Free at Last!

When I moved here from Michigan over twelve years ago, I made a point of not wearing my eyeglasses to the DMV to get my drivers' license because I suspected I'd end up having a restriction on my license. My vision was getting worse, and I figured that might be the last time in my life when I could drive legally without glasses.

I've been saying for most of this year that I can see better with my glasses off than with them on. I saw the eye doctor two weeks ago, and I got a new, weaker prescription. I picked up my new glasses last Friday, and I took the kids to the DMV to get my license renewed. My license expires on my birthday next month. I would have renewed it earlier, but I didn't want to go without new glasses in case I couldn't pass the test with the old glasses or without glasses. Then they'd pull my license on the spot, and I don't know how I'd get home.

We were lucky when we got to the DMV. The parking lot was almost empty (this almost never happens--usually there is a near hour-long line). I waited for three other people to get called to the window, and I got my turn.

I passed the eye exam without glasses!!!!

I only wear my glasses when I drive, anyway, so I am so thrilled to be able to leave them off. It should end the many headaches I often get while driving so I lift the glasses a little just to see without them and to get the throbbing to stop. I will continue to use them at night, though. They have an anti-glare coating that helps me not get so confused by all the lights, especially when someone hits me with his high beams.

I got my first pair of glasses years ago just before I started college so I could be sure to see the blackboard if I sat in a huge auditorium (in the days before dry erase markers and whatever computer stuff they use now). I never needed them when I had classes in high school-sized classrooms.

Anyway, it is wonderful to now be able to decide to wear them when I believe they will make things better. I'm not sure why my vision improved, but I am delighted. I never thought I'd be able to drive without them again, and yet here I am, able to drive without restrictions.

Busy again

I've been busy again with my rentals. Today my math class has begun, and I've spent a lot of time with the computer, trying to figure out how to make everything work. I haven't even started on the actual material. It looks like I'll have to go in person to take two math tests and the final exam. I'm not sure if I can pull that off while K is in preschool or how I will do it.

I haven't heard from the preschool yet, and I know the tuition is due by September 1. I left them a message this morning. No one answers the phone during the summer; they'll call me back.

We went fishing this weekend. Mr. K caught a nice channel catfish. The game warden came by and checked to be sure we had fishing licenses, which we did. We were fishing in a popular spot on the James River.

Quick Trip to the Mountains

Sunday we decided to skip church and doughnuts and go to Shenandoah National Park. That's where this picture was taken. I took it from the top of Loft Mountain. We ate lunch, ate ice cream, climbed Loft Mountain, got lost, found our way back to the car, and found a waterfall. It was a lot of fun, but my legs and feet are still sore.

Saturday

Mr. K has taken J out to the hardware store. N is playing with K, so I have a chance to use the computer in peace briefly.

I was out picking tomatoes this morning, and J came out to see me, wearing, without socks, black, vinyl boots she got from her cousin. As she was walking through some tall grass we are growing for our rabbits, she suddenly started screaming. A yellow jacket had gone down into her boot and was stinging her. We got the boot off, and I yelled for Mr. K. He carried her back into the house for me.

The picture is of her boot.

I'm planning to learn to can tomatoes today. Also, we'll try to do another round of peaches.

Yesterday, my computer was down most of the day. My computer has been running slower and slower so I tried to install Vista Service Pack 2 Thursday night, and it was hug up on "1 of 3, 4 %" all night. I had to hit the power button a bunch of times, and the percentage of install creeped upward. Finally it told me the install had failed, and that it was reverting to it's previous state. It hung up there, and I called a computer guy whose number I found in the yellow pages.

He told me there wasn't much he could do (short of reinstalling the operating system) until Vista got reverted, and that it sounded like I had a virus that kept it from being installed, and that had slowed down my computer beforehand. I pushed the power bar a couple times after my computer just sat doing nothing. Finally I tried to do it in Safe Mode. In ten or fifteen minutes, it had reverted and had reached safe mode. I called the guy back and arranged for him to come over late yesterday afternoon.

He did. H ran several types of virus checks, and was surprised not to find anything. Probably I don't have a virus. He put on some utilities and removed a bunch of junk that came with the computer that I don't use. He got it running much better again, but I'm still not willing to run that new service pack. It just came out, and I want to wait to see if it will need patches. He told me my "fix" is temporary, and what I really need to do is reinstall the operating system from the disk that came with my computer. Yikes! I'm worried I'll forget to backup stuff not in normal locations, and that I won't be able to get my Internet up and running. So for now I'm doing nothing (dumb I know). Maybe I'll try to get everything backed up really well (mail and bookmarks are of special concern to me), and then try to do it at the beginning of the week. Then if I screw things up, I can try to give him a call.

K's first dental appointment tomorrow

K has her first dental appointment tomorrow. J is trying to scare her. I had to promise her there'd be no shots involved. She's only getting her first biannual teeth cleaning. I hope it goes well. All the guys have the appointment together.

J and K pretended they were going to sleep out in our new screen tent in the yard tonight. In less then five minutes they came in, dragging their pillows behind them. Thank goodness! I was afraid I'd be obligated to sleep outside, too, when I thought I'd have a seven-year-old girl and a three-year-old girl out in the yard all night. I agreed they could, but I was gambling on the fact I was sure they'd get scared as it got dark.

J's been reading Nancy Drew lately. I read her parts of it. I think she's waiting for me to come in and read to her.