Re: [BlindHandyMan]Elbow Grease
After reading that comment about removing tar with some elbow grease added I just had to share that when I was a child in about the third grade I read a book that kept me in suspense the whole way through. It was called An Angel Grows Up. I'll never forget it because it was really leading me along and I truly didn't know what elbow grease meant until the end of the book. It had the main character looking for some to perform a certain task. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan]It's Been Fun
I want to say goodbye to all of you for now. I've enjoyed reading these posts. But since I joined to see if this list would be good for my blind neighbor, who won't be joining any time soon I guess, and who may not even be keeping his computer, I will sign off. It's been good to see what your list is like. If anyone wants to write to me privately for any reason, my email address is: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan]My Blind Neighbor
Dan, you wrote such a nice letter of encouragement, saying that this newly blind neighbor would really benefit from this list. I called him and let him hear the message over the phone. I didn't get much of a reaction though. Some of you may remember that I was working with him on the computer. He said that he wanted to find CD's by Led Zeppelin. Even though I would rather steer clear of that singer, I didn't express that to him. I was able to find him on Amazon. 116 CD's. Before I found them I called my neighbor to see if we were going to get together the next evening. Actually, my motivation for calling, which I didn't express, was that I wanted to go to the beauty shop to get my hair cut. He sounded really enthusiastic about my coming over. Well, then I had a friend teach me how to search on Amazon, and I took careful notes, as I always have to do, because I would never remember all that right away. I was so excited to find what this blind guy, as he calls himself, was looking for, that I called him to tell him. He asked me if they were in chronological order and I said I didn't check that. I told him he would need to take notes as I myself had to, because I couldn't remember all the steps, and he might need something to refer to. I had left a tape recorder with him the first time I came to teach him and put some notes on it.That really seemed to turn him off I think. He knows nothing about the computer, but he wants to get on web sites. He can hardly type. He tries to get on web sites and can't remember the steps. I think web sites are created differently sometimes. He didn't want to start with the really easy ones because he wasn't interested in them. But he said to me, I need to learn the basics. I asked him what basics he meant, and he said he didn't know. He said we couldn't understand each other and he thought it best if we stopped working together. I asked him if he had anyone else to work with and he said no, but that it was his problem. I think he's going to give his computer to his son. I don't know what he will do with his jaws 8 screen reader. I wonder if he can do something with it to make the purchase of it worthwhile. It seems to me that he really ought to learn to type. I can remember when I learned to type when I was in fourth grade. Finally I was able to write letters to my aunt in Arizona, and type my homework, and communicate in print with those who don't know braille. I imagine kids learn to type earlier than fourth grade now. I told him there were chat rooms he could get into, and at the time I told him he sounded sort of interested. But he said he just doesn't like to sit around. Anyway, I guess I am done with him unless he calls me. The good thing that came out of this for me was that I got motivated to really begin learning things I should have learned long ago, and don't intend to stop. It really does please me when I learn some new shortcut or new way of doing something. He said he would just call a record company he knows of to find out about the CD's. He seems to get interested in things, and enthusiastic, then drops them. He got a guide dog that I don't think I would ever enjoy using, because he lets it pull him into the grass to sniff any time it pleases. After all,he says, a dog is a dog and needs to do those things. He wanted me to teach him braille. He will never be able to read the regular size braille dots, so we got these round circles where you pull of the little paper on the bottom and stick them on a page. We got a little notebook with index-like cards, bound together, and I put one letter on each page with those big dots. I suggested he have someone write the print letter on each braille page, the letter a being the first page in the book, so that should be no problem. I don't think he ever studied them. Maybe he sees no need of that anymore. I have never run into this kind of thing before. I guess I haven't had much experience working with newly blind people, and I'm not a professional teacher. I think it would do him good to go to rehab for a while. He has a talking blood sugar reader but still lets his wife take it for him. He's not a sickly person yet. He wants to exercise, likes to have fun, likes to help people with their handyman questions. I just don't understand. Why am I writing this? I don't know. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Talking indoor/outdoor thermometer
Hi Dale, Thank you so much for the web sites and phone numbers you gave me. It sounds like they have some very interesting products, and I definitely will check that out. Again, thanks so much. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Talking indoor/outdoor thermometer
Dale, can you tell me how I can contact the braille superstore to see what they have? It sounds like they have good prices. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] mosquitoes
Before we purchased our present home we lived in an area where we hardly had any mosquitoes. When I would take my guide dog out to relieve at night, I used to hear what sounded like hundreds of wings flying from a certain tree. I think they were bats. They don't like light, and I think we scared them when we came out. But I used to be able to sit out in my backyard as late as I wanted to and never got a mosquito bite. When we moved to our new location I bought two bat houses a couple of years ago, one for the front yard and one for the back. I have no idea if any bats are using them, but I really wanted to do whatever I could to keep those mosquitoes down. I am a little more leary of them now than before because my immune system is suppressed. I had a kidney transplant two years ago. As a matter of fact, it was probably the night of July fourth that my donor was killed. These holidays are fun, but can be very dangerous for others, and I am saddened by the family's loss. But, I have a living organ which has made my life more normal again. And I am very thankful that his daughter gave permission for it to be donated. I did get a little sidetracked from mosquitoes, but they do carry things, especially later in the summer, and I think everyone should be careful of them. I don't like to use repellent. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] mosquitoes
I would like to know more about those propane devices. I'm thinking that they would be better than bug zappers. I've heard that those zappers can actually be harmful to people. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] To Scratch or Not To Scratch
Hi Don, I was able to access the web site and put it in my favorites. But I wasn't able to click on it from your email. I think this new address has some quirks that need to be fixed. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] cock roaches cock roaches and more cock roaches
Boric acid really works well. We sprinkled it around the edges of the walls, under the sink, etc. They can be a real problem in some cities. My husband says you can find it in a dollar store. It might be called Roach Powder or insect powder, but make sure the main ingredient is boric acid. When we lived in Florida we rented a house for a while and the walls had wormwood from the ship they got it from. We only lived there until we got our own house six months later and the problem really diminished. In Florida one has to be very careful about crumbs, dirty dishes, etc., as they will attract things. When we lived in Chattanooga I heard a welcome speech for all the teachers' wives and the speaker called Chattanooga roach city. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] To Scratch or Not To Scratch
Don, Thank you for the welcome. It's neat that you have audio shows. I tried to click on the link given in your email and it didn't work. Another strange thing that happened was that although I deleted all the messages I read yesterday they are all still in my in-box. I know wrong place to mention this. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] To Scratch or Not To Scratch
Hi Victor, This is taking me some courage to write this since I know virtually nothing about floors, but we just had new flooring laid down in our kitchen, I believe it's the kind you snap together with no little grooves between the tiles. They didn't do anything to the linoleum underneath as it looked very sound. There is a 25-year warranty on the flooring, but just one year on the labor. I hope I'm allowed to be on this list as a woman. Actually I subscribed mainly to see what it's like as I have a blind neighbor who is just getting into the computer. He is a real handyman, or was, before he lost his sight very suddenly. I think he might have a lot of interesting contributions to make. He used to own a hardware store too, or manage one, I'm not sure. He did a lot of remodeling before. I'm hoping this list will be a real encouragement to him, so I'm just checking it out. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
