I commented on a Facebook thread last night concerning the question of whether it was better to use the term “blind person” or “person who is blind”. I am both a blind person (or a person who is blind, if you prefer the term) and an academic writer. In the latter case, “a writer who […]
Book Review: Loved Back to Life
In 1991, I attended a seminar at a large Christian gathering in Indianapolis. I was a deeply wounded adolescent asking questions too deep for an adolescent’s heart. My eyes were damaged by complications of premature birth, and I had lived for all of my life with only a small amount of vision. Just weeks before […]
Dog Meets Cats
My house was a very happy dog/cat home for 23 years. Obviously, I did not have the same dogs and cats for all of that time. As I have been a member of both dog and cat communities and seen the same question come up often, I thought that it might be helpful to know […]
why cutting Social Security Disability Income matters to everyone
Last week, Congress passed legislation that will make changes in how the Social Security program is managed, resulting in as much as a 20 per cent reduction in income for people with disabilities who receive payments through the Social Security Disability Insurance program by the end of 2016. In case you are still thinking the […]
Sarah’s Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Kevin has graciously been trying out my crazy cooking ideas over the last two and a half years. He didn’t know he was signing up with the kitchen experimenter extraordinaire. Since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I have had a hard time giving up my favorite snacks. I started out by experimenting with […]
controlling allergens in the home
I spent an afternoon yesterday helping to claen my parents’ new house before they moved in. I took over a bag full of cleaners and went to work on carpets and shelves and bathroom, getting rid of dust and grime. All the work reminded me that I promised, a few weeks ago, to follow up […]
Why I Stayed
Today, while browsing Facebook, I ran across an article: 10 Reasons Kids Leave Church. Every point resonated deeply with me. Kids leaving church is not a new problem, though every generation likes to talk about it like it is a fresh problem that must be solved immediately. As a child of the 70s and 80s […]
Beating Allergies Without Giving Up the Animals
During the years before we were married, Kevin made several visits from his home in Washington State to mine here in Indiana. He was, of course, introduced to my animals and got to know them as part of this process. One problem arose early in his first visit. He had a violent allergy to cats; […]
an open letter about blindness
When I interact with people in public, I invariably encounter the attitude that someone thinks my blindness is hard or presents me great sadness. More often than not, a person goes on expressing their amazement at my bravery and sometimes expressing sorrow at the sadness I must endure. The discussion rarely gets around to a […]
biblical studies, chronic illness, disability awareness, disability studies, healing narratives, ministry, prayer, theology
musings on the healing narratives
If a doctor can treat an illness, then why do we need Jesus? Perhaps it is a question worth asking. Is it just a matter of making a statement, of rejecting the world’s system for the Christian one? Or is there really a situation where a miracle can happen? Sometimes, it is both. It is […]
thinking critically about FB messenger
I have become very disturbed reading several recent articles expressing extreme concern about the Facebook messenger app and how much control it gains over mobile devices. After reading the list of concerns in these articles, one might go away thinking that Facebook staff are just hanging out in their offices picking through our emails, call […]
the baking soda method
It’s time for another update on the great hair experiment. I am still taming down the oils in my scalp that have arisen in response to my transition away from shampoo with sulfates. To facilitate this transition a little more smoothly, I have resorted to the baking soda method. If you want to feel oil […]
please transfer me
I began my day with stress. I needed to handle some financial matters, and dealing with these things is always stressful for me. I began by attempting to handle them online… I ran into a slew of problems related to the fact that my name change had not been processed correctly since I got married; […]
blood on our hands
There is no gentle way to begin this post, so I will simply say that I am alarmed as I read about the proceedings of the third execution in this country this year. Whatever a person thinks about the morality of the death penalty, it cannot be that it is humane for a person to […]
global friendships
This morning, I struggle to put my thoughts in words… I have a headache, and I am reading the Facebook feed of a friend from Israel. He posts each time there is a siren followed by multiple booms. While reading, I called to mind another friend with whom I corresponded in 2001. She shared with […]
the great shampoo experiment
Today was shampoo experiment day. The general texture and ingredient balance was good. I will have to live with it a bit before deciding whether I like it. Home-made shampoo is very different from anything you can buy in the store, even the natural stuff. It is much thinner and doesn’t leave you with the […]
Wow hair conditioner
Many soap and cosmetic makers measure their recipes by weight in grams and heat their ingredients to specific temperatures. I do not have a kitchen scale that weighs in grams and speaks; and I do not have a kitchen thermometer that talks; so I have to improvize. I work my recipes by proportions after much […]
soap-making tips for beginners
My first box of supplies arrived today from Mountain Rose Herbs. I spent the afternoon setting up my kitchen and finished off by making an experimental hair conditioner recipe. If I like it, I will post it for other people to use. First, some general notes on oils and safety… Since some people are asking […]
entering the world of soap-making
Today’s post is a foray into one of my hobbies. When I lived in Florida, I experimented for a couple of years with making my own soaps, lotions, and cleaning products. I greatly enjoyed the creative process as well as using what I made. I lost my job and couldn’t keep buying supplies after moving […]
Remember
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, I have difficulty remembering to make my medical appointments. My husband has been reminding me all week that I have an appointment to make. Sometimes I have asked him to please remind me during the day–after all, I cannot make the appointment in the late evening. Sometimes, during […]
why I don’t say happy birthday Jesus
As I grow older, I become increasingly irritable when I see so much Americanization and dumbing down of holy things. My parents laugh when I express these signs of my age. But I hope that some of my general disquiet might be worth taking seriously. The current object of my disquiet is the phrase, “Happy […]
Tech tip: saving attachments in Windows Live Mail
For several years, I have been trying to figure out how to save attachments in Windows Live mail without opening them first. Back in the “good old days,” I used Outlook Express, and there was a nice “save attachments” option in the menus. This is “grayed out” in Windows Live mail. I pride myself in […]
thoughts on news articles about guide dogs
There is an article circulating in the news media about a guide dog who rescued his owner from subway tracks after the owner passed out and fell from the platform. Whenever articles are published regarding dog guides and accidents, there are always a host of questions and misconceptions that follow. In this case, the dog […]
How do you do it? eye surgery, hospital, and oxygen, oh my!
Last month, I had surgery on my right eye to treat complications related to my artificial cornea. I traveled to Detroit for surgery with Dr. Michael Trese, who has treated me for additional problems with my retina in the past. The surgery is one that I will need repeatedly as long as I am able […]
thinking about prayer
Sometimes I feel guilty for identifying with songs that have nothing to do with what I pray about personally… But at other times I realize that this is what we do when we come together in worship. It is especially true when we come together in large groups that we don’t know all of the […]
about those welfare recipients
This morning, a friend posted a link on Facebook to an article, What the Right Doesn’t Want You to Know About Welfare. I dislike the title; but in general the article gives a realistic counterpoint to the myths that are often spread about people receiving welfare benefits. I was and am glad to see it […]
discovering the power of hymns
Throughout my childhood, adolescence, and much of my young adulthood, I spent so much time trying to puzzle out the words while other people worshiped in song that I really did not understand the depth of the music–no time to ponder the theological implications when you are one, two, or even three steps behind and […]
women and college
I have a very firm policy regarding theology: I cannot argue against it if I haven’t first read it with an open mind. It is with that policy that I read a blog post entitled 6 Reasons Not to Send Your Daughter to College. I must admit up front that I have biases. I am […]
Book Review: Replacement Child
My choice for reading during my most recent bout of down time was Judy Mandel’s Replacement Child . Published in March, 2013 by Seal Press, the book is a memoir about her family’s healing journey following the crash of American Airlines flight 6780 in Elizabeth, NJ, on January 22, 1952. The crash resulted in the […]
How shall we remember
Today is “09/11”. Of course, my Facebook feed is littered with reminders that “we will not forget.” What does that mean, to “not forget”? Some of my social network is under the impression that we are using our memory to live in the past, to not move forward. Last night, Kevin and I were talking […]
biblical languages and scholars who are blind: state of technology
Yesterday, I announced on Facebook that the Bartimaeus Alliance of the Blind has released a digital braille format version of Jacob Weingreen’s A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew. This, along with other digital braille files available on their site, may be an important breakthrough for people who are blind and who want to study Hebrew. […]
what takes courage
Yesterday in church, we spent a couple of moments discussing with people near us a moment when we did something that required courage. The people near me all said that they thought I need courage every day just to get out of the house. After all, I could choose not to leave the house. I […]
learning curves
Please pardon the lengthy silence between entries. Life in the LaRose household has been busy as Kathie continues to adjust to her new environment and little Kira grows like a weed. I have not had a kitten in the house in ten years, and I have forgotten much of what it is like to raise […]
on mentors and long-term unemployment
I had a conversation with a recent college graduate this week about some topics related to employment and blindness. The discussion led me to think about some experiences I had as a young person and what helped me to be encouraged, to believe in myself as a person with potential. It also led me to […]
why I stay in Church
Yesterday, I ran across a link on Facebook: 10 Surprising Reasons Our Kids Leave Church. It made me truly sad–perhaps that isn’t what the author was after, but that is the response I have. A few years ago, when I was teaching an adult Sunday school class and we were studying Jim Wallace’s book, A […]
fixing the economy
A friend posted this morning on Facebook that he would like certain [insert racial and political characteristics associated with particular Congressmen] to avoid certain behaviors and start passing legislation that would put people back to work. First, I’m not convinced that any Congressmen fitting his description would be convinced that their moral behavior–or lack thereof–keeps […]
3 weeks home
Kathie is approaching the mark of her third week home. She continues to do well with brief periods off leash. She is extremely excitable, and I am learning to recognize when she is reaching her limit of tolerance for stimulation. She needs these periods of fun and exercise, but it will be some time before […]
day 5 home
Kathie is a very, very exuberant dog. She loves everything and wants to be a part of everything all at once! The other day, I stepped out of the office while she was on the tie down to get something from the kitchen. When I came back (about 30 seconds later), she began dancing and […]
day 4 at home
Kathie and I have had a big weekend. In case that sounds too exciting, I should say that it really means we have been working hard on in-house behavior. She has had several brief periods off leash, during which we have played hard until she has become tired. Once she has become tired (and much […]
day 1 home
Kathie’s first day home has been less eventful in some ways than her days at The Seeing Eye were. On the other hand, adjusting to a new environment is hard work. She is learning to not chase after the cats–that in itself is a very big job. She was rewarded this evening by Sierra giving […]
day 18
Kathie is a phenomenal flyer! I don’t usually sit in bulkhead seating–my legs are too short to drape over a sprawled dog, and the only benefit ends up being a queen-size seat for a dog that is well trained to snuggle up in small spaces. Today I took the bulkhead after being bothered about it […]
day 17
I am sittting in the lounge, waiting to go on my last trip. We will be walking through one of those roped-off mazes that is used to direct a line toward a counter. These can be hard for dogs because the dogs want to go under the ropes or bars instead of following them like […]
day 16
We are winding down to home-going, and Kathie is one tired little dog. She is having a rest in the room this evening while I am in the lounge with a cup of hot tea writing this post. It is hard to believe that training is almost over. I will keep blogging after our arrival […]
day 15 trips
This morning, we walked around on the campus of Drew University to see how the dogs would do with walking in areas where sidewalks intersect at random. My work at Drew was a big different from the work my trip mates did. They practiced orientation, coaching, and soloing through a planned route such as from […]
day 14: bonus post
I am up late writing tomorrow’s post in advance. Tomorrow we have the whole day off, and I am planning to do some serious resting and reading. I have put up a page as part of the dog guide FAQ that includes questions about dog guide training. One question turned into a long answer; and […]
day 13
I am beginning to make the first preparations for my and Kathie’s home-going, which will occur on Thursday morning. I don’t like to pack everything all in a rush; so I am gathering things slowly, sorting them into what I can pack and what I will need for the next few days, etc. Today and […]
day 12
Yesterday was a very hot day; so we did our morning trip early and our afternoon trip inside. For our morning trip, we walked around some streets that have angled intersections and islands in the middle of the street. Kathie handled them remarkably well. My dislike for them did not improve, and I’m glad that […]
day 11 catch up
I have had a rough couple of days and have been resting during much of my off time. Please forgive the lack of blog entries. I wrote on Facebook that if I had planned to train my dog in a sawna, I would have gone to find one. The heat and humidity has been very […]
day 8
Today Kathie and I meet our personal match: my left knee pain. It kept me awake last night and made me walk oddly this morning. On the way out to the relief area, I heard someone say that it would be rainy all day. I replied, “Pfui.” That is a habit I should break… Kathie […]
day 7: solo route
In working with Kathie, one of the hardest balances for me to maintain is the delicate balance between my control over our travel and my trust in her work as guide along the path we take in getting toward our destination. Before I can train with a dog, I must have the ability to travel […]