Monday Morning, Merced Target

 Optometry

Its Monday and I got a call back to the vision doctor to run the peripheral test and a close up exam with the computer mapping tool that examines the various layers of the inside of your eye. This is a new piece of equipment that my OD has. He also had a go at me with the dilation exam. Overall it looked pretty good. I have some low level macro degeneration as often occurs with 61 year old eyes but nothing he saw that requires a phrama solution. Its important to find a good OD that will take the time and be complete in his exam.

A couple of Hours in Target / Shopping Trip from the Retirement Home

As I left the office I didn't get the reversal drops. As a result, I ended up squinting and driving just a few blocks for a respite at the nearby Target store. This is one of my daughters favorites. She loves it for the mini pizza hut that most of these stores contain. Our Merced Target is no exception. A tall diet pepsi was the order of the day as my eyes had to have a chance to settle down. As I got my drink, three ladies from the nearby adult care facility arrived. All three were white haired/grey and two were in walkers and the third was in a power chair. They each arrived with a bag full of merchandise that they had bought and were examining. One had a bag full of almond joy bars tightly clutched to her hands. The other had a little bigger bag. She was happy to share the catalog of her bounty. She brought out of the bag a couple of sock lumps gathered in groups of three. They were white. Her friend wanted to know whether they were cotton. She gathered them up and closely examined the piles.She said of course, I would buy black ones if it was going to be winter. She was aghast that they cost 9 dollars. That seemed pretty high. She seem resigned when she added, everything is high now days. 

She said that I also bought a new t shirt. She dragged out a turquoise shell. The other lady looked it over and gave it a feel. She said, thats a bit thick for you isn't it? The owner said, well maybe, but I just love the color.

The lady from the place arrived with her purchases. She sported a name badge and four plastic bags full of jello and pudding cups. She also had a couple of fruit cups. The ladies were interested in what she bought. She also bought an exotic jug of drink. The rest of the ladies had no experience with this juice and neither did the purchaser. She told them that she would try it at home. The ladies were getting a little impatient. The lady from the place said that everyone had one hour to shop. They were waiting for a couple of more to get through the line. No one joined this group. She also told them that they were going to Sizzler for lunch after. One lady said that she had no intentions of going to sizzler. The lady from the place said that they would drop her back to the care facility before they continued on. Another wanted to know the price of the lunch. The lady said, I think that it is 7.95. The one that was being dropped off said that when she went to another salad bar it was only five dollars. Her friend reminded her that it was just green lettuce at that one.

The lady from the place called up the driver and it was agreed that they would be picked up withing 10 minutes. Five minutes later, she told the group that she was walking out to the bus and that they were to meet her in five minutes by the door. She told the lady in the power chair to give the walker ladies a head start. The bus arrived and and they all got on.

It was really nice that this retirement home was going the extra mile to allow these ladies to shop. Many such places use their buses only for doctor visits. The ladies in this group have shopped all of their lives. To suddenly not do this is too much for many. They each had an incredible time even if they were sort of critical of each other at times and their patience was running thin. There was no response that was directed to themselves or their health condition. Language was pretty germane to event that they were participating in. I think that as long as they can do this it is important for them to get out and live their lives as much as they can away from the institutional setting. They will have plenty to talk about when they get home.

Love All : ) Pat