And The The Waters Receded

      "...the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, [...] the tops of the mountains were seen."

     Only nowhere nearly as dramatic.  There was standing water in the basement yesterday morning and I wasn't in a position to do anything about it.  I had a prior commitment.

     So, having no other choice, I went and got my eyes checked.  My usual eye exam in in the early Spring, and they had largely shut down early in the pandemic, at least for anything that wasn't urgent. Even after they re-opened, I wasn't too sanguine about going in -- there's a lot of high-touch equipment and a lot of sitting for long periods of time in small rooms.  I figured they could work out new procedures and policies with patients who don't qualify for a senior discount and who hadn't spent twenty years as a smoker.

     Then my vision started to get noticeably worse.  I blamed it on dirty eyeglass lenses, gunk in my eye, allergies....  It didn't get better.  My eyes have never stopped getting worse.  The progression slowed down for a time in my 30s and 40s when I wore contacts a lot, but almost every visit since my nearsightedness was discovered in third grade* has resulted in a new and stronger correction.  So it was time.

     It was reassuring to find they have good screening measures in place, and while they have always been careful about wiping equipment down between patients, they have become even more so.  They're leaving exam room doors open and there appeared to be more airflow than I remembered.

     Turns out it was time for a slight adjustment in my prescription (astigmatism is also getting worse) but the main reason I'm having trouble is cataracts in one eye.  So that's on a watch now and I'll be back for another exam in six months, pandemic permitting.

     The eye doctor took twice as long as I had allowed, or a little longer.  When I returned home, the puddle on the basement floor was smaller.  Not a lot, but enough to give me hope.

     I went into work, actually got a few things done, and was home again by 7:30.  Once I had dinner started, I checked the basement: only a few damp spots remained!

     The dehumidifier will struggle to get rid of the last little bit of water, but the drain worked: the backflow valve had done its job and once the stormwater level in the sewer main was low enough, it opened back up.
_____________________________
* I managed to fake it for two and a half years of not being able to tell what was on the blackboard, but they finally found me out.  At which point, it dawned on my Mom why I always sat so close to the TV at home.  Nearsightness doesn't run in either side of the family.