As promised
@Katrina71 I will post a picture with whites on. While attempting to get a picture, my excitement for the day was definitely killed. I set out today with big plans. I have a couple of gallons of fresh water mixed. Next to the bucket sat my trusty side kick "Agent Orange" ready to launch Operation Reef Hand ( <--- bad I know but I have a dry sense of humor and it amused me when I was planning my attack on my algae enemy)
I know that reference will be lost on some and it has side tracked my train of thought. I loved my grandfather. As soon as he was able he joined the Army during the end of WWII. That is enough for admiration in my eyes but it wasn't enough for my grandfather. When conflict began in Korea he once again answered the call.
I asked him when I was young why he never talked about the wars and he told me "I wasn't a war hero." It didn't matter what he said, he was still my hero and I knew as soon as I could join I was going to be a soldier. I didn't need fancy toys growing up. Give me a stick and if I was lucky the cardboard from wrapping paper (The best bazooka I ever owned) and I was in a far off jungle (the corn field behind the house) fighting an epic battle. When I turned 12 I joined Civil Air Patrol and this narrowed my focus. A year later I was 13 and now that I was a teenager I knew everything. I had a neat little plan for my life and in my eyes nothing was going to stop me. I was going to join the Air Force, be a pilot of my favorite plane the KC-135
I would retire from the Air Force and then fly commercial airliners long enough to collect a double pension. It was a great plan, unfortunately life usually doesn't stick to the plan of a know it all teenager. The summer before my senior year in high school a group of my friends worked for my father in the fields. One day when we finished working my dad had some work to do in the office so I hitched a ride home with my friends. We jammed out to the Offspring in his Mercury Monarch and when we got to my house he couldn't wait to show me his new toy. He used his last paycheck to buy a paintball gun. In a split second the trajectory of my life came to a screeching halt. He pulled the trigger and that bright orange ball of pain struck me in my right eye. I had a giant flash of bright light and then blackness. While in the emergency room I slowly began to see light and colors. We were sent to a bigger city to see a retinal specialist. He used a laser to tack down a couple of retinal tears and said it would be a waiting game. As my eye healed I began to notice some bizarre distortions in my vision. I would look at a telephone pole and the center of the pole would be gone. Faces would twist and look like a Picasso.
We returned to the retinal specialist. He explained that while healing and forming scar tissue the retina became taunt causing a tear in the macular region. The macula provides the fine sharp area in the center of your visual field. This tear was causing my retina to detach which would result in blindness. The doctor wanted to perform retinal vitrectomy, however this wasn't a surgery performed on children at the time so he presented my case to a board of retinal disease specialist and they agreed that it was worth an attempt. The idea behind the surgery was to suck the jelly out of my eye and fill it with a gas bubble that would hold the retina in place allowing it to reattach. Sounds easy enough right. Unfortunately the macula is on the back wall of the eye directly behind your pupil so for this bubble to stay in place I had to remain face down for 6 weeks. I lived in a farm house in the middle of nowhere without air conditioner. I used to joke that I had Amish cable and on a good day could get 3 stations. This was in a day before ipads, cell phones, and laptops so I rigged mirror at the end of my bed and a small makeup mirror of my sisters to flip the picture upright and allow me to see the TV. It was a long six weeks.... When my kids complain they are bored or hot in the summer they get no sympathy. I was so excited on the way back to the doctor 6 weeks later. I couldn't wait for them to tell me I could lift my head. Another jarring sudden stop. While in the office my retina had redetached and I was informed I had to do the whole process over except this time they were going to sew a silicon ring around my sclera to reinforce the area. I had a huge breakdown on a bench outside the hospital. I cried my eyes out and didn't care that I was in public. I sucked it up though and went back inside and started the whole process over. A very long summer....but it was worth it. I currently have 20/40 vision and after a cataract removal a few years ago even had my glasses restriction removed from driving. However retinal detachment disqualified me from military service. I tried for waivers in multiple branches without success. Now that I am a critical care nurse I have a special skill set. Should a major conflict develop for the US I will probably try to catch a waiver again. Since we are way off topic here I might as throw this in as well. Anyone reading this that has served or is serving.. Thank you so very much. Anyone reading that served in Vietnam, Welcome home. My step son Kyle is an infantry man in the Illinois National Guard and I have so much respect and pride for him. Here he is at his graduation from boot camp with his brothers.
This is a build thread right? Well lets flip the switch and get this train back on the main track. I had planned today to use Agent Orange to scrub the tank clean of algae and those plans came to the same kind of screeching halt when I saw this.............
I scanned the tank and found 2 more of the little devils wedged in the rock work. I have been very blessed with my main tank and have thus far managed to keep aiptasia out of my system. This said I have no experience with this battle. So I am off for now to formulate a new plan of attack. ;Bookworm
~cheers~
I asked him when I was young why he never talked about the wars and he told me "I wasn't a war hero." It didn't matter what he said, he was still my hero and I knew as soon as I could join I was going to be a soldier. I didn't need fancy toys growing up. Give me a stick and if I was lucky the cardboard from wrapping paper (The best bazooka I ever owned) and I was in a far off jungle (the corn field behind the house) fighting an epic battle. When I turned 12 I joined Civil Air Patrol and this narrowed my focus. A year later I was 13 and now that I was a teenager I knew everything. I had a neat little plan for my life and in my eyes nothing was going to stop me. I was going to join the Air Force, be a pilot of my favorite plane the KC-135
