It's the new norm: Self isolation for me

I know that for many of my vision-impaired colleagues self isolation is more than a challenge, but for me it is somewhat of a mixed bag. For whereas I don't mind working from home, as I have been doing this now for several years, it means that like the rest of the world, face-to-face socializing has become less frequent and has been replaced by virtual interaction.

Thanks to my good friend, Stephanie, I can still do my weekly errands and we make it once weekly. Sandra is a wonderful neighbour and helps me with reading my mail and whatever else I need her to do when I need sighted assistance.  My highlight of the week is my Monday phone call with my dear friend Gabriella.

This wonderful person and friend shares her activities with me. She describes all kinds of outdoor activities around her: what mother nature is up to, descriptions of flowers, plants, and squirrels, raccoons, and bunnies.

Thanks to Gabriella's descriptions of her walks, on Facebook, I can visualize the outdoors and sometimes she describes certain products to me on the Internet.

So you see, my self isolation is bearable and I won't complain except to yearn to see my mom and my family. However, and thanks to my sister in law, Gayle, I have the luxury of doing Facetime sessions and Mom can see me.

I also do Facetime sessions with my auntie Angie in England every few weeks and this sure helps.

So, bundle all of this with those almost daily Zoom meetings and all is okay.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Thought for today: What does social distancing mean to me

At the best of times this becomes a real challenge for me as a vision-impaired person. I need to find ways to ensure that I am doing it the right way. I need to make sure that I know where people are. I need to make sure that I am not too close to anyone. I need to pay more attention so that I can hear what's going on.

Then, when I need to wear a mask while social distancing, this is when things could become a bit dicey and even a bit scary. For instance, I need to make sure that people can hear me well enough because of the mask and that I can speak loudly enough for them to hear me.

Remember now, because of social distancing I cannot touch anyone and they are unable to touch me. More challenges to take into account.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A mild panic attack: When my keys went missing

These days, given all the things that one needs to remember when taking safety precautions because of Covid-19, it is no surprise that from time to time I'll forget or misplace something or the other. This is exactly what happened over a month ago.

I had gone to take my garbage out and had just returned to my condo. I have developed a process whereby as soon as I re-enter my condo I place my slippers on my door mat, wash my hands and keys with soap and water, and then I wipe my door handle, locks, and slippers with sanitized Wet Ones.

On this particular day, I followed my process but a few minutes after I had finished I discovered that I had misplaced my keys. At first I began to panic but then logic took over and I started to back track my movements. Lucky for me this worked because within minutes I found my keys. They were sitting on a paper towel on my counter, drying off.

I am always extra careful to ensure that I keep a close eye on my keys because if for some reason I lose them, I am in deep trouble. I am even more careful when I go to take out my garbage. I hang on to them very tightly and I make sure that when I go to throw my garbage down the chute, my keys are far away from the chute.

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 http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

An important message from Donna Jodhan

As part of my contribution to promote positive power, I will be posting positive messages to my personal Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan

and invite visitors to check out my online store at www.donnajodhan.com

along with my subscription libraries.

As I write my promote positive power for today, I would really like to appeal to those who continue to struggle to fully understand that it is so very important for us to concentrate on the 'all for one and one for all' strategy.

Please! Let us remember that this is what our World War kids did in order to save our lives and boy did they ever succeed!

So each time we complain about having to wear masks in public or having to self isolate and give up parties and socializing, we are not being asked to risk our lives on the battlefield! Our self sacrifice pales in comparison to theirs!

Let's go out there and show them that we can also make a difference!

Time to remember this quote: "Ask not what your country can do for you! Ask what you can do for your country!" John F. Kennedy

My subscription libraries contain very valuable tips on home and garden along with yummy recipes for the culinary enthusiast! I want to help make your at-home isolation experience as pleasant as possible.

Thank you and stay safe.

Patience and persistence: The continuing fight with my cable box

One thing is for sure, I definitely intend to win this fight, come what may.

This fight has been going on for several years now and I don't think that it will ever end. No, for as long as I am unable to communicate with my cable box independently, this fight will continue.

There are days when I do get the better of my cable box; days when I am able to figure out how to reinitialize it and to get it working but then there are those moments when, as I put it, my beloved cable box refuses to cooperate with me.

I will admit that the good days are starting to outnumber the bad days so this is goodness. The main challenge for me is that I need to use my logic to overcome my lack of vision because I am unable to take advantage of visual cues. Hence, my dependence on audio cues from my television.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Without any warning: When the instructions fell

Of course, when they fell they did not make a sound. They simply fluttered to the floor and waited there for me to discover that they had fallen. And how did I discover that the instructions were on the floor?

Well, first I stepped on something that felt like paper and when I realized what they were, I concluded that they were instructions and then I had to retrace my steps to figure out where they had come from. Luckily for me my memory came to the rescue and I remembered that I had been working with a new kitchen aid that I had recently purchased. All's well that ends well.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A lingering challenge: Working with old technology

I can honestly say that working with old technology can be very challenging at the best of times.  For me, there is a very simple reason as to why I continue to work with technology that is a bit outdated.

My main reasons are that I am financially disabled right now and I need to get my ducks in a row before going the path of updating to more up-to-date technology. As a matter of fact, my workplace consists of a mixed bag.

I have updated technology that interacts with outdated technology so for me the trick is to have them all communicate with each other and to make the playing field as equal as I can.

For the most part I am blessed that outdated and updated technologies do get along but the challenges arise whenever external websites and social media decide to update. What to do?

I just need to carry on and to ensure that I can cope, do my best to replace outdated with updated as quickly as I can, and to ensure that I have ready help to assist whenever I get into difficulty. Most of all, to use large doses of patience and persistence to help me cope.

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 http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

An important message from Donna Jodhan

As part of my contribution to promote positive power, I will be posting positive messages to my personal Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan

and invite visitors to check out my online store at www.donnajodhan.com

along with my subscription libraries.

Hi there everyone, and another day for me to promote my positive power!

Well! See now! I think that congrats are in order for us all! We have made it this far and if we keep it up we'll soon be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Let's just concentrate on remembering that it's all about all for one and one for all!

I'd like to share the following quote with you!

"We are all in this together. Nobody has it easy; we all have issues. When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed them and forced them to grow. Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours. You will never know exactly what they are going through, and they will never know exactly what you are going through. We are all fighting our own unique war but we are fighting through it simultaneously, together."  Spencer Chapman

My subscription libraries contain very valuable tips on home and garden along with yummy recipes for the culinary enthusiast! I want to help make your at-home isolation experience as pleasant as possible.

Thank you and stay safe.

Not that difficult for me: Adjusting to a changed workplace

The Covid-19 pandemic has definitely been responsible for a very new type of workplace. That is, more folks are now working from home.

For me, it is nothing really new but what has changed is that because more folks are now working from home, it means fewer face to face meetings and more teleconferences.

Believe it or not, responses to requests are a bit slower in coming and call to action appears to be a bit more sluggish, at best. I guess that many are adjusting to this new type of workplace.

This probably means that more folks are being challenged to stay on track and on their work schedule while at the same time they are being challenged to resist the call from the fridge and snack jars.

These are changing times but at the end of the day, not much different for me.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

One step at a time: Negotiating my mailbox

After the post office changed how it delivers parcels to us, I had to make a slight adjustment and now this is how it works.

If we receive a huge parcel that is unable to fit into our regular mailbox, it is placed into a larger community mailbox which is located at the back of the regular boxes. The mail person leaves a key in our regular mailbox and it has a tag that has both Braille and large print written on it.

The Braille is easy to read and so, too, is the large print because it is raised. So, all I need to do is to be able to find where the larger boxes are. Thanks to the post office and their initiative, this too is easy as the labels on the larger boxes are extremely easy to read. Very pleasing for me.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A moment of patience: Trying to fix my Rosary

Not too long ago, as I was changing the sheets on my bed, I discovered that my Rosary which I always keep under my pillow had broken. That is, it had come unhooked and I was extremely unhappy.

This Rosary was very special to me as my mom had given it to me after my dad had passed on and I had guarded it with my life as it meant the world to me.

After several tries to re-hook it, I gave up. But before this, something else had happened. My precious Rosary had gone missing when I was changing my sheets and I spent several minutes searching for it. I had become very anxious and had even started to cry as I searched because I felt that without it I would not be protected.

I tried to be logical in my quest for my precious Rosary and when, at last, I found it, I kissed it. This is when I discovered that it had become unhooked.

I had first asked my friend Sue to help me and she did. But after it had, again, become unhooked it was my neighbour Sandra who helped me to permanently hook it again.

My precious Rosary is now back under my pillow where it belongs!

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 http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

An important message from Donna Jodhan

As part of my contribution to promote positive power, I will be posting positive messages to my personal Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan

and invite visitors to check out my online store at www.donnajodhan.com

along with my subscription libraries.

Today, as I write this, I am very sure that you would agree that one sure way

for us to be able to find our way safe and sound out of this present

situation is for us to remain positive and to do everything that we can to

encourage those around us to do the same!

Slowly but surely we are getting there and I'd like to share this quote with

you.

"You must tell yourself, 'No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets, I'm

going to make it.'"  Les Brown

My subscription libraries contain very valuable tips on home and garden along with yummy recipes for the culinary enthusiast! I want to help make your at-home isolation experience as pleasant as possible.

Thank you and stay safe.

An old adventure revisited: Setting up my new computer

In late 2019 I decided to take the plunge to get a new computer.  My present computer is still working like a charm but now it is time for me to get new technology.  So, after discussing my requirements with my super technician, Shane, he purchased the new computer on my behalf and then we began the tedious chore of setting it up.

There are so many moving parts to take care of, to ensure that all of the relevant pieces of software are moved over to the new computer. Ranging from installing dropbox, free rip, all of my special programs, and screen reader software. But most of all, to ensure that the present environment on my old desktop is duplicated on my new computer.

Shane and I will need to work for a bit to make sure that it is well done. Most of all, to test and ensure that everything is good.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Not a very happy moment: When the speakers went silent

Not a very nice experience for me, especially when I had no voice output to guide me to fix it. So, I had to call my neighbour Sandra to rescue me.

I am not very sure why this happened but suffice it to say that Sandra had to fix it by going to the speakers output panel and the rest was history.

I use speakers to channel voice output on my computer. I guess that I could have used my headphones to help me solve the problem but I never even thought of this. Besides, I may not have quite known what to do.

In future, I'll be a lot more careful when handling my speakers.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A terrifying moment! Falling in the elevator

At the best of times, falling in the elevator is not a very nice experience. But for someone with a vision impairment, it is probably quite a bit more challenging and scary.

In early March 2020, this is what happened to me. I had just come in from running errands and had first gone to my mail box to collect my mail. Then I went to the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator came and I entered. Then the horror show began.

My mail slipped out of my hands and I had to go searching on the floor of the elevator to find it. I could only use one hand as I had my cane in my other hand.  By the time the elevator had stopped at my floor, I had just found my mail and as I went to exit the elevator, I fell.

I was jammed between the door of the elevator and lying flat on my back. The door was heavy and difficult for me to push away from myself. Thank God that I did not panic.

I knew that no one could really hear me so I decided to be methodical. First, I jammed my sturdy cane between my body and the door. Next I rose slowly with my mail in hand and then the rest went in my favour.

I exited the elevator with a bruised temple and a painful headache but all ended well.

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 http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

An important message from Donna Jodhan

As part of my contribution to promote positive power, I will be posting positive messages to my personal Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan

and invite visitors to check out my online store at www.donnajodhan.com

along with my subscription libraries.

Hi, everyone. It’s a new day and as I continue to promote my positive power, I think that we need to congratulate ourselves on a job well done! So many of us continue to work together to make the best of everything during these very troubling times. We know that the new normal is going to be very different for us but we need to look ahead and not look back!

So, let's just do this and I'd like to share the following quote with you. "It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have." Drew Barrymore

My subscription libraries contain very valuable tips on home and garden along with yummy recipes for the culinary enthusiast! I want to help make your at-home isolation experience as pleasant as possible.

Thank you and stay safe.

A fear of the unknown: Facing the Corona virus

Like so many others, I am not going to be alone when facing this virus! We are all in this together and I know that at least for the next few weeks, or even months, I am going to be staying in with probably a weekly trip to get my errands done.

I'll try not to listen to the news too often. I'll do my best to stay mentally on track, to make a daily schedule and stick to it. To reach out to my family and friends and most of all to check in with my mom as often as I can.

Am I scared? Naturally so but with God on my side I'll be just fine. I'll pray hard each time I feel sad or down. I will think positive thoughts each time my mind starts to wander down the wrong path or in the wrong direction and I'll look forward to that sunny day when can I see my mom and family again.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

I am so excited: My new pottery studio

I am so very pleased to have discovered my new pottery studio! A warm and welcoming place for me to use my imagination to its fullest. As I would say, the sky is the limit and I am very fortunate to have met Sister Helen; a kind, gentle, and positive person.

I am so looking forward to working with Sister Helen and I can already tell that I'll be making all kinds of interesting objects.

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

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://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.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan