May 29 - Inside Out and Outside In

Remembering my last post, I asked Lyle how he felt when I failed to recognize him. He said that at first he had thought that I was just joking around. Not for a moment did he think that I hadn’t known who he was. Basically, he thought that the whole experience was just a bit weird.

I imagine that this might be what it is like for other people when I fail to recognize them. I think that my appearance is much the same as it has always been, and so people who are sighted have no difficulty in looking at that outside appearance and knowing who I am. On the other hand, my eyes, which look out from the inside don’t recognize faces at all.

The eyes are the window to the soul – I think that some wise person said that once. While this might be clear glass for someone who is looking into my eyes from the outside, for my eyes looking out from the inside, that glass is a frosted pane.

May 23 - By Sight or by Sound

This past week Lyle and I have been staying at our holiday condo.  We bought the place fifteen years ago and love spending time here.  The building has 48 units with about 50% full time owners and residents, and the other half either part-time residents or enters.  Most of the original owners from 2004 have moved on and there is nobody here whom I recognize by either soght or sound of their voice.

Unfortunately this week Lyle has developed a really bad cold.  He sounds and feels absolutely terrible, so I have taken the opportunity to practise my independence.  I find that unless I practise those skills I lose both competence and confidence.  So, I have been to the grocery store to buy milk, been to the drug store to buy medication for Lyle, and met friends for coffee and walked one kilometer back home, crossing busy streets and avoiding one area under new or unexpected construction.

Yesterday I left Lyle sleeping and snoring softly and I headed down to the outdoor pool.  I just finishing my laps when someone else got into the hot tub.  After few minutes I joined him and we exchanged comments about the weather and the water temperature.  Wishing to extend the conversation I then asked the stranger, "So, do you live here full time?"  There was a significant pause and I wondered if he had heard me.  Then he answered, "What do you mean?"

I thought my question had been fairly obvious, but perhaps the man was just obtuse, so I tried rephrasing.  "Do you come here part-time or are you a renter or full-time owner?"

There was another pause before Lyle said, "I am your husband, so I only come here when I am with you!"

Yes, it was Lyle, with the deep throaty voice he had acquired with his cold, and because I hadn't expected to see him down at the pool, I hadn't recognized him.  So sad, and yet so funny.  When I told our daughter about the incident she bust out laughing.

Not recognising people is a common enough problem for those of us with limited or no sight. I am always grateful when people identify themselves by name when they meet me.  That way I don't have to rely on recognising them by my fallible skill at identifying them by sight or sound.

May 11 - What Do I See?

What do I see and what don't I see?  This is a bit of a puzzle and is difficult to describe.

The other week at church I noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye.  I nudged Lyle who told me that a five dollar bill had fallen off the collection plate.  I reached over and easily picked it off the floor and handed it to the ushers who were standing in the aisle slightly behind me.  Neither of them had noticed the bill falling off the plate.

Then last week we took our Australian visitor to a neighboring farm.  It was calving season for Kevin and Holly but they generously made time to show us around the field were the cows and calves were.  Everyone in the vehicle was thrilled to see the newborn calves - everyone except me that is.  Although the animals were apparently close, they were still too far away for me to see them.

Later we went into the house and Holly made coffee.  She also put a plate of goodies on the table.  Although the plate was practically in front of me, I couldn't distinguish what was on it.

Now, why could I see the relatively small $5.00 bill but not the large cow and calf, nor the plate of goodies right in front of me?  Why do I see some things and not others?  I really don't know the answer.  As our three-year old granddaughter would say, "It's just a mystery!"

May 4 - Feeling Good

Although the snow is here again, I am feeling good. Friends from Australia have arrived and are staying with us. Lyle and I enjoy being tour guides and our visitors are fascinated by the snow.

I have attached a picture of our yard. It’s definitely not the usual May picture. At least Lyle won’t be worrying about mowing grass while we are away with our friends.

Snow on the front lawn