Reader’s Forum for the Week of July 30, 2012
For your convenience, all Reader’s Forum submissions are separated by the ## symbol.
In response to Feature Writer Ann Chiappetta – Louisville 2012, Bill wrote:
I attended the ACB convention in Louisville and it was an interesting experience. I went to the tour that they had to an outdoor theater on Friday and it was real hot and humid. It was a good thing that the tour took place in the evening, but it was still hot. My dog was real hot and I didn’t know that he would be lying on concrete that was out in the sun all day. The tour guide did not inform us that there was grass a couple of rows down from where I was sitting. It was a Stephen Foster Play so the music was good. I opted out of the farm tour because I didn’t want to put my dog through another hot experience. It was 106 a couple of days that we were there. I did go to the baseball bat tour which was great and informative.
The hotel was large but it took me a couple of days to learn my way around it. I met a college buddy of mine and we had lunch one afternoon. The American Printing House reception was wonderful. We had great food and we met two talking book narrators. All in all it was a good experience.
Bill Meinecke
Virginia Beach, Virginia
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In response to Feature Writer Ann Chiappetta – Louisville 2012, Alice wrote:
I was privileged to attend the ACB conference this year as a vendor. We sold custom Braille jewelry, ID tags, luggage tags, and cane and harness charms in our booth, BrailleDesign.com. It was a wonderful show, allowing us to meet so many of the convention attendees in Louisville. If you were there, you might have noticed me making a lot of noise in the exhibit hall while crafting custom Braille tags for waiting customers. Many dog handlers got new brailled tags for their canine companions, and lots of cane users left with cane charms to dress up and identify their mobility canes. We enjoyed talking to everyone, and look forward to joining you again in Columbus next year. Thanks for the warm welcome!
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In response to Karen Crowder’s articles on Camp Allen, Nancy wrote:
Karen Crowder’s article about Camp Allen brought back a flood of memories. I attended the camp from 1969-1973. Since I attended public school in a small town, I did not have the opportunity to interact with other blind children. Going to camp every summer was a saving grace in what, at times, was a difficult childhood.
I realized that there were other children who struggled with many of the same issues that I did. I am grateful for the experiences I had during camp. They gave me confidence, helped me to learn new skills, and taught me the value of friendships. Since I was partially sighted, I was not taught Braille in the public school system. Due to wanting to correspond with my camp friends, a private tutor was found for me.
Now that I have lost a considerable amount of vision, and can no longer read print, those Braille skills taught so long ago are invaluable. Amazingly enough, so many years later, I still keep in touch with a few friends from those fabulous summer days.
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In response to last week’s Letter from the Editor, Jim wrote:
When the lead story this past weekend was constant repetition about the Colorado shootings, I turned off the news. I needed a vacation from it.
Perhaps the best antidote to dealing with the news is turning off the television, and giving our brains a rest. Most of the news today is murder, mayhem, calamity, bloodshed, pain and doom. Enough exposure to the bad stuff, and you destroy optimism and hope. Sometimes the best thing we can do about bad news is to take a vacation from it.
I would like to have seen the media give the relatives of the victims some private time to grieve. That did not happen. The shooter got his hours of fame, four days including his Monday appearance in court.
We cannot control what the crazies in this world do. However, we can control how much nonsense we allow ourselves to watch.
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In response to last week’s Letter from the Editor, Allison wrote:
I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated your Editor’s column in this week’s Ziegler. The way the press is handling the Colorado shooting is disgraceful. It’s all about ratings and getting the next big story.
Exploiting the victims’ families and giving all the attention they have to the shooter is more than my husband and I can stomach. We’ve always watched the news, but not this week.
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Replying to comments regarding independent living, Rita wrote:
I want to thank everyone for their suggestions on how to live independently. They were very helpful. My husband is getting better now, and he is home from the hospital.
I am now taking care of him by cooking meals, running errands, and many household duties that every house wife does.
Since he was in the hospital, I learned and experienced many things such as cooking foods that come in microwave bags. The meals are quite tasty. I’ve also gone to the bank and have the bank attendant write some checks for me.
My husband also brought me the pen friend, and I have learned how to use it. The pen friend is a pen that labels and records in your own voice things such can goods, frozen things, CD’S DVD’S and many things that you can imagine.
I’ve learned my lesson by continuing to be independent and self-sufficient. Whether you live alone or not, being self-sufficient is important to learn in all walks of life.
The pen friend is sold in Maxie aides and independent living aides, and also through amazon.com.
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Sally wrote in to say:
I would like to ask the readers if they do any crafts, and if so, what kind? I’ve only been blind for ten years and used to do a lot of crafts. I used to do a lot of plastic canvass crafts and thought I’d still be able to do it, but find it too hard. I’d like to know if anyone has had any success with crocheting? Before I went blind, I could crochet a simple chain but that was it. Also, does anyone do macramé?
I’d also like to learn an instrument. I’d like to know readers opinions on how easy or hard it is. I’d like to play the piano which I know a little bit, or the harmonica. Is playing a harmonica hard?
One final thing; I need to get a new stove/oven. Is it better for a blind person to have gas or electric? What about the stoves that have a smooth surface? I currently have a gas stove which I can convert to electric. I sometimes have problems setting pots or pans on the burners evenly.
Any thoughts would be appreciated,
Sally F. Ross