Dog manners.

I had a busy day of work yesterday. In the morning, I had a
performance and in the evening I lead a disability awareness
session. During both events, people commented about how good and
calm Tulia was. In fact, she was under a table in the morning
and when I got up to speak (after having sat there for about half
an hour) some people said they didn't even know she had been
there. Last night, she lay quietly beside my chair for the
hour-long presentation. A great day of work with lots of great
interactions and questions. And a great guide dog with me too.
What can be better?

If you could touch anything in the world, what would it be?

I overheard someone the other day asking someone else on the bus if they could go to any place in the world, where would it be? it got me thinking. Many times, people ask if I could see, what would I look at? What would I want to see most? then, I thought some more. What things if I could would I like to touch that I have never touched? Things that maybe it wouldn't be safe to touch or that I probably never will touch. Say like the surface of the moon for example. A lion or tiger or polar bear! The feeling of being on the top of mount everest say! But I'll have to think more about things I would like to touch and try to find a way to do that.

Blogger's block.

I have no idea what to blog about. I'm sitting here in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea and listening to my washer spin as the laundry goes round and trying to think of something interesting to write about. Nothing odd or terribly out of the ordinary has happened. I've been working away at various projects, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying the spring weather. My dog is dreaming right now. Making some strange smacking noises with her mouth, running her paws against her bean bag bed with a swish swish and wagging her tail furiously. I always wish I knew what they dream about. I wonder if they dream about us as we dream about them. Last night I dreamed Tulia was small enough that I could pick her up and hold her on the crowded bus. That would come in handy but think it would make it tough for her to guide me around. Anyone have any questions or suggestions for blog topics?

What you don't see, could be better sometimes.

last night while out owith a friend, she mentioned a possible blog post idea for me. She said that she was recently in a taxi and the taxi was getting very close to other cars. A bit nerve wracking for the passengers. Sometimes being blind would help with those nerves I would imagine. However, I will say that drivers who drive in a jerky way or slamming on brakes and moving swiftly about with jerky turns, you know and can feel this whether you are blind or sighted.

windows are open and now I can hear the world again.

the spring is here I think at last. Windows are open this morning. As I sit here working at various projects, I hear more noises outside. Noises I don't hear in the same way during the winter when windows are closed. When windows are closed, I am in my own world. If something is very loud outside, I hear it. But, I don't realize how busy things are outside of my windows. This morning for example, I hear people walking, talking, car doors opening and closing, sirens, dogs barking, dog claws on the sidewalk, birds, people pushing carts or strollers on wheels, kids laughing, bouncing a basket ball. It is fascinating to listen to but now I must get back to work.

The smell of the air.

There is something different and wonderful about the smell of the
air today. A fresh smell. A smell of growing things. I
breathed it in. I thought about how the air smells and what I
like. Like the smell of the ocean air which smells different
than the watery smell near a lake or river. The smell of the air
just after it rains. The smell of the air when leaves are
falling with a sharper smell to it. There is a different smell
when it is very very cold. And, if I can smell all of these
things in the air, just think what my dog can smell as her nose
is huge compared to mine and their senses of smell are so much
more heightened.

The stars.

So, I was reading a book of short stories last night. In one of the stories, they talked about going outside and gazing at the stars. How bright they were. How easy it is to see them. Because I know how far away that is, I can't even begin to imagine how anyone can see that. I tried to think of sound equivalents. I'm not sure there are any. You can hear sounds from across a lake or something like that but it is no where near what you can see in the sky. I can see the sun but not the moon or stars. What makes the stars so beautiful? What are they like?