Growing up, I had fish and a hamster. I found out in my teen years that I am allergic to cats and dogs. When I met my husband, his family had a parakeet. This was my first experience with the avian species and I was intrigued.

I have written about my husband and my friends but there is a very special someone in my life that you haven’t been introduced to yet.

We met three years ago, three months before my vision loss. We were just getting to know each other when I became sick and there was a lot of work for both of us to do. He had some trust issues, understandably, and I needed to learn patience, never a strong suit of mine. He acted out a lot and was usually in attack mode and when my husbamd or I reached out to him we knew we were probably going to get hurt.

But we knew his story and we were committed to him no matter how long it took or how many times he caused us pain. He was ours, and although he didn’t know it yet, and wouldn’t for a long time, we were his. Forever.

What I didn’t know when I entered into this relationship is that I would soon undergo the most challenging and scariest journey of my life and that he would get me through the darkest days.

To be continued . . .

Today two friends and I went to an outdoor mall. Living near Philadelphia, there are only a few days each year that are weather-appropriate for such an outing. Today was not one of those days. Temperature and humidity are very high and if The Weather Channel says “excessive heat advisory” one more time, I will have a heat stroke. I swear I will.

But I digress. One of the stores we went into was L.L.Bean. Two of us have been spending lots of time at children’s sporting events, and we were looking at all the different kinds of chairs they had to offer. Some were too low and some had no arms or no cup holders. Then I saw a chair that sat high and seemed perfect for any Goldilocks. I told my fellow spectator she would be able to catch the breeze up there in that chair. 

This is the chair:

I’m sure they have both forgotten the moment, but I haven’t. It makes me sad. I suppose that after having a visual impairment for 2 1/2 years it shouldn’t, but it does.

The good news is that I didn’t climb up there and sit on it. Yes, that is very good news.

My husband and I watch Celebrity Family Feud. Don’t judge, it’s summer and all of our shows are on break.

Last night, an episode was on our TiVo, so we watched. We like to play along. Don’t judge, we’ve been together 25 years.

During the final round for $25,000, the question was:

I have learned many things since my sight became compromised, and today I realized that one of them is procrastination.

I have always been self-motivated and have always attacked my To Do list. One manager called me a “tactful bulldog”. I received a nice raise that year, and I was assured this was a compliment.

Now, there is no boss, no client paying me to bring a project to a successful fruition. The To Do lists are now created by me and are just as long and ever-evolving. Most days, items are undertaken with the same intensity as when I was in a corporate environment.

With my low vision, I must do things differently now and everything takes longer. Some of these things I used to be a whiz at, but now no longer am. And on the days I am tired or a little low, that’s when those items on my To Do list get pushed to the botton. I have discovered procrastination.

The bulldog in me, though, still lives, and therefore I know the stubborn and determined Sister Rain will overtake the procrastinator. It may take a good night’s sleep and a new day, or it may take me getting mad and powering through.

The lesson isn’t learning to procrastinate. It’s learning that it’s ok to set a task aside until you are ready and able to tackle it. Cut yourself some slack. This is one thing that’s not ok to put off.

Since the change in my vision. I have been trimming my fingernails by feel. I have only ever had a manicure once, on the day before my wedding. My hands are in water all the time and I never polish them. I also have a strong aversion to nail files, just hearing an emery board in use is my nails-on-a-chalkboard sound and the feel of it? No can do.

With the arrival of  the video magnifier, I can put my hands under the camera and clip my nails at a high enough magnification that I can see my nails. It’s awesome!

What’s not awesome is after not seeing my hands with any clarity for two and a half years, seeing this:

What’s worse than a fly in the house?

TWO flies in the house.

I have been tired and out of sorts the last two days. I tried to write a post yesterday, but the serious one I started just wasn’t coming together.  Due to the mood I was/am in, funny wasn’t happening either.

Because I can’t let it alone, I have to try to figure out why I’m in this state of mind. Possible explanations are:

• Heat
• Humidity (if you have experienced humidity you know it’s not heat)
• 7 loads of laundry done yesterday
• 8 hours it took me to do the laundry 
• Issue with the washer
• Issue with the dryer
• Feeling left out by friends
• Waiting on other people to get things done
• Needing rides to . . . well, everywhere 

And always on every list:

• Vision loss

You know you’re old when you are reading People magazine, on the iPad,,while riding the stationary bike, and both your hands keep falling asleep.