EYE SIGHT

          I have a friend who has very limited vision caused by glaucoma. At 93 he is able to get around in a walker. In fact, he goes to a store about two blocks away. I worry about that one as he has to cross a major street at some lights. He lives in  senior complex with meals provided. He likes more fruit than they serve so that is why he makes the trip to the store. Now to get an idea of his vision, he likes strawberries. He found some strawberries and they were a good price. When he got home he discovered that he had bought tomatoes rather than strawberries.

         He has been seeing a specialist for years about his glaucoma.

         Recently he has found some technology that will help him use the vision he has left. Apparently Apple has developed a number of devices which work with improving the vision you have. He reads best with a green background and yellow print. He can put his reading material under a scanner and is able to read it. He likes this device as he can read his letters. He will go back to this business to try other devices.

      So it's good that some high tech devices have been developed for the  visually impaired. He also has an appointment with CNIB. When my Dad visited CNIB around 2000, the only thing he got was a white cane. Dad was a little disgusted with the limited help.

      Some bloggers I follow, have some visual problems and I hope that they have discovered devices to enhance what vision they have.

DON'T TRY THIS TRICK

            I am in the category known as very aged. So some of us have some common characteristics or you might say disabilities.. 

We have become very forgetful. We misplace things and can't find them. We don't know where we put things.. We do not interpret accurately. We get lost. So in general we have some disabilities.

          I know that I have some disabilities. The disabilities don't really bother me but they do bother other people. Some of these disabilities an cause serious problems.

          I make the breakfast around here. We each have a different breakfast. So I set the table. I'm not supposed to forget plates! Materials have to be made available. The Micro Manager  has cold cereal. I always have hot cereal. I make the coffee. So there are a number of steps that have to be done but it's not rocket science.

        How could anything go wrong? Well it did. Strange things can happen when you forget one thing.

        I forgot to set the coffee pot in the coffee maker. In fact ,  I didn't notice this omission for quite some time. I didn't notice it until the basket was overflowing. Then I noticed the coffee pot sitting on the counter.

       Well the coffee maker doesn't stop on a dime. So coffee  and coffee grounds began running out of the coffee maker on to the counter and floor . So in a few seconds you have a huge mess. Such a big mess that you feel like running away and hiding,

      So needless to say there was no coffee. Other things were also on hold.

      And I was  upset with myself and don't ask me about the micro manager's tantrum.

      So I would strongly suggest that you always put the coffee pot in the coffee  maker.  I'm warning you, don't try this trick.

BLOGGER DISAPPEARED

                I suffered  some distress this morning.  I usually read a dozen or so blogs right after breakfast. I took a quick look  and all he stuff seemed to be from yesterday so I went on to other sites. I checked email. I checked MSN. I looked   for the results of our Monday election. That hadn't been posted yet.

               So I went back to  blogger. Blogger still looked silly. I began to worry that my shiny new laptop was faulty.

              I restarted my computer. No improvement. I thought  well let's wait, It was still the  same with yesterday's posts. After a while I began to think that this was a blogger problem. So sometime later blogger appeared with the up to date material.

               So, did anybody else have the same experience with blogger today? 

LAPTOP

        As I have reminded you before, that I have a new laptop. It's not always cooperative. I had to get my friend to help set it  up when it got stubborn and wouldn't do anything.

       Windows 11 is new to me and so is the laptop. So working with these two new situations and then finding my way back to previous settings has been a problem.

      One thing that wouldn't come back, even with swearing, was my library account. I worked on it  for  about half an hour one night. Today I went to the library and they offered a time for me to work with them.

     I came home and tried it again and up came my library account! I wasn't even swearing!

     Now I wanted to get an ebook so that was my next problem. So I got my book and shut down for supper. I went to get my book after supper and couldn't find it and suddenly thought email. And there was my book on email. 

     So I learned quite a few things today that I have been puzzling my puzzler on.

A COMING BIRTHDAY

       My birthday is coming up in a few days.   I'll be 85. Whoops, I'll be 86 . Yes, I'm sure I'll be 86. Doesn't that just sound like an old guy to get ages mixed up?

      I'm one of those people who feel very fortunate at this age, to have good health relatively speaking. Yes, I have a balance problem but I can live with that. I do have a carotid artery that has some blockage. 

      I do much walking in the 4 to 5 km range. Walking really depends on frequency. Sometimes weather and other activities prevent walking.

    The birthday numbers at this age are getting big. The number has greater significance. Thinking back gives 2 options. Age18 seems like yesterday or age 18 seems like a long time ago. I guess it depends how  I feel on any given day.

    Looking forward, I know that the numbers are getting smaller. I'm not one to do some calculations and say my ancestors lived to be this amount.  It's an influence but how much I'm not sure.

    I will take each day and enjoy my activities and friends and relations.

    As I've said I have enjoyed good health in my life.

IT HAD TO HAPPEN

       Well, what had to happen? Well snow of course. 

        So snow was forecast. Around 9:00 PM there was wind and the air was full of snow. It snows for about 20 minutes and it was over.  

         Today it was plus1 with a nasty wind.

         It was not pleasant.

         Now this is my first post on the lap top, so there are some things I don't have set up because I don't know how. I will find a  solution.

FIRE

       This is one of the very large statues honoring the fire fighters in the community.

        The building began as an armory during WW I. Then it was turned into a firehall for the community. As you can see it was in the days of horses pulling the fire engine. The horses were always excited and hard to harness and eager to go. This statue certainly shows the excitement. 

        The statue is in front of the library as when the new firehall was built this firehall  was not needed. The firehall was next to the library They connected the library and firehall to make a very good library.

        I find myself looking at this statue as well as other people observing it. Kids like to play on it. 

THE AIR WAS BLUE

          "Why is the air blue?" you say.

        " I've been swearing," I replied.

          "What are you swearing about?' he asked.

          Well, I haven't been swearing very much it's just that I got a new laptop and it's a bit different than my old tower.

           My old tower was 9 1/2 years old so it wouldn't take windows 11.

          So I decided to buy a new computer. I was going to set everything up when a little problem popped up. I came to a page and it was stuck. There was nothing there that I could click to move. This was most stressful as I should have been able to set up a laptop. So I called my friend Todd who came to my recue and set the whole thing up.

        Well, I still had a couple of problems. I had to work with windows 11 and I had to use Microsoft Edge. Todd left and I struggled. I had a screen of some kind to operate the mouse. It didn't work for me.

      I phoned Todd the next night and he came over in 15 - 20 minutes with a new mouse. He said the other system drove people crazy. I believe him. I started working with the mouse and I soon found my way around a new laptop, Edge and windows 11. 

    Well, I really didn't swear too much and the air didn't turn blue. 

IRISH TWINS

      Well happy birthday to my brother! The Irish twins are the  same number in age again for the 85th time.  My  brother was born two weeks before I turned one. 

     I often think of my mother and how she coped with a new born and a one year old. She had no conveniences. She did not have a washing machine. Imagine washing all those diapers by hand. There was no running water. In the winter they melted snow. 

    However, we survived. this photo was three years ago.

SUMMER IS OVER

        We got a killing frost last night. The temperature went down to minus 8C last night and stayed below zero for about 5 hours. 

To me, summer is officially over when the first killing frost occurs. What's a killing frost? It's a frost that is severe enough that stops the activities in the plant. The plant is officially dead.

      Now all that's left to do is cut down the perennials and throw out the annuals. I usually dig up the soil so that it is ready for next year.

      It's a sad time for me when I stop watering and doing all the things you do to look after plants. 

    I did  couple of oopsys last night. You have to make sure that all materials that will freeze are put away. I put all liquid chemicals in the house two weeks ago. Some how I forgot to empty the watering can and a small pitcher for watering plants. However, I got lucky and the frost did not damage the containers. 

    So I'm now ready if a severe frost occurs again or if it snows. 

WAITING FOR GORDON

      Before our city had a city bus service , a young couple set up a small bus service. They had routes in town and also served local towns. 

      The wife ran a combination bus station,  and waiting room. At times the schedule of the one bus they had was not always punctual. Apparently the wife would be on the street looking to see if her husband , Gordon was coming. 

      They were a hard working and likeable couple who provided a needed service. 

       The city built a large bus depot and put Hazel's statue in front of the new bus depot.