LOL. Jim is one of those hopelessly besotted grandparents that you run into from time to time. One of those with the photo wallets that hold like 50 pictures that they take out at every opportunity. All photos of the grandchildren!
Body and facial vision are controversial issues even within the blind community. Most mobility instructors will tell you all about it off the record. But, the NFB (National Federation of the Blind, exerts a lot of political pressure and their public stand is body and facial vision do not really exist. The NFB is the largest political special interest group of blind and visually impaired people. I understand their motivation for saying that but, in my experience, it isn’t true. The NFB wants to rid blindness of its mumbo-jumbo mystique. I’m all for that. But, I think you can accomplish that better just by telling it the way it is. Some blind people do have body or facial vision. What we (meaning blind people) should be pointing out is that there are sighted people who have good body vision too. I’ve seen it a lot among the Vietnam combat vets I know. Maybe, because there was so much night fighting there. Those soldiers that had the potential for body vision developed it for the same reason blind people do. It helped them survive. My pet theory seems to be validated by the fact I’ve also noticed it among cops….and hunters. (Most deer hunting seems to be done in the pre-dawn and late evening hours.)
Some school for the blind (the Arkansas state school, I believe) once tried to instill body vision into blind students with training, but gave it up after a while. It seems to be physically innate. Either you have it or you don’t. Someone with good blindness skills that can be taught can function just as well as someone who has body vision. Better, probably. If you are tired or sick body vision is not reliable. You’ve probably seen it in animals, if you’ve watched them closely. Maybe, that is all there is to it. People who have body vision still possess their primate instincts. Jim complains he feels like Tarzan with a computer because of all the tropical plants we put in his office during the winter months. Maybe, me NOT Jane. Maybe, me more like Cheetah. :-)Kay
More Disabled Gardeners Laughing With Joy ..2
I can imagine Jim with his 500 pictures of grandchildren! I'd like to find out more about body vision - maybe I should google it.
This Grandpa stuff is way cool. Now, that its Mimi and “Grandpa Jim.” Instead of Mimi and “Pipi.” I have no complaints whatsoever. Grandpa services were needed, especially where the boys were concerned. Kay had a little matriarchy going until Travis arrived. 3 daughters and 3 granddaughters. From toys to potty training, she was completely ignorant when it came to looking after little boys.
I wonder sometimes if what makes anti-depressants really work is that they desensitize us. Body vision, after all, is just a heightened ability to sense your surroundings. That would explain why the same drugs work for people with depression and people with anxiety problems. Turning the volume down on your awareness would be effective in either case. It would explain why antidepressants give Kay such grief. She depends on an overly sensitive nervous system to give her feedback on her surroundings. That’s MY pet theory. I've never tried to Google body vision. But combine it with blindness and you would probably get a hit.
The trees in the greenhouse are all back under control within the frame. Kay got a little carried away with the pruners and "poodled" two of them. Whether it is a Mediterranean look or a Dr. Suess look is a matter of opinion. I’ve started putting up the corrugated plastic panels that make the walls. If today’s temps can be taken as an indicator, there is no reason to hurry. (Jim)
I think i can explain body vision too. It is something i had and needed when i was small and abused. but it goes much farther than self protection. Its like i can walk slowly in the dark and know if something solid is in front of me like a peice of furniture or a tree. It's not esp just a sense of something there. Also i get vibes from people and animals that tells me i can trust them or not or if they mean me harm. again its not esp, just a sense of okness or uneasyness. I sometimes pick up hitchikers and go with this sense of okness to decide if i will pick them up or not. Once i picked up someone that was holding someone else hostage
but he was no threat to me and i saw no danger. But it was awhile before i picked anyone else up anyway. I depend on my senses to give me feedback too.
I tell my kids it's our subconscience minds, a throwback to our ancestors somehow. My youngest DD has it too.
Years ago this service station owner bought a wolf hybred to gaurd his store. That poor man got so angry because i walked right up and made friends with the dog. And nothing i could say would convince him the dog would'nt take up with just anyone.
I've probably said this badly but i think Kay can relate.
Vickie
yikes, Vickie! That's a scary story. I'm quite certain I don't have any kind of vision of whether or not people are trust-worthy. Reason: I've trusted the wrong people way too many times. I've been robbed, ripped-off, and suckered.
Right now one of the women working for me (paid by the state) I suspect got hold of my husband's ATM card and used it with my PIN. OK, we shouldn't have the same PIN as each other. But she shouldn't find his ATM card in the laundry and help herself to $75 of gas. She shouldn't know my PIN. I've never told it to her, I don't think, but I haven't been paranoid about making sure she wasn't watching when I punched it in, either.
But I have no proof. Just an extremely strong suspicion. Process of elimination, etc. Gives me the shivers.
Sorry, Carrie. Finances aside, that is such a bummer. It is so hard not to become cynical when people you trust and depend on let you down. I don’t think my body vision would warn me about another person’s intention unless that intention was to do me immediate bodily harm. Wish I did have such a sense. I once thought I could judge whether a young woman could be helped or whether she would be a chronic victim the rest of her life.
It isn’t that hard to save the drowning rats of the world from drowning. The hard part is turning them back into psychologically healthy human beings. Most of the time you just end up with a wet rat that will jump back into water over its head first chance it gets. Now, I laugh at myself for ever believing I could predict which ones would be which. Human beings are just too complex and life itself too full of surprising twist and turns to make determinations like that.
Whoa! That is a spooky story, Vicki. That is the way it works, though. I didn’t pick up on my first husband before we were married because he had such a Jekyll/Hyde personality. We were married for six months before there was a problem.
He was an intelligent man. A very slick operator. I went so far as to try to warn the woman who became his second wife, but she simply could not believe that sweet man. was capable of doing what I described. Thought I was just a jealous, angry ex-wife. She is now #2 of the 6 (at last count) ex-wives. Her story, very similar to mine. Men like that waltz right through the natural defensive perimeters. #5 and I have talked about getting the whole group together and………I will leave the rest to your vivid imagination. LOL.
No doubt Jim will be crowing soon on this thread. We had a little bet going to help him stick to his weight loss plan. The one who loses the most pounds each week gets served breakfast in bed by the other. He lost 8 lbs. this week. I lost not an ounce. He is sitting smugly in his office coming up with a breakfast menu for this week. He’s had a hard week dealing with the car insurance companies and arguing with Dell over the computer replacement so I will be a good sport this week. But, I’m taking him down a notch next weigh in. *Kay*
Cock-a-doodle-do! Low-fat sausage wrapped in Romaine lettuce. (Jim)
^_^
Yes, I tried to warn XH gf's about him. I think his wife #2 must have him on a VERY short leash; I don't know how she does it. Medication?
We were at a mtg a few years back with the four of us and our new lawyers, not the ones who did the divorce. I say something about the cruel and abusive divorce, which XH and I know is a fact and DH believes me but this is the first time the new lawyers have heard of it and the first time the wife #2 has heard of it! I can't believe it - the new lawyers are not familiar with our case! Arrrggggg. He/they make all kinds of promises which evaporate.
Carrie,Kay, Sorry about your bad experiences. Yes humans are not the best animals in the world. I was never in danger from the kidnapper. I was told they arrested him about 5 minutes after i dropped him off.
My grandson was the one who broke my heart and ripped me off. I mean i always trusted family (DH,s and my kids) He forged some of my checks. Later he told my DD that i had plenty of money. No I DO NOT! I'm on SSI for heavens sake. And it was the idea of stealing from his mamaw anyway. I pressed charges and he ran before his trial and my nephew in TX found him and turned him in. He served about a year in prison. I've forgiven him but i choose not to associate with him. He still has'nt payed me anything back.
Carrie, sorry about your housekeeper. I've been lucky so far. but am in the process of looking for another one. It feels worse because she violated your house too or thats how i would feel.
Kay, I'm afraid you're about to learn that men lose weight faster and more of it than women on an identical diet.
Why do insurance companys and big computer companys have to fight for every single penny they can keep. DD is having trouble with MSN and whoever is her security for her computer. She got a virus and they want to charge her bigtime when she had protection insurance.
Yes, it does feel worse when it's someone that you've invited into your own home and trusted, and she's not a housekeeper, she's a PCA, paid for by medicaid. Why do they think I can afford it? That's the rational or justification for a lot of these folks, that we can afford it. I could afford exactly $75 because that's what was in my account. I have Medicaid because I'm POOR, dummy!!!
And, people don't seem to realize that a disability carries its own expenses. Kay's hearing aids are outrageously expensive and not covered by any insurance. Then, there is the adapted computer...and all the little adaptive household devices, and......
Vickie, you weren’t kidding about the emphasis on black this holiday season. Even for Halloween, it is overkill. Black cats…Cool But, Black PUMPKINS?! Kay doesn’t have time to do the Halloween decorating so I’ve agreed to take on the task. Duh-h-h. This could get interesting. Hey, why did the ladies go to all the trouble to knock down all the real cob webs when we are about to put up phony cob webs? I must have been out of my “gourd” to have agreed to this. (Collective groan) :-)Jim
Photo: Gourds & Autumn stuff
Haha...good one, Jim!
Cost of Living is higher for people with disabilities than for ordinary people. Goes up faster, too. Yet, CoL increases for SSDI and SSI are smaller than for other similar programs. (Can't think of another similar program at the moment, maybe AFDC?) I remember that statistic from a few years ago, and it still feels true.
Jim, I'm still laughing about the cobwebs. We don't mind real cobwebs. It's the real spiders we don't like. LOL!
Surely no one wants a black pumkin! geeze!
Carrie I could'nt afford $75 a week either. DD and i have one come for 4 hours at each house which gives us $32 apeice to pay. Has worked out so far. We just need help with the more physicle chores, like sweeping,mopping,moving furniture,etc
Speaking of furniture, I went into town and bought that 5' tv table, I'm turning into a buffet. Have to wait now for someone to bring it in the house. I think i can put it together once it's inside.
I noticed this afternoon our trees have turned full colors but predicted rain till this weekend. Hope i can drive around and see them this weekend.
Cost of living is out of controll Carrie. Guess you've heard we're not getting any cost of living increase at all in January for SSI.
I have to scrimp on grocerys and mostly do without drugs i should be taking to get the extra things i want. I had to save up 4 months to be able to get that buffet and i need it for table surface and storage. I got tired of pots hanging on the walls. Several grocery items i buy went up 8 cents last week. Gripe,Gripe! It's really not that bad. Things could be worse. I could be homeless. Even worse i could lose my puter!
Vickie
Oh LOL we're getting on a touchy subject now! :-) My insurance with my DH's work place is my primary insurance, but I have to meet a $400 deductable before it will pay anything. That doesn't count my drugs, though. sigh Medicare doesn't touch it so it's a catch 22. I can't afford to be without either of them, though.
And special equipment ... well, some may say it's not necessary to have the gagets I have ... and outside the computer, I guess it's true ... but gosh it sure makes life easier. :-) I remember when I first went blind all I had was Braille. Nothing talked back then. Life is sure different. Of course, nothing was digital then ... no computers, remotes, microwaves ... yeah, don't tell anyone ... but I AM really that old. I don't mind it though. :-) Age is just a mind thing most days. Notice I said MOST days. LOL
Okay, off my soap box. Here's a vacation pic for you to enjoy. We just got back from the beach. :-)
Some people from Georgia really know how to hurt a person by posting great beach scenes to others nowhere near a nice warm beach.
Hate to tell you this, Susan, but it is supposed to be down in the 40's by weekend. Good timing on your trip. Is that a Georgia beach? The water tends to be a vivid green on the gulf side. Realtors selling beach property here try to push the N. Florida/S. Alabama beaches as "The Emerald Coast", but I'm afraid we are stuck with “The Redneck Riviera." LOL.
Carrie, this is the only thing I found of interest when I clicked on "body vision in the blind." Most of what I came across was off-topic or mumbo-jumbo. Parapsychology stuff. This one is interesting, but deals more with the spacial sense. Need to educate myself more so I can talk to the doctor about it. I ran into Jim in the hallway this morning. Not being able to sense even the presence of another person close by is a new experience for me. Not one I like. Going off the anti-depressants for sure. The doctor is worried about my slipping into a deep, suicidal depression with the coming of winter. He believes the high rate of suicide around the holidays has more to do with undiagnosed S.A.D. than anything. For my part, I'm more worried about breaking my neck before Spring comes.
Someone around here did a 7-acre corn maze for Halloween. I want to try it out, but not in my current condition. The Maise Maze. Got to meet the person who did that.
http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2008/11/blind_people_are_better_at_finding_their_way.php
Hi y'all ...
Sorry for being MIA. :-) This computer is running sloooow! I'm downloading a book as I post. No wonder, huh? :-)
Anyway, Jim, Jekyll is on the Atlantic side. Pretty, isn't it? I have more pics but forgot which one I posted. grin
Okay, now y'all can have fun with me! It's 68 here already and dropping. Jim's right ... 40's this week-end. Boohoo! The banana and coffee will definitely have to come in.
Kay, good luck getting your meds straightened out. They can sure play havoc with your system when you can't see, can't they? :-) I have to be careful of drugs that make my Tinnitus worse. I can't stand those loud squeals, and some drugs will magnify it! Oh, and what about the ones that cause your fingers to tingle and feel numb? Then I can't see! big grin!
Susan, know a little of Jeckyl. I sometimes still do work on private planes. The owner of one of those runs a resort there. He is always offering me time at his resort in exchange for my services. May accept his offer next time. That looks nice.
One lady here is running around wearing three shirts layered and shivering. While, I'm wearing a t-shirt and quite comfortable. The battle over who controls the thermostat has begun! I think the one who pays the power bills should control it. But, that is in dispute. We will probably end up compromising by using a space heater in one room. Set it aside for the human equivalent of tropical orchids. So, you are in that group, huh? Great! Will give me someone other than Cando to pick on.
Kay's major S.A.D. symptom is just that she wants to sleep a lot and her energy drops down to what the rest of us might consider normal. I don't think going off the antidepressants will be a problem. She just needs to learn to accept a winter slow down. She is on overdrive the rest of the year. I think the body knows what its doing. Sleeping 12 hours straight doesn't hurt anything. I WISH I could sleep like that. (Jim)
Jim lost another 8 lbs. this week. He wins by default. I refuse to step on the scales. You were dead on about there being a difference in the way men and women lose weight, Vickie.
Susan, keep an eye out for the book "Wake" by Robert J. Sawyer. I think you will like it even if you normally don't like science fiction. The main character is blind and it has the most believable portrayals of a blind character I have ever seen in fiction. Companies like "Audible" should be putting it out in book form soon. I caught it as a serial in "Analog: Science Fiction and Fact" magazine. The setting of the story is modern day Canada and it deals with the idea of the Worldwide Web developing consciousness. Being a hard-core science fiction fan is not required to enjoy this one. *Kay*
Wow, Jim, congratulations! My DD is anxious to lose weight - what is your secret?
Thanks Kay! I've copied the book info. :-) I do love a good book. Do you download from the library site, also? I enjoy Audible, but sometimes all the drama gets on my nerves. LOL I'm so use to the clean reading from the library. grin
Yeah Jim, what's your secret ... all us gals want to know. sigh
The thermometer says it's 47 degrees outside. It feels like 30. I'm already tired of winter. hahahaha
Okay, off to get my jammies on and read my book. :-) Y'all have a blessed night!
~Susan
I’m beginning to think the secret to my weight loss is reading labels. I just do my best to keep the carbs under 20 grams. I learned the hard way not to make assumptions about packaged food. I needed to take my meds while I was out today. Can’t take them on an empty stomach. Thought I would just grab a chocolate bar to get me by. It advertised in bold letters on the package it was “lite.” When I read the fine print I discovered it contained 36 grams of carbs. Ouch! Don’t think I will make my pound a day goal this week.
Susan, has the NLS already got the downloadable book program going in your area? Kay is still getting cassettes mailed from the library. Did you have to ask for the service or was the switch over automatic? Being able to listen in on audio books is a real upside to being married to a blind person, especially for me, I have something a little like dyslexia. I’m told it is just the result of attempts to force me to be right handed when I was young. The brain can get a little cross-wired from that. Thankfully, parents and teachers know better these days. We lefties got rights! (Jim)
Jim, Another lefty here. The results of trying to get me to switch hands left me not being able to automatically know my right from my left. I have a mole on my right hand and my watch on my left.
Jim, you know we're the only ones in our right mind.
Back when i started keeping track of food values, The thing was to count calories. Since i've retained a round number for calories, thats what i still count. I buy sugarfree diabetic candy. It still has calories but their not absorbrd as fast as sugar.
Susan, i have'nt finished my book yet. Used to be able to finish a book in one night. With a book i can skip all the content i don't want to know about.LOL
Kay "Wake" sounds good. I'll see if i can find it too.
Makes me think of my grandma, born in 1901. She was a lefty but in those days they tied her left hand behind her and forced her to learn to write with her right. She was a college graduate and a remedial reading specialist. My mother wasn't born until she was 38! She broke her right arm in a car accident when she was maybe 50-60, went back to using her left hand. RIP, Grandma.
Incidentally, that car accident where she broke her wrist was right around the time when shoulder belts were being introduced. They told us if she hadn't been wearing a waist belt, she would have been killed. If she'd had a shoulder belt she would have walked away. Never had a problem wearing seatbelts!
Sorry to hijack == please return to where you were!
Thanks for the info, Susan. I will get in touch with the library tomorrow. I prefer the NLS books to commercially produced books, as well. The mood music overlapping the words is a particular pet peeve. With my bad hearing, it makes it hard to hear the words buried in the music. Probably, why I’m a classical and jazz fan. Lyrics aren’t an issue.
Vickie, I have read some books that really make me wish I could still skim over stuff. Jim has his leftie pen and his leftie scissors and woe to any northpaw who touches them.
I don’t think Jim or I would have walked away from the car accident a couple of weeks ago, if we hadn’t been wearing seat belts. Before, I sometimes had to be reminded to buckle up, not now. The car is totaled. The frame is warped. The van that hit us was a DeltaCom vehicle so; at least, there was decent insurance. Guess we didn’t really need a 2nd car anyway. I don’t do much driving. LOL.
Yes!!! It took some effort but I think I’ve finally arrived at an acceptable settlement with the insurance company. They finish paying off the car and I receive a couple thousand. I think they are worried I will make an issue about whiplash or something so they are going to do right by me. Now, if I could only get the computer replacement matter settled. They still say they are building it. I’m beginning to wonder if they are building it from scratch. How long can it take to throw the right components together?
Made leg extensions for my couch today so people with back problems would have an easier time with it. It was so low it made it hard to get up. Forgot we have one lady here who is probably about 4’ 10” in height. I don’t think her feet would even reach the floor if she sat on the couch now. Duh. This all inclusive stuff can be tough. (Jim)
LOL! I stay in a state of confusement. It's what makes living good.Cause i get ornery when i run out of things to figure out. I AVOID LEFT-RIGHT DIRECTIONS. I say go E-W-N-or south. May even throw in a pine tree or two.LOL
Carrie Good for your grandma, going back to left handed. I can write with my right hand some but not at all well.
Kay i'm a semi classical fan too and i dearly love the Boston Pops. I have'nt heard anything from them lately. I also like the New Age mood music. And for a change i like Native American and Southern Gospel. Course loving Christmas. Christmas music goes constantly from Thanksgivng on.
Hey! Something you don't mess with are a persons left handed scissors. I want to hear about these lefthanded pens. I've never seen one. What used to give me fits were those hand egg beaters. I still have one but always use an electric one.
Am so glad you were wearing seatbelts. Kay, I'm proud you don't do much driving. LOL
Jim glad you got your car insurance settled. I know one thing that can slow down getting a computer fixed. Ordering parts can really be a headache. Or so a computer nerd told me.
I'm about 5'1" and i have trouble getting out of most couches. I gave mine away and just have chairs now.
The sun did shine today and it was beautiful. Did i do any yard work? No, I went to town.
Have a great day tomorrow.
Vickie
I don't have to worry too much about the sofa ... seems I'm either outside or in my computer chair! LOL I went through a couple of cheap ones, and then I bit the bullet and purchased a decent one. Boy, was it worth it. :-) I had rotator Cuff issues from a fall, bursitis and tendonitis. I could hardly comb my hair or brush my teeth due to the pain. I have a lot of compassion for those of you living with daily pain.
Vickie, I've never thought about all the problems involved with being left handed. Isn't that weird what we take for granted? I'm the same height as you and agree that chairs and sofas are *definitely not made for short people.
Congrats Jim hope you get the rest of your issues solved.
And Kay ... they won't let me drive either. haha Although the DH says I could probably do better than some of the people out there. grin
We will get Patsy (who claims she was 5 feet before age and DDD took their toll) a pair of lacy, white, ankle socks, Mary Jane's and a big lollipop. She will sit on the sofa and work on her new comedy routine. Something like what Lily Tomlin used to do on the Carol Burnet Show. Does anyone other than Patsy and I remember that? The smart-mouth little girl in the over-size rocking chair.
Sure, I remember that! A lot funnier than Carol Burnett, too - are you sure it was the CB show and not Laugh In or something?
It was Laugh In, where she also was Ernestine.
This message was edited Oct 22, 2009 11:29 AM
You're right! It was Laugh In.
Yeah, Vickie, Carrie and I just came out and said how old we are. So, at least, the age we CLAIM to be is on record. Scraps age, we can intuit from the age of her daughter which she has revealed. You and Kay are the hold-outs. Wait! Didn't you say once you were pre-microwave? Now, I just have to figure out about when in-home microwaves became commonplace. Hmm-m-m. That old, huh? That's okay. I understand. Kay would be more likely to publicly reveal her bank account number, than her age. There is one thing I don't understand, however. Why is it most women have such a hard time with those b'day years that end in -0? You know, 30, 40. 50, etc. It is like 50 is tramatic. But, 54 is just another year. That one has never made much sense to me. (Jim)