I can see!

There were four deaths resulting from this recent snowfall that blanketed the Townships, two caused by heart attacks while shoveling, and two by asphyxiation. One of them, a 33-year-old man who had been drinking, came out of the bar to his car, turned it on, fell asleep, and died from carbon-monoxide inhalation as the snow continued to come down. I found out today that he was my cleaning lady’s brother-in-law, and it fell to her to clean out his apartment and deal with his effects. She looked like hell this morning, tired and dragged out, dreading the funeral to come in the afternoon. I hated telling her that we would be away for the next two weeks and she needn’t come, as I know she needs the money badly. How tragic. A totally preventable death. So meaningless.

Yesterday, while I was teaching my two students, I realized that my presbyopia had reached the point where I couldn’t see the music in front of me on the piano. It was making me very tired and very irritated and I was determined that I would get some reading glasses. This morning I drove to the mall, thinking I could pick some up at the dollar store, but they didn’t have the right strength (+1.25), so I continued on to Costco where I spent an incredible amount of money, stocking up on supplies for the kids while we’re away. There I was able to buy three pairs of reading glasses for $21.99, rather invisible things with skinny rectangular lenses and no frames. I wore a pair when I taught my baritone and experienced severe adjustment problems. I would look up at him and not be able to see because of the glasses, so I’d pull them down, then look at the music and not be able to see it. Millions of people use reading glasses daily; I will eventually get the hang of them, I know it.

Tonight Little Princess cajoled (guilted?) me into helping her shorten the pants she bought last Friday. We ended up trimming off five and-a-quarter inches. I showed her how to measure and press, then turn in and press again, pin, and sew a blind hem. We ended up sitting together, she stitching one leg, I the other. These are skills I sort of take for granted, being able to alter garments. It sort of amazes me that my daughter is so inept at domestic chores. However, she can do quadratic equations, and I’m totally clueless. It all works out, I suppose.

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