KK: Karen's Kanvas: What VisionWalk Means to Me!

VisionWalk, Foundation Fighting Blindness Researching, Curing Sight,

Making futures more Bright,

Enabling people young and old to have the same opportunities,

A Fund Raiser to Cure Retinal Disease.

 

Blindness can be a frightening thing,

Hope  you can bring,

Prevent one from losing the ability to see faces,shapes color, or light,

Minimize the fear for those losing their sight.

 

We all are intended to have 5 Senses:hearing , sight, smell, touch and taste,

Giving support, won't be a waste

 Of your Money or time,

To learn more, go online

 

 If you could, just donate a Dollar,

Your buck will go far,

Maybe, the money you spend at the convenient store, coffee shop or at the sports bar,

For one week, can be donated to the Foundation?

To help those with Usher's syndrome, RP or Macular degeneration?.

 

Blind Individuals    can be independent, be employed   and raise a Family

They are like you and me.

 

Sometimes, we are not given an Opportunity or a chance because we lack eyesight,

This, is not right,

Some do discriminate, some think blindness is just a nusense, just a characteristic, like hair color, but not me,

I believe those of us whom can't see,

Hlike me, whom have no sight, it's a major sensory disability,

And life is a bit more                      challenging and their obstacles in our way,

But that has more to do with, Society's view and Social Barriers, that's what I say.

 

Many people with disabilities feel more isolated and that others do not always, understand,

Yet, we all are connected in some way, lend a hand,

I'm not making any demands,

Though, donations would be appreciated, It could change one life,

Someday, it may affect you, your Sister, Uncle, or your Wife.

 

Due to medical advances, People are living much longer today,

Many are more health conscience, work, involved in their community and play

Contribute to Society in some way,

Be productive at their Jobs or Volunteer,

Play with their grandchildren or spend time with family or friends that are dear

 And as people live longer, their more likely to have problems with their sight,

Often struggle to read, drive or see at night.

 

I do recall, when I was losing my sight, what a scary time,

I couldn't just go online,

Surf the net and read the Medical Journals with a screen reader, Like JAWS,

I needed assistance from Family, to read for me, to tell me the cause,

The reason why I was going blind and what was happening to me,

 Sat in the Doctor's Office, heard his explanation of why I couldn't see,

,Back then WE didn't have access to the information Highway,

Like we do today,

It was a 7 year emotional roller coaster ride,

I tried to take it all in stride,

 And stay strong,

And learn to get along,

And adjust to life without sight,

But for me, it took a long while, before I got it right,

And transitioned from being more in the sighted world, to a blind one,

Once I had, life again, had begun.

 

I                       would like to help others like myself, not experience vision loss, and have a retinal detachment

Its money well spent,

I had 3 Retinal detachments,

Damage to my pupil,iris,rods and cones,

The prognosis,it was unknown,

I also had,Glaucoma, cataracts, a damaged cornea too,

10 surgeries on one eye before it was all through,

 The Doctors at Duke Eye Center, did give me 5 more years of residual sight,

And I'm grateful for all they did for me,

And all the others, who visited the clinic, losing their sight, like me.

 

Help another, be able to   appreciate the beauty with their eyes, a sunrise, the rain, a rainbow,

The view of the view of the ocean, the auto leaves, the falling snow,

 Their child being born, Children at play,

To be able to see on their Wedding day

 To see a smile on their spouses face,

To see their friend, as they hug, give an embrace.

 

Help another to be able to read their own mail,

To walk safely and with ease on a hiking trail,

To make travel easier, taking the bus, train or plane,

Whether they go sighted guide, use a dog guide or a cane,

To not be among the 75 % whom are unemployed,

Or the individuals, that some avoid

At School, Library or at the gym,

at the pool,while they swim,,

In their community as they shop, go to the cinimeathe, or out to dine,

To   help others, right now, some web sites are inaccessible online,

 Let's bridge the Gap, help   one another,

Storm the weather,

After all, we all are connected in some way,

We all are here, live each day,

We all need to make a difference in our lives, what do you say? 

KK: Karen's Kanvas My Thoughts on the IPhone and all its Apps

It's a beautiful day here in the Valley of the sun,

It's my day off and I'm having fun,

I am in the mood to write, need to get my thoughts out on the page today,

On my Canvas, in my unique way.

 

The IPhone is a wonderful piece of technology,

There is an App for Everything! To suit you and me.

 

I have known this for quite a while, but haven't written about it till today,

And this is, what I have to say.

 

It's amazing, overwhelming and fun,

It can assist and enable us to get work done,

There are apps to help us manage our time and budget our money,

To improve our health, give us humor, jokes that are funny

There are game apps that are to distract us so we are not board,

Many are free, but some are paid, many we can afford,

It's easy, with with a flick and a tap,

You can choose yourselections , find your app.

 

There are apps to help one read and write,

An app,that becomes a flashlight and help you see a night,

There are apps to    help you clean and cook,

 Open up the App store, give it a look!

 

There are apps now that will allow you to watch movies and TV, so you no longer need cable,

There are apps, to grocery shop and put food on the table,

Apps to journal,tell your  Story,give you the News,

Social network,  find your favorite music,clothes and shoes,

There is an app, for every interest and subject matter,

 There are recipes to help you blend the batter,

And celebrate with friends,

And apps to help you not spend,

Help you communicate,

And relax and meditate,

To schedule appointments and plan a date.

There are countless, I don't know how                many, but maybe, one of you Geeks do?

I don't have a clue,

And it's really ok, I don't need to know that, to get through my day.

I'm sure there are apps that are being developed as I sit here and write,

And maybe, one of you Techie's will be beta testing them tonight?

 

Soon, we will have Apps to do our laundry and cook our dinner while we are out,

That would be wonderful and incredible! no doubt!

 One would think that this could make us all lazier, you know?

I wonder what the studies show?

 

 I believe we have become more efficient, tech savvy and these apps are improving our minds,

What do you think? What  do you find ?

 

I find apps that are practical, fun and make me feel alive! What is, your thing?

What are your, interests and Hobbies? Mine, are  Health, medicine and   art

That,is my thing,

I'm introspective, creative and feel from the Heart.

 

I not only like to write, but sing and dance,

I prefer, books that are filled with mystery, action, and some, romance,

Not a ton, but a little,

Want to learn and improve my dancing and singing, not play the fiddle,

Interested in forming new and good,habits and managing and be more organized,

Become more thick skinned, easy going and wise.

 

I use to think, this stuff, I could not learn, I raised the bar high,

Thought I needed to keep up with the Techie's, that is why,

Felt like I was not on the same time line and on the ball,

But, now I know, its not like that, at all.

 

I can learn but I may need more time and pace myself,

That, I can't and shouldn't compare, not good for my mental health.

 

I'm living in the 21 Century and playing in the game,

Though , I may not pbe playing the same,

At the same rate, intensity or speed,

All I need,

And to know,

 I'm making progress,I'm having fun and doing my best, and that is what matters most and what I have concluded today,

And unfortunately, I need to get on my way,

I have shopping to do and a house to clean before the day ends,

So, take care my   friends.

KK: Karen's Kanvas: Reflections, a New Year, A New Beginning

 We all need trust    and tenacity to achieve,

Have inner strength and believe,

We need to go with the flow, and have hope,

To be self-Reliant and know how to cope,

With life's challenges, and the stress from day to day,

Be in the game, to be a good sport, and know how to play,

To find balance, and   the person and happiness within,

Too love yourself, whether you are tall, fat, short or thin,

To recognize, you are a winner! just give it your all,

And when you lose sight of your Goals, and may slip and fall,

Reach out to others, family and friends will help you focus on it all,

Ones who are truly there and give you another chance,

That love you under any circumstance,

 Even though, they may be disappointed in your choices, they support and stand by,

Allow you to spread your wings and fly,

To reach High and do your best

Take the time to invest,

In yourself, and one another,

Recall the things from Kindergarten,family,friends,especially   your Mother.

Learn from your successes and failures too,

Recognize the things you like to do,

Develop your talents and gifts,

When you are feeling down, and your spirit you want to lift,

Laugh from your heart and head to toe,

Stay calm, go with the flow

Sometimes, this is easier said, than done, take it one day at a time,

Have Faith! and soon,you will be fine.,

 

Find your, Elasticity of Spirit and know that you are not alone,

 Roll with the Punches and step out of your comfort zone,

Now and again, try something new

It may be rewarding, enlightening or fun,

The best thing you have done.

 

Dream, reach for the Stars! Have realistic expectations,

Renew your soul, take a vacation,

Watch a sunrise, hear children laugh and play,

Smell the rain, or sit and pray,

Feel the warmth of the sun on your face,

 Those you love, do embrace,

Give them a hug! Convey your feelings   and what they mean to you,

They may not have a clue,

And life is precious, and people too.

It's all about Balance and moderation, as they say,

We all need to fine tune it, including me,

It takes work, time annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd energy and insight,

With these ingrediants, you may get it right.

 

Time is, our most valuable Commodity, the clock does tick, the Hours do pass, 365 days a year,

What is your purpose here?

 On this Earth,

What is meaningful to you  ?

Karen's Kanvas: Black Friday! My View

Black Friday is notjust a word, an Event but has become a Cultural thing

What   kind of message does this bring?

What does this say?

About our Society? The day?

 

Most businesses have been opened for 24/7, one can shop in stores or online,

At any time,

The Millennials don't recall the days when stores were closed on Thanksgiving

Where families and friends sat around, appreciate the food on the table and togetherness they've been given,

Spent time,

After they all did dine,

After the Macy's Parade

And the Thanksgiving Feast that together some of them made,

All the time in the kitchen, cooking the bird and all the side dishes,

Counting their blessings, saying prayers and making wishes,

Turkey, ham stuffing, potatoes and cranberry,

Pumpkin pie, hot biscuits, coffee,tttttttttttttttttttea,soda,wine, beer and being Merry

Qualitytime, attitude of gratitude, Three hour conversations, and eating some more,

Telling one another what they are grateful for

Instead they look forward to going to the stor.

 

Instead   of severing every bite

 They plan on shopping on Gray Thursday night,

They don't enjoy the food they devour, chat and laugh,

They look forward the the stores reducing                    their prices in half,

And often the percentage is higher,

When it gets down to the wire,

They don't have quality conversation, play board games like Monopoly, Life and clue, or watch TV,

 Sing songs, sit by the fireplace, or decorate the tree,

Or loosen their belts and take a nap,

Many have fallen into the trap,

With the Economy being so bad and budgets so tight,

 Many start the big Holiday shopping Thursday night,

Many want to run out and take advantage of the wicked deals everywhere,

Little time together they do share

 

 What happened to time together? slowing down?,talking?,eating?,having apple or pumpkin pie with whip  topping?,

 Now it seems more about finding the wicked deals and shopping.

Many already know what are the hot ticket items from looking at the paper or in their-mail inbox,

Or on TV, the network channels or CNN, maybe not so much Fox

 

Black Friday, Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Lowe's

Buying gifts, boxing packages with ribbon and bows,

Sears, Best Buy and radio Shack,

People running racing, fighting to grab items off the rack

 Standing in line at 5 a: M to be first in the door, to be one of the first 100 Customers,

They don't care,

Some will argue, push and shove

Attack another, all, to get gifts for ones they love

Is that love? Or being grateful for all we have and got?

What are we being taught?

 About Thanksgiving and the Holiday season?

Many are forgetting the real reason,

And the true meaning of the day,

For some, it's just about overeating and watchingFootball, their favorite teams play.

 

It's been so    commercialized for many years now! but it's now  gotten out of  hand,

Finding nice gifts and saving money, I get, I do understand,

That, we all want to do for those people that are close and dear   to our hearts,

But is it about standing in line all night? And filling our carts?

Looking for bargains, in the paper? social media? And our podcast feeds?

To get the best deals? And leads?

To surf the net?

To break the bank? And go more in debt?

All to make another Happy on Christmas Day!?

 What is this world coming too? Especially the United     States, The Land of the free and Home of the Brave

 Are we so materialistic, just so we can save?

 

Again, I understand, the need to   save time and   resources, we all have mortgages   rent and other bills to pay

Every day,

Medical, car, phone and cable

Buying clothes, school supplies and put food on the table,

I think not! But that's just my view,

What about you?

 

What about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Christ's Birth,

Having Faith, Being loving, caring and down to earth,

Following the 10 Commandments Love the Lord, God with all your Heart, soul andddddddddddddddd   mind,

Have faith, being, loyal and kind,

Love your Neighbor, like yourself,

Instead, many are Being rude, cruel to other shoppers, have raised blood pressure, not well for one's mental health

 

Its notjust Black Friday but we now have Gray Thursday and Cyber Monday, its ridiculous! Out of control and something I don't like to see, but don't think it will change anytime soon, its part of the fabric of our Society

  For you and me,

It's here to stay

and much different has become Thanksgiving Day.,

Karen's Kanvas: Social Media delight,a poem,something,I write

It's been awhile since I wrote in Karen's Kanvas, but nothing creative came to mind,

Until today, when the thoughts, the verses, flooded my brain and I did find,

I had to write now before the creativity slips away

So, I'm here today,

Tonight, sleeping, I should!

Yet, if this is going to be at all, good,

 The time is                  now!  I need to sit,

For the thoughts to flow, the pieces to fall                        for possible whit,

 And somewhat crafty, with charm and delight,

 On this Autom November night,

 That grabs your attention, your heart and that you hopefully will like and find a little funny?,

 Cause I don't have the talent to do this for money,

For my livelihood

 Not many could,

So, I keep my day job as the Housekeeping Office Coordinator, that I have had this entire Century,

It's a good match for me,

Even though, I don't rake in the dough and not in a High Economic Bracket,

For now, I enjoy it and can hack it,

Like what I do, most of the time,

And I do it fine! So I'm told,

Yet, it be very cool, to have sold,

A book, two or three

 Write several poems or dance and sing on stage, where I want to be,

I'd like to be a poet or Dance perform, but I can't do anything fancy,

I'm no Jodi Picoult, Stephen king,Dean Koontz  or Tom Clancy,

I'm not, Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson or Edgar Alan Poe,

You know?

I'm not a great Tap Dancer like Sammie Davis JR, So, my interest in the arts, won't go far,

But it's a hobby of mine,

So, I will keep it here online,

On Karen's Kanvas for my few readers to see,

Although, it be nice, if more, would see,

What I do, what I write,

You got to start somewhere, right?lol

 

. Enough about me, and more about my purpose of being here,

Writing away, The Holidays are near,

And my creativity is flowing,

And hope for all of you, well things are going?

 

I need to sit and write my thoughts down here,

 Before they disappear,

Or their won't be, a Poem here,

To compose or read,

From what I hear, Tom Clancy, he does need,

To do the same, a headache, he does get,

If he does not! For me, it's so I won't forget,

And my brain doesn't have to remember, so I can later, get a restful night sleep, quiet my mind, slow the pace,

At night, my mind sometimes does race,

And want to be relaxed and in peace and Harmony,

But that's hard to do for many, not just me.

 

This Poem is A Social media Christmas poet, delight?,

 It's hopefully, not a poetic disaster?,

I know, the skill, I have not yet Master,

But, hopefully it will do?

And you will have enjoyed it, by the time you are through.

 

, 5  weeks before Christmas and already the shopping began,

As many max their Band width over their LAN ,

The Online shoppers surf away,

In hopes to reach those on their list before Christmas Eve day.

 

Some still go at the mall and do their gift                     shopping the old fashioned way,

 But like many, I'm in the 21 St Century, and Home, I stay,

I do not want to fight the crowds, stand in line or listen to the same dozen songs on the                       Walmart or Target store Cd

That is not fun for me,

 And I recall doing that long ago, but it doesn't have to be,

Now, that we have the                       internet and many web sites,

We can sit at home, dim the lights

 Sit in our favorite computer chair,

And if we  like,sit In our PJ's, slippers and uncombed hair,

More than one person can surf, a drive they can share,

One can balance the checkbook while another    do gaming   till late,

And a third, chat on skype with   a friend in another state,

 Or another Country, notjust a neighbor down the block,

 Or listen to Folk, Classical or Rock,

Or surf, do their gift giving,

I know, I try and Start a few weeks before Thanksgiving!

 

 You can have a snack as you surf,your beverage of choice.  Mine is,coffee,with cream and sugar,not half and half

Not,coffee in my,creamer! I know,this,some of you,will laugh.

 

,  One does not have to leave their                    house

With just a few    keyboard strokes or clicks with the mouse

The task is done,

 Much more efficient, relaxing and fun,

No need to   drive, park the car, search for a place near the store

 Hoping there will be an empty spot right near the door,

 Or not too, far away

 Fight the crowd and stand on your feet all day,

Or at least for an  hour or two

 Worry about someone cutting in line, that's not what I want to do!

Nor wait to pay, get a receipt, carry the packages, and toss them in the trunk

 And try and leave the parking lot, as you hear, someone vibrate their car stereo with loud rap crap or really bad punk

Or sit there texting or sit on their phone as they talk,

Or people just lollygagging as they walk,

And ignore a honking horn or comment, to get out of the way, plese!

 One can sit home, shop without a breeze,

Or with less frustration save themselves some time

I certainly, would recommend to do it online!

 

 Tweet,use facebook,send an e-mail to your  family and friends,

And maybe, they will give you some ideas, a list they will send.

 

There are many awesome Apps,out there,Around,

Search,look at the Catagories,they,can be found,

They have countless,they,you,they will assist,

So, you can  complete your Christmas list.

 

There are some, to do your gift giving  in half the time,

 Recipies  to compliment your coffee or wine,

Some,Can keep you entertained,

  Helppppppppppppppppppp you keep track of calculate your weight,that, weight that you may have gained,,

Or loss.   Budget your money,

or find you some comedy,jokes that are funny,

Or help you connect with your family,friends and your special honey.

 

Don't get me wrong, at first I had trouble doing it,

It was back in 2000, here, I did sit,

Searching, finding the items wasn't so bad,

I could see the descriptions, the price, lookat the ads,

And even though, I couldn't see the Pics,knew what I got,

 The daunting task was filling out the order form, now, that, took a lot!

As a blind person I was learning how to online shop using my screen reader and navigate the site,

Use the combo boxes and be in edit mode

Successfully purchase products! Sometimes, I almost went shopping down the road

Or wanted to pick up the phone and call and place it with a Customer Service Representative and do it, that way,

 But, I wouldn't be where I am today,

I'd Tell Darrell, I won't learn that way

 Even though it would be less of a hassle and more, I could  do with my day,

And save some time,

But eventually, I became pretty good.  and did most of the Holiday shopping online!

 

 I'm not at all,Tech savvy,  or have a technical mind,

I am of a creative kind,

Of individual who tries to use the technology,

But its challenging for me,

I have an IPhone   5 but not as productive with it as some,

Though, I am not, dumb,

It's just not something I  can really master, but I have come a long way,

Since the first time I have used this Awesome Technology, back on that, October 2010, day.

 

I remember the days of the rotary phones as a kid in the 70's and then the touch tone kind with the answering machine to take a message while away

As well as the Pay Phones that took dimes, that, I bet seldom can be found and around today

WE only had four channels on the TV,

The network channels and PBS, not over 200 that you see,

Today, with Cable and Sattlelight,

And now Netflicks, TV direct,

People now watching on all the cool tech.

 

I wish it came easy, and more productive with my IPhone I was

 But not going to worry about, what my neighbor does,

Or keep up with my friends, cause, I never will!

But, it                   doesn't stop me! I still,

 Give it the old College try and do, my best!

, that's fine,

I'm on my own timeline

 

 I'd rather be technical, use lots of tech, and be versatile

Instead of enjoy writing, with a quite unique style

, these tech gadgets will be around for a while,

One needs to access information easily, it's here to stay,

It's the communication way.

 

 My   apologies, a couple tangents I have gone,

At this rate, will be up till dawn,

So, I shall no more digress,

I do need to get some, rest!

 And not, sleep the day away tomorrow, I do have things to do!

Housework and type up the minutes  as the AZ Board Secretary.  This is something new,

I'm trying to capture the meetings to the best of my ability with accuracy and speed,

So, they will be easy for anyone to read,

If he or she visits the  ACB web site,

Have had the position since September,It's a growth Experience for sure! And, definitely will improve how I write,

Especially my grammar and punctuation,

And I will   be involved with a great organization,

As well as help with fund raising and meeting new people here locally and across the nation.

 

Anyway, this is supposed to be a Christmas Poem or some kind of creative piece,

Hopefully, will be complete soon, before your Thanksgiving feast,

Yours and mine, I was attempting to write about Christmas shopping online

And the Social Media craze,

It's definitely, not a Phase

Or a fad or a short term thing,

Like disco, as we heard the Bee Gee's sing, I am sure it's here to stay,

There will be more of these," Text me Merry Christmas" songs that I heard on the radio today,

And not these, classics, from a long time ago,

And not, this text me Merry   Christmas song is very cute and I know, it will be a hit, you know?

 

I like them all, the classics, instrumentals ,the traditional and the fun,

 The humor, the kids, I even listen to Christmas music in the summer sun,

Or in the spring,

Joy and fond memories it does bring.

 

So, if you haven't already, do some shopping if you can if your able,

Most iISP's are stable,

And you will have connectivity   ,

So, use your windows machine, IPad, or tablet

Get on the net,

Surf away,

After you do your work, set your appointments in your IPhone calender  for the day

Get,out those IPad minni's, Android devices or macs,

 Have Holiday music playing, your favorite tracks,

Visit your favorite shopping sites where you can find cool gifts,

Your spirit,it will lift,

 Go to Amazon for   some of your stuff,

It's not tough,

Be sure to look at the specifications and order in bulk, avoid the shipping fees,

 Go with Amazon Prime,

Or go standard shipping, unless   you procrastinated,

Cause, too long, you waited,

You may want to go to the ITunes or App store? that, may be better,,

 And, if your budget is tight, at least call or send a letter,

Bake some cookies, make some homemade gifts, or  go in person,spend some quality time,

But you may enjoy shopping   online.

 

I do like some of that, but for me it's more about quality time, you know?

For now, will visit with friends and home in the spring I very likely will go

I am starting to drag! I need some rest,

So, I must go! it's for the best.

 This isn't exactly what I had in mind or how I wanted it to turn out as a creative  piece,but,it is, what it is, it's all mine, it's not that good, I need some sleep,

But, I suppose, it I will keep,

And perhaps next year,

I will do a better job at writing a Christmas poem, instead of the one that is here,

On Karen's Kanvas,visible on your computer  screen,a,Journal,a poem,something with rhyme,

 Its not,at all the norm,but that's ok,

I hope you did like and appreciate,what you red here today?

Now, for me I'm heading to bed,

that's where my Joycie snug bug is and where,I should be, 

Its 2 A:M! bye from me,

Hope you and yours ,Have a Wonderful,Special Holiday!,