The Year of the Mermaid

Revelations

Some things gain clarity with a change of  perception or perspective.

Earlier this week I walked through the door of a building  to pay a learned man to cut off part of my nose. A really tiny part, but it did require  some needle work, some blades and a  most unattractive bandage perched on the very tip.  I am not black and blue, no stitches required, 

I don't hurt unless I forget myself and bump my nose while donning glasses. The "site" has to be kept moist with vaseline, and covered to protect from sunlight.   This is an inconvenience, not a tragedy.

When I showed up back home with the Bozo bandage, Blowfish was taken aback,

"Fishy, what is that"?

" A bandage"

" What's under than bandage"?

" My nose". 

But I did go on to explain the happenings of the day.

" You had nose surgery without telling me"?

I explained to Blowfish I had been to the "primary" doc last week and asked about a change in a "freckle" and  the surrounding tissues. The primary took a look and declared there was "nothing" to be concerned about.  He rather sternly reminded me he had so adjudicated on my previous visit.  I declared how I understood these sorts of changes ought to be investigated , and that additional changes had occurred since our last exam. So the primary said he'd get his "girl" to schedule a visit to a specialist if,

"I wanted to waste my money and the insurance companies. " 

So I went feeling a bit foolish  and wasteful.

I departed feeling less foolish, less wasteful but feeling strange about the Bozo bandage.

I had to stop at the drug store to buy the things for "wound care" as advised. 

This was my first experience with going public with the bandage front and center. The girl stocking the aisles stopped immediately to help me locate the necessary products. Cheerful and helpful and not staring too much.

After the pharmacy, I stopped at the Shell station to top off the tank. While  engaged in this activity a man drove up adjacent to my position, got out, gave me a nod, stopped and stared a bit then got back in his car and drove away.

Okay.

 This was the beginning of the reactions, split pretty evenly between the gracious and the not so gracious. I find it funny, not hurtful or  awkward.  Some have said, " Oh, I hardly noticed", which is quite impossible. Others have said, " I wouldn't leave my house if I looked like that"

Back to Blowfish, who asked,

 " What does it look like under that bandage"?

" I have no idea".

"When will you know"

" When I replace the bandage in the morning".

" Say Fishy, you might want to make it, well, a smaller bandage".

Right.

So the next morning I had a private unveiling. Some swelling and redness, maybe even purpleness and right in the middle  it looks like someone stubbed out a cigarette on the tip of my nose. NOT a pretty site. No chance whatsoever that I would be going forth without covering up that unsettling vision.  That was BEFORE I discovered the challenges of getting a smaller bandage to  stay put on vaselined flesh of an odd shape. Quite the frustrating experience until I figured  out, with a bit of modifying,  I could use  bandaids made for staying put on fingers. 

This is not attractive but it is a bit less Bozo. Also, the bandaids are "flesh" toned  and more or less follow the contours of  my nose which has led to a new set of responses. That is because at first folks don't notice and when they do it is comical to watch them struggle with their response. To speak? To not speak? To converse with my face or my shoes?  

One of my clients stopped in Tuesday and laughed out loud. She offered to fetch a sharpie  and write "nose surgery" on the bandage so people wouldn't think I was on the losing side of an unfriendly altercation. I passed on her offer.

 Another client came in with her  just getting into the  self absorption stage of early teen years who looked at the attraction in the middle of my face and said, " OMG! OMG! I would die before I would go out in public  like that!". After which she escaped to wait in the car before her mother recovered from the shock of her daughters behavior. I laughed and told the Mom, there was not enough  lucre on the planet  to bribe me into being that age again.

Thing is, I am traveling this weekend for Father's Day.

 I will still be bandaged . 

So I will get the full experience of  " the public" and "the family"  responses.

Wonder how many of those folks will think I should have just stayed home?

 

TREE TRUNK TEXTURES

Updates

Young Zachary from the county came to look at the flood damage on our property following the monsoon. We hiked up the back where I showed him how the run off from the "t"-streets and other properties made the way to our patch. I showed him the problems with the pipes and the swales. Then I took him along to see where the waterfalls had sprouted at the retaining wall . After that we went to viewing the mess left behind where the new river rushed by then onto where the new lakes were formed in the front yard and the jeopardy of our majestic magnolia.

Once the tour was completed Young Zachary was sweat shiny and puffing every breath.
Then he said, Mz. Fishy, this is a right nice size patch so for there to be all these water marks a week later, and these debris fields, well I am getting the notion a lot of water came calling".

Indeed.

After our chat he put on his orange reflective vest and the flashing yellow lights on the truck and drove around to the back. Guess he wasn't interested in another tour....or hike. He drove up and down back there for a spell then came on down the back drive to report.

"Mz. Fishy, they's several problems on properties up on those T-streets so while some sorry engineering and blocked drainage systems is part of the problem of sending the runoff to your patch, the other issue is they's some folks up yonder who looks like they did some home projects without permits causing some more problems for you"

"How do you know they didn't have permits"?, I asked.

"Well, cause they got a detached 2 car up there with no guttering and an extry wide driveway with no culvert and no diverter. We don't allow that span of asphalt without a permit and we don't give permits without run off planning so that's how I know."

I knew exactly the property he was speaking of .... y'all do too. Yep, that's the one, the family having that really terrible year. The contractor is scheduled to start next week on the process of improving that sad and dismal house.

" Zachary", I asked " What exactly happens about that"?

He allowed as how he would have to get the engineer out and they would have to put in a requisition for the corrective work to be done, etc., etc. Once the engineer has approved and requisitioned the work, then it was just waiting on our order of go.

"Zachary, what happens with those folks up the hill with the no permit 2 car and asphalt"?

" Well now, once the engineer gets a look at that right mess he will be putting in a report for notification. That lets those folks know they have so many days to correct the issue, after which the county will start fining them. Heck, they might fine them anyway cause if they didn't get permits they haven't been taxed on their property changes either".

I hung my head and said a prayer for guidance.
I certainly want that darling woman to have some peace and joy in her home. I do NOT want her improvements cancelled because of the engineers notifications. I certainly do NOT want to watch everything I have labored on and loved at the Pond to perish from the floods.

I heaved in a big breath and asked, "Zachary, bout how long does it take for all that notifying and such to happen"?
He stepped around a bit, took his ball cap off, put it back on again then looked up and said,
" Mz. Fishy. I am sure the engineer will get the ball rolling on this problem with the requisitions and all but it might be a couple a months before they do all the researching they have to do before notifying those folks up yander way. I don't mean to diappoint you, but it could be the end of the summer for they get to that part. I 'spect we can get to the county owned parts a lot quicker.

I gave Young Zachary a pat on the arm and told him well if the County got their part rolling along then certainly waiting on t'other wouldn't be an issue. For me.