don't want to sound like the odd ball but how many of you mow your own lawns? it's a lot easier then you think but I guess that's just me. when mowing the lawn, I have no vision at all, I will go up one side, across the back, and go backwards towards the paddio, there are flowers that I don't wish to run over, although I did once but my friends husband was also blind so wasn't too wirried. After I do the edges I go across the front keeping one foot on the paddio and going until the front goes over the edge to the rocks. I then back it up and face the back of the yard and start going back and forth. I usually have one or two little areas that I missed, which only takes someone sighted a couple seconds to go over. This past summer I was in Calgary and offered to mow my friends backyard. This backyard, if the shed was taken out, could fit two regulation sized swimming pools. The backyard had a firepit in the middle of it, plus lots of wasps. The ground was also very uneven so what I did is I did the edges first. I went along the one fence, along the back, up the other side, and down the side of the house. on the side of the house there is a flower bed so I had to go around that, I then ended up on the beginning but on the other side of the house. for those braille readers out there their yard is shaped like the eR sign. dots, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. that is one side of the yard. the other side is a Q. so describing the yard I'm on the Q, the longer end of the Q dots 1, 2, and 3 are the house. the 4, 5, and 6 of the eR are the fence with the shed. the top is obviously the back fence. when I got to the beginning I went up and down like I normally do. when I found the firepit I had to go around it to cut properly and then continue on my way. I did from the house to the back fence and across going to the right the same way. When I got that all mowed I went from the house to the fence on the left all the wayto the back fence, that took a little longer. I also had a little side yard to mow. that took me 3 hours in totalwith changing the bags, getting unstuck from holes in the ground, and other stuff that goes on with mowing. Most driveways have a dip at the end of them for the city storm draines so if you're snowblowing your driveway can't you feel the differents from grass to cement and when you hit the end of the driveway? Just my thoughts on the issue. Talk to you later.
Blaine ----- Original Message ----- From: wstep...@everestkc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 2:57 PM Subject: Re: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm Yeah, "disoriented" that's what I was the day I put the little backhoe through the plate glass window at the rental place I owned. It made a really good noise though. Bill Stephan Kansas Citty MO Email: wstep...@everestkc.net Phone: (816)803-2469 ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Hodges <tomhod...@fuse.net> Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:51 am Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > Disoriented, is what I was, the day I ran the snow blower in my dad's > driveway and filled up his garage with snow. > > > > From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com]on Behalf Of David Ferrin > Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 10:51 AM > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > > > > > > Same here, although I manage fairly well when shoveling there is > something > rather disorienting when it comes to managing a snow blower. Now I > have some > > minimal usable vision but the fact is when everything is white > like my > house, neighbor's house, and both garages it some times gives me > vertigo is > the closest I can describe it. Before moving here at my dad's > house I didn't > > have that problem as there happened to be plenty of markers I > could judge > by, bushes trees ETC but here life can get interesting. > David Ferrin > www.jaws-users.com > Life is what happens after you have already made other plans. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "RJ" <rjf...@verizon.net <mailto:rjf110%40verizon.net> > > To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>> > Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 10:45 AM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > > Good luck, I gave up on the snow blowing a while back, went I > started into > the woods and had to get some one to get me and the blower out. My > driveway > is only 650 feet. > smile > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dale Leavens > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 23:06 > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > > I have been considering a snow thrower again however similar > concerns to > yours and the outrageous cost of a desirable unit put me off. I > share my > drive with a neighbour, it is 32 feet wide and a little over 85 > feet to the > road. I can't run a noisy machine 85 feet in a straight line and I > worry too > > about where the snow is actually flying, wouldn't want to throw a > chunk of > something through a neighbours car window or a passing pedestrian. > > All that notwithstanding, I had thought of setting a 4 foot length > of iron > pipe into a bucket of cement, 30 pounds or so, one at each end of > the run > with a light rope pulled between and use that as a guide. Maybe a > little > tedious moving the standards at the end of each run but it might > require > only 12 or 15 repetitions to cover the full 32 foot width. The > other problem > > of course is that most of these machines now require both hands on > the > clutches to keep the thing in motion which leaves at least one too > few for > additional guidance. > > So far this winter we have mostly only had a couple of inches at a > time > although nearly every day but a big dump and I am going to be in > trouble. > We used to have a chap with a plough on the front of his truck but > that > isn't an option this year and my neighbour objects to having a > front end > loader on the new lock stone pavers. > > Like Bob, I expect you would need a very loud alarm to hear over > the roar > of a snow thrower and the ear covering required to keep the ears > from > freezing. Just why it hasn't become popular to make those engines > quieter > eludes me. Like those quad bikes and them darn special stinger > mufflers they > > now seem to like on snow mobiles, sound like screaming farts on > helium. > If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Rick Hume > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 11:38 AM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > > It's funny that you'd mention this, as I have been considering a > similar > project. When I snow blow the drive way, I am often alerted by the > family, > that I am no longer in the driveway, but actually in the street. I > have been > > considering setting a couple of treated 4 by 4's at the end of my > driveway, > one on each side. I know that there are units that make use of a > beam, that > when it is broken can set off an alarm. I would like the alarms to > be > mounted on the poles as well, to alert me to the fact that I am > near the end > > of the driveway. Has anyone else done something similar or have > any > suggestions. Thank you in advance for your contributions. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Paul Franklin > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 9:39 AM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Driveway Alarm > > Dan's messages on wireless bad thing detectors have got me > thinking about > other wireless devices that can be used around the home. One such > device > that I have considered purchasing for a while is something to > alert me when > someone or something comes up my driveway and into my yard. Has > anyone had > any experience with any of the commercially available driveway > alarms? If so > > what brand or model do you like or dislike? Are they fairly > durable and > reliable or do you have to throw them away after 6 months, like so > many of > the wireless door bells on today's market. > > Thanks for any info that you might be able to provide. > > Paul Franklin > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dan Rossi > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 8:28 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] multipurpose tool > > I own a Gerber as well. I like it very much, but I prefer a Swiss Army > knife for the size. Although, I stopped carrying those as well, but > recently picked up a UtiliKey from ThinkGeek.com it is quite > literally the > size of any of the other keys on my key ring. It has a vitiously sharp > knife, bottle opener, flat head screw driver and philips screw driver. > Good enough for slicing open packages, and opening a beer. > > -- > Blue skies. > Dan Rossi > Carnegie Mellon University. > E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu <mailto:dr25%40andrew.cmu.edu> > Tel: (412) 268-9081 > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus > signature database 4782 (20100118) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus > signature database 4783 (20100118) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > ------------------------------------ > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman-owner%40yahoogroups.com> > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster > <http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_ > page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29> > &PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > Or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From > Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the > following > address for more information: > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind > Handy Man list > > just send a blank message to: > blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo > <mailto:blindhandyman-help%40yahoogroups.comYahoo> ! Groups Links > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
