Natural Health

The Government Red Tape Goes On and On and On………

Over the past few weeks, I have been keeping you up-to-date about getting my new walker. In my last report, I was hoping that we were in Phase 3 and would be getting my walker within a week or two.  Unfortunately, we are still in stasis, caught forever, or so it seems, in a sea of government red tape.

Natural Health

Learning To Label Part I

Consider yourself fortunate that you can look at your clothes and pick out the one you want and that you can open the freezer door or refrigerator door and pick out the food you want. These are such visual things, and when one is blind, like me, you must find other ways to distinguish item; that’s why labeling has become one of the most important words in my vocabulary.

Natural Health

Summer School Sucks

Have you ever had to go to summer school? If you have, you know what it’s like. If you haven’t, believe me, you don’t want to find out.

While all my friends are going to summer camp, going on vacations, going to the beach and picnicking, I’m stuck here in the house trying to finish my lessons. Since I started homeschooling mid-year, in order to get full credits I have to finish during the summer instead of getting out of school at the end of May or the first of June like most of my friends. It really SUCKS!

Natural Health

Learning Without Sight Part IV: Signing Your Name

I’m sure that when you sign your name, you do it without even thinking about it. It is just a normal activity; signing forms, checks, etc. But for those without vision, such as me, it is much more difficult. Many visually impaired simply sign with an X and have a witness, but I want to be able to sign my name. I know it will take training, practice and most of all patience (something I’m a bit short on).

Natural Health

Cure for Cabin Fever

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to send along their suggestions for my mom’s birthday. I ended up getting her an edible arrangement. I ordered the one with pineapple, oranges, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew and strawberries. I’m not sure what makes it so good, maybe it’s all the fruit mixing together, but whatever it is…..yum! Mom didn’t even mind picking it up for herself.

Natural Health

Enjoying TV, Movies and Plays without Sight

When I mention having ‘watched’ a movie at home or having gone to a movie or a show at the theatre, I am frequently asked why I bother if I can’t see what is happening. I suppose it would seem pointless to spend the money to go to the movies or the theatre for some, but I enjoy doing many of the same things others like to do, I just have to find ways to adapt.

Natural Health

Special Occasions

First of all, Mom’s birthday is coming up. Years ago, Mom said that her birthday was “just another day”. I think she said that so I wouldn’t feel bad about not being able to get out and get her anything. Before Granny passed away, she used to send Mom a card, as if it was from me, with money in it. Mom always played along!

Natural Health

Finding Time for Independence Training

As I begin my independence training, the things I am focusing most on is ADL or adult daily living skills such as cooking, laundry, and house-cleaning. I was given a great deal of advice concerning this particular issue by my local National Federation for the Blind (NFB) chapter. The most prevalent piece of advice was to designate a particular time each day devoted solely to a lesson having to do with ADL skills. Theoretically, it’s a wonderful idea, but practically it is completely impossible.

Natural Health

Report from the Eye Doctor

I finally made it to the follow-up with my eye doctor. To recap, I was having excruciating headaches, much like migraines, and sharp pain in and behind my eyes. When I initially visited Dr. Morrison, he told me it was likely caused by my eye pressure, which was very high, combined with the deteriorating condition of my eye tissue. He started me on a regimen of eye drops, 3 different medications equaling 7 drops in each eye every day! Whew, I have been having a time working them all in.

Natural Health

Shopping Part II: Shopping for Clothes

My mom has always done my clothes shopping for me, so I never really worried about it. She knew what colors I liked, what size to buy and it seemed that everything she bought always fit and looked nice. But as I began to think about how I was going to get clothes for myself when I became independent, I came up with a blank. I know that there are personal shopping services that will buy things for people, but I wasn’t sure how it all worked.  And what if there wasn’t a personal shopping service where I lived?