Easy as she goes! Being careful with Mom in the snow

 

When Mom visited me in Toronto in February to May 2023, there were several times when I had to ensure that I was super careful with her when walking in the snow.  Most of all to walk slowly, take small steps and to make sure that her balance was intact at all times.

It was not as difficult as you may think, with a vision-impaired person assisting a senior with balance problems and one with hearing challenges as well.  It all comes down to coordination, communication, and lots of positivity and patience.

It’s very easy for me as my mom possesses a wonderful attitude, and is always positive and cheerful!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.
 
If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and 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

Important notice from Donna J. Jodhan
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share news and or info about yourself or about others, then please read on!
Donna J. Jodhan can help you reach a rapidly growing list of over 12,000 readers and listeners and counting!
All you need to do is to give a listen to her monthly shows and if you like what you hear then here's how it works!
For the very affordable price of $25, Donna will feature your info and news on 2 of her monthly shows.
Once on the Ask Donna show and once on the Dining with Donna show.
Both of these monthly shows run weekly.
This means that your info will be featured twice for the month.
No more having to worry about posting to Facebook!  
You'll be able to engage with ready made readers and listeners!
Your payment of $25 will be prorated as a monthly payment.
So you can either pay monthly, or you can pay as you go.
Just send your info or news to Donna at askdonnaonblindlife@gmail.com
No more than 150 words.
Donna will then post your info or news as soon as you remit payment to her at paypal@donnajodhan.com
To give a listen visit https://www.donnajodhan.com/askdonna and https://www.donnajodhan.com/dwd
Take advantage of this very quick and easy way to reach a ready made audience!

My two worlds: Sand and snow

 

I have to admit that I really enjoy both of these and they sure help me to keep my seasons straight.

As a blind/vision-impaired person, I still do not have any preferences.  I love the feel of nice cool sand under my fingertips and under my toes.  I love the feel of its grains and I truly appreciate the different textures of sand.  

I can make all kinds of things with sand: castles, mountains, sand cakes, bridges, and I can even carve those water pools in the sand.  Working with sand brings me so many possibilities to create and I simply allow my mind to take over and lead me hither and thither.    From sand walls to abstract sand shapes and from little houses to sand trucks and little dolls and boxes and fortresses!

In the case of snow, I love the cold soft touch of it.  I enjoy walking in it and making snow balls.  I thoroughly enjoy those gentle snowflakes falling down my cheeks and gathering on the tip of my nose.

I just love to dig my boots into the snow and to create large holes.  I love bending over and gathering the fluffy stuff in my hands and I simply love to try and gather snowflakes in my hands.

Ah, yes!  Sand and snow!  Two different things to enjoy!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.
 
If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and 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

Important notice from Donna J. Jodhan
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to share news and or info about yourself or about others, then please read on!
Donna J. Jodhan can help you reach a rapidly growing list of over 12,000 readers and listeners and counting!
All you need to do is to give a listen to her monthly shows and if you like what you hear then here's how it works!
For the very affordable price of $25, Donna will feature your info and news on 2 of her monthly shows.
Once on the Ask Donna show and once on the Dining with Donna show.
Both of these monthly shows run weekly.
This means that your info will be featured twice for the month.
No more having to worry about posting to Facebook!  
You'll be able to engage with ready made readers and listeners!
Your payment of $25 will be prorated as a monthly payment.
So you can either pay monthly, or you can pay as you go.
Just send your info or news to Donna at askdonnaonblindlife@gmail.com
No more than 150 words.
Donna will then post your info or news as soon as you remit payment to her at paypal@donnajodhan.com
To give a listen visit https://www.donnajodhan.com/askdonna and https://www.donnajodhan.com/dwd
Take advantage of this very quick and easy way to reach a ready made audience!

Fun memories

When it comes to playing in the snow, and especially so at Christmas time, I have so many memories to share!

Just a few to share with you:
Making snow angels with Helena and Wil!
Sitting in a hot tub with Helena and Wil and then getting out and racing around Helena and Wil’s back deck with snowflakes coming down in droves!
Walking in the snow through Trenhomme Park with my best friend Char!
The snow banks were waist high and our boots crunched as we walked.
Walking down Saint Catherine’s Street in Montreal with Char, looking through the fully decorated store windows and then ducking into a fast food restaurant for hot chocolate and a snack!

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays! But most of all, a 2023 that will bring us lots of blessings, good things, and hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noèl!
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Happy Hanukkah!
Please take a moment to give the gift of accessibility to families with
children with a disability!
Visit https://donorbox.org/author-donna-jodhan

A nerve-racking experience: Traveling in a snow storm

For as much as I truly enjoy walking in the snow, and even so during a storm, I grudgingly admit that there are some real challenges for me to acknowledge.

For example: 

It is more difficult to navigate and find landmarks with my cane when the snow is coming down.

It is more difficult for me to hear what is going on around me.

I need to assume better control of my cane as it would tend to get stuck in snow banks as I walk.

Crossing streets is more difficult as I need to ensure that I am in the right spot to cross and that I am hearing and deciphering the traffic flow.

I must pay closer attention to whatever landmarks I can find.

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

An experience: When I lost my cane's tip

It happened on a very bad winter's day in February 2016 as I was traveling back from Ottawa to Toronto.  I had just finished attending an Elections Canada meeting in Gatineau, Quebec, and I'll tell you that this was just one of those days.

Ottawa had received over 52 centimetres of snow but the city had done a superb job of clearing it.  I got out of the cab and after having checked in I sat down to wait for my flight and it was then that I realized that my cane was without its tip. 

I am not sure where I lost it or when I lost it but I will tell you that it was the very first time in my life that this had ever happened to me. 

I did not panic and I was not afraid.  I knew that I had to be very careful when using my cane and that I would need to be prepared to have my cane get stuck in cracks and holes from time to time. 

Thankfully, I made it home safely, none the worse for wear.  The difference here was that I had to use a cane that did not have a tip to help me decipher cracks, holes, and dips and inclines.  This is the power of a cane's tip.

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  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
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

Negotiating the snow banks

I have always enjoyed walking along and on snow banks. It is one of my favorite pastimes during the winter and I still continue to enjoy it. As a blind person, I find snow banks quite an enjoyment and no, I am not trying to be funny. You may be asking why or how could a blind person enjoy walking along or on snow banks.

When I had enough sight to see them, I used to literally stand and take in their innocent beauty, snow banks of all shapes and sizes. I used to take great pleasure in admiring their pure white beauty and the different shapes and sizes of them.

Nowadays, I still do despite the fact that my vision is down to a bare minimum. I can barely see them now, but heck! I can use my cane to explore, discover, and enjoy. Ah yes! Those lovely snowbanks!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to visit www.acb.org to learn more about the world of blind persons.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.

My first impression of a snowfall

I can still remember the very first time I saw snow. It was beautiful then to me and at that time I had just enough vision to see things close up. In later years, I would embellish this memory to include so much more after my vision had improved significantly.

At first, I did not know what those white flakes were; I simply stood there and looked hard at them. Then, alas! I was looking at snowflakes coming down. I tried catching them in my hands and gently putting my hands up to my eyes to have a further examination. It was hard at first but then I caught on and managed to have a very close look. They were of all shapes and sizes and I had to move very fast in order to catch a glimpse of them in my hands.

Then I moved on to looking at them on windows. Then I came to enjoy the fluffy white stuff on the ground and when I went skiing. I loved seeing snow on the trees and skating on an open rink during a light snowfall. The most memorable memory for me is that of skating around with snow falling lightly and those bright Christmas lights winking back at me.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility consultant, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to share my blogs with others. Come by and visit me anytime at www.sterlingcreations.ca.

What happens when snow comes?

Ah yes! One of my favourite things! Walking in the snow! I can still remember and visualize those fat snowflakes of all sizes falling gently and silently in front of me as I walked along. When I had enough vision, I loved it all! Watching the snowflakes, admiring the pure white surroundings, and looking at the trees covered in snow. Now that my vision is at a minimum, I have other challenges.

I have to ensure that I can identify sidewalks. I have to make sure that I can still identify landmarks with my cane. I can no longer use my vision to do so. I have to watch for snowbanks, heaps of snow piled haphazardly on sidewalks, and make sure that I am walking a safe line.

When snow falls, the landscape automatically changes for blind persons. We have to use other strategies to get around and if we are dependent on our canes as I am, then we have to ensure that we can use our canes to the maximum. My cane often gets stuck in snowbanks but that’s just part of life. I have to listen more carefully and concentrate more intently.

I do not like wearing a hat because it prevents me from hearing things; my hearing needs to be more acute than normal. I listen for footsteps to ensure that I am walking on a safe path and I use my cane to check for edges of sidewalks. When snow falls and depending on how heavy it has fallen, the edges of sidewalks may or may not be identifiable. I need to use my cane to help me out here. I wear my glasses so that the falling snow stays out of my eyes despite the fact that I can no longer see my beloved snowflakes.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and tell others about my blogs. Visit www.acb.org to learn more.

Christmas is for Me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases; with and without vision and it does not matter!  Christmas is for me.  The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making. 

 

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop.  To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the Church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages.  I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks.  I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground but most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights. 

 

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me.  True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year.  My sense of smell is still in tact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along.  I focus on the times when I could see and inter mingle those memories with the now.  I am blessed!  I am lucky!  With or without sight, Christmas is for me!  I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs. 

 

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan.  Will see you again in the New Year.