Les Flâneurs

Take a tour of the ghostly Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale in the Bois de Vincennes

Join Adam Roberts of Invisible Paris blog as he leads a tour of the exotic Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale in the Bois de Vincennes:

"As part of the worldwide Obscura Day events on Saturday May 6 I will be hosting a tour of the ghostly Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale in the Bois de Vincennes. The Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale was originally the site of an experimental nursery that searched for ways to improve the cultivation of tropical plants and trees that would then be sent out for planting across the empire. The hothouses in the gardens were filled with exotic trees including coffee, cocoa, banana, and vanilla, and attempts were also made to grow these plants outside on site."

To read more about the gardens or for information about the tour and to make a reservation visit his blog.

The one thing you should definitely ask about your cataract surgery

Three weeks ago yesterday I had the first of two cataract surgeries. My left eye was the first to go under the knife as it were and it went off without a hitch. Except for one thing: I have double vision as a result of the nerve block used to anesthetize the eye.

A week later, at my post-op evaluation the doctor suggested that the issue was caused by the use of an injectable anesthetic and decided that we would go with a topical anesthetic for the right eye, which was done just a week ago this past Wednesday. That, too, went off with no problem.

I can see crystal-clear out of both eyes it's just they don't "see" things quite together. They don't track in synch as it were. It's pretty much all the time although depends on which way I tilt my head or how far away an object is. Closing one eye is the only concrete solution for the moment.

I bring all this up for the benefit of anyone who might be faced with cataracts and the need to remove them -- after all, some 4 million Americans last year alone had cataract surgery. The information provided before the procedures and the evaluations performed by both technicians and physicians covered pretty much every issue but one: I was never asked if I wanted a nerve block (injecting an anesthetic) or a topical anesthetic.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but had I been asked I would have opted for the topical, out of queasiness over having someone stick a needle in (or even close) to my eye if nothing else. As it turned out I didn't feel anything at the time although others in the room where I was prepped certainly did.

But the important thing is while the incidence of nerve damage from an anesthetic block is considered to be very low -- so we were told after the fact -- still, it's good to be given the option of going topical. And I must say topical worked just fine for my right eye.

So now I'm faced with the possibility of some days, weeks, or months before I regain my proper focus. Or it may never return. But I'm hoping for the best.

And so should you.

Just ask, that's all.

The 2017 Guide to Père-Lachaise is now available

The 2017 edition of my Guide to the Art in Père-Lachaise is now available.

You can find it right here.

If you have an older edition I'll send you the new edition free of charge -- just tear off the cover and send it to:

Paris Cemeteries
PO Box 150044
Grand Rapids, Michigan
49515
USA

Be sure to include your mailing address, si vous plait!

Oh, and the map I created to go along with the guide has also been updated and you can find it online right here.

Update from Grand Rapids

It's been a sad year here in Grand Rapids and throughout the free world. For many who believe in such ideals as common decency, respect for others and just trying to be good people, it's been a tragedy beyond measure.

Closer to home the past year has seen additional sadness for our families: three loving aunts have shuffled off this mortal coil, Marian Ten Have, Marian VandenBerg and Thea Van Halsema. They lived their lives according to the faith of their fathers and were, simply and quietly, good people. Our loss is their heaven's gain. . . And my Big Brother answered his final roll call. We often disagreed but I was always in awe of him and what he achieved in his life.

Oh, and I had my second heart attack two days before Thanksgiving. Life is short, go to Paris.

Still, western Michigan has had it's share of good moments: visits with the Galloway-Ten Have clans out at Clear Lake, the sheer pleasure of visiting Meijer Gardens after dark before Christmas to see the miniature villages, dinner with a friend at the Old Goat pub, seeing the ice waves at Grand Haven State Beach, a city-wide wine tasting in Grand Haven where Patricia's Chocolate put on not just wonderful treats -- and Susie was there sampling her shortbreads -- but wonderful live cello music in the bargain.

I'll leave you with three images of treats for the eye, the mouth and the soul. . . compliments of the French Tarte!