Cherished Christmas memories: Remembering the Weall and Cullen barn

Such wonderful memories for me and especially so at Christmas time when this landmark building would be lit up with all kinds of Christmas lights!  They lit up the building outdoors and I could see it as we approached.

Then, when we entered, there it was!  A fairyland of figures, decorations, lights, churches, nativity scenes, and boundless creations to satisfy anyone's imagination!

For me, my imagination simply came alive and for those very few special magical moments I allowed myself to drift into dreamland where I would become a kid once more and dream to my heart's content.  Oh, how I enjoyed these visits and for the most part I would simply ignore everything around me and enter my little world where I did whatever I wanted.

Those were special days but not so long ago.  This wonderful historical landmark is now no longer around but still I keep on dreaming. Memories forever.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Such sobering memories: Remembering the lagoons

Each lagoon was an individually very special one to me.  Each had its own very special memory because each had something that was different from the other.  Many would say that all lagoons are the same but it was not so for me.

There was the one in Toco, a huge one with water that was always flowing so silently and oh so easily.  We used to build boats out of palm leaves and then float them down the current of the lagoon.  We used to splash around and our dog, Yella, used to join us, barking so happily as she played with us.

I remember that there were fishes living in the lagoon and my brothers would go fishing, often catching a fish or two.  Sometimes we would see crabs running around at the mouth of the lagoon and then we would take time to watch the lagoon empty its water right into the sea.  This lagoon was surrounded by trees that bore luscious sea grapes and almonds.

Then there was the small lagoon in Mayaro.  One that had a bridge across it where I would often sit and listen to my radio and enjoy the fresh sea air. My cousins and brothers would go fishing in it and sometimes have palm leaf boat races but the water was not deep enough for swimming.  Yet the crabs seemed to enjoy playing in it.  This lagoon was right outside of our beach house.  This little lagoon was more open and not many trees surrounded it.

Finally, there was the larger lagoon which was about a quarter mile up the beach from us.  This one was deeper than the other one and there were many fishes in it.  I loved this one because of its peaceful ambiance.  It did not seem to empty its waters into the sea but somehow its waters did flow somewhere.  Coconut trees surrounded it thus making it a very private little getaway.

Those were my lagoons and memories of them shall forever be in my memory bank.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Granny and us: Remembering the seaside shops

These were quaint little shops with such friendly shopkeepers who were always there to serve their customers and then go out of their way to be of help.

In those days I could not see them as they stood in front of me but I sure remember their voices. When they realized that I was blind then here is where they became such wonderful folks to me.

I was just a wee one then but that was okay.  Granny always took me with her to these shops and my cousins came along and of course the dogs followed us all the way along the beach.

Sometimes along the way they got in minor fights with other dogs but Granny was always there to get them out of trouble. Granny would walk quickly, beckoning us to follow.  My cousins always guided me along and as we walked, arm in arm, we would chat, laugh, and steal a few moments every now and then to stop and walk in and out of the breaking waves.

The water was almost warm and the waves were not very large as they rolled ashore.  The air was always fresh and the sun was a glorious one.

When we reached the shop the dogs would accompany us inside and wait.While Granny did her shopping we kids would look around and wait patiently. Then we would walk back home with Granny leading the way and us kids just dying to get home and then get ready to go swimming.

Those wonderful memories, so long ago but still so very fresh in my mind and in the days when my vision was just so limited.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit 
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Lingering childhood memories: Remembering the beach houses

These memories shall forever stay with me.  As a child I had the privilege of spending so many joyous holidays in beach houses that were so warm, welcoming and filled with terrific memories.  I can tell you that these houses were always filled with shouts of glee!  Laughter and shrieks!  Noisy kids running to and fro and exciting games being played inside and outside of the houses.

Even our dogs got into it; barking with delight, chasing each other, and running with and after us! Then there were the beaches and the ultimate prize!  The warm waters of beautiful oceans filled with waves of all sizes.

Oh, yes!  Those sunny days filled with cloudless blue skies!  Sandy beaches where we built castles and dug sand pools and made them in so many different shapes!  Fishing in the lagoons and walking in their warm waters.

Racing with the dogs on the beach and us kids simply swimming freely in the sea with Dad watching over us all!

Oh, how I wish those days could somehow return, but alas!  They are gone forever but not my memories!  Beach houses in Toco and Mayaro!  Pictures that shall fill my mind forever and I did it all with precious little vision!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Those days are forever: Remembering the swimming pool at school

Oh, what a lovely childhood memory!  Those happy-go-lucky days when I would frolic in our school's swimming pool with my school friends.  Mrs. Mondey would be supervising from the side and she made very sure that we did not go too far into the deep end.

I was probably one of the best swimmers so she did not mind me skipping into the deep end from time to time.  I still remember those warm sunny days when we would be allowed to go swimming.

It was always in the afternoon when the sun was at its hottest.  I would step into the pool using the steps and from there I would walk around, first looking up at the lovely blue sky and then looking down to see the sun playing on the water of the pool.

I would swim with my friends and we would laugh, yell, and sing out, all with pure delight.  Those were such happy days!  When there were no cares in the world for me.  So innocent as my thoughts were almost always filled with hopes and dreams and imaginations of growing up to go off and create all kinds of toys and things to help others.

These are such perfect memories and nothing or no one could ever take them away from me.  Oh no!  They are mine forever.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Happy days! Remembering the seaside churches

The thing about these memories is that these were churches that practically stood at the edge of beaches.  They were all so very quaint and very special to me.

They were small churches filled with congregations that knew all of the prayers.  They knew all of the hymns and they were such friendly and faithful folks.

We, as a family, always sat closer to the middle of the church and we always sat together.  I sang along with the congregation and prayed as hard as they did.  I dutifully went with Mom to receive Holy Communion and I always felt that I had to do the best that I could when attending mass.

I could not see those around me but I was always comforted by their warmth and their welcoming manner.  I knew that more often than not they would probably give me more than a glance when they realized that I was vision-impaired but that was just fine with me.  It did not matter to me because I
had other priorities, like praying as hard as I could.

This was my childhood memory of those wonderful seaside churches, forever imprinted on my mind.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit 
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Such happy memories: Remembering the Starlight Drive-In

This was always a treat for me, whenever my parents took us kids and Granny to the Starlight Drive-In.  These were regular Sunday events and Mom and Granny would provide such sumptuous sandwiches and drinks for us.

Then off to the Starlight we would go and Dad would park the car in a good spot so that everyone could see and hear the movie.  Of course, I could not see enough in those days to know what was happening on the screen but with Mom and Dad as describers, I could not want for more.

Most times I sat between my parents in the front seat and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Sometimes I fell asleep and sometimes I allowed myself to enjoy the fresh air that wafted in through the windows of the family's car, as the Starlight was an open air drive-in.

Truth be told, I loved to enjoy the smells of food around me coming from other parked cars, the fragrant perfumes and colognes of those sitting in those cars, and oh yes!  Listening to the crickets in the night.

Such wonderful memories forever.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

It helps me to relax: Cooking is for me

Being vision-impaired does not hinder me from taking advantage of the joys of cooking.  Yes!  It is one of my favorite pastimes and I have my very own way of working in the kitchen.

Everything has a method to it.  Pot handles are placed in a certain position.
I go to great lengths to position pots on my stove.
I organize my counter space in ways that I know where everything is and I can reach whatever I am looking for in quick time.
My microwave is a talking one.
My toaster oven is easy for me to navigate, though it is not one that has been adapted for vision- impaired persons.
The shelves in my cupboards and cabinets are organized in a certain way so as to help me find what I seek.
In short, everything in my kitchen has its place.

I love experimenting and I grab recipes from the Internet or from my wonderful resource, a wonderful lady who calls herself Mama Peach!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

One of my favorite passions: Dinner mystery evenings are for me

In 2010 I started off writing and producing my own audio mysteries and this quickly grew into other things.  Today I not only write and produce my own audio mysteries, I sell them, broadcast them across the Internet, and now I have expanded my business to include dinner mystery evenings.

I have adapted these events to include full audience participation where I write mysteries that are, for the most part, fictional satire.  The audience has their say as to who they believe did it and even a jury is chosen from the audience.

I love it all and so far so good.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit 
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

All in a day's work: Dealing with multiple conversations at the same time

I don't think that this would be any different for anyone, but for me it is a challenge.  Especially so when, as someone who is vision-impaired, my sense of hearing is taxed to the maximum in order to keep up with everything all at once.

I am not sure how a sighted person would do it but I do remember when I had enough functional vision, I used to find ways to use both vision and hearing at the same time in order to keep up.

Sometimes I have to chuckle to myself as I struggle to keep up but I do not really mention this to many people.  It is my little secret and one that I'll keep hidden.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan