I was honored to see a person's character this weekend.
He'd been looking for a companion for his German Shepherd. There was an ad on Craigslist for a Pit Bull. Apparently, she'd been found and the people couldn't keep her.
He went to look at her, and brought her home with him. I went to see her, and my heart broke into pieces. She looks like an ad for abused and neglected animals. Seeing her, you automatically hear Sarah McLaughlin singing in the background, it's that bad. She is thin. Emaciated, in fact. Every bone is visible in her tiny body. I doubt that this adult dog weighs even twenty pounds. She's had puppies at some time in the past few months. She is resigned, passive, exhausted. Her eyes show that she's not sure if she'll be treated kindly if a hand reaches out toward her, and yet she's not aggressive or mean.
He welcomed her into his home, made her a place where she can rest and feel safe. There is plenty of food and fresh water within reach. She had diarrhea on his carpet, more than once. He spoke kindly to her, cleaned her up, and after she was cared for, then cleaned the carpet. He's gentle with her, as is his German Shepherd. I watched the German Shepherd walk over to her, study her for a moment, then lick her face before walking off to give her some space. Both are welcoming that broken dog into their home, and into their lives and family.
Those heartbreaking commercials don't show what happens to the animals after the cameras stop filming. You see them, and want to help, but perhaps don't know how.
This weekend, I saw someone who isn't just talking about making a difference. He walks his talk. And, for that little Pitt Bull, her world has changed in ways that few neglected and abused animals will ever see. She has a loving home, and I have a newfound admiration for someone whom I already knew to be of good charactor.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Hair, makeup, nails and low vision. My beauty routine......
How do blind/low vision women do their hair and makeup? With that question, I began a journey of learning to maintain my looks as I lost my sight.
The hair was easy until this past year. I had a hairdresser in the city who did everything... Color, cuts, Brazilian Blowouts, etc. The only thing I had to do was to comb my hair after shampooing. It looked incredible at every given moment.
After moving to a small town, it all changed. The first hairdresser left the color product in my hair, burning my scalp badly which took weeks to heal, and left my hair looking like a cartoon character. The second hairdresser fixed the mess caused by the first one. The problem was that the small town hairdressers cost almost as much as the city one, and no one in town does Brazilian Blowouts.
Now, I use a Clairol Balsam color every eight weeks. Apply all over, tell Siri to let me know when thirty minutes are up, and rinse at least ten minutes to be sure it's all rinsed out. I could get by without coloring, but I refuse to go gray.
No haircuts since last spring, so it's growing long. For my bangs, I put scotch tape on them at eyebrow length, and trim carefully underneath with manicure scissors, Keeping my hand between my hair and my face. I've cut my eyelids and brows several times, which means that I seldom do it. As far as styling goes, I use a flat iron, cautiously doing one tiny portion of hair at a time. I feel my hair frequently, hunting for wavy hair which needs needs straightening. Mostly, it turns out well.
Eyebrows are ignored. I cannot see stray hairs, even with 20x magnifying mirrors. Friends have assured me that no strays are visible, so I'm trusting their opinions.
Makeup is the Luminess Air System. You've seen that airbrush makeup system sold on the infomercials, they play all night on various tv channels. Well, I gave in one sleepless night after trying to use regular makeup earlier that day with the results looking clownish in photos. It broke my heart knowing I could no longer easily make up my face as I had for decades. I love that it works as well as the ads say. Pull my hair back with a headband, and it Takes under five minutes to apply. I can feel it going on easily. My skin is perfect and flawless using it. When I'm done, I use a crayon eyeliner next to my lashes, just on the outer thirds of my eyes, then smudge it gently with my fingertip. No mascara, or eyeshadow either anymore, I can't see clumps or smears. Blush is a powdered bronzer, applied with a giant makeup brush. Three strokes across each cheek, one gentle stroke along the jawline.
Nails are a huge pain. Taking off the Polish is easy. Trimming is done carefully, feeling the shape with my other fingertips. Painting is done with multiple magnifiers. I get a lot on my fingers around the nails. Once they're completely dry, I soak and moisturize my hands. Then I use my nails to carefully scrape off the excess from my fingers. Not perfect, but it works.
Stray lip hairs are a fact of life, so once a week I take an electric bikini razor across my upper lip. Don't know if I have any, but better safe than sorry.
I use retinA, sunscreen, and moisturize daily.
It's not a perfect system, but it works for me. Best, I can do it with or without any sight.
Enough for now.....
The hair was easy until this past year. I had a hairdresser in the city who did everything... Color, cuts, Brazilian Blowouts, etc. The only thing I had to do was to comb my hair after shampooing. It looked incredible at every given moment.
After moving to a small town, it all changed. The first hairdresser left the color product in my hair, burning my scalp badly which took weeks to heal, and left my hair looking like a cartoon character. The second hairdresser fixed the mess caused by the first one. The problem was that the small town hairdressers cost almost as much as the city one, and no one in town does Brazilian Blowouts.
Now, I use a Clairol Balsam color every eight weeks. Apply all over, tell Siri to let me know when thirty minutes are up, and rinse at least ten minutes to be sure it's all rinsed out. I could get by without coloring, but I refuse to go gray.
No haircuts since last spring, so it's growing long. For my bangs, I put scotch tape on them at eyebrow length, and trim carefully underneath with manicure scissors, Keeping my hand between my hair and my face. I've cut my eyelids and brows several times, which means that I seldom do it. As far as styling goes, I use a flat iron, cautiously doing one tiny portion of hair at a time. I feel my hair frequently, hunting for wavy hair which needs needs straightening. Mostly, it turns out well.
Eyebrows are ignored. I cannot see stray hairs, even with 20x magnifying mirrors. Friends have assured me that no strays are visible, so I'm trusting their opinions.
Makeup is the Luminess Air System. You've seen that airbrush makeup system sold on the infomercials, they play all night on various tv channels. Well, I gave in one sleepless night after trying to use regular makeup earlier that day with the results looking clownish in photos. It broke my heart knowing I could no longer easily make up my face as I had for decades. I love that it works as well as the ads say. Pull my hair back with a headband, and it Takes under five minutes to apply. I can feel it going on easily. My skin is perfect and flawless using it. When I'm done, I use a crayon eyeliner next to my lashes, just on the outer thirds of my eyes, then smudge it gently with my fingertip. No mascara, or eyeshadow either anymore, I can't see clumps or smears. Blush is a powdered bronzer, applied with a giant makeup brush. Three strokes across each cheek, one gentle stroke along the jawline.
Nails are a huge pain. Taking off the Polish is easy. Trimming is done carefully, feeling the shape with my other fingertips. Painting is done with multiple magnifiers. I get a lot on my fingers around the nails. Once they're completely dry, I soak and moisturize my hands. Then I use my nails to carefully scrape off the excess from my fingers. Not perfect, but it works.
Stray lip hairs are a fact of life, so once a week I take an electric bikini razor across my upper lip. Don't know if I have any, but better safe than sorry.
I use retinA, sunscreen, and moisturize daily.
It's not a perfect system, but it works for me. Best, I can do it with or without any sight.
Enough for now.....
Monday, November 3, 2014
Adaptation issues.
More home adaptations in progress....
Today, I worked on my bedroom closet. It's a walk-in, with no lighting, other than a tiny battery operated one. After dragging everything out into the bedroom, I packed away summer clothing, and separated shoes into groups by colors. I reorganized lingerie, also by color. Now, I can reach into that black space and easily locate the things that I need.
The bathroom is in better shape. More items are marked with huge felt letters, held in place with rubber bands. Lotions and manicure items have their own places. Not perfect, but it's progress.
Today, I spent awhile on Pinterest. I projected the iPad onto the tv screen in order to make out the pictures. I'm looking at ways to mark and adapt things around the house.
I need to mark the cabinet drawers and knobs in the kitchen. I'm constantly feeling around to find them. I'm thinking that a simple solution would be brightly colored ribbons tied around each one.
Everything in that room, as well as the laundry and Mudroom, are white. There's no way to find the doorways where they lead into each other, aside from putting brightly colored items against the walls and doorways, as landmarks. As a result, I've sported a badly broken toe for several weeks.
Should be getting used to getting injured due to not seeing things by now. I sport an ever changing array of bruises at any given time. Still, it gets old.
It's a dilemma. I need the contrast in order to find things. The problem is that so many colors are gone from my sight. I can make out some of the light colors, and the reds are still mostly there. The rest are either muddy or faded. I don't want a childish or a garish color scheme in my home. Even if I cannot see it, I want my home to be beautiful and classy. So, as a result, I'm looking at colored ribbons in muted tones which coordinate with things like my china pattern. Thankfully, I have apps which will match and identify the colors.
Enough for now....
Today, I worked on my bedroom closet. It's a walk-in, with no lighting, other than a tiny battery operated one. After dragging everything out into the bedroom, I packed away summer clothing, and separated shoes into groups by colors. I reorganized lingerie, also by color. Now, I can reach into that black space and easily locate the things that I need.
The bathroom is in better shape. More items are marked with huge felt letters, held in place with rubber bands. Lotions and manicure items have their own places. Not perfect, but it's progress.
Today, I spent awhile on Pinterest. I projected the iPad onto the tv screen in order to make out the pictures. I'm looking at ways to mark and adapt things around the house.
I need to mark the cabinet drawers and knobs in the kitchen. I'm constantly feeling around to find them. I'm thinking that a simple solution would be brightly colored ribbons tied around each one.
Everything in that room, as well as the laundry and Mudroom, are white. There's no way to find the doorways where they lead into each other, aside from putting brightly colored items against the walls and doorways, as landmarks. As a result, I've sported a badly broken toe for several weeks.
Should be getting used to getting injured due to not seeing things by now. I sport an ever changing array of bruises at any given time. Still, it gets old.
It's a dilemma. I need the contrast in order to find things. The problem is that so many colors are gone from my sight. I can make out some of the light colors, and the reds are still mostly there. The rest are either muddy or faded. I don't want a childish or a garish color scheme in my home. Even if I cannot see it, I want my home to be beautiful and classy. So, as a result, I'm looking at colored ribbons in muted tones which coordinate with things like my china pattern. Thankfully, I have apps which will match and identify the colors.
Enough for now....
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