Almost Gone.....

    The cataract surgery went well, and now I have excellent vision in both eyes.  What a difference it makes!  I am thrilled I decided to get lenses that improve my distance and close-up sight.  It cost me but was well worth it.  Steve and I played golf together several days ago, and now I see where my ball lands.  We will try to play several more times before we leave.  It is hard to believe that the trees are already signaling autumn, and we are on the downhill slope of Summer.  We are about to head out to Hawaii again soon.  It's going to be great to get there, but as always, it's pretty sad when summer ends in Birch Bay.  We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with family and friends.  It was a little disappointing because we were expecting to be able to visit Bethany and her sweet little family.  However, just before they were ready to head out, they all got some terrible virus and had to cancel.  Although we were disappointed, Ken and Trudie still came, and we had a great weekend together.  It was great fun, primarily because we celebrated Ken's birthday, and I think he appreciated that.  Our friends from Canada visited last night and joined us for cake and mango cream.  Of course, I abstained.  I was okay because I had already eaten a small piece of the cake the night before.  So yes, I did cheat, but I did not jump off a cliff, and I have not gone too far.  I am still losing weight in tiny bits and am happy about that.  I have not done any gaining, and I will keep losing until I get to my goal weight.  It is interesting because I began this blog almost a year ago, on September 27th.  Keeping up with it and blogging about my successes and failures helps me.  Something about journaling promotes thinking through issues I have encountered that is enlightening.  I'm also staying interested in life.  As I mentioned last week, I've begun creating a complete course exploring slavery in the United States of America.  This is taking much thought and much effort as well as research.  I am creating daily lessons that go with the textbook I am writing.  The research helps with my understanding of how different the slave system in the United States was from the rest of the world and how racism emerged to justify the institution.  It has given me a comprehensive understanding of critical race theory and how it permeates American institutions particularly legal and economic institutions.  The research I am doing right now is timely because there is a real need to get some factual lessons out there for those interested in looking at the truth.  Truth right now is lacking, so this is my small contribution to the universe.  Honesty about the devastating impact of slavery and racism is essential if our nation is ever going to heal.  Last week, I mentioned in my blog that we are starting to gather our fall cuisine.  I added several zucchini dishes to our menu and will now begin using the available green tomatoes.  I'll be sharing some of those recipes again.  Also, Stevie is still doing well, thank God.  We hope to get together with him, Stef, and her family in November.  We might all meet in Las Vegas because it is a central location.  Everyone can get there without it eating up a lot of time or money.  It will be interesting to see how everything works out because it will be our first time trying it.  We are planning to see Cirque du Soleil Beatles show.  However, that is a long way away.  In the meantime, we still have crab to catch and people to feed.  What fun!