Magnifier for the vision impaired? How about a kindle?

Image via WikipediaI am not much for talking to other people on airplanes...no one likes a chatty seat mate. Well I don't anyway. My husband is the one that sits in the middle, will talk to the person next to him and really doesn't seem to mind. So when the man next to him leaned across and asked me what I thought of my kindle, I didn't even register he was talking to me. Then when I did realize he was talking to me, I found I didn't have a good answer.

You see, I have a love/hate relationship with my kindle. I have always loved the feel and even the smell of a new book. My idea of the perfect day is lunch and a trip to a book store. I collected them on my shelf and lovingly touched them when I passed...old friends with familiar stories to tell. Then one day my husband and I realized that we needed to send all those books out into the world so others could enjoy them. The library benefited from all those years of collecting. I reminded myself that I could visit them on the library shelves as easily as I could when they were stored in boxes in the basement.

Last August my son and I traded...he took my old iphone and I took his old kindle, books and all. I have since bought many books and read each one with ease. Another blogger (Wasted Days and Wasted Nights) talked about her kindle today and I liked what she had to say.

The Kindle lets me adjust the size of the text so that I can see it clearly without having to have my reading glasses. It keeps my place for me automatically. I can download books in less than a minute, never having to leave the chair I am sitting in! There is a lot of free content for the Kindle.

I have found that being able to adjust the size of the text is an answer to a prayer...anyone that has impaired vision will realize what I mean. The text can be made very big and eye strain is reduced almost to nothing. It does act like a magnifier for text in many ways...but with out the cumbersome book or newspaper. This means that I can read as long as I want without any problem...as long as I want!

One of my extended family members is visually impaired and has used a reader for many years. Hers is very expensive but will also magnify her hand writing letters or checks allowing her to remain independent. I never really appreciated how this machine also allowed her to stay in touch with the world. Now I get it...reading keeps our mind active and alive. With a Kindle we are given access to some of the features of her large reader at a cost we can afford.

The only thing I miss is the tactile feeling and the beauty of a real book. But I keep reminding myself that really, there is no choice for me anymore. It was do this or stop reading so much. We all know that if you love the world that books open, it would be very hard to give it up. My kindle is now just a part of my life. I download books in a few minutes no matter where I am. The suit case is much lighter even though I have a whole world of books at my fingertips.

I just thought you would want to know.

b+

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a Snowbird in 2024

Early years in RV resort! Our motor home is parked next to our first Park Model When it begins to cool in the evenings and the geese fly in formation, my mind turns to Arizona. Yearning for the desert air and vibrant blue sky is compel me to fly away. I do it every year and will as long as I am allowed. Townhome near Tucson's Pantano Wash and bike trail. We started this way of life when we retired. First with a fifth-wheel trailer, later with a motor home, and finally in something permanent that evolved over the years. First, it was a park model in an RV Resort, then a townhouse close to walking trails, and finally into a home on a small golf course. Congress Hotel from window of near by hotel. Each time we moved, we upscaled and increased our monetary wealth. That is the way our mind works. It is as though we couldn't just have fun without working a lot. We painted and planted flowers and haunted thrift stores to find just the right furniture. We were always hav...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

Retire In Style Blog Too

Search This Blog