Earthworm of Trill

That was a busy couple of days. Friday started off badly, as I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. This was bad because I had to be at the eye doctor at 9, for real this time. so I couldn't sleep in. I got all the tests, including the mapping of my optic nerve for which they had to dilate my pupils. The doctor cheerfully reported that my intraocular pressure is slightly elevated, so although it's not bad now by any means, he recommends some laser surgery that will stave off further deterioration for an undetermined but considerable period. My mother had glaucoma, and I don't want to have it too, so I'm going to do the surgery. This is the guy who did my cataract surgery, and he's quite good, so I trust him so far. I drove very carefully home, blinking in the light like an owl. I didn't have time to enjoy pointing out to the Sparrowhawk how kawaii and anime I looked with my big pupils. I needed to close them and take a nap. It didn't work well, though. The brain stress button was still on. When I got up, it took a long time for my eyes to get back to normal, further adding to my general discomfort.

We were out of bread, so I made a batch and got it out of the oven just in time before we went off to our book club. It was not just the book club dinner, but also the sixth birthday of our leader's youngest. We took along party hats and kazoos and things, which the kids enjoyed playing with. And then we had a long animated discussion, ending after dark. It was unseasonably warm and a few stars were winking through the broken clouds after the sunset faded.

Today was the day we'd invited eight grownups and five kids to dinner!! Oh, it's simple enough, I said to myself. Just throw some ham in the oven. Which I did, but then felt moved to make brussels sprouts with bacon and parmesan, green beans with mushrooms and dill, salad with berries and nuts, a relish tray with raw vegetables and pickles for the kids, and of course a big heap of mashed potatoes. The bread was also a hit. They ate all that I put on the table, and most of the butter. We were so lucky that we bought frozen pies from the girls next door for their fundraiser! We had one apple and one cherry, and it saved me making dessert! On this occasion, we didn't want to ask our guests to bring stuff, because they are young and very hardworking, and we wanted to give them a break from cooking. The redoubtable Sparrowhawk exerted much effort vacuuming the floors and touching up the bathrooms.

I think everyone had a good time, engaging in lively conversation and eating quite a lot. I brought out some Tintin books, the toy animals, and the LotR action figures for the kids, and they amused themselves wonderfully, with occasional bouts of running around and around the house. We are fortunate to have a house that goes around. It's an important benefit when there are kids around. Everyone went home around 8, the dishwasher will soon be on its second load, and we are tired.