August 31 - Sight and the Sense of Smell

As I indicated last week, here are a few thoughts about sight and the sense of smell. As I wrote then, although I don’t believe that other senses magically take over when one sense is lost, I do believe that we become more attentive to those other senses.

Because my sight isn’t all that it could be, I do listen more carefully and surprisingly, I find that my sense of smell has been heightened. I have always enjoyed the perfumes of spring flowers, but now I often find that I can use my sense of smell to help orient myself in a shopping mall. I can’t see directional signs or even the displays in shop windows, but if I am at all familiar with the mall, certain scents will help me in figuring out just where I am. For instance, I know where the coffee shop is in relation to the beauty salon, and the aroma from the coffee or the scent of hairspray or other beauty products are easily identifiable. I can also recognize my position if I smell the pungent odour emitted from the shoe store, or the wave of cosmetics and perfumes from the entry of the larger department store. I can usually find the food court and even identify whether the booth is selling pizza, burgers, Asian foods or cinnamon buns.

Truthfully, when I could see everything I don’t think that I paid much attention to all of the scents around me.  Now I find that my sense of smell is a useful tool.

August 24 - Sight and Sound

Although I don’t subscribe to the idea that people who don’t have sight can automatically hear better, I do think that perhaps we tend to listen more carefully. I know that I am way more attentive to sounds than when I relied only on visual cues. Perhaps that is just one of the reasons I enjoyed our week’s holiday in Cardston in southern Alberta.

If you want to see or hear horses, Cardston is the place to go. This year, we happened to be there during Heritage Days and there was lots of activity. From our campsite, we often heard the neigh and snort of horses in the distance and the clatter of hooves as horse and buggy wheeled by on the road behind the campground.

The two days that I enjoyed the most were the days we went to the Heavy Horse Pull and the day of the parade. Lyle took pictures at both of these events and I have included them at the end of this post.

The Heavy Horse Pull was interesting and new to me. I had never experienced one before. The beginning where the horses actually pulled the load was too far in the distance for me to see anything, and the final jockeying of the cart against the dock to unload some sort of box was also too far away. Fortunately someone on the loudspeaker described all that was happening. Nevertheless, we lined up against a fence at the midway point and the sound of the horses and the rumble of the wheels of the cart as they passed by was as clear as a bell.

Parade Day was also exciting and I do love a parade. There were so many, many horses in the parade. We sat on the side of the road in our lawn chairs and Lyle described to me the different kinds of buggies and carriages that came along. Cardston is also home to the Remington Museum. This museum gives an excellent display of transportation in the early days and it is definitely worth a visit.

So, last week I wrote about Sight and Sensation and this week is Sight and Sound. What will come next? Perhaps I will think about sight and the sense of smell!

Lyle took the first picture below at the Heavy Horse Pull. Apparently, the horses were quite large! The second picture was taken on the day of the parade and is of one of the carriages passing by.

Heavy horse pull

Parade in Cardston

August 16 - Sight and Sensation

I have started today’s post with a picture. On the left, there is Lyle. Then I am standing in the middle holding our granddaughter, Lexi, and on the right is Rooty, the A&W Bear.

Although I cannot see this picture, I can recall very clearly the sensation of the moment when the picture was taken. It was a hot summer day – not too hot, just a perfect temperature for summer. We had pulled up into the parking lot in two separate vehicles. I had not seen Lexi for a few days and so I was delighted when she and her Dad got out of their car and she reached out her hands for me.

I held her and we walked across to where Rooty was standing at the corner of the A&W restaurant. Little Lexi was a bit unsure of the bear at first. With one hand she reached out to give him a big hi and with the other I could feel her little hand gripping fiercely to the back of my shirt. As we posed for the picture I could feel her little warm body pressed against me. You can probably tell that I love her to pieces. What a wonderful sensation!

While I still can’t see the picture on the screen, the memory of the moment and the feelings it evokes are clear in my mind.