Phil's Place: Detours While Traveling

Life’s Highways

Honeybee plumbs tiny lavender flowers

Like the old saying, “Man plans - God Laughs”, I had mapped out the next few months like a four lane highway, only to see a detour at next exit sign ahead.

Changes are one of the ways that we get exposed to new information. That information might not have been obtained without a detour onto another path. Usually one ends up back on the familiar road, but with some added value as a result of deviating from the norm. (The glass is half full, thank you)

New pie crust recipe

I was becoming wary of tasting stuff that was not flour or butter in the crust of my pies. As much as Trader Joe’s rolled pre made frozen pie crust is far above the rest of the pie crust one can buy, the taste of additives and non butter ingredients was diminishing the pleasure of my homemade organic apple pies.

To remedy this I got some organic pastry flour, organic butter from pastured cows and made my own pie dough. It wasn’t hard to do, only took a few minutes, and I love the taste of it’s flakey texture. I still like Trader Joe’s French vanilla ice cream above all others, but it’s homemade pie crust for me from now on.

Snow and cloud cover on Lassen Volcanic Park

The pie crust was a detour of my own choosing. Not a dramatic life change, but the improved taste and all digestible ingredients will certainly enhance my health and well being.

The unexpected detour that I am encountering will take me off the road of my routine, but should make it easier to see where I am going. It turns out that my yearly eye exam has revealed the problem with my right eye and the retina requires immediate surgical attention.

Gold iris

I report to the Retina Care Center in Medford on Monday for further examination and testing followed by probably arranging a time for laser surgery this week. Wow!

What a time to be alive. A few years ago, I would likely ended up without the use of one eye. It got me to recalling the friends I have known who are blind, or severely impaired in one eye. Most of them are musicians I have played with over the years beginning with John Bradley in junior high. I think it is called middle school now, but we formed a duo while in 7th grade.

Red with pastel background

We have all heard the warning about bb guns; They’ll put your eye out.

John was the only person I have known who really did get shot in the eye with a bb and it did ‘put his eye out’. He and I began performing at school events where we would sing together with him on guitar and me playing bongos. Eventually John showed me some chords on the guitar and we were on our way to putting together our first band.

A small version of George Bleich’s falls of Yosemite

Several subsequent bands of mine over the years included one or more players with a blind eye. In one of the bands the drummer’s left and bass player’s right eye were the ones they were using. It could be confusing trying to look both of them in the eye while talking.

Before I found out my eye can probably be fixed, I was making plans for how I would manage without the use of my right eye. A patch and a contact lens to improve my left eye. Glasses with one prescription lens. A monocle and a patch. I will know more soon.