Playing catch up

Been pretty busy of late, mostly learning Braille, but other things also.

My Perkins Brailler arrived over the weekend. Simple to use, and I'm enjoying it. Getting used to keys which are more stiff than an old manual typewriter is hard. The Brailler lessons on the iPad were barely a touch on the screen. It took me a full day to figure out how to load paper into it. Still, I see decades of use coming from that little workhorse. I love being able to read what I write.

The Braille letters on all of my keyboards are a huge help. I get a lot of practice using them, and it gets easier by the day.

My tactile drawing board arrived today. All I've done so far is unpack it. Looking forward to being able to touch what I've drawn.

Mowed today, and planted flowers in pots outdoors. Tomorrow, I'll use the rake to pull the piles of leaves away from the fence, and mow them into oblivion. I need more flowers for the three gigantic pots next to the fence, and have solar lights ready to put in them as well. The giant sycamore tree has finally leafed out, so I can get out and work in the yard.

My beastie, Demeter, had another seizure today. We spent a long time snuggling after, I think we both need to when they occur. She's no longer a puppy, she turned eight on her last birthday. Slowing down as she gets older, but always up for a walk or a treat. Her allergies are finally under control. I've changed her diet a couple of times, and added raw meat daily. Changed her allergy medicine, too, and have one that works for her. She's happy and sassy, and enjoys herself.

The new little beastie has settled in. I named her Moriarty. She is truly a psychopath, alternating between cute and cuddly or demonic and evil. She is clever. I've taught her to stand on her hind legs and raise her front paws when she wants to be picked up. She torments the betta fish.

After a long time without any, I recently got a couple more betta fish. Since Moriarty loves to torment them, I named them Sherlock and Watson. One red, and the other blue so I can tell them apart.

I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago. Galveston is one of my favorite places, and I had a lovely time. Spent a lot of time walking the beach and poking around in little shops. Best of all, I got to eat at Tookies in Seabrook. The pelican eggs and a squealer are my favorite things there. We got to explore a WWII submarine and a Naval Destroyer at a park in Galveston. Amazing to think that so many people lived in such tight quarters, the designers were absolute geniuses when it came to creative ways to store things.
We also visited one of the places that I love most, Space Center Houston. The new space shuttle exhibit it mounted on top of one of the 747s which used to carry the shuttles. We visited mission control, and I picked a nasa Christmas ornament to add to my collection. Lovely time, but I was ready to return home to my cozy cottage.

Life has been quiet, other than travel, and it needs to be that way for awhile. I've got a dislocated rib which is healing slowly. Moving wrong makes it grind. Being careful will ensure it heals well.

Enough for now...