December 19 - Music and Memory

I like to sing - not for performance but just for enjoyment. Unfortunately the only songs I can sing are those where the words are in my memory. If I can’t remember the words of a song, I can’t see to look up a printed version.

Some of my favourite songs are from the 50’s and 60’s. Many songs from that era have a catchy beat and repetitive lyrics. It’s the repetition that keeps the words in my memory.

Then there is Christmas! On December 1, Lyle turns our car radio to a station that plays Christmas and winter time music exclusively. For one month of the year I can listen and sing along to almost everything that is played. This is also a great time for me in church. When we sing the carols, the words of which I have been hearing since childhood, I am able to join in the congregational singing of the familiar hymns.

I think that there is a strong connection between our brains and music. I have heard that when people lose the plot with other areas of their lives, they are often able to remember words to familiar songs. Even when my mother was unable to remember spoken words to identify everyday objects around her, she could still sing the words to many a familiar tune, even dating back to her high school days.

Music and memory aren’t only connected to words. When I spoke with George, a talented musician on our recent cruise, he said that his hands seemed to have a memory of their own in finding the notes on the keyboard. There was a connection between his brain or memory and his hands. Of course, George was pretty talented to start with! If you like you can check him out on Face book – George and Lina Music.

Lyle and I would like to wish you all the blessings of this Christmas and holiday time.  I hope that you will enjoy some of the music of the season and maybe even sing along!

There is one picture with this post. Lyle and I are standing by the ship’s railing on our recent cruise. While the picture provides a good memory for us, it’s also an inspiration to start planning our next getaway.

 

Sue and Lyle on ship deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 11 - Turn on the Lights

I don’t see in the dark. Nor do I see well in glaring sunlight. Shadows and moving light can also be a problem.  It’s strange how the absence or presence of light can so hugely affect my vision.

I know that light can be a factor for many people with limited or no sight. When Gerry lost his sight and could no longer tell the difference between light and dark, he had problems with sorting out night and day. I gathered that this phenomenon isn’t unusual for people who transitioned from partial sight to none at all. Conversely, Harold who was completely blind, had a minor surgery which restored his ability to distinguish between light and dark. Even this small distinction in an otherwise gray world made a big difference for him.

For most of us there is little we can do to adjust the light around us. In our house, I am constantly turning on lights – even during the day. Because I don’t see in the dark, I use a night light at night. This is a bit of a compromise between Lyle and myself. Lyle claims that he has thin eyelids and sleeps better in a completely dark space. We have made the adjustment at home but when we stay overnight somewhere else, we spend quite a bit of time adjusting blinds and perhaps bathroom lights and doors to suit us both before we actually are able to sleep.

Outside during the day, I will wear shaded glasses to cut the glare of the sunlight. We should likely all be wearing glasses that cut the ultra violet rays of the sun. However, I find this difficult when going in and out of bright sunlight to shaded areas.  My pupils don’t dilate and contract quickly enough to adjust to the changing light. This is when using my mobility cane is most helpful. It detects the ground in front of me even when I am unable to see it myself.

Then there are those places where I have no control of the lighting. Dimly lit restaurants rank near the top of my list. Candlelight dinners are out for me! There are other public places where lights are dimmed to suit a mood or occasion and those of us with poor night vision need to adjust and compromise. Sometimes I feel like asking out loud, “Could we please just turn on the lights!”

December 4 - Travelling

If you have been following this blog at all, you will know that Lyle and I both like to travel.  We enjoy seeing new places, doing new things and meeting new people.  Of course, we also realize that it would be a very different travel experience if we weren’t able to do this together.

Our latest trans Pacific cruise was a new experience for us.  If we ever had the time, money and opportunity, it is something we would enjoy doing again.  When our ship docked in Sydney we spent some time visiting family (always a priority) and a couple of days in Terrigal, our favourite beach town.  Then it was off to Queensland.  We flew into Coolangatta, located on Australia’s famous Gold Coast just south of Surfers Paradise.  

This was a trip into the past for us.  We had been here thirty plus years ago.  We were now amazed at the development in the area - new condo buildings, traffic, and lots of people.  We spent some time trying to find familiar places from the past.  We also visited an old school friend of mine, and then we just veged out on the beach.  We stayed at Tugun, which has a long, long beach, great for walking.

All told it was a great holiday, but we came to the conclusion that we liked Terrigal better.  There is a picture with this post.  I am sitting by the beach promenade, drinking take away coffee from my favourite Terrigal coffee shop - Free State Cafe.  The sun was shining that day and the sea gulls were swooping.  It felt a long way from the snow and cold back in Alberta.

 

Sue sitting at the beach with a coffee

 

November 27 - Who Are You?

I’m pretty good at remembering names, but I’m hopeless at matching names to faces.  The reason for this is simple.  I just can’t see the faces.  If only people would identify themselves before starting a conversation!  That way I would be saved the embarrassment of needing to ask - Who are you?

It’s not all doom and gloom.  Sometimes I can identify people because of a unique characteristic.  For instance, in winter Nettie wears a tall, fuzzy black hat and I can spot her before she speaks.  Norma has a shock of white hair, and Ulla has a strong Dutch accent. I can recognize her voice before she says her name.

Things are always easier when I meet people where I expect to see them.  I know and recognize by friends on the walking trail.  I know and recognize my friends when we meet for Monday morning coffee.  It is when I meet people not in their usual context that it is more difficult.

Last week, Lyle and I were walking from the car park into the shopping centre.  We met a woman coming towards us with her loaded shopping cart.  She greeted us enthusiastically but I had no idea who she was.  She must have seen my blank expression, because right away she said, “It’s Elsa from the church.”

Both of these clues were helpful.  I know three Elsas but only one from the church.  Indeed, if we had been meeting at the church I think I would have recognized my friend.  In the shopping mall I needed the additional identity check.

So, the moral of this little story is - if you know someone who has limited or no sight, please identify yourself at the beginning of a conversation.  Even if you are a friend it is helpful to do this.  It saves the person with low or no vision having to ask the question - Who are you?

November 15 - An Ocean Cruise

Back in October, Lyle and I set out on an ocean cruise.  We sailed from Seattle, Washington, to Sydney, Australia.  This wasn’t our first cruise experience, but at 23 days it certainly was our longest.

When we expressed to friends our intention to book this trans-Pacific crossing, we were frequently asked two questions:

 

    1)  Did we think that 23 days with about half of them at sea, be too long? 

 

    2) Did I think that a long ocean voyage would be a worthwhile experience for someone who is blind     or partially sighted? 

 

My answer to both questions is the same. It all depends on your expectations.

For us, this particular cruise was all that we anticipated and hoped for. We were both tired after my two recent surgeries.  Life on board the ship meant that I hadn’t needed to cook a meal, wash a dish, make a bed, or do any housework.  It was a great way to rest and recuperate.

The evening entertainment was great.  We heard three different comedians, a variety of singers with different styles, a saxophonist, and an absolutely fantastic classical pianist.  It was also a good mix of daytime activities and programs - dance lessons, wine tasting, lessons on origami folding and other arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, trivia competitions, and the list goes on.  There seemed to be something for everyone whether they were sighted or not.  There were also two swimming pools, a fitness center, an outdoor walking track, and a pickle ball court. We didn’t participate in everything, but chose the ones most interesting to us. 

Then of course, there were the ports of call.  The prettiest of these had to be Easu, part of the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia.  At Easu, the ship anchored in the bay and passengers were tendered in lifeboats across to the pier on the shore.  There are two pictures with this post.  The first was taken from our balcony looking across to the dock, a small beach to the left.  The second was taken from the shore looking back to our Holland America ship.

 

 

Looking from the balcony at a small boat and beach

At the harbour looking at the ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 6 - What Does a Blind Person Look Like

So, did you think about the question of my last post and did you come up with the subject of travel?  Lyle and I love to travel, so in a way you are right.  For us, it’s not just the different places we like to see and visit, but for us travel means new experiences and interesting conversations.  This post is about one of those travel conversations.

Two weeks ago, Lyle and I were on a flight from Edmonton to Vancouver.  We had pre-boarded and our carry on and my white cane were in the overhead luggage bin.  I was tired and I closed my eyes as other passengers boarded.  Suddenly I felt the presence of someone hovering close by.  I opened my eyes to see a flight attendant crouched in the aisle beside me.

”Mrs. Boman?” she queried, and I nodded my head.  She continued, “I thought it might be you.  I knew there was a blind passenger on board, but then I wasn’t sure.  You were in the right seat, but I thought it couldn’t be you.  You look so … so … so normal.”

I refrained from asking the young woman what she thought a blind person should look like.  Do you have an image in your mind of a “typical” blind person?

A few days after this incident we were at a comedy show where the performer asked the audience if we had heard the latest conspiracy theory about Stevie Wonder.  It was rumoured, he said, that although Stevie Wonder looked blind, perhaps he could actually see.

Now I know that Stevie Wonder has ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity).  This condition occurs when an oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator damages the optic nerve, causing blindness.  This was a common hospital practice for preemies in the 1950’s, but is not so anymore. Stevie Wonder is totally blind.

How ironic then to think that although Stevie Wonder might look blind, rumours circulate that he might be able to see.  On the other hand, I don’t look blind but often other people don’t realize how little I actually do see.

Image - an interesting word with interesting connotations.  What do you picture in your mind’s eye when you think of someone who is blind or partially sighted?

November 1 – A Special Club

Today I want to write about a very special group of people. Lyle is a member of this club. Often the members of this group are unnoticed – even seemingly invisible. Yet, people like myself would struggle without them. They are our care givers – the people who support us on a daily basis. They perform this service with unselfish generosity. I want to thank the members of this group. I especially want to thank Lyle. My life over the past years would have been very different without his support. As the song goes, he is indeed the wind beneath my wings.

While some organizations have formal groups to support people who support others, many care givers work in the background. When I look around my own circle of friends, I see many caring people who give so much of themselves. If you too know of a special person who is caring and supporting someone else, I hope that you would be able to take the time to recognize that effort. I try to say thank you whenever I can. For instance, right now I would like to recognize my son-in-law who has faithfully managed the posting of this blog ever since I began it in 2011. Thank you, Andrew!

There is a picture with this post. Perhaps it will give you a hint as to what I will write about next. In the picture, Lyle and I are standing at our front door. We have our backpacks and there is a big red suitcase on the ground in front of us. I am holding a white support cane. Are these enough clues for you to guess the subject of my next post?

Lyle and Sue in front of their door

 

October 27 - Join the Club (Part Two)

Ah ha! Have you been waiting with bated breath to hear of my next two club memberships? I’ll bet that you were thinking that I would write about vision loss. Certainly that is what I have been writing about ever since I started this blog back in 2011. Indeed, since my own vision loss nearly forty years ago now, I have been a member of this vision loss group.

As a partially sighted, visually impaired or legally blind person, I am a member of many subsets of this large group of people. For instance, as I write, I am aware that you are reading this because even though I don’t know who you are, you have some sort of vested interest in vision loss. I am also part of a small group of people who meet in person once a month. This is our regular support group. I also meet with others on a monthly zoom call. I am a CNIB client and although I’m not personally acquainted with the many other clients across the country, sometimes in our separate travels we will meet. We often carry objects that mark our membership in the group – ID badges, white canes, or an accompanying guide dog. These help us to recognize each other and mark our separate identities.

Just over three months ago now, I became a member of a new and different club. My friend, Barbara, has jokingly called this “The Joint Group”. No, it’s not necessarily what you were thinking. The joints referred to are our knees, hips and shoulders!

Barbara and I had knee replacement surgery within days of each other. Although we had never met before, there was an instant kinship. Where did it hurt? Did your leg swell like mine? How are the exercises going? How is the pain? What does your scar look like? Are you walking better? Does your knee feel hot? Is it sensitive to the touch?  Do you have acute pain or does it just ache? That was three months ago and Barbara and I have stayed in touch with email support for each other. The knee replacement surgery did more than fix our knees. It was the basis for a new friendship with shared surgical experiences as the initiation to the club.

Now, I know I titled this post Join the Club. This is not an admonition for you to endure the pain of a kidney stone or face the challenges of vision loss or go through the surgery of joint replacement. Instead, I hope that if you have experienced any of these things, my words would encourage you to find support by meeting and talking with others in similar situations. As humans we aren’t meant to be islands unto ourselves. We are meant to be social people. Our trials and tribulations can be better borne when we share these with others. So, if you have a story to tell or a special experience in your life – Join the Club .

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Join the Club (Part One)

Many of us belong to clubs or groups. Some clubs are very formal with rules and regulations and others are more of a social nature. Whatever their nature, the members have something in common – shared interests, goals or experiences.

This past week I became a reluctant member of a new club. I was diagnosed with a kidney stone. From what I have read, there are three ways to deal with this. The kidney stone can pass naturally, the stone can be crushed with laser, or else surgery might be required. In my case it was the latter procedure. I have also heard that having or passing a kidney stone is one of the worst pains ever. I can certainly attest to this.

After my surgery, the relief was instantaneous. I spent one night in hospital and came home to share my story with friends and acquaintances. In the telling, I have heard so many other stories shared back to me. I have heard stories of missed diagnoses, lengthy hospital stays, small stones, large stones, agonizing pain, and so on. With all these accounts, there has been the thread of common experience. Whether I like it or not, I have become a member of this rather exclusive club.

Now you will note that I have called this post Part One. I am also a member of two other specialized clubs but you will need to wait until next time before I tell you of those. In the meantime, I have gained much support from the members of this new club of people who have experienced the pain of a kidney stone. We all have such interesting stories to tell about our experiences in life.

October 13 – Fall Leaves

While fall isn’t my favourite season, I do like the changing colours – that is, I like the leaves when they are still on the trees. It is when the wind blows and the leaves fall to the ground that I am not so pleased. On the ground, the leaves simply obliterate the edges of the path where I am walking. They spread over the pavement and spill over the edges.

After really strong winds there are often small twigs and branches interspersed with the carpet of leaves. Even with my cane, clearing the pathway to the firm surface underneath is difficult. I try to think that the leaves are less of a challenge than the snow that will come next.

Lyle likes the fall and encouraged me to stand in front of the tree in the picture below. The leaves were a blaze of colour. I tell myself to enjoy this golden and brilliant display of nature while it lasts.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sue in front of tree with yellow leaves

October 9 - Small Birds

Some of you might remember a post I wrote about a year ago. Lyle and I had been to Winnipeg for a family visit. While there we spent an afternoon at Birds Hill Provincial Park and walked along one of the many nature trails. The highlight was one special spot on the trail where we were able to feed the chickadees.

It was such a treat that on another family visit last weekend, we decided to repeat the excursion. This time we came prepared with birdseed. It was interesting in that last year the chickadees preferred the sunflower seeds but this year they went for the peanuts. No matter, we were ready.  

Our two grandchildren were so patient in holding out the seeds. We even sprinkled some seed on their caps so that the birds could land on their heads. I wasn’t quite as patient but was thrilled when some of the small birds landed on my outstretched hand.

There is no way that I can see small birds of any description by glancing to the sky, or in the branches of a bush or tree, or even on our front lawn. This might be why I found our chickadee experience so exciting. The little chickadees are very fast with their fluttering wings and the only way I could possibly see them was when they landed for a brief instant on my hand. Even when they were too fast for my sight, I could feel their little claws and hear their fluttering wings. I did manage to catch sight of two or three when they paused on the seed to locate the best seed in my collection.

 While I know that I could try to see a picture under my magnifier, that is not the same thing as a real life connection. 2D and 3D are different!

There are two pictures with this post. In the first I am standing with a chickdee on my outstretched hand. In the second picture, our two grandchildren are standing side by side. They have managed to coax a little chickadee down from the bush in front of them. You can just see it on the hand held between them.

Birds Hill Provincial Park is a great place to explore. I would highly recommend it if you are ever in the Winnipeg area.

 

Chickadee on Sue's hand

Grandchildren with chickadees

 

 

 

September 23 - Watching TV

A group of us were discussing favourite TV shows when someone in the group turned to me and said, “but you probably don’t watch TV anyway.”

The supposition was that because I can’t see the screen, I wouldn’t be able or interested in “watching” TV shows.  Well, the assumption is both true and false.  I don’t watch much TV and I am certainly selective in what I watch.

I was talking about this with my friend, Sue who is totally without sight.  We agreed that one of the easiest programs to follow was the daily news.  The commentary is clear, although the content is often disturbing and seems to be repeated many nights over.  Documentaries are usually good and so are some nature shows.  Sue commented that sometimes when music is played behind the narration it takes away the focus for her.

I like to watch sitcoms where the voices of the main characters are familiar.  I enjoy PBS music programs.  I also like sports programs, especially tennis, but only when the commentators are doing a good job of describing the action.

Some programs have described video.  Lyle finds this feature very distracting, and because we usually watch TV together we don’t tend to use this feature.  However, I can see this adaptation can be beneficial for some.

I think the main point of this post is that we shouldn’t make assumptions about the abilities, capabilities and interests of other people.  I have expressed my personal opinions about watching TV, but I would not presume to think that other partially sighted and blind people would think and feel the same way.

September 12 - White Canes

Did you know that there are different types of white canes? Basically there are three different types and are used for three different purposes. An identity cane is a small cane that the user holds out in front so that others can see that the person is someone with low vision. The mobility cane is longer and used to feel the ground surface in front of the user. The support cane is solid and also white in colour. As the name suggests, it is mostly used for support.

For the first while after my knee surgery I used a walking frame. This gave me the support and balance I needed. As I have regained strength in my knee, I am gradually transitioning to a support cane. The cane is brilliantly white with a red tip. In other words, the colouring is the same as the mobility cane I have been used to using.

Now the surprise.  By and large, the people I have met don’t seem to recognize this cane as indicating that I am someone with low vision. Occasionally I will catch sight of a sideways glance, but mostly the white cane seems to be regarded as just an ordinary cane. Prior to my own use of the support cane, I had never thought about this apparent lack of recognition.

I am looking forward to once again using my mobility cane. For one thing, it is way more useful in detecting the ground surface in front of me. For another, I am more readily identified as someone with low vision. For me, both of these are important functions.

 

 

September 3 - Gadgets and Buttons

Last week our toaster gave up the ghost. It was an old model and likely had reached its life expectancy anyway.

Now if it had been up to me, I would have gone to our local hardware store and bought the simplest possible toaster on the shelf to replace it. Not so with Lyle! Lyle’s first task was to search the Internet. Which new model would have the best features and be the best buy for our money? He compared three different stores and a number of different brands. Finally we went to the store in person where Lyle was delighted to find that the in store price was even better than the online one he had investigated.

Our new toaster has many features. Unfortunately the buttons to access these are all hidden under the smooth outside exterior. If you can see, this is great. We can now toast bread or bagels and regulate the toastiness of each – 1 to 5, depending if you want light or darker brown. There is a separate button hidden under the smooth surface to press if you want to cancel the original instruction.  Fortunately for me, most of these can be preset and all I will have to do is to press the lever to push the bread down.

I miss the tactile buttons of old style toasters and other devices. I don’t like smooth surfaces when I can’t see the instructions underneath. What happened to tactile buttons? Even on our microwave I have needed to glue my own buttons to the surface so that I can feel whether I am defrosting or cooking. I have also glued a raised button to some of the numbers. These new devices and gadgets aren’t made for people with no or little sight.

Still, I’m sure that eventually I will find my way around this new piece of kitchen equipment. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that our other old style gadgets have long lives.

August 26 - Lost in the Dark

Since my knee surgery I have been finding it difficult to sleep through the night. Lying in one position for very long becomes painful but rolling over to change position is also a painful process. I find that I need to wake up to shift around. Sometimes, I just get up and walk a few laps around the inside of the house in order to limber up. This was what I was doing last night when I got lost in our bedroom.

Because Lyle has been so good to me during the day, when I get up to do my nightly jaunt around the house, I don’t turn on the lights. Certainly one of us needs to get some sleep! Basically I have a little route from our bedroom, down the hall to the kitchen and living room and back to the starting point. If I was doing this without assistance, I would likely just feel along the walls but as I don’t want to bump into any furniture with my knee I have been taking the walking frame. Normally I do the 75 steps without any trouble but the walker doesn’t give me as much sense of direction as I would like. However, last night as I re-entered the bedroom, my mind must have been wandering and I lost track of where I was standing.

I knew right away that I wasn’t pointed to the bed ...but where was I? I let go of the walker and felt all around me. Nothing – and this in spite of the fact that our bedroom isn’t all that large. I moved forward with the walker and hit something on the floor but I still couldn’t identify where I was. At one point I touched Lyle’s foot in the bed but that still didn’t do the trick. I would have tried to find my way back to the light switch but that was also a non starter. Finally, I called out to Lyle. I was sorry to wake him up but I was lost and really I needed to get back to bed.

All this reminded me that my vision is not of the twenty-twenty kind. I know that when my sight first changed, seeing in the dark was one of the first things to go. Since then, I have learned that this loss of night vision is fairly common with many eye conditions. My friend, Norma has RP (retinitis pibmentosa) and said that even as a youngster she couldn’t see well in the dark. However, when the lights went out, she thought that she was seeing the same way that other people saw. Another friend, George, walks without assistance during the daylight hours but as soon as the light dims, he is instantly in need of his white cane or other assistance to find his way around.

I haven’t thought of this particular aspect of vision loss for some time but last night’s little misadventure brought it all to mind. Who would have thought that I could get lost in the bedroom of our own house!

 

 

August 14 - After Knee Replacement

Nearly four weeks now since my surgery and sometimes I feel as if I am only taking very small baby steps towards recovery. One thing I have learned through this is that I definitely shouldn’t compare my own journey to that of others.

This has been only too easy to do. A new friend, Barbara, had knee replacement surgery just three days before I did. We have kept in touch and I know that she is far ahead of me on the road to recovery. Nevertheless, she is one of the first people to remind me that we are all different and that I shouldn’t expect that we will all move forward at the same pace.

This is a lesson I should have learned with my journey of vision loss. It is a lesson that I often tell the other members of my support group. Even though we might be diagnosed with the same eye condition, or measured with the same degree of vision loss, we are all individuals and we react to those circumstances on an individual basis.

This was also brought to my attention in the content of a book I have been listening to. The author was diagnosed with NAION. This fairly rare condition is caused by a stroke that affects the optic nerve. In the author’s case, the stroke reduced the sight in his one eye while the other remained intact. He was told that there was the possibility sometime in the future that this could also happen in his good eye.  When I compared this to other more severe challenges of vision loss that I have heard of, I’m afraid that I wasn’t as compassionate as I could have been. Yet, to this author, the episode was traumatic – even life altering. I needed to remind myself that we are all different and that circumstances can have differing impacts on our lives. The effect of NAION to this man was just as real to him as diagnoses of lesser or greater diagnoses in others.

So, this is what I am coping with in the days after my knee replacement. I am not the same as other people who have had the same procedure. I must struggle along with my own journey. I must do the prescribe exercises and count the baby steps of improvement in my own journey.

 

 

 

August 5 - Knee Replacement

For the past couple of years I have often dated events in my life as either BC or AC. That is, I have referred to them as Before COVID or After COVID. Today I have a new saying – BKR or AKR. Yes, things seem to be different either before or after my knee replacement surgery.

The operation was just over two weeks ago now. Until that point in time, I found myself in lots of aching pain and had even started to limp a bit when I was walking. The surgery has supposedly taken care of both of these things, but as I am still on the road to recovery, I can assure you that right now I am still in lots of pain and walking very carefully. The surgery was quite traumatic.

So, the experience is now all AKR, but that isn’t what I want to write about. I had the knee operation done in Phoenix, Arizona. Those readers who live in Alberta could very well guess at the reason for this location so I won’t go into it here. Suffice to say that the waiting list in Alberta was just a bit too long!

The medical team in Phoenix was excellent and I couldn’t have received better care. We flew to Phoenix five days before the surgery in time for me to have a CT Scan, an MRI, x-rays and a pre-surgery consultation with the surgeon. I didn’t know any of the medical staff previously so I was very clear in indicating my vision loss. I wore my identity badge and used my white cane. Every single person we encountered responded positively to my vision disability. It was almost as if they had been trained specifically in dealings with people who had vision loss.

The aftermath of the surgery hasn’t been great – lots of pain and swelling but I am hopeful that this stage of recovery will be short term. I am certainly doing my part with ice, elevation and exercise. Now I will continue with life events that are AKR – after knee surgery and going forward with a new chapter in my life. 

 

July 18 - Blind Expectations

When I hear the word “blind” I think of someone without sight - but there are variations of that meaning. Being blind doesn’t only mean being unable to see with one’s eyes.  People can also be blinded by narrow perceptions and expectations. I was confronted with this just the other day.  I am waiting for knee surgery.  The comment was made that the knee surgery would not make much difference to my activity level.  After all, I was visually impaired and wouldn’t be doing the same things as people who were sighted. To say that I was affronted would be an understatement.  Admittedly I don’t aspire to be a tennis pro or a downhill skiing champion.  However, within my circle of sighted friends, we like to walk long distances, sometimes swim, go to yoga classes and generally enjoy life. At the time I was too surprised to correct this stranger’s narrow perception of my abilities and capabilities.  I hope that he will watch the upcoming Paralympic Games and expand his perception of the accomplishments of people who are without physical sight. I am wondering if I should have labelled this post Blind Expectations or Expectations of the Blind.  What do you think?

July 9 - Blind Golf

It’s summer and the golf courses are hopping - well, perhaps not so much this week in Western Canada with the extreme heat conditions of the past few days. Lyle and I have a number of friends who love to play golf. The vast majority of these people are fully sighted but we also know a few who are either blind or visually challenged.

Players who are blind do need a guide to enjoy the game. That is likely the most difficult aspect - finding someone who is willing to sacrifice their own game in order to assist the blind player. The guide lines up the shot. Often he or she will place a golf club on the ground to indicate the direction of the fairway. The guide will estimate the distance to the next hole and of course help retrieve the ball at the other end. I remember the first time I was at a fundraising tournament with blind players participating. Gerry, totally without sight, challenged a media person to don a blindfold and beat him on the putting green. You might guess who was the better player. Gerry won hands down. It was a good demonstration of the abilities of a blind golfer.

I was reminded of all this when I joined our family at our annual day at mini golf. I don’t play the big game myself and find that mini golf is challenging enough. Someone describes the tee for me and I give the ball a little whack to send it on its way. Surprisingly, I do not too badly when the final scores are tallied.

I always feel good after our day at mini golf. Of course I could always step back and say that I can’t see but then I would miss out on all the fun. It doesn’t matter that I’m not an expert and we always go for ice cream afterwards. I definitely don’t need sight to enjoy that.

Players who are blind can enjoy golf recreationally or competitively. Although golf isn’t my chosen sport I do admire others who have taken it up. The 2024 Canadian Blind Golf Tournament is being played from July 6 - 24 in Cranbrook, British Columbia. You can check this out for yourself on the internet.

June 20 - Go Oilers

You might think it strange that a person with little or no sight can have fun watching sports. Perhaps “watching” might be the wrong word, but I am sure that there are many sight challenged viewers who are keeping track of the Edmonton Oilers and their pursuit of this year’s Stanley Cup. As I write this, it’s too early to say what might happen in Game 6, but I will be cheering for the Oilers.

I like to follow my favourite sports on TV. I can’t actually see what is happening on the screen but I can sure hear the commentators. For me, they are the ones who can make or break the enjoyment of a game.  For that matter, I think that I can enjoy games more on the screen as opposed to sitting in the stands at a live game. At a live game, the players are always too far away for me to see and there isn’t a voice describing the action.

I do like to follow the big tennis matches. In addition to the broadcast commentary, I can hear and follow the whack of the racquet on the ball and sometimes I can hear the bounce of the ball on the court. Once when Lyle and I were travelling we watched an Australian Open match on a huge outdoor screen set up in front of the Opera House. Now that was amazing. While I still couldn’t really see the players, we were caught up in the excitement of the other spectators.

For Game 6, in the hockey playoffs, I will sit on our comfortable couch and listen – both to the broadcast team and hopefully to Lyle as he cheers on another Oilers goal.

Go Oilers!

June 11 – Vision Loss Balancing Act

There is a fine line between asserting one’s independence and accepting help when it is needed. It is a balancing act and I must admit that I sometimes fall short of the ideal.

Last weekend, Lyle and I were sharing a picnic lunch with our son and his family. It was hotdogs, smokies, salads and the usual picnic fare. While the others were outside spreading out plates, condiments, drinks and so forth, I was inside heating some beans. When these were ready, and rather than negotiate the five steps to the ground, I called for assistance to carry out the hot pot. Our daughter-in-law came running to help. She noticed that I was also holding a small plate with two hot dog buns and offered to carry them as well.

I should have listened. Instead, I shrugged off her offer and insisted that I would be fine. Famous last words!

Now in our kitchen at home, I am reasonably certain that I know where most things are on the table. There is order to the meal items and less movement around the kitchen. Also, family know my limitations. That day, I wasn’t prepared for the confusion of the outdoor picnic table and benches with people milling about with their wiener sticks.

You will be pleased to know that I did make it down the five steps to the outside but then I tried to place my two little wiener buns on the table. I miscalculated. Instead of finding an empty spot, the plate landed on a full glass of pop. When I tried to recover the glass, I managed to pull on the table cloth. Sticky Pop, and ice cubes went everywhere – on other items on the table and spilling over onto the picnic bench. Our son leapt out of the way as the mess landed where he had been sitting. There was a moment of stunned silence as we all tried to take in what had just happened.

Nobody said anything. What was there to say? We all knew that the accident was just that I couldn’t see what I was doing. I apologized but in my head, I knew that I wasn’t apologizing for being clumsy, but rather that I hadn’t accepted Laura’s initial offer of help.

Just the other day, someone said to me that it wasn’t the big things we struggle with in our journey of vision loss but rather the everyday little things. It is those little things and decisions that sometimes trip me up. When do I need to assert my independence and when do I need to accept or even ask for help. Yes, it is a daily balancing act for sure.

May 31 - Dog Guides

This past Sunday, the Lions Foundation of Canada held their nation wide fund raising walk for dog guides. The walk is held annually on the last Sunday in May. I enjoy taking part in this fund raising event.

This year, the weather wasn’t the greatest. Dark clouds were looming but fortunately for the walkers, the rain held off. I walked with Lyle and two of our friends from the vision loss support group. It was a good chance to chat outside the more formal setting of a meeting.

The Lions Foundation has been instrumental in providing guide dogs free of charge to Canadians with vision and hearing loss, and other health and mobility challenges.  As well as providing the guide dogs, the organization also provides training for the new owners. Once accepted, and there is a waiting list, applicants are flown to Ontario to be matched with their new canine guide.

As with most other aspects of life these days, costs are rising. Fund raising is essential if the program is to continue. The cost of a guide dog from the time the puppy is born to the time the grown dog arrives in the hands of its new owners is approximately $35,000.

There is a picture with this post. I am standing on the right. My friend Irma is in the middle and Shirley is on the left.  We are already making plans to walk again next year on May 25, 2025.

 

Shirley, Irma and Sue

 

May 27 - Last look at Malta

We are home and I have been thinking of what stood out for me during our holiday in Malta. There were so many small experiences and although our time didn’t allow us to do everything, I think that for us it was enough.

Our holiday apartment was in the old section of Valletta and of one thing I am sure. If we had stayed for any longer, I would have opted for a more modern hotel. Our apartment was on the fourth floor and thank goodness there was a miniature elevator because the stairs were pretty much a nightmare. I think that every step was a different height and there was no hand railing. We only had to negotiate six steps but that was enough! The main door of the antiquated building fronted onto a pedestrian only alley way – a bit scary at night! In spite of all this, the location was excellent as it was right in the middle of the city’s historical centre.

That is what I will remember most about Malta...the history!  Fortunately, anthropologists have been able to piece together much of it. For instance, we saw two pottery vases that experts estimate came from around 2,000 BC. In fact, there is some evidence that Maltese culture predates even the Egyptian pyramids.

Politically Malta is also a mix. Conflicts between Islam and Christianity prompted the Construction of Fort Elmo to guard the entrance to the Grand Harbour and the tunnelling of underground escape routes for the early Knights of St. John. In more recent times, these same tunnels were used as bomb shelters during World War Two. In 1989, Malta was chosen as the location for Bush and Gorbachev to sign the treaty to end the Cold War. Malta still stands in a strategic position in modern times as there is dispute around the Suez Canal.

Malta was a fascinating place to visit. It isn’t the easiest place to get around for anyone with mobility issues but we did see three other white cane users while we were in Valletta. One man had an identity cane and the other two were using long mobility canes. We weren’t sure, but Lyle thought that the men might have been passengers from visiting cruise ships.

Now for the pictures. We took the first picture at the main gate into Valletta and looking across to the city wall. The second picture was taken inside Fort Elmo. I am standing in front of a very large anchor from a former sailing ship. The last picture is my favourite. Lyle and I are standing with the waters of the Grand Harbour behind us, with Fort Elmo in the distance. 

 

Sue at the main gate into Valletta

Sue at Fort Elmo in front of large anchors

Sue and Lyle standing in front of the Grand Harbour

 

Thanks to all of you for joining me as I have reminisced about Malta. I hope that you have enjoyed travelling with me.

May 21 - Surprises in Valletta

I think that anyone who likes to travel can tell you that along with that experience, surprises often pop up along the way. Surprises can be good, nasty or perhaps just that ...well, a surprise. We encountered several surprises while we were in Valletta.

One day as we were walking around and admiring the many extraordinarily large and historical buildings, we came to an impressive stairway. The steps were at least several meters wide and the height seemed to go on forever. Numbers of people were wandering up and down and although we couldn’t find mention of this on our map, we decided to investigate.

You will never guess where the steps led. When we reached the top we expected to see a vista from the top of the city wall. We were totally taken aback to see that the structure led...to a parking lot! Yes, nothing historical or of any cultural significance – just a very large parking lot!

We enjoyed exploring around the city.  On another day, we paused by a large square or plaza in front of the Presidential Palace. We stood in the middle of the empty space to identify the surrounding buildings. On our third day past this same spot we noticed that there were partitions set up and what appeared to be moving trucks. We didn’t pay too much attention to what looked like just another construction site. However three days later when we came to the same place, the transformation nearly took our breath away.

The whole area was now a beautiful park with tall trees, hundreds of flowers, and park benches. How could this be! On closer inspection, we could see that the flowers were all in individual pots. Even the trees had their own large pots. It was an amazing display and so different from the stark paving stones of the previous three days. We called it a pop up park!

There are several pictures with this post. In the first picture I am standing at the base of the impressive stairway that led to the parking lot.

Sue a the base of the large stairs

Pictures 2, 3 and 4 are of the park with its miracle transformation. The first is a general view. In the second, I am sitting on one of the park benches and in the final picture Lyle and I are standing together in front of one of the trees.

Park in Valletta

 

Sue sitting on a bench

 

Sue and Lyle in front of some trees

 

 

 

 

May 17 - Mdina, Malta

Mdina was the original capital city of Malta until 1530.  The city is a walled fortress in the north central part of the island.  We spent the afternoon there.  

The entrance to the city was across a drawbridge and through the main gate.  There were quite a few tourists around this area.  We opted to take a horse and carriage tour so that we could get the general lay of the land.  I think for us this was a good choice.  At some points I was surprised that the carriage could actually fit along the very narrow streets.  We saw one man almost get stepped on by the horse and another woman almost got run over by the back wheel of the carriage.  Later, we retraced some of this route on foot, always being careful to listen to the clattering hooves of any horse approaching from behind us.

Of particular interest were the two clocks of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  This church was competed in 1702, replacing a medieval version which had been destroyed by an earthquake.  It is believed that the cathedral was built on the site of the villa belonging to Publius, the Roman governor of Malta who was in charge when St. Paul was shipwrecked on the nearby shores.  However, the clocks were a sign of modern day culture in that they both showed the same time.  In days of old, two clocks on the church face were set at different times in order to confuse the devil as to the presence of the faithful.

We climbed the steps to the top of the city wall which was the lookout at the highest point of the island.  It was too high for me to see anything, but Lyle could see the waters of the Mediterranean in the distance.  

Our horse and carriage tour took us past two of the other gates of the city - the English and the Greek gates.  The island of Malta is a mix of so many different cultures.  The city itself predates Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.  There is so much history wrapped up in this one site.

There are four pictures with this post.

Picture 1 - Sue standing on the drawbridge of the main Mdina gate.

 

 

Picture 2 - Our horse and carriage.

Picture 3 - The two clocks at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

 

Picture 4- Sue on one of the very narrow and steep streets.

May 13 - Aviation Museum Malta

 

The aviation museum in Malta is located north of Valletta.  It is not to be confused with the International Airport. We took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus here and it was a good stop.

The museum is small with three hangars open for viewing.  The third hangar has lots of information about aviation history in World War II.  Lyle was especially interested in the aircraft that were on display, and also in the stories of pilots flying out of Malta during the war.

We enjoyed the quiet surroundings and decided to have our picnic lunch at the small coffee hut.  The cappuccino was quite passable for only one Euro.

There are two pictures with this post.  The first picture shows Lyle in front of a Spitfire, and in the second picture, Sue is sitting at a table outside the coffee hut.

 

 

Lyle in front of the spitfire

 

Sue sitting in front of the coffee hut

May 7 - Malta

Visiting Malta has been on my bucket list for ages, and now we are here!  It was a surprise to me that so many other people must have had the same idea.  There are lots and lots of tourists around and about.

We are staying a little bit off the beaten track.  Although our apartment is clean and reasonably comfortable, the building itself is very, very old.  The steps to our unit on the fourth floor are a nightmare - narrow, uneven, and no handrails.  Fortunately there is a tiny modern lift. The only steps I have needed to negotiate are the ones near the ground floor.  Even those five steps are of uneven heights, and I have needed to be super careful.

These steps are an indication of what we have found all around the city.  Valletta, the capital, is built on a hill.  Roads and alleys go up and down, and steps stairs seem to pop up at random intervals.  I use a cane consistently.

We have been here for four full days so far and have had fun exploring the area.  Some places we have just come across by chance.  For instance, St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral is just up the hill from where we are staying.  It is called a Co-Cathedral as there is no resident bishop. We attended the Sunday Service there, along with a visiting forty-two member Cambridge choir.  The music was great.  After the service, refreshments were served - tea, coffee, juice, cake - and would you believe it, a choice of red or white wine, all serviced outside on the portico.

One of our best experiences was today when we toured a hospital infirmary built in the 1500’s by the Knights of St. John.  This ancient building stretched six levels underground.  The main ward was capable of housing 900 patients, who paid for their stay.  This gave them their own bed and a private toilet.  The ward was huge, well over one hundred metres in length.  The next level down was another ward of the same dimensions where people with no money could receive free care.  However, at this level, there were four patients to a bed and they shared one toilet.  There were no women allowed in the hospital as either patients, staff, or visitors.  All staff were men.  If sick, women stayed at home and were cared for by nuns.

The fifth and sixth levels down were built as escape tunnels for the Knights.  Currently these levels are closed to visitors because of rising sea levels and water is beginning to seep in.  

The tour was part of the Malta Experience, an audiovisual presentation of the history of Malta followed by the walking tour of the ancient infirmary.  One infirmary level is now converted to a reception area, used for weddings and other functions.

There are four pictures with this post:

Picture 1 - Street view near our apartment building.

 

 

Picture 2 - Sue standing beside the baptismal font at St. Paul’s.

 

 

Picture 3 - Sue standing in the low ceiling tunnel at the Infirmary.

 

 

Picture 4 - Lunch outside

 

 

May 1 - Board Games

When I was fully sighted, two of my favourite board games were Scrabble and Chess. These days I can’t see the individual tiles or game pieces and I certainly can’t memorize their position on the game board. I still like to play games but I have needed to adjust my perspective. So, I am learning to enjoy games that utilize team work and audible clues.

This past weekend was a good example of how far I have come with this. Our family was together and our two grandchildren – ages eight and nearly eight – were my partners in several games. Knowing that I was unable to see any print, they were very adept at reading clues, letters and directions for me. Sometimes these needed to be whispered so that the other team couldn’t hear but somehow that just added to the fun of the game. How fortunate am I to have two such supportive little ones in our family. Of course, I know that they are also following the example set by their parents.

It has taken me a while to let go of the very visual games of Scrabble and Chess, but I am learning to enjoy this new game perspective. I am holding to the tenet that it’s never too late to learn new ways of doing things. Certainly, these days we can choose from what seems to be an abundant variety of board games on the retail market.

April 22 – Frustration

I am feeling quite frustrated dealing with officialdom. This past week I discovered that to access my Alberta Health records online, I needed a current driver’s license or an Alberta Identity Card. I had neither of these and so the saga of paper work and online frustration began.

Let me backtrack. When because of my diminished sight I was no longer able to drive, I let my driver’s license lapse. At the time, I knew that I could apply for an official Alberta identity card, but of course there was a cost to this. As I already had several pieces of documentation proving my identity, I tended to see this as just another Government money grab and so I didn’t apply. Until last week, and over the past thirty years, I haven’t encountered any problems with this decision.

Now we come to last week. The only documentation that I could use to access my health records online was the driver’s license or the identity card. There was no allowance made for people who didn’t have either of these. Obviously I still don’t have a driver’s license, so the only option was to apply for the identity card. I gave in at last and arrived at the registry with several pieces of documentation.

The first piece that I produced was my Citizenship Card. This plastic card has my picture and was issued by the Federal Government. I couldn’t believe my ears when I was told that it wasn’t acceptable. I would need a passport.

It’s hard to believe the reason that was given for this official statement - my Citizenship Card didn’t have an expiry date! Well, I would hope not! I am a Canadian citizen and I hope that this status won’t expire until I do myself. As for the passport – well I needed my Citizenship Card in order to apply for this travel document in the first place.

Now for the crazy part. Once I had produced my passport, bank statement with current address, etc. and of course paid my fee, the agent said that now she could update and confirm my information on her computer! What? I was already in the system! What was all this other nonsense? Sure enough, my name, date of birth, phone number and address was all there. Even my height was the same. Unfortunately my weight did need to be updated!

After all of this, I was given a receipt but I still can’t access my health records for another thirty days or so. I must wait for my new little plastic identity card with a code number on the back. This will hopefully arrive in the mail.

I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person and between the two of us, Lyle and I can manage basic technology. However, these days a person needs a PhD to negotiate the ins and outs of all these new rules and regulations. I am still feeling frustrated!

 

 

April 14 - Spring

Just a few days ago we left the snow on the ground in Central Alberta and drove to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.  The drive across the mountains was not pleasant.  When we left the town of Golden, there was heavy rain, burst of hail, and at the summit of Rogers Pass some light snow.  It wasn’t until we turned south on Highway 97 that the clouds began to clear.

A further two hours down the road we came to the town of Peachland.  (Don’t you just love that name!). We got out of the vehicle to stretch our legs long the lake front.  We were already commenting on the green grass when we came to a small tree covered in blossoms.

There is a picture below with me standing in front of the tree.  I thought that the blossoms were a spectacular white but Lyle assured me that they had a pinkish hue.  I do have some trouble in accurately distinguishing  colours so I must take his word for what he sees.

Whatever their colour, the blossoms were a delightful sign that Spring is on the way.

 

Sue in front of a tree with blossoms

 

April 8 - Familiarity

We are home from our holiday. Although we had a wonderful time, it is good to be back around familiar things again. Until we are actually at home, I don’t think I realize just how much I appreciate the ease of not having to adjust to new things all the time.

I love sleeping in my own bed. Like Goldilocks in the Three Bears, my mattress is not too soft, not too hard, but just right. I like being able to turn the handle of my shower to the right temperature for me, and not having to adapt to different knobs and handles to get the right heat setting every time I step under a different water spout.

I know that Lyle likes to be home so that he doesn’t need to do all the cooking! I am fine with my home stove, microwave, etc. but I struggle with ones that aren’t marked with my tactile buttons. I can do the basics when we are away but generally speaking, Lyle needs to take over for most of the cooking.

Last night as I lay in bed, I reflected that I had even been missing familiar sounds. I like the sound of the chiming of our clock in the living room. If I am awake at four in the morning I even like to hear the train whistle as it regularly passes by down the hill at that time. Of course I miss the audible program on my computer. When we are away, we only take Lyle’s i-Pad and I often just dictate whatever emails I need to send. It’s not the same as typing the words and thoughts myself.

Yes, there is much to be said for the familiarity of home, but having said that, I am still looking forward to our next travel adventures.

 

 

April 2 - Canberra

We spent several days in Canberra and I wish that it could have been longer. There is so much to see and do in Australia’s national capital city. Still, Jenny had planned our trip well and we made good use of the time we had available.

A must stop for me was the Australian War Memorial Museum. The building and its records are a great tribute to Australians and their participation in the many conflicts of war. We took a free guided tour and I would highly recommend this. As a visually impaired person I found the tour especially helpful. There are many, many written accounts and Lyle would have been exhausted if he had tried to read them all for me. As it was, our knowledgeable guide chose highlights and I thought it made for a much more informed experience. I was especially interested in the records of World War II as my father was part of the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) in the 1940’s in New Guinea. We had his service number and were able to find 44 pages of information about him.

Another must see on the tourist list would be a tour of the Old Parliament Buildings. These are no longer in use but are open to visitors and once again we took the free guided tour. This was much better than just wandering aimlessly through the various rooms and chambers. As an Australian born myself, I think that I was surprised at how much of the history had evolved during the period of my own lifetime.

Another stop on the tourist list was the Australian Institute of Sports. We took the tour. Unfortunately we had chosen to do this on a Sunday and most of the athletes were on a regular day off so we didn’t see much action. However, the tour of the building site was impressive and it was obvious how much Australians value sports as a part of their lives. We noted the names of a few athletes to watch for in the Paris Olympics.

We had our eight year-old granddaughter with us in Canberra and so some of our time needed to be spent with a focus on childhood activities. One of these was the pod playground at the Arboretum. What a fantastic place for kids! Lexi had a great time on all the equipment and Lyle and I loved the setting. The Arboretum is set in a valley to the north of the city and the views are amazing.

Also to the north of the city is the Walk-In Aviary. This was an enormous amount of fun, although perhaps not recommended if you don’t like birds. When we entered the netted area, the squawking of the lorikeets was almost deafening. The admission included a small plate of cut up apple, and when we held these out the birds landed on our arms and hands to feed. A few of the birds even landed on my head. It was a lot of fun and a chance for me to see the colourful birds close up. I am always grateful when I can “see” wildlife of any form at close range.

There are three pictures with this post. The first two were taken at the aviary with the birds and the last one is of Lyle and me outside at the Arboretum.

 

Sue with lorikeet

Sue feeding a lorikeet

Sue and Lyle at the Arboretum