When one reaches nearly 78, time stretches as I do long hours working away on my various projects. Change is much more difficult I find at this age and the sudden phone call two days ago informing me of appointments for my eventual cataract surgery quite took me by surprise. I questioned the one appointment as it seemed to be something one would do just prior to surgery but I am not a physician so I called the office and waited for a reply. The secretary said she would look into the query and I received a call back - having worked in the hospital for years this is not a particularly unusual call or response as I, many times, did the same. The call back was the next day and I queried if the two eye tests could be done the same day - I need to take a taxi and then get my daughter to pick me up as I do not drive on the highway and it would make my life easier. I also wondered about the date of the surgery - we had discussed December which suits me very well. Unless there is some reason to rush I prefer December. Did not hear back yesterday so will call today about the appointments as I would really like them together and I am really busy on my book writing. If it cannot be done then it cannot but it does seem rather early to do them - six months ahead. Perhaps I am not understanding; I am 77. So the obvious thing is to phone back the original caller and I have rebooked the appointments on the same day. Great news! Now I have an answer to my query from myself - I am sure in the present situation that there are loads of people wanting the appointments anyway, probably a waiting list; I am not in a rush. I was just there a month ago - visiting once is interesting and a lovely walk back into history but I do not need or want to do that more than once every ten years! Hospitals are an absolutely necessary part of life but I prefer to be outside of them not in although I did work in them for twelve years which was quite interesting actually but very much in the past.
My eyes are interesting at the moment; I have always been farsighted but that is gradually changing and I am becoming less farsighted (that does concern me and is why I only drive on the streets right around me that I know very well and only to the grocery store when I am unaccompanied). Because the trick I use to overcome my lack of depth of vision caused by my one eye being weak, depends upon that far sight I am very cautious. I also notice that I can actually read the small print now with my distance (normal) glasses and that the reading glasses are quite strong. My older sister mentioned that and she didn't have her surgery until she could barely see she said. I can still see quite well just not in the far distance like I used to but it does appear that having it done sooner rather than when you can barely see is a good idea since the cataract is smaller I gather which is why I decided to move forward on that this year instead of next year. I can see the birds very well up close but not half way down the yard (and we have a very long yard nearly 200 feet (61 metres) they are not as distinguishable as they were a few years ago.
Actually heard back from CRA on the letter which I sent to the Ministry of Finance. I still think it is a great idea for CRA to do the Income Tax for people - most of the paperwork comes to them already and we could just upload our other documents to them - charity receipts etc on our account (they get all of these receipts already from the various charities). So writing your member of parliament, copying to the Prime Minister and the relevant department does appear to work very well. I have always said that actually; I have never joined a public protest preferring writing instead. The government does need money to run and we can not manage without government but I do want it to be fiscally sound and I want the military properly supported. Taking the GST back up to 7% or even 10% would be a daring move by any government for sure but it should never have been reduced; it has been a problem ever since it was reduced. Although the Conservative government that did reduce it claimed that it was always meant to be reduced and that was a fabrication because I lived during the 1980s and there was never a suggestion that it would be reduced from 7% to 5% in the future. The plan was for it to fund the government period full stop.
Perhaps some work on the Siderfin book today. I have done a little more on William Siderfin married to Mary Terrell and living at Minehead. James Sanders has them as no issue but they did baptize two children at Minehead - Robartt and Mary (Mary died as an infant). William is named as a son of John Siderfin, younger son of Robert 4 (Robert 3, William 2, John 1) on James Sanders Pedigree Chart. His baptism can not be located. The widow Mary uses the Siderfin crest (but she is not the wife of William as I discovered searching) though which is found thus far only in the Thomas-Line. More work on that today. Does he need to be solved? It would give a more well rounded picture at this level although his line does appear to end. His son Robert does not appear in the records again after baptism as far as I can tell. Most of the individuals in the 1700s with the surname Siderfin can be placed readily as they pretty much descend from Robert Siderfin and Elizabeth (Question) Siderfin.
Looking forward to uncomplicated days and hopefully soon. The last item I needed to do was a furnace inspection and now two years before that gets done again. Perhaps the furnace will breath its last breath before then as I would prefer to buy a new one along with a new air conditioner in the next while. Enbridge did a great job of organizing that for us the last time that the furnace failed in 2016. It was fourteen years old though so it could be this one will last for a while yet - that was nearly seven years ago.
It is early today but I must do my phone calling when the office opens and I did get those appointments arranged (same day in the afternoon). I do still wonder why the rush since the surgery isn't until December. It would be better to do them in August as it turns out as June is very busy and I am sure there are people waiting desperately for these appointments (the waiting room was packed when I was there); I am not in that category. After all the doctor who referred me wasn't going to refer me until next year; I just got motivated because he said he would have referred me two and a half years ago but referred my husband as his need was greater. I am sorry sometimes that I did not continue going to an ophthalmologist opting for an optometrist just because it was easy but I had gone to ophthalmologists for nearly fifty years at the time and there were no changes to my lenses particularly after I got bifocals at 34 so it just seemed easier plus specialists are very busy with patients needing immediate care. Time will tell.
On to the day. I would like to see a more balanced Supreme Court - having people who subscribe to the liberal approach to life, centrists and those who prefer a more conservative approach to life is a good blend - people can always debate and compromise that is what Canadians are good at for sure (do not let politics define the court). It takes a strong party to know that in the long run Canada benefits from a blended court; besides too many wishy washy judgements or too severe and the party that appoints too many of one life philosophy to the court will be punished at the polls. Pick non political judges to appoint to the Supreme Court.
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