A birthday trip...

It was my birthday last week and I decided very spur of the moment to take a trip and surprise the one that birthed me. On Wednesday after the irrigation guys left I hopped in the car and took off for the 4 ½ hour drive to Mom’s. It was a great day to travel – huge storm clouds scudding across the sky and tumbleweeds bouncing over the landscape. The mighty Columbia River was a brilliant blue ribbon pushing its way through the rocky brown hills. Looking down from the bridge as I crossed from Oregon into Washington I could see the bright green river bank and a peach orchard that was blooming. I called Mom along the way and said I was going to town and would call her later. And I did – from her driveway! She was very surprised!! During my time there we had lots of fun including a trip to the lower Yakima River valley and the town of my birth in the heart of Washington State wine country.

I got back here to Tramp’s Camp last night just before dark. The work outside is progressing nicely. The guys are working on the pond and waterfall today.

This morning I was up early as I was expecting the guys around 8:30. I went to partially close the mini blind in the office window due to the sun. Then I sat down at the computer and found I could not see. The center of both my eyes was suddenly blocked and there was a ring of something that appeared to look a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope. I thought it was just from the sun when I shuttered the blind but it didn’t go away. So I thought maybe I should lie down – but I could still see the same image in both eyes even when they were closed. I was kind of worried so I call Tramp 1 and then the eye doctor. He headed home from work to take me to town as I felt I should not drive. I started walking to meet him since the landscape guys were late (I had hoped to have them take me to town….). By the time Tramp 1 picked me up on the road and we got to the Ophthalmologist, several hours had passed and I could see again. What we learned at the doctor’s office was that I most likely had an ocular migraine. I had never heard of them before but I have had quite a few vascular migraines in years past. Anyway, I was just so glad that I could see again!! And poor Tramp 1 had to bring me back home and then drive back to town again. He has been to work, back home, back to town, back home and now back to work again. He will have driven over 150 miles today when he gets back home again tonight….

And I am so glad to have my vision back. It was really quite frightening…