July 19 - Two Sues in the kitchen

This past week I spent a day with my friend, Sue. Sue and I are both visually impaired. Indeed, that is how we met. We bumped into each other (almost literally) in the local library. It was a fortuitous encounter.

Over time since that first meeting we have kept in touch. Sue and I don’t have the same eye condition and we are at differing places in our separate journeys with vision loss. Nevertheless, we seem to face many of the same challenges and we always have lots to talk about. Our shared experiences have led to many interesting conversations. No, we don’t always talk about sight and blindness, but when we do....well, it is those discussions that have led us into a closer bond of friendship. In one of our chats, the talk touched on our difficulties in the kitchen. This led to last week’s invitation to come for lunch so that we could explore the topic more fully.

Before lunch, Sue gave me a tour of her kitchen. I noticed immediately the cleared counter tops with a few select items in exact spaces where Sue could put her hands on them when needed. Sue showed me how she had the cans and packages arranged in her pantry. Familiar items were arranged by size and feel. I know that I do the same sort of thing in my own pantry cupboards. Cans of corn are on the right and tomato soup is on the far left. Everything is lined up in rows. The difficulty comes after the grocery shop when I need to put newly bought items into the appropriate places.

Sue planned our lunch menu with fresh vegetables, wraps, and chips, followed by coffee. Sue had prepared three small bowls of finger food vegetables before I arrived and together we set out to put the wraps together. Sue used a tray at one end of the counter to lay out the wraps and then we worked on the innards. Spreading the cream cheese was the first challenge. Sue explained that getting a spread onto the corners of anything was difficult for her. We had both just washed our hands so solved the problem by using our fingers to check out our own meal. Laying down the ham and lettuce was easy although the lettuce was so good that I started eating mine ahead of time. We both had a slightly different way of rolling the thin pasta wrap. I found it easier to start closest to me and roll away from my body. We decided that it didn’t matter about tucking in the ends. Neither of us wanted to use toothpicks to hold the wrap in place. We had both experienced uncomfortable facial encounters with toothpicks, straws, stir sticks – all small inedible items that a sighted person would take for granted. When you don’t see these things it’s too easy to end up with one halfway up your nose! Sue made a pot of coffee, judging by feel the weight of the water in the pot before she set it to brew.

It was a delicious lunch and over the meal we talked about kitchen challenges. My own beef is with hamburger. I find it tricky to tell when all the red meat has been cooked through. This is no problem when Lyle is at home but when I am alone I tend to overcook rather than take a chance of it not being thoroughly done.

Sue and I talked about training others in “our” kitchens. We like to have clear counter space so that we don’t run the risk of knocking things over. We don’t like it when guests help out by leaving things in the sink. It’s too easy for us to crash another item down on top. It is easier to clear a meal table ourselves or ask guests to put items straight into the dishwasher. We agreed that when the family comes to visit, it is easier if we sit back and let them take over altogether. We are fortunate in that our husbands graciously help out whenever the need arises. We also agreed that it is much easier if we know when company is coming so that we can be prepared ahead of time. Everything takes a little more time to accomplish when we don’t see as well as we used to.

The picture with this post is of the two Sues in the kitchen. My friend Sue is the one on the left holding the pot and spoon.

The two Sues in the kitchen

July 3 - If You Don’t Use It, You... ?

If you have been following this page from the beginning, it’s possible that you might remember that I use a Trekker Breeze. This device was donated to me by Humanware when I began the White Cane Connections project in 2012.  The Trekker is truly an amazing little gadget. For someone who is without usable sight, the Trekker is more than a gadget. It is an essential navigational tool.

The Trekker Breeze is basically a walking GPS system. The user can plot and follow directions to specific destinations. Landmarks can be located and distances calculated. I especially like the pedometer feature. In the pedestrian mode, the Trekker gives audible information at each intersection. The Trekker can also be used in vehicles so that blind bus passengers can listen for a particular bus stop. The Trekker doesn’t replace a white cane or guide dog. Those ordinary safety measures for crossing streets and other areas of mobility should be used in combination with the Trekker – not as a replacement.

In the beginning I used my Trekker Breeze regularly, but in 2014 I was lax in its use. Last year we travelled a lot out of the country and because I don’t have the maps for countries outside of North America, this past year, by Trekker spent some time sitting on the shelf.  When I picked up the Trekker again this spring, I found it difficult to remember the codes for all the different applications. So goes the saying – If you don’t use it, you lose it! I needed to relearn before I could reuse!

I think that this is true for many of the technical items we now have at our fingertips. For instance, when I am at home I use a desktop computer with an audible program. When I am away, I use a lap top computer with the same audible program. However, the audio program with my desktop is a much older version than the one I use with the laptop and both employ slightly different keystroke commands. Each time when I change from one system to the other, I find I need to spend a little time to get things straight again.

I think that my point of this post is to remind myself, and perhaps others who are dependent on technical devices, that it is important to keep up with their use.

The picture with this post is one of me with the Trekker Breeze on my belt. I have included it here so that, in case you haven’t seen a Trekker before, you will be able to see how portable and handy it is to wear and carry.  Basically, the exterior just looks like a small camera case.

Sue walking with the Trekker Breeze