The UCB
Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council
of the Blind
May 2020
For the latest news
updates call the Utah Connection 801-299-0670 or 1‑800-273-4569. (You may
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In
This Issue
From the Editor........................................................................................... 3
President’s
Message.................................................................................. 4
UCB
Scholarships...................................................................................... 5
Just a Thought This Season....................................................................... 7
Tribute to a
Friend.................................................................................... 10
Book Review............................................................................................ 11
Do You Hear What I Hear – Now?............................................................ 13
A Good Pizza
Place................................................................................. 17
Buttermilk
Substitutes............................................................................... 19
Make Ahead
Brunch................................................................................. 20
General UCB Information......................................................................... 21
Board of Directors................................... 23
Disclaimer
Articles and announcements included in this publication are presented for your information and interest. They reflect the opinions of the respective authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the UCB.
By Tom Mitchell
This has not been an easy time for any of us, not with the Covid-19 virus, and the earthquakes on March 18. I say earthquakes, because at this writing, Magna is still having shocks, and every now and then I feel little nudges, though I’m not always sure if they’re real or is it just my imagination. I live on the 3rd floor of our building, and, frankly, it’s scary when your house bounces up and down and rocks back and forth. I don’t like sitting in my kitchen chair and going for a ride. But neither do you, and you probably don’t want to sit here and read my complaints.
In these days of isolation and social distancing, even though some restrictions are starting to lift, it’s easy to become depressed and start to feel sorry for ourselves. Yet, I think some good things have come out of this. I see where people all over the country are trying to find different ways of brightening up their neighborhoods. And I think I see an increase in the concern of people one for another. But that will never make the news. So how do we get through this? Some people have asked me that. And I have only one answer. Do whatever it is that will help you feel better. Find a project that you like to do. Read books that will interest you, whether fiction or not, read things you like. And where you can, keep track of your neighbor, and, if you can, even if in only a small way, give them help. But at the same time, don’t be so prideful that you don’t accept help, either. A little give-and-take is something that will help all of us.
By Tina Terry
These last couple of months have been more challenging than we have ever dreamed. I hope that all of you are doing well. We are here to help in any way that we can. If you have trouble placing online orders with grocery stores or anything else online during this time, please give me a call. My phone number is 801-245-9264. One of the teacher-trainers will work with you to teach you how to do them. I also understand that isolation may be a problem for some of you.
Please know that you are not alone in this. Many others are in the same situation. I want to encourage those who can reach out and call each other or spend time helping one another and our communities. I have experienced that sense of loneliness and isolation myself and have found that if I can encourage someone else, it encourages me more. Please know that my heart is with all of you and we are working on ways to help. If anyone knows of needs, please let us know.
Thanks
If you are a Utah graduating high school senior and plan to attend a college or university during the fall semester of 2020, or if you already attend a college or university, you can apply for a scholarship from the Utah Council of the Blind (UCB). Three to five scholarships are available, and each scholarship will be between $1000 and $2000.
Following are the requirements to apply for these
scholarships. You must:
• Be blind or visually impaired
• Join the Utah Council of the Blind
• Seek a degree from an accredited higher education institution
• Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
• Take at least 12 credit hours per semester
• Submit a completed application and two original letters of recommendation
• Submit a certified transcript from your current educational institution
The scholarship application and all other documents noted above may either be emailed to ucb.board@gmail.com or sent to Utah Council of the Blind, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415.
Scholarship applications must be received no later than August 1, 2020.
The scholarships will be presented at the business meeting of the Utah Council of the Blind on September 19, 2020.
By Monica
Youngdell
If you have
ever been house-bound or bed-ridden or anything like it, you and I can relate
to each other and this story. We all know how the Covid19 virus has impacted us
in major ways and the limits it has put on our daily routine, so we can all get
a taste of what people who are limited for life or just temporarily limited to
house, institution or bed go through.
In 2015 I
had an accident and fell down the steps of a Paratransit bus. As a result, I
had great pain and was rushed to the Instacare and found out that I had broken
my right foot. I had never broken a bone in my life so this was a first. There I
was, home bound, miserable and stuck without being able to hardly get from room
to room without a mobility walker or George, my husband's, assistance but the
fasting and prayers from our loving ward, his family and all of you, including
Leslie, was very helpful to get through this time of need for us.
Also, I had a
very long hospital stay in 2017 where I was bound to my bed and could only get
up with the assistance of other staff or therapists to get around until I could
get stable enough to do it on my own. Again the
fasting and prayers united and I was again released from my captivity.
It's hard to
imagine being cooped up again without an end in sight but modern technology has
set free people who would otherwise be stuck without a mobility aid, service
animal, or the just the kind service of others. But there are guardian angels
that come in the form of neighbors, spouses, family, friends or just a loving
service animal who is our constant companion. If it hadn't been for my loving
husband who called 911 that day in February 2017 I
would not be here on earth today.
I'm not asking
us all to believe in God or even have a testimony but Please let us keep in
mind the faithful woman who was our director, friend and example as we are
faced with these trials that seem to keep us apart this memorial day season;
for she is the reason we are still around today. She is the reason I am able to
sit and type this message to all of you through modern technology, and she is
the reason I was and am inspired to be your activities coordinator and board
member today. To all those who have donated to me and my husband so we could withstand
these traumatic times we give a big THANK YOU! With Leslie's faith in God and
ours I know we can go on.
Something to
add: My favorite memories of Leslie are when we would go to Yoga class or other
activities and she would give us vegetables from her garden so we could make a
salad or zucchini bread to share. A request for you: I think we should make an
electronic/paper book of stories, poems or other memories we all have of Leslie
to share and inspire in our personal memory books.
She always did a kindly deed,
and served us all in time of need.
She lifted heads that hung down,
and wiped away a worried frown.
Like a mother keeping her children warm,
She protected us from worldly harm,
With a womanly example of dignity,
She rendered service, peace, love and liberty.
From the world’s scoffs and scorns she raised us up
and overflowed a spiritual cup
of love and grace and purity.
She leaves a legacy of grace and security
That we may all take with us to the end.
This is a final tribute to a friend.
Book title: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
Author: Dorothy Gilman
BARD number: 38703
Length: 6 hours 58 minutes
Reviewer: Sandy Ruconich
In this time of anxiety and unsettledness, it's nice to find some light reading that draws you in and lets you escape from the world around you. That's what The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax is all about, and I loved being transported to another time and place and wondering how the quick-witted heroine of this book would come out on top!
Emily Pollifax is a widow whose life is incredibly boring. After her doctor asks her what she wants to do to add some excitement to her life, she remembers that years earlier she'd wanted to be a CIA agent. So she hops on a bus and goes to Washington, D.C., where she's interviewed by the director of the CIA, who thinks he's interviewing one of his agents (true, this wouldn't happen now, but this book was written in 1966 when the world was a more innocent, more open place). The CIA director needs someone who looks like a tourist, and Mrs. Pollifax fits that description perfectly. So he sends her off to Mexico for three weeks of paid vacation, with the assignment to buy a particular book at a particular bookstore on a particular day just before her trip ends.
On the appointed day she visits the bookstore, and the bookseller invites her into his back room for tea. Before long she finds herself in Albania. How she successfully escapes from Albania, with another CIA agent and a third person she rescues as they're leaving, makes for a clever plot and a book that's hard to put down. In fact, I was so delighted by this first Mrs. Pollifax book that I've read two others since then! I recommend this series highly and hope you enjoy at least the first book as much as I did!
By Tom
Mitchell
It was
last summer when I began to wonder. In my daughter's hospital room, I could
hear the thumping of her heart machine, and the voices around her bed but
everyone sounded so much farther away than I thought they should. It wasn't
that large of a room. And then in the hospital cafeteria I had difficulty
understanding what my other daughter was saying.
And then
at her funeral services, I was meeting people whose voices I should know, but
who sounded different. And I could hardly hear the service itself.
Church
services Board of Directors meetings, anywhere where there was a group, I
couldn't hear from one end of a table to another. People were mumbling. Why
couldn't people speak up? And my wife was constantly having to repeat herself,
and it was getting frustrating to her. So, in September, I had my hearing
tested at a local clinic.
I don't
know the exact numbers of the results, but I was told that that I needed
hearing aids, particularly in my right ear.
All my
life I have always been proud of my hearing. As a kid, I could hear kids
playing across the street, several houses away, and I used to love to listen to
the echoes between houses. I had perfect pitch, and could always tell what
notes were being struck on a piano, played on any instrument, or in what key
was a song played.
I should
have begun to suspect something when my perfect pitch was no longer perfect.
But I was told by a friend of mine that that happens when you get into your
fifties or sixties. So, I let it slide. At one time, when I was younger, I
tried to get a job with KSL-FM, working with a friend of mine who was convinced
I could do the job. He showed me all the things I would have to do. I wouldn't
be on the air, but in production. One of the things I had to do was set up the
large hubs of tape comprising the next day's music. And in that set-up, I had
to be sure that the volume levels, and the stereo separation were exact. To do
this I had to listen to a 1000-cycle tone, (6-octave c), and turn the knob so
that the stereo separation fit an exact spot on a reader. And by the way, I had
to tune the tone. My friend was surprised by the fact that I could set the tone
exactly right, and hit almost the exact spot on the stereo meter; so close that
it made no difference. I didn't get the job, but it was gratifying to know that
I could have done it.
But now,
no more. Not even close. So, this diagnosis was, for me, devastating. I was
frightened. I'm afraid I didn't think of all the questions I should have asked
at that first appointment.
But where
do I find hearing aids? I had absolutely no idea even where to start. I was told
the Costco sold them for $2,000, but that you had to pay it all at once. I
couldn't afford that kind of payment all at once.
Suffice
it to say that I did find a place which once again evaluated my hearing, and
fitted me with customized appliances, and a pay plan and lifetime maintenance
plan, and a week later, I walked out of that office astounded at what I've been
missing. For example, as Donni and I were walking to the corner and I heard the
audible traffic signal, and we kept walking, I said: "Well, where's the
corner?" And Donni said, "We're not even near it yet."
I could
clearly hear the building on my right, a person's cell phone ringing nearly in
my ear, and a clear difference in the direction of the traffic.
And there
was sounds in my apartment I'd never heard before, and I seem to be able to
navigate my own home with greater accuracy.
A popular
Christmas carol says: "Do you hear what I hear?" And I ask you the
same question. Do you hear what I can hear—now?
We live
in a noisy world. And that noise, as you grow older, takes a toll on the
workings of the inner ear. And as people get older, hearing changes. Now, you
may not be going deaf, but your hearing is changing. It's inevitable. So, for
your own sake, even for your own safety and for so many other reasons, I urge
you to have your hearing tested. Maybe once every two years or so. It's
painless. In fact, it's the only completely painless medical test I know. And
then, if your hearing begins to change, perhaps you can slow down the loss of
your hearing. If you're totally blind, as am I, this is a sense you must not take
for granted. Because once gone, it can never be replaced.
But if
you do someday find you need hearing aids, understand that, with proper
fitting, hearing aids can, to a large extent, replace the sounds you've been
missing. And I guarantee, you'll love listening again.
By Sandy England
Too many times John and I go to new places and wish we had known about them before we did. I want to give you our review of this place that the guide dog group went to with Tom and Donni’s recommendation. It’s Litzas Pizza address: 716 E 400 S, Salt Lake City, UT, phone: 801-359-5352.
I love this place! Their pizza is great and taste SO-O-O-O good! The sauce is just right, and they really seem to have the right recipe for the toppings and how much to place on the pizza along with the right amount of cheese. It’s so mouthwatering! Not to mention the spaghetti which is just as great! They have gluten free pizza also. I would say you would enjoy this and would go back many, many times. By the way, they are so good to the blind! If you need them to tell you what is on the menu they stand there and do it. If you need extra sauce, they are more than willing to bring it to you. Then I must mention one of Tom’s and Donni’s favorite things to order and that is there garlic cheese bread. Boy! Is that good!!! So, go try it when you can or see if you can pick one up.
(editor’s note: Unfortunately, they don’t deliver.)
By Sandi England
What can you use instead of buttermilk? Any of these buttermilk alternatives will yield tender, flavorful baked goods:
acidified milk – Add one tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, and add enough milk until it measures 1 cup. Stir, and let sit for five minutes before using. This buttermilk replacement can also be replicated with non-dairy milks.
watered-down yogurt – Whisk a bit of milk or water into plain, unsweetened yogurt until you get a buttermilk-like consistency. The proportion will depend on the thickness of your yogurt, but generally it'll be around 1/4 cup liquid with 3/4 cup yogurt. (Only have Greek yogurt? You'll need a little extra water to thin it out.)
sour cream – combine 3-4 tablespoons of regular milk plus enough sour cream to equal 1 cup. Whisk well to combine and you have a buttermilk substitute.
Submitted by Donni Mitchell
This is a recipe that my sister, Terri, found on a can of French’s Fried Onions. She makes it every New Year’s Eve for her annual New Year’s Day party, and everyone enjoys it, even my picky husband.
It’s easy to make, and I used it as my graduation dish when
I graduated from the
1 pound of bulk pork or turkey sausage
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups light cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (2.8 ounces) French’s Fried Onions
Crumble sausage into large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until browned. Drain well.
Stir in eggs, cream, salt, mustard, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can French’s Fried Onions. Mix well. Pour into greased 8 x 12-inch baking dish. Refrigerate, covered, for 8 hours or overnight.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top with remaining cheese and onion. Bake uncovered 5 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy
Our office at DSBVI is temporarily closed. Watch The Buzz and listen to The Utah Connection for updates.
We are always looking for articles, book reviews, or interesting tidbits
of information from our readers or other interested persons. The deadline for
submitting items for publication is the 10th of the month, e.g. the deadline
for the December newsletter is November 10th. You may e-mail any articles you
wish to submit to tommit60@gmail.com or send Braille, print, or audio to UCB Buzz,
PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415 or drop them off to Donni at the office.
Please allow extra time for processing Braille, print, or audio.
Board meetings are currently being held by conference call on an
as-needed basis.
If you have questions or concerns for any board member or to be placed on the agenda of a board meeting, e-mail ucb.board@gmail.com or leave a message on the Utah Connection, and you will receive a timely reply.
Board of Directors
Tina Terry, President
Donni Mitchell, Vice President
Tom Mitchell, Secretary
Vicki L Flake, Treasurer
Anna Jeffery, Past President
Aunilie Hathaway, Director
Cordie Weed, Director
Monica Youngdell, Director
Sandy England, Director
Sandy Ruconich, Director, Chief Executive Officer (interim)
Kathryn E Schofield, Chief Operating Officer (interim)
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