Face lift ...

Yes, a face lift. Not for myself but for my home. It is going to recieve a face lift of sorts this spring. It will have a new roof, new front and back entry doors along with new storm/security doors and the main level is also going to have solid oak interior doors replacing the older hollow core doors. I also believe the front room floor is going to recieve a new finish. Should look pretty good and certainly add value to the property. I am happy but not overly, since material things don't mean all that much to me. Those things which are important to me cannot be purchased. Friendship, love, companionship, health and joy are just the core of my hopes and desire....

Allow others to reach their potential...

We can play a role in someone's life or not. If they of course do not wish us to be involved in their lives, then we need to bow out gracefully.
However, if we are given the opportunity to be involved in the life of someone we love and care about, then it is important to allow that person to grow and achieve their potential, helping along the way if we can. Help comes in many forms. It can be a kind word at the proper time, encouragement, a gift of acknowledgement or a hug. When we add a measure of love to this equation we are headed in the right couse of action. We do this without expecting anything in return, that is what makes it sincere and loving. We will however reap the benefit of seeing someone we love to flourish and grow as a person. This as far as I am concerned is all that matters.

Who you may ask, would you do this for. While I could say for anyone, that is not practical since time spent with that person is required, we can't do this for a casual acquaintance, it would better serve someone who is a part of our lives, someone we deeply care about and want nothing but the best life has to offer.

We can and should demonstrate kindness whenever possible to anyone we may meet, but these special moments of growth and fulfilment should be preserved for those special people in our lives...

I did it again...

Well, I hurt someone with my words again. I wrote in my blogs offensive matter and I am deeply sorry. I just want to get on with my life. I want very desperately to forget the past. There is nothing me or anyone else can do to change things in the past. I have said and done things which have hurt people, one person in particular, Janet. I am deeply sorry for doing so. I made a serious mistake and I hope that I can be forgiven. I have made mistakes and others have also. I should not write in my blogs the mistakes of others, I would not appreciate having that done to me. I apologize and hope that I can be forgiven.

I know that 5 people read my blog. My children and my son in law. To you I say, I just want to move on with my life. I will not write about the past unless it is something based on a good memory. I want very much for Janet to be my friend, and to be a part of our lives. I do love her and believe she feels love for me, so I for my part will forgive and work very hard on forgetting the past. Only the memories which brought joy are worth anything anyways.

So, this is my public apology and expression of deep sorrow for any pain I cause you Janet....

New phone...

I want to speak about my new cell phone. It is an LG UX310, the ux just means that US Cellular is my service provider, so the phone is really an LG 310.

I got it as an upgrade, and because my contract was about to expire. I have been with US Cell for over 6 years and I have a very good deal going on, so I really have never considered changing it. I never use my minutes up. Even when I got a little crazy and would speak to a lady in Naperville, I did not go over my minutes. Man am I glad I am no longer crazy. Well, that is a topic for another century.

About the phone...as a blind person there are certain things I look for in a phone. The most important one is a talking caller ID. Most phones have voice commands but not many have voice alert. This item tells you the name or number of the person calling. I comes clearly through the speaker phone. On other phones you can set a certain tone for each group or individual caller, but you won't be told the number of a caller. I can set this feature to just say the name or name and ringer or name and vibrate. This is a must have with me. If I don't want to speak with the caller I don't have to. Without this feature since I cannot see the screen, I would have to answer every call. The keypad is large and easy to use. I have never had a problem dialing numbers. I always get used to whatever the layout is. I really wonder why people need to look at a keypad or for that matter a keyboard, in order to dial or type.

This phone also allows me to check for missed calls or any voicemails I may have. I am given the audible option to call back the missed caller or to call voicemail and listen to my saved mail. All of these can be accomplished with just the touch of one button and your voice. I also set my most called numbers with their own speed dial. There are a few things that LG has removed from their phones which I believe to be a mistake. These are, phone status and audible digit readout. The phone status feature would tell you the current GPS mode and the battery life on the phone, the audible key feature would let you hear the number or letter you were pressing. Oh, I almost forgot, they also removed a feature which would allow you to add,delete, read a contact. The last phone to have these features was the ux390. I don't know why they stopped placing these features on their phones. I think I am going to email them about it.

Overall this model is good. It would be great if it included those missing features.

Sometimes it's ok to put something off...

Not all the time, but sometimes if you wait you will do a better job and feel better about the whole thing. As an example, my garage door was giving me some problems in the middle of winter, so I decided to just close the door and leave it that way til spring. Well, spring came early so I decided to keep my schedule and fix it. I had a few months to think of what I needed to do and how I would go about it. I bought the proper parts and even bought a set of tools to make my job easier. I am not going to say it was easy, but it was a lot easier than doing it in winter, and I took my time and did it right. This was a problem that had existed since we moved in and I would repair it, but now I got rid of the problem hardware and I am pretty sure it will be good for a long time. I am not the kind of person to put things off, but this was a good time to do so.

I guess age and not wanting to freeze helped me come to that conclusion....

What beautiful weather...

Yes, we have enjoyed a few really nice days this week. Hope it is a sign that winter is gone. I really love the nice weather. I enjoy going outside.

More than just feeling the warmth of the sun is the way it makes me feel imotionally, it really lifts my spirits. I know this is not a unique feeling saved just for me, but I can only speak of how I feel.

Hope this spring and summer are warm and long. Can't wait for my flowers to start blooming. Don't think I am going anywhere outside of Chicago. I don't mind just staying here for the summer, after all one city or another looks all the same to me.

Once the new roof is installed on the house I will feel even better. Let the rain, snow and wind come!