Q: How are your eyes?

A: Thanks for your concern, everyone. It has now been 2 weeks since the surgery on my second eye, and after almost 60 years, I no longer have to wear glasses my every waking hour. My long- and medium-distance sight is great. I do need reading glasses for small print but the doctor says that even these may not be necessary when my eyes have had more time to adjust. These new clear, premium lens implants developed in the last couple of years usually eliminate the need for any kind of glasses, including bifocals. 

My only problem now is some eyestrain by the end of the day, caused by formerly inactive eye muscles learning new moves – plus a feeling of “nakedness” going around with no glasses.   But by the time I go back to the doctor in three months for a quickie laser procedure to zap scar tissue, I’m sure I will no longer reach for my glasses the minute I wake up. 

Q: Since you had a weekend at the Palazzo, can you tell me if they remembered to put drawers in the room?  I stayed at the Venetian last year in one of the remodeled rooms and it had NO drawers.  Had to keep my underwear, etc. on the shelf in the closet. 

A: Palazzo rooms do have drawers for your drawers! 

Q: You haven’t mentioned your Army son-in-law since back when you were writing Frugal Fridays. Is he safely back home from Iraq?  

A: No, Steve is still in Iraq, but I have been too nervous to write about him. His unit is scheduled to come home the middle of May but in the meantime he and his men are out somewhere in the middle of the Iraqi desert on a very dangerous assignment. I am guessing, by what I hear on the news, that they are tangling with the Al-Qaeda guys who have been pushed out of Bagdad. He calls Angela whenever he can but he can’t tell her very many details. He has mentioned they have “taken fire,” so that means they are in a place of active fighting. The talk in Washington is now about slowing down the troop withdrawal so I’m afraid that means his unit might not be coming home as soon as planned. The government already increased their assignment from 12 to 15 months; I suppose they can increase it more.

The one thing that is keeping up his spirits and those of Angela and the kids (and mine) is that his September retirement has been okayed. We were afraid the Army might slap on a retirement freeze before that happened and he would have to return to Iraq. His unit is already scheduled to return as soon as their year stateside is over. We don’t think his retirement papers can be rescinded – but after 20 years in the Army, Steve never is absolutely sure of anything until it actually happens. 

My thanks to everyone for their expressions of concern and prayers for his safe return.

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