It's Aber Fair today ~ 102 years of never being rained out ~ and once again this small intergenerational community pulls together to create a family day of fun and friendship.
Over 80 light and heavy horses, pet show, children's races and face paints, horseshoes, tractor pull, a pie booth, an exhibit building filled with cooking and baking and preserves and handiwork and sewing; the curling rink filled with tables of vegetables and flowers and seeds and stalks; displays and children's entertainment throughout the fairgrounds; school displays and art & writing work; Old Tyme music and a pork and salad supper; and many a seat to sit or post to lean upon to visit an old friend or a neighbour you haven't seen for weeks or years. Fireworks at dusk.
During the long winter nights, Isabel dreamt up her contribution to this year's Fair ~ sponsoring a class for those aged 17 years and under called "A Good School Lunch".
The new class was a hit and ten aspiring lunch-makers packed their favourite foods in their lunch kits to compete for the honours. Sandwiches and muffins and veggies and fruit and yogourt in every possible combination and container.
Ah! Such satisfaction for Isabel as she hatched her idea at Wascana 70 miles from the Fairgrounds!
Old teachers never give up!
Did you miss this year's Fair? Mark July 24, 2010 on your calendar!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Introducing Isabel's New Laptop
Isabel has got herself a laptop. This latest acquisition is providing her with increased independence and the opportunity to learn yet again.
In early June, her Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) suggested that she try a "NEO Alpha-writer" to keep To Do lists for her daughters, and to write letters to friends and family. Isabel has continually rejected the idea of a specialized computer with voice function as not being what she needed for communication. As she said to a friend this spring, "my letterboard is my computer". However, the suggestion of a simple word processor without all the bells and whistles is what captured Isabel's fancy.
Within 15 minutes of the SLP's suggestion, Isabel had a borrowed one on her wheelchair table and was pecking out her first message. She now has a NEO Alpha-writer of her own and can write letters with her laptop on her new slanted laptop table any time she desires.
This simple machine saves every letter (A,B,C etc.) one types so there is little chance of losing your efforts. With wireless printing capability (soon to be hooked up) and a USB cord to download one's work to another computer, Isabel is set to go. The lists to the daughters get longer and longer, and the letters to friends are beginning to emerge.
Mum has never typed and with only one finger that "works" (left index) typing a letter is no small task. We are grateful for the research of friends and family who recommended that we convert her keyboard to Left-handed Dvorak. This placement of the letters means that someone with use of only the left hand (or one finger of the left hand as in Isabel's case) can type more easily than with a standard QWERTY Keyboard. The most-commonly used letters are placed together within easy reach of the left hand. (Yes, we used the equivalent of a kitchen knife to pry off the keys! Don't try this until you convert your keyboard internally first!).
Isabel's Occupational Therapist then added the "sticky key" function which allows Isabel to press the shift key and have it remain active until another key is pressed (for example, the question mark). As Isabel has use of only one finger, she needs "sticky keys" as she can't press Shift and Question Mark at the same time.
Does all this sound like Greek to you?
We'd suggest that you "google" the following to get further explanation:
* NEO Alpha-writer
* QWERTY
* Left hand Dvorak
* Sticky Keys
Oh, what we haven't learned these last 23 months!!!
In early June, her Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) suggested that she try a "NEO Alpha-writer" to keep To Do lists for her daughters, and to write letters to friends and family. Isabel has continually rejected the idea of a specialized computer with voice function as not being what she needed for communication. As she said to a friend this spring, "my letterboard is my computer". However, the suggestion of a simple word processor without all the bells and whistles is what captured Isabel's fancy.
Within 15 minutes of the SLP's suggestion, Isabel had a borrowed one on her wheelchair table and was pecking out her first message. She now has a NEO Alpha-writer of her own and can write letters with her laptop on her new slanted laptop table any time she desires.
This simple machine saves every letter (A,B,C etc.) one types so there is little chance of losing your efforts. With wireless printing capability (soon to be hooked up) and a USB cord to download one's work to another computer, Isabel is set to go. The lists to the daughters get longer and longer, and the letters to friends are beginning to emerge.
Mum has never typed and with only one finger that "works" (left index) typing a letter is no small task. We are grateful for the research of friends and family who recommended that we convert her keyboard to Left-handed Dvorak. This placement of the letters means that someone with use of only the left hand (or one finger of the left hand as in Isabel's case) can type more easily than with a standard QWERTY Keyboard. The most-commonly used letters are placed together within easy reach of the left hand. (Yes, we used the equivalent of a kitchen knife to pry off the keys! Don't try this until you convert your keyboard internally first!).
Isabel's Occupational Therapist then added the "sticky key" function which allows Isabel to press the shift key and have it remain active until another key is pressed (for example, the question mark). As Isabel has use of only one finger, she needs "sticky keys" as she can't press Shift and Question Mark at the same time.
Does all this sound like Greek to you?
We'd suggest that you "google" the following to get further explanation:
* NEO Alpha-writer
* QWERTY
* Left hand Dvorak
* Sticky Keys
Oh, what we haven't learned these last 23 months!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Canada Day!
Happy Canada Day!
As the calendar turns to July 1, Isabel gratefully remembers communication with so many friends and family in June. Today, we name in particular, her many kith and kin in England and Scotland. June was always the month that Isabel travelled to the UK, and this year, emails and phone calls travelled from there to Room 2-649 in Wascana.
Thank you to all of you who phoned, emailed, and posted letters from The Orkneys, the Western Isles, Glasgow, and the south of England. These significant relationships continue!
The bagpiper at our clan gathering on the weekend, and the gift of a new CD of bagpipe music from a Saskatoon friend add to the delights of June. In fact, that bagpipe CD is so good that Isabel plays it all night. A night nurse asked her at 3:30 AM on Saturday if she could turn it down!
Isabel has a constant refrain as she thinks about travel across the sea.
"Do it while you can, and savour the memories!"
CARPE DIEM!
And now ~ on to July!
Happy Canada Day, Everyone!
As the calendar turns to July 1, Isabel gratefully remembers communication with so many friends and family in June. Today, we name in particular, her many kith and kin in England and Scotland. June was always the month that Isabel travelled to the UK, and this year, emails and phone calls travelled from there to Room 2-649 in Wascana.
Thank you to all of you who phoned, emailed, and posted letters from The Orkneys, the Western Isles, Glasgow, and the south of England. These significant relationships continue!
The bagpiper at our clan gathering on the weekend, and the gift of a new CD of bagpipe music from a Saskatoon friend add to the delights of June. In fact, that bagpipe CD is so good that Isabel plays it all night. A night nurse asked her at 3:30 AM on Saturday if she could turn it down!
Isabel has a constant refrain as she thinks about travel across the sea.
"Do it while you can, and savour the memories!"
CARPE DIEM!
And now ~ on to July!
Happy Canada Day, Everyone!
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