Happy New Year to my Frien's here on Woodcarving Illustrated.
I will be taking a hiatus and will not be back on the list until March. I have been having an eye problem for the past couple of years and it has limited my participation.
My eyesight got much worse making it almost impossible to focus on the computer screen. Long story short ~ yesterday I met with the eye surgeon and was told that I have a hole in the Maculus. It is not related to my on-going problem. But hole is at the point where fine focus is located. He says that surgery is the answer. He will cut away the scar tissue around the hole, close it and then introduce an air bubble that will apply pressure on the area and assist in healing. He says there is a 75% chance of regaining 80% of sight in that area. I have bet on far worse odds playing Bourré. A crazy Cajun card game with strict rules and a very good chance of a player having to match the pot in the next round. Nickel ante can lead to big dollars real fast!
Anyway, a major post-surgery downside is that for two days after ~ I will have to sit bent forward with my head parallel to the floor. For 45 minutes of every hour! My response was, "Holy C..p!"
He answered, "I know you are a woodcarver. The good news is that as long as you stay in that position ~ you can carve all you want."
A few weeks ago I started a tutorial for my cousin ~ a beginning woodcarver who want to carve Comfort Birds. It is about half complete and I will concentrate on this while I am in an upright fetal position. I am taking photos as I carve with an explanation of what I am doing. It will be in MS Word and anyone who would like a copy can have it.
The surgery is scheduled for February 4th and the results will not be known for a month. If this first attempt is unsuccessful ~ he will do a second surgery and introduce an oil bubble instead of the air bubble. The downside of this is that another surgery will be necessary in a month to remove the oil.
So, hopefully, I will be back among WCI carvers in March, an if not sometime next summer.
I will be taking a hiatus and will not be back on the list until March. I have been having an eye problem for the past couple of years and it has limited my participation.
My eyesight got much worse making it almost impossible to focus on the computer screen. Long story short ~ yesterday I met with the eye surgeon and was told that I have a hole in the Maculus. It is not related to my on-going problem. But hole is at the point where fine focus is located. He says that surgery is the answer. He will cut away the scar tissue around the hole, close it and then introduce an air bubble that will apply pressure on the area and assist in healing. He says there is a 75% chance of regaining 80% of sight in that area. I have bet on far worse odds playing Bourré. A crazy Cajun card game with strict rules and a very good chance of a player having to match the pot in the next round. Nickel ante can lead to big dollars real fast!
Anyway, a major post-surgery downside is that for two days after ~ I will have to sit bent forward with my head parallel to the floor. For 45 minutes of every hour! My response was, "Holy C..p!"
He answered, "I know you are a woodcarver. The good news is that as long as you stay in that position ~ you can carve all you want."
A few weeks ago I started a tutorial for my cousin ~ a beginning woodcarver who want to carve Comfort Birds. It is about half complete and I will concentrate on this while I am in an upright fetal position. I am taking photos as I carve with an explanation of what I am doing. It will be in MS Word and anyone who would like a copy can have it.
The surgery is scheduled for February 4th and the results will not be known for a month. If this first attempt is unsuccessful ~ he will do a second surgery and introduce an oil bubble instead of the air bubble. The downside of this is that another surgery will be necessary in a month to remove the oil.
So, hopefully, I will be back among WCI carvers in March, an if not sometime next summer.
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