Such treasured times: Saturday shopping with Char and Ray

I never knew what to expect but each time I went shopping with Char and Ray it turned out to be a unique experience.  Char was always up for an adventure and her husband, Ray, never disappointed us.

We went anywhere and everywhere.  We would first eat a quick breakfast and then it was off to conquer the world!  We went record shopping where we almost always came away with something.  The record stores were always crowded with record seekers and Char and I would go from rack to rack where she would read me the names of the various artists and I would get to choose what I wanted.

Then we would visit the clothes shops and take time to examine the sweat shirts and jeans.

Sometimes we would go to the hockey shops at the Montreal Forum and this was probably one of my favorite haunts.  We bought cards, sweat shirts, and even jackets.  Sometimes we would buy mugs and other memorabilia.

Our jaunts down St. Catherine's Street were priceless memories.  Char and Ray would walk on each side of me, with me hanging on to Char's arm.  We walked leisurely and as we did Ray would tell us what each store was selling.  Sometimes we would go into the store to explore but at other times we would bypass them and keep walking.

Finally, at around 1 pm or so, we would find a nice family restaurant and there we would locate a booth at the back of the restaurant where we would sit and enjoy our lunch.  Then it would be back home to go over our loot.

Ah, yes!  Such precious memories!

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 
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
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A cherished childhood memory: Memories at the market

I always remember when we were taken to the market by our grade school teacher, Mr. Dalip.  It was a glorious December morning and he felt that it was time to take my classmates, Trevor and Cecelia, and me to the market for a bit of an outing.

So, off we went in his little blue car.  We drove down to the San Juan market from our school and as we entered I remember being greeted by smells of veggies, fruits, and other smells that I could not easily identify.

Trevor and Cecelia had much more vision than me but that was just okay with me as they both described things to me and Mr. Dalip was only too excited to do the same.  As we walked along, vendors greeted us and when they realized that we kids were visually impaired, they went out of their way to be extra kind to us.

They let us touch and examine their produce.  They gave us all kinds of things, and one of them even lifted me into the air and spun me around.

You could tell that Christmas was in the air because everyone seemed to be in such a great mood.  They were singing, laughing, greeting each other, and just having a great time.

Ah, yes!  Memories of the market forever!

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
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

A new experience: When the bank changed

It was quite an experience for me when, in the late spring of 2017, the Royal Bank branch at the Bridlewood Mall began renovating its facilities.  For so many years I had been used to the layout, so when I was told what was happening I had to develop a new way to navigate my favorite branch.

I had always been able to visualize this branch's facilities because I had been able to see what it looked like when I had enough vision.  Now it would be different and I would need to depend on others to describe things to me.

My mom and my friends, Sue and Gabriella, have done a masterful job at filling me in and the staff have been so good at helping me out.  However, it is not quite the same when someone else describes things to you.

Remember now, a picture is worth a thousand words and no two people describe things to you in the same way.

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

A constant challenge: When noise confuses me

This is probably one of the biggest daily challenges for me: too much noise around simply throws me off track.  So knowing this enables me to deal with confusion more effectively.

In short, too much noise around confuses me, makes me anxious, and sometimes I even panic.  When this happens I need to stop for a few minutes, remove myself from the center of the noise, and find a quiet spot to stop and think.

Now that I have precious little vision, I depend more heavily on my sense of hearing and when my hearing becomes cluttered with too much noise then everything goes into what I call mix-up mode.

Being aware of this enables me to avoid this more often than not but I can tell you that there are times when I simply cannot avoid it and I need to do the best that I can.

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

A very interesting cat: Rico's walks

What more can I say about this very unique little cat?  In short:  He is a loner at heart but he sure does not seem to mind being all by himself in our large yard.

Now that I can no longer see, I need to depend on Mom to fill me in. She tells me everything about him.  That is, whenever she sees him around. 

He walks across our yard, tall and proud.  He chases dry leaves, tries to catch the birds, and oh yes!  He often catches a poor unsuspecting lizard.

Rico is not the biggest of cats but Mom says that he is a good-looking boy.  He has many friends, that is, the human kind. Truth be told, he also seems to have other cat friends who often visit him at night. 

He seems to be the boss as we really do not hear any squabbling going on. No fights, no arguing among friends. 

That's my Rico!  Alone on his walks and not at all in the least bothered.

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

I shall always remember you: Oh my beloved church

You will forever remain in my heart and my mind!  You were the one that my parents took me to when I was growing up!  You were the one that stood tall and proud! You were the one that we went to every Sunday morning!

Oh, how I used to love to  listen to your bells, sit in your pews, and listen as the priest preached his weekly sermon.  The people around me were so very welcoming and accommodating.

That was my beloved Church, Sacred Heart!

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

My heart belongs: This is my home

My home is not my roots!  My home lies far away from my roots and I thank God every day for my home! 

My home is Canada!  A country with so very much to offer: four distinct seasons, opportunities abound, and possibilities are for the taking! 

It is the country where I literally grew up and found my feet.  Where I discovered who I was and what I wanted to do with my life!  A country that taught me so much and helped to shape my path in life!

Spring, summer, fall, and winter!  I love them all and I see the goodness in each season!  I take advantage of the rich cultures and I embrace opportunities to help make things better for others.

This is my home!

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