Beware of the UV Light!

So I admit it.  The last few posts were all la-di-da...life is wonderful on the farm...la-di-da!.  Well, not today!

The hubster is suffering from Corneal Flash Burns today.  What is that exactly?  Well it is basically a sunburn on your eyes, and it hurts. A lot.  

The 2nd question most people ask is, how did this happen?  Well, we recently replaced the UV lights on the pond filter.  Unfortunately, the lights either have to be turned off or you need to wear special eye protection while working with them.  Kind of like wearing a welding mask or those goofy sunglasses at a tanning salon.  After about 15 minutes of unprotected prolonged exposure, Kevin burned his corneas.  Here are the symptoms directly from WebMD:

Any time from 3-12 hours after overexposure to ultraviolet light, you may begin to notice symptoms:

• Pain that can be mild to very severe
• Bloodshot eyes

• Light sensitivity

• Excessive tearing

• Blurry vision

• Sensation of a foreign body in the eye

Kevin woke up in the middle of night complaining about sand in his both his eyes and that was the tell-tale sign that it was a sunburn.  He could not open his eyes long enough to see, so he could not go to work.  I left him with strict instructions to not read, watch TV, or play on the computer.  This didn't leave him much to do, poor guy!  Say your prayers for a quick recovery!

When I called my office to let them know that I needed some time-off to drive my husband to the doctor's, they compared us to Tim The-Tool-Man Taylor from Home Improvement.  Which is kind of true.  I very frequently raid my company's first aid kit every Monday morning to cure my scrapes, cuts, splinters, burns, etc.  We will probably have to get that restocked soon.  He he he, don't tell them!

Here are some pics of Kevin's burned eyeballs.  You see that fuzz on the outside?  It looks like speckled dots.  That's the burn and it makes it hard for him to see.

Lesson of the story?  Your eyes can burn, so please protect them and wear sunglasses outside.

Pond Loving

Isn't it beautiful?  Something I have noticed at Blue Antler is that there are always  flowers in bloom.  A few weeks ago the climbing roses were a burst of creamy pink opening themselves to the sun.  There were so many of them reaching for the sky it took your breath away.  Last week it was the Juniper.  This week it is the Hydrangea.  And next week the pink water plants in the pond are going to have a full on display.

Well enough with the sappy flower talk, let's talk about some fish! 

Along with these beautiful flowers, Kevin and I inherited 5 koi fish in our pond.  Which breeds?  I have no idea. Some of them have long feathery tails and fins, and some do not.  Some have whiskers, and some do not.  Some are almost all white and some look like a splash of gold, white, and black.  Some maybe goldfish and not Koi, but it doesn't matter to me what they are.  All that matters is that we take care of them and I enjoy them.  And I really do!  I had no idea how much serenity having a pond with fish can provide, but I spend at least 5 minutes a day watching them swim around eating their food going after bugs.  They are starting to know me and are coming to the surface to check me out.

Did you catch that?  I can see them now.  If you read an earlier post, you would know the water was so murky we didn't even know anything was alive in there.  But look!

 

Another sign that this pond is coming back to life are the dragonflies.  There is just something magical about dragonflies.  And I don't say this lightly because I hate about 98% of bugs.  I know what you are thinking, oh Lilian, what about ladybugs?  Yeah, I hate them too.  But dragonflies are allowed room in my heart.  The way they dart here and there with their brilliant colors and curious behavior, landing and floating above the water. It is just fascinating to watch. 

 

Can you see him there on top of the red maple?

 Did you know that dragonflies are fierce carnivorous eaters, and some can eat yellow jackets?  That's awesome, cause along with having fish, the pond also attracts  mosquitos and yellow jackets.  Dragonflies will pretty much eat any bug that is smaller than them, which rates them high on my list.  Eat away dragonflies!

Ta ta for now!

~Lilian