in the morning? I looked toward the park, where there were street lights throwing a soft glow at each corner. And at the street light on the corner by Edie's house. Sometimes I could see cats stalking their prey of bugs around the street light. An occasional dog would pass by, or even a fox that wandered in from the country.

I could imagine older men and ladies out dancing, going places in cars, eating fabulous food in magnificent settings. People on trains and buses going through town, bound for somewhere. Couples were probably snuggling together somewhere. People would be going to movies or wandering along window shopping. Some would be wearing beautiful clothes to parties in beautiful homes. Champagne would flow and fireworks would explode in the air. Some people would take their children out to set off fireworks to welcome in the new year, others might be in church. There were even people who had pretty mixed drinks or egg nog with actual nog in it. So much was going on in the world, and here we were, in our beds, in the dark.

I lined up my baby dolls, covered them, and cuddled one in my arms. One of the cats would wander by and curl up beside me or walk leisurely across the window sill as I watched.

"One of these days, I'm going to grow up and I am not going to bed early! I'm going to be out there where life is happening!" I vowed in a whisper to my doll and my cat. I didn't want to wake Daddy and have him yell at me to go to sleep again.

The cooing of Mourning Doves that made their home in the park and the cemetery, began about the time the sky lightened and turned pink in the east. About time for me to go to sleep.

Yes, the world was still all there, I was still the same person as was everyone else. I hadn't seen a baby floating in the air down to earth, or an old man floating up to the sky. We had not experienced a fiery end to the earth as they had talked about in Sunday School.

The street lights on the corner turned off. Cars started to be heard around town. Mama got up and went into the kitchen to make coffee and start breakfast for Daddy. Soon Daddy would be at the table, in his underwear, ready for a big plate of food.

I remember one memorable New Years Eve, after I was grown and had returned home. My cousin, Doris, loved to go dancing, and so did I. She was a young widow and I was divorced. We decided that we were going to go out and celebrate, for a change, and dance. So, we dressed up.

I left my children with my mother, and she left her's with a neighbor. I had a big Oldsmobile 98 (great car!) and we took that. I depended on her to navigate and tell me where the dance halls were. She usually went dancing with a group of ladies. But they all had plans this New Years Eve.

We drove west to a big dance hall in an area that I was not familiar with. As the evening progressed, there were too many people there. You couldn't dance for all the people crowded together and there were no places to sit. Some were already tipsy and loud.

"Do you want to try somewhere else?" she asked.

"Sure. This is terrible!" I said. And we left.

By now, it was dark, but still a warm evening.

As I drove, mist started to form and it seemed hazy. I turned on the defroster. It wasn't inside, but outside on the windshield. Fog was rolling in, rapidly. We aren't on the coast, so I thought that was odd. I could understand rain, or cold, or even snow, but not fog this time of year.

Soon, I couldn't see the road and we were trying to remember strategies for driving in fog! I tried to guide the car by looking at the stripe beside the car, or the side of the road. Doris couldn't see either and I was depending on her to navigate.

Finally, we saw a sign that said "Bryan", or we could take another turn and go home, by way of a country road that we weren't familiar with and where we knew there would be no lights or businesses along the way.

"If we go to Bryan, we can go dancing there. Or, we can just get on Highway 6 and go home." Doris told me. She couldn't think of another good place to dance that we would be able to find.

We headed for Bryan. At least there would be lights in town and more cars on the highway. If worst came to worse, we could get a room and spend the night at a motel there.

We went creeping along, looking at the edge of the highway. We got to Bryan about midnight, which we heard about on the radio.

"I can't afford a room," I told her.

"I can't either, " she said.

"Should we try to make it home?" I asked. My hands were sweating from nervousness as I tried to drive. I was holding my breath a lot!

"If you want to try it, we might as well go home. It's past midnight, anyway. These places are more expensive and some require reservations. I just hoped that we could find a good place to dance," she advised.

We turned north to go home, driving past several dancing places, where people were leaving. We were disappointed. I thought of the few dollars I had with me, enough to buy one or two drinks, if I could find something really cheap, and a small cover charge, if there was one. I could use that money, but we had missed out on the evening that we had hoped for.

As we left the city and drove into the dark stretch of highway, the fog cleared, and we could see stars. We could also see the highway clearly and sped home.

"Well, at least we got out of the house tonight, "Doris said as she got out of the car. "See you later."

" Yep, we sure did. See you. " I said as she closed the door.

There were other times, of course, when there were dates and dancing, parties, or even sadness and lonliness.

Another year, when I was grown, and back at home, a family moved to town from another state. They invited lots of people from town to come to their house for a party. We had lots of older people in town and not many young people, so the crowd was definitely mature and sort of settled. Some had traveled around, and had lived other places, so they were not so set on gong to bed when there was a party. There was much merriment and food, along with talk about the town and its ways, during the evening.

By midnight, people were full of good food, and talked of getting their coats and going home.

"Oh, no! You're not going yet, "our host exclaimed. "We have to see the New Year in!"

So, everyone stayed.

At midnight, Charlie's bell rang from his yard, firecrackers began to pop around town, and dogs began barking.

"Y'all come out on the porch. We've got to do something to see the New Year in!' Our host and hostess ushered us all out to the wide front porch.

Suddenly, the host pulled out a pistol and aimed it into the trees. He was smiling.

"Oh my God! These strangers are going to kill us all, right here at the Methodist Parsonage!" I thought.

"What are you going to do with that gun?" one of the elderly women asked.

"You can't shoot that in town," a man announced.

"Sure. We do it all the time back home," the host said. "How else would you make noise at midnight!"

"I've never heard of such a thing, " one Sunday School teacher said in her school teacher voice.

Everyone but the host and hostess agreed with her. You didn't shoot guns in town unless you were the law. Or if there was a mad dog, a snake, or some critter that you had to protect yourself from. Men had 22s or rifles that they took out to the country when they worked cattle and their land, in case they had to shoot a wolf or coyote or a wild dog that might attack the livestock. The city policemen had pistols, the Texas Ranger had a pistol, Highway Patrolmen had pistols and other guns, but most ordinarly people kept their guns put away at home, if they had a gun. Daddy had a 22 in the closet, but he had cattle and went out into the country. Grandpa and my great-uncle had a shotgun at the store. Grandpa had used it in the days when he went hunting. One time, the store was broken into and the shotgun was stolen. The police recovered the gun but it had been sawed off. They still kept it in case they ever needed it for protection. They never used it, though.

"Someone could get hurt," her neighbor said.

"Nah," the host said as he aimed the pistol at different places above the trees that lined the sidewalk.

I just smiled, ready to run inside if bullets started flying, not wanting to appear like I was afraid. I didn't really know these people. No one did. Who knows but what they might be murderers or some kind of nuts, or even just plain careless. I was sure that fleeting thought was wrong and just a wild imagination, there in the dark. I just hoped that the policeman would not come up there and fuss at us, or give us tickets, for shooting a gun in town.

Our host aimed the pistol once again and pulled the trigger this time. There was a bang and the bullet just disappeard. It didn't appear to hit anything. We were all under cover of the porch, so, if the bullet fell back down, it didn't fall in our direction.

Okay, he had that out of his system and we could all go home now. We went back in the house, with no one hurt, except our nerves a bit. We gathered our things from the bedroom and left.

"Nice party. Thanks." People left, politely, going back to their usual quiet lives without guns.

"I hope they don't ever do that again!" I told my mother when I got back home. The party was okay, but I never heard of shooting off a gun instead of fireworks. I thought I heard that was dangerous. Those bullets can fall back down and hit someone."

I wondered if that was really a custom back in their home, which happened to be where my mother's mother was from. My mother didn't know.

Daddy was celebrating again with much snoring in the bed and she would soon join him .

I would go to bed, look at my sleeping child, and watch out the window for the new year coming in, the old year floating up to the sky, and hope that this would not be the night that they talked about in Sunday School. The lights still shone from the corner by the park, the cats still sought bugs under the light, dogs barked, spreading their message around town. Lights from trains still could be seen coming over the hill from Hearne, and there would be sounds of distant cars, trucks, and buses on the highway going through town. When the sky turned light and pink in the east, and the Mourning Doves began to coo in the park, the new day and the new year would be there, and it would be time to sleep. Just like in other years.

This would be a good night to enjoy the end of 2007, but also to reflect and look forward. A time to start a new journal, make out New Years Resolutions, after going to a good party or dance.

We always have taken down our Christmas decorations and made sure the tree was out of the house before midnight on New Year's Eve to avoid bad luck in the coming year. This year, the decorations are down. But, I put the little tree back in the window, added a string of lights to the window sill, and turned them on this afternoon. I'll be sure that they are put away before midnight, but I like to enjoy all the color of Christmas as long as possible. It's so drab and sad when all those colorful things are gone after Christmas. I can see why some people leave their things up all year, and why those little white lights have become so popular in decorating.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Throwing a little confetti your way. Since it is e-mail confetti, it won't be so hard to clean up! And my "fireworks" are exploding above, silently.)

Don't forget to see my guest book at the end of the page, and to join my Google Group if you haven't already done so.

Thanks for reading and sharing. Have a safe, and happy evening.

Let me know if you see something of interest.

Vision-Cold Weather Coming

Cold Weather Coming
6" x 9.25"
watercolors

Skies to the north became gray and dark as a cold front approached. The rest of the sky was still a clear cerulean blue and the warm temperature seemed more like spring than autumn.
I shielded my eyes against the sun in the west as my sister drove down the narrow country lane. I closed my eyes frequently because the wavey lines and distortion combined with the blur from the movement of the car would almost make me seasick.
Signs were impossible to read until I was close to them. Telephone poles were wavey, and I couldn't see some things.
But, I still had to look at the scenery, when possible. I wanted to look for pictures, to memorize the things I was seeing.
The distant green trees at the edge of the fields broke the flat horizon line, just under the looming clouds. There were no colorful fall leaves here. A field showed the golden colors of dry grass, indications of how dry the ground had become, following a very wet summer. The neighboring yard, where there was a house, had lush green grass, the results of fertilizer, watering, and special care. Concrete pipes were stacked up behind the house.
"Look! All those fat, gray cows are lined up against the fence. I guess they are resting up for the bad weather that is coming later." I pointed toward the windshield.
"Isn't it odd that those cows are all about the same size, in the same position." I thought. "Not so odd, I guess. People have herds of cows that are all the same color and, if they bought them all at the same time, they could be the same size. Wonder what kind of cows those are."
My sister watched the road. We always commented on the animals and sights along the roadways. Cattle always seemed to lay down before bad weather, so this behavior wasn't something so unusual. It was just that they were all lined up against the hurricane fence, instead of being in a group out in the field, or under a tree.
"Oh! They're shrubs by the fence!" I said when we were almost beside the fence. "They aren't cows at all. And they aren't even gray. They're green!" I felt like I shrunk down in the seat a little bit. How dumb of me, to think that those objects were rounded, gray cows, their heads down and feet tucked under their fat bodies! They looked more like cartoon Hippos than cows, to me. But, my mind told me that they had to be cows out in a field.
"Just shows that I shouldn't be driving," I commented, "if I can't tell a cow from a bush!"
"How much worse is this going to get?" I thought. "It's got to get better!" Anxiety is always near.
And, at the same time, logically, I knew that it will only get worse, that there is help for some, but it is unavailable to me. And I tried to shake it off, and think that it is okay. Not nearly as bad as others have to endure. This thing, Macular Degeneration, with cataracts, has already cut into my life quite a bit. I try not to let thoughts of what is to come make their way into my thinking and feeling, but it is always there, like a dark cloud, waiting to fall on me.
I just had to laugh at the funny cows that I saw, getting ready for cold weather. At least, they were kind of fun to paint!
This small painting, "Cold Weather Coming", was painted with Winsor Newton watercolors on 140 # Arches watercolor paper
For more of my paintings and experiences with Macular Degeneration, look in my older posts. They are all prefaced with the word "Vision".
"Eye Sites" in my sidebar, are places that I have found with information on Macular Degeneration.
Contact me if you see something that you would like to purchase. Thanks for reading and sharing with others who might be interested.

Vision-Thinking of Thanksgiving

I had a bit of trouble adding an image to my post today. I did want to send you something, though, so I wrote this, then, later, was able to add the drawing.
There are some new things on my blog, including new links to blogs and sites of interest.
My grandfather was an excellent cook and loved to bake. My father was always so glad when Grandpa came to see us! Home baked biscuits every morning, with bacon or ham, eggs, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, and, often, home made doughnuts. And, during the day, he would bake pies, cake, cookies, rolls-all kind of good things. The pencil drawing above shows Grandpa as he would limp around the kitchen, singing and cooking. I thought that "Billy Boy" was so appropriate, and he would add verses as I asked questions about the song!
But, when holidays like Thanksgiving came, the women took their kitchens back and there was much activity in getting ready for the big family meals. Cleaning, polishing silver, waxing floors, with help to groom the yard to show to company. There were traditional family foods to prepare with each lady trying to outdo the other's in the family, while maintaining standards started generations before. It wasn't a time to experiment with new dishes or arrangements. Everyone expected certain foods, at the same times, served in the same way, followed by the same afternoon and evening. With everyone miserably stuffed!


Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of my page! I've added something special for you there.

The little sparkles are the way that sidwalks in the sunlight, the outdoors (sometimes), and even my grandson's shirt (once) appear to me. Along with the other distortions and blurring. My grandson came home from school a couple of weeks ago. I looked at him and thought I had better get him out of that shirt with all the glitter on it, so it didn't get in his eyes or all over the carpet. When I got closer, I could see that there was no glitter. I guess this is another symptom of Macular Degeneration, or cataracts.
I thought that I should add that effect to a picture, but I'm not sure how to do that. When I found this graphic, I thought, "This is just the way that shirt sparkled!" I'm not sure how I could add this in a painting. I could leave holes in paint, or I could add metallic acrylics, but it wouldn't show up with that sparkle.
Anyway, I hope that you and your's are preparing for a big, memorable, happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for reading, and sharing. Keep sending me the helpful comments. Consider joining my group, and send me others who might be interested in my work.
Please let me know if you see something that is of interest to you!
Anne was so kind to send me an interpretation of her color and her flower. A new species, or an idea for a picture!

Vision- September Shape

September Shape
5" x 7"
watercolors
This is a shape that I saw in the center of my vision through my "bad" eye, in September. (The "bad" one being the left eye that has wet Macular Degeneration.) A bit of the change from the solid color purple spot with a green halo that I had been seeing, to this one, in different colors and sections.
The spot reminded me of the corner of a house, with an overhang, possibly from a porch. The blue area would be sky, the purple area looks like the corner of a frame house, and the pink looks like the ceiling of a porch, reflecting the pink of a sunset. Just my thoughts. Probably you see something else. Maybe a peace sign, or something else.
The green halo was still around the spot. The light faded into brown, then black and darkness.
There is a discussion on the MD Support list on the ways that people see color. Especially when the eyes have been affected by injury or the many things that can go wrong with vision. I just recently found that list. The website is http://www.mdsupport.org/ .
Previously, I've had discussions with other artists about things like color theory and why we see things the way that we do. In my teaching career, I had a couple of students who did the most outstanding work with color. After teaching those students for a few years, I learned that they were actually color blind. One explained that he worked with shades of gray. He had no idea of the beautiful colors he was producing.
Another student did such strong, poweful work that amazed everyone. Eventually, she was found to have a medical condition and was given medicine for that. Her work changed to sweet, soft little things, the normal things that girls do, Tweety Bird, hearts, flowers, pale colors. It was such an unsettling change.
I always thought that having trouble distinguishing some colors, like black and dark blue, were just a part of aging. That went along with having arms that are too short to read! A need for glasses. But, apparently it is a bit more than that, sometimes, especially, when it expands to more colors and shapes. I guess it is a part of having AMD or related vision problems.
Fluorescent lights gave me a lot of problems at school, but I could compensate by using natural light from the windows. At home, I use incandescant lights, but have to use more on my work. I need that natural light, too. There are lamps that put out light that are similar to daylight now.
I've read that, if you want to see what part of your vision is affected by Macular Degeneration, to grip your hand into a fist. Turn the back side toward you. Extend your fist about 10 inches away from the center of your eye. Then try to read something without moving your fist. Or that could include trying to look at someone, look at a picture, watch tv, read, cook, or any of the many things we do daily. The center vision, that area where you try to focus, is lost with AMD.
More on Macular Degeneration to come as I experience these things, and learn. At least, I am getting some interesting art work out of this. Work that I would not have done had my eyes stayed healthy and in the 20/20 state that they had always been in.
Thanks for reading and passing this on to anyone who might be interested. I have some links on Eye Sites on my sidebar that might be of interest to all who have concerns about vision. If you would like to see more of my art work and experiences with Macular Degeneration, look in the archives section on my sidebar. All of those posts are prefaced with the word "Vision".

Lavender Ladies

Lavender Ladies (Detail)
10" x 14"
watercolors
Each Friday, there is a challenge issued on the "Creativity Journey" blog. (I have a link to it in the sidebar.) Last week, the assignment was to begin with a grid. Not an ordinary grid of little squares, but to look around for things that form shapes.
I thought and thought and looked and looked. Finally, I looked at the Crepe Myrtle outside my window. And there it was. A grid. In the center, the branches formed a diamond shape. Some of the outer branches curved and twisted. I used watercolor pencils on 140 # Arches watercolor paper to draw the lines of the Crepe Myrtle for my grid.
Then there was the problem of what to use the grid for. I looked and thought some more. I took my paper, watercolor pencils, brushes, travel watercolors and set up in front of the tv set in the den. I can see that one better, if I pull my chair up in front of it. I settled down for the rest of the day, I thought. There were supposed to be Tim Holt movies on and I didn't want to miss those. I thought that, maybe I could at least try some gesture drawings while the cowboys were on.
I sketched one as a gesture drawing, and the trees bending over a dry creek bed, as the cowboys rode under them, seemed like this might be a grid that I could use. The scene went by quickly and my horse, as usual, looked like a dog. Good thing that I was looking at this more as a way to show movement and placement, and not a realistic drawing of a cowboy on a horse. My trees looked good, though!
I put that one aside as I thought that the figures I actually used, should utilize the lines of the grid more. My cowboy and trees could be finished later. I would need to look at a horse longer than the quick shot of them herding cattle through the trees in the movie.
The family left, and "Ladies In Lavender" came on tv. I had been wanting to see that movie since it came out and, finally, here was my chance. I still had my watercolors set up in front of the tv, and I settled down to enjoy the show.
"I'm going to watch this movie," I told myself. "The drawing will just have to wait. But, if I do see something that I want to put in a picture, I'm ready."
I enjoyed the beach scenes, the cozy houses, the vintage clothing and settings, and, of course, Judi Dench is always good. I stuck to watching, as I had promised myself. That is , until, the young man was on the rocks by the water, playing his violin in the moonlight. I could envision the line of his arms, through his shoulders, holding up the violin, in the top part of the lines that formed the diamond shape. The tilt of his head would fit into the shape above that. The drape of his jacket and the placement of his feet would all fit into the grid. All of this would have to be in blue, with the circle of the full moon above him.
The two women would have to be dressed in purple to fit the name of the movie, and they did fit into the grid. I thought about doing the whole picture in purple, but decided that the boy just had to be painted in blue. So, maybe, I would confine the purple to the ladies.
The young Russian artist struck me with her painting, and then in the scene where she was dressed in the loose robe with all it's flowing patterns. She seemed to fit into the curve on the right, formed by twisting Crepe Myrtle limbs.
The left side needed something. The heavy-set maid in the movie was an interesting character, so I added her to the composition. The exchange between the maid and the young man was so funny, and real. She had him helping her peel "spuds" into a bucket. He was not very nice in his comments to the older woman, but she didn't even know it. He was speaking to her in Polish.
I think that this painting came out with an abstract, dreamlike quality, with a bit of cubism thrown in. It is quite colorful.
I finished "Lavender Ladies" with Winsor Newton watercolors and watercolor pencils. By the time it was dry, and scanned, it was too late to send it in for the weekly challenge.
The picture is too large for my scanner, so today I showed you two details of the painting. By looking at both of them, you can probably see most of the painting.

This week's challenge is going to be a bit more difficult. Myrna used some special pens on a special kind of paper, and a photo program to "posterize" and break up a photo into shapes. I think that I may use some block printing paper and improvise for the pens. Maybe a bamboo pen. I'm not sure that I have anything on my computer that will posterize paintings, so I'm going to just break it up into shapes myself. I can do that-I think. Now to find a photo that I want to do.

Take a look at yesterday's post, below this one. I wrote a salute to veterans. I asked, below the first picture, if the statues, especially the one in the front, look like they are wearing shorts.
Let me know what you think.
Do you know the significance of the statues? I'm not sure about them, at all. It seems like my uncle told my mother where they were, but I just don't remember, now. Since this is being viewed world wide, maybe someone knows about them. Let me know if you have information about the statues in Rome behind my uncle.

I want to recognize and honor the veterans, and those who will be veterans on this Veterans Day. Many events were yesterday, but there are still observations today. I have heard from several people who told me a bit about the veterans in their families. There are so many stories out there. I hope that everyone is writing those down, and sharing them with others.
Thank you veterans, and troops!

Let me know if you see something of interest to you or that particularly appeals to you. Thanks for sharing and for your comments. I do appreciate your support.
I hope that you are enjoying my blog.
Don't forget to check out the links in my sidebar.

If you are interested in adding Blog Rush to your blog, let me know and I'll send you an invitation. If you add the widget through me, I will get more credit and my link will appear on more blog widgets. That way, I should get more traffic to my site. It's really easy to do, and very interesting as it shows how much traffic is coming to the site, and which post is viewed most.

For those readers who are interested in my posts on Macular Degeneration, those posts can be found in the Archives. They are all prefaced with the word Vision.

Hope your Monday wasn't too Blue. Or, if it was, I hope it was a pretty color and not the way you felt!