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On The Loss of a Golden Friend
“Make new friends, but keep the old. The new ones are silver and the old ones are gold.” While my mom didn’t invent the phrase, I’d often heard her saying it. I lost an old friend in May 2021. I began writing parts of this shortly thereafter. It was my way of dealing with the sad, empty […]
An Unusual Day
This blog post was written in the summer of 2019. Most days find me on the computer. Much of that time seems spent on my calendar business related activities. But here is what made one day so very unusual and fun. I hadn’t turned on the computer all morning due to many household chores. That […]
Who are the Bravest Among us?
I’m not talking about first responders or those who willingly perform death-defying feats. Their bravery can clearly be seen. I’m talking about people who, on a daily basis, do what most people say they could never do. I’m talking about the blind, the deaf, people in wheelchairs or those with cognitive, or other challenging conditions, or even […]
A Winter Walk to the Y
Living where such things happen, yesterday, we received 10 inches of snow. Now today, it is sunny with a clear blue sky. If you live with low vision as I do, you have a love/hate relationship with bright sunny days. Maybe you are even more ambivalent if you have to deal with what we up […]
One Guy’s Strategy for Dealing with Unfamiliar Public Restrooms
Since this post is written by a guy for guys, you ladies, will have to decide if it contains anything of use to you. But for both groups, please consider using your white cane in these situations. More on that later. I’m assuming, you’ve figured out where everything is in those public restrooms you occasionally […]
Why I Finally Started Using a Long White Cane
Long before I decided to begin using a long white cane, I recognized that my eyesight was declining and impacting many aspects of my life. Among other things, my condition, RP, steals the light-gathering cells in your retina. Meaning, where others could easily see to navigate, either inside or out, I struggled. As it worsened, […]
Consistency is Your Friend
As I’ve said in past Blog Posts, recognizing and then phasing out long-held habits that no longer help you anymore and forming and practicing new helpful ones that do, can reduce stress and make your life a little easier. Many of my other Blog Posts deal with how to reduce losing things and then finding […]
Reducing Dropping and Spilling Things
This post deals with the common but troublesome act of dropping or spilling something. Whether it’s hard to see what you dropped or the getting down and back up is difficult, reducing the number of times you have to do it is a plus. But if you’re dropping things because you’re unsteady or for similar […]
My Brush with TV Fame
I hope this blog inspires you to expand and share news with your network. I served on a volunteer commission for some years and met many interesting people. I particularly hit it off with a few of them. One fellow was particularly intrigued when he learned of my calendar business. When I moaned and groaned […]
Participating in an Accessibility Walk
I’m writing this Blog for two reasons. First, some folks said I should share when I do interesting stuff. Hopefully you think that is what this is. The better reason is that you may want to seek such an event where you live. Our county health department person in charge of their active living program […]
My Experience with the Assistive Technology Challenge
For a number of years, a combination of organizations in my city has held a competition to encourage the development of assistive technology. While my product didn’t seem to qualify last year, I was encouraged to apply. The instructions indicated that they were looking for software with an emphasis on the health field. I again […]
Thank you Rochester Post Bulletin and Boomer Grandpa
Hello friends, I’m so pleased that Loren Else, the man behind the Boomer Grandpa column, featured me in one of his articles in our local newspaper, the Rochester Post Bulletin. Karen noticed in the paper an upcoming Saturday event at the Civic Center called the Healthy Living Fair. We stopped in that Saturday after hitting […]
When Where You Are Is Not Where You Want To Be
This Blog Post is quite different than my other ones. This one came to me over time and seemed worth sharing. I’m trying to put into words a philosophy for dealing with my vision-loss. It’s an attitude I’m trying to live by. Perhaps it will strike a chord with you. Here’s how this thought came […]
Saving Face: Spatial Awareness Suggestions
By saving face I don’t mean avoiding embarrassment, but it could mean that too. I’m really talking about actually avoiding running your head or face into things while moving about your place. Why in the world would this happen? If you are someone who moves with ramrod straight posture, you can skip this blog post. […]
Finding Stuff, Part 2: Knowing Your Clothes
Finding stuff and then knowing what it is Here are some tips to consider when poor eyesight impacts identifying your clothing items. What ever you do, it has to work for you. Too many rules and it might not work over the long term. You know yourself. Find the right balance of simplicity and complexity […]
Finding stuff, Part 1: In the Kitchen
Finding stuff and then knowing what it is If your eyesight no longer gives you the information you need about the world around you, it’s time to pay more attention to other senses. The sense of touch is the sense most used by low-vision and blind people to learn about the world around them. Below […]
Now where did I put that? Breaking unconscious habits
In my last Blog Post, I said I would begin to discuss those unconscious habits that may no longer serve you and what to do about them. This post discusses the all too common situation of briefly setting down an item and then not being able to quickly find it. Before I start, let’s agree […]
Sharing Tips I’ve Learned
Occasionally I’m invited to share lessons I’ve learned as I deal with vision loss and show some of the devices I find helpful. At more than one, I’m encouraged to put this information on to the internet. So here goes. The first thing you need to know is that every state has a program specifically […]
When I get an order through the mail
One of the major things that motivated me to turn this calendar idea from something just for me into what it is now, was the feeling I got hearing the comments from those first enthusiastic buyers. I’d think to myself, “Wow, I’m really helping someone”. Could this be what a teacher, medical professional or the […]
With Spring Comes Yardwork
I don’t know about you, but when working in the yard I often can’t find the rake or other long-handled tool I had just set down. This happens even when I consciously place it where I think I’ll find it. It occurred to me that, just as a lack of contrast makes it hard to […]
On finding help with this business
I have quickly come to realize that the range of possible market avenues that I could explore far exceeds my time to do so. Plus, I’ve learned that this whole marketing and sales thing can be learned, but doing it on the job is a slow and painful process. I’ve reached out to family […]
Would it help to have a video?
Early on, I started thinking about adding a short video to my website. People who know such things, said that this would be a good idea. The video would focus on the calendar; not me. For some people, merely looking at pictures of the calendar on the website does not explain the product or clearly […]
On Being Selected for the BizPitch Competition
Towards the beginning of the 2016, I was informed of an upcoming event called BizPitch. It is put on by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in this area, a very helpful organization. If you were selected, you could present your small business idea or actual start-up to a small group of local business-savvy people […]
EZ2See Products are on YouTube!
My story is on YouTube! Mark McGlinch, a fellow attendee of Rochester Open Coffee Club Tech Meetup, created and posted this video for EZ2See Products. Periodically it was suggested that I make a video showcasing the calendar. The idea was that seeing someone flip through it would do a better job explaining than reading words or […]
On Coming Up With a Counter Top Display
During the first year, I had several retail outlets offering the calendar. As the second year started to roll around, I spoke to all of them. It appeared that those who best displayed the calendar sold them the fastest. Most of them agreed that if they could stand up the calendar rather than laying it […]
What’s in a slogan?
Why did I add the slogan to the cover, “The calendar with the edge”? Actually it started out, “The calendar with an edge”? Was it too “gimmicky”? I kept hearing positive things about the benefit of the black edge around the weekly pages. That simple feature really helps those who share the same […]
Thoughts on improving the product after producing the 2016 edition
After the first year, it was time to consider what improvements were in order. For example, what about the location of the monthly pages; keep them up front, or slip them within the appropriate weeks? The cover raised several questions: alter the design, make it more durable, should it be a dark color? What about […]
Thoughts on setting the price as a whole dollar rather than a few cents less
I don’t know about you, but I am not fooled when something is priced at $9.95. That always means it costs $10 to me. Frankly I wonder how many people are fooled by such psychological manipulation. Why did businesses first begin doing this? I’m sure some very serious market research went into what seems a […]
Every Year, I Print More EZ2See® Calendars
I had to come up with a way to know how many EZ2See® Calendars the resellers would want before telling the printer how many to print. It is vital to know this number. While I hoped that individuals would find and buy my calendar, I was more worried that I’d print too many than too […]
The Reluctant Blogger
Why would I want to write for a blog? Who would even read it? My web person tells me that having a blog raises my webpage ranking. When that happens, possibly more people will discover my calendar. So yes, I do want more people to learn of this calendar. Yet, doing a blog would mean […]
