Friday Letters

 

Today I'm taking my virtual fountain pen in hand to write a few Friday letters. I've done something that might have been dumb but need to correct it, found something small that makes me happy, and written some haiku. 

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So disappointing!

 

Dear Past Bonny,

Try to remember this saying when purchasing glasses, "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish". You had your eyes checked, got the prescription from the eye doc, and searched around for the best price online for your glasses. The last pair you got from the optometrist cost ~$800 (frameless with progressive Transition lenses) and since the old ones are breaking, you were anxious to find the same thing at a much better price. You finally settled on GlassesUSA, ordered what you hoped would be the perfect pair for $275, and waited for them to be delivered. What a disappointment you had on Saturday when they arrived, you tried them on, and found that everything was blurry. There was no way that they were even remotely acceptable, so you called to start the return and refund process. That will be a saga that goes on for a couple of weeks, but how best to proceed? Renew your Costco membership and look for glasses there? Try Walmart optical and see if they can produce a pair of glasses that work for a reasonable price? Or just suck it up and go back to the optician, get a pair that will be incredibly expensive, but will most likely be done right? Glasses are a tool that I use to see all day, everyday, and I can just hear my grandfather saying, "always buy the best tools you can afford". I think I have to heed his advice. 

Sincerely,

Present and Future Bonny

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Birds by Jane Werner Watson, pictures by Eloise Wilkin, published in 1958

To Whomever Might Need It,

I love sites where people ask about treasured childhood books they vaguely remember and other people give them possible titles or leads about what their childhood memory might be. Oftentimes, the people asking the questions have very few details other than maybe a rough guide to the plot and I always laugh when they say, "It had a red (or green or blue) cover". But what I really love is when commenters successfully identify the book. It doesn't always happen, but it gives me a little jolt of joy when it does. If this is something you might enjoy, check out @myoldbooks on Instagram. I've found several book that I enjoyed as a child!

From,  

A Lover of Childhood Books 

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Dear Phyllis (my SiL), 

Last Friday I sent you a limerick about your cataract surgery that I mistakenly thought was scheduled for that day. When you told me that your first surgery was really today, I felt compelled to write some haiku for the occasion. I kind of like them, and I hope you can see well enough to possibly enjoy them also. 

Soft clouds in her eyes,

Phyllis greets the morning blur.

Soon, sharp light returns.

Kind hands, steady light,
A veil lifts from Phyllis’ gaze.
World in crisp detail.

Brave Phyllis rests calm,
New clarity on its way.
Colors sing again.

Hoping you can see clearly now,

Bonny 

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I hope your weekend includes some good books and clear vision.