A publication of

Utah Council of the Blind

July 2020

For the latest news updates call the Utah Connection 801-299-0670 or 1‑800-273-4569. (You may also leave a message at the end of the announcement.)

Mail correspondence to: UCB, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. E-mail us at ucb.board@gmail.com.

The UCB Buzz is available in large print, braille, audio CD, as a data (Microsoft Word and a plain text file) CD, and by e-mail. If you would prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format, please call the Utah Connection or send an e-mail to ucb.board@gmail.com and let us know.

Editor: Tom Mitchell
Utah Connection Manager: Linda Holliday

In This Issue

Disclaimer.................................................................................................. 2

Editorially Speaking.................................................................................... 3

President’s Message.................................................................................. 4

UCB Annual Business Meeting.................................................................. 5

Color Star Review...................................................................................... 6

Book Review.............................................................................................. 8

Quotes from Helen Keller......................................................................... 10

Best Apples for Apple Pie......................................................................... 11

General UCB Information......................................................................... 14

Board of Directors................................... 15

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.

Editorially Speaking

By Tom Mitchell

I feel that I need to apologize for a couple of things, the foremost of which is that recent issues of the Buzz have not appeared at the first of the month. A big part of the reason for this, like almost everything else nowadays is COVID. We just haven't been getting information for the magazine in a timely manner, to meet deadlines for first-of-the-month delivery. Furthermore, for the next two or three months, this may continue to be the case.

One other thing I'd like to possibly clarify. we always state at the end of each issue that articles have to be in by the 10th of the month. That refers to when you want your article published. For example, if you want an article published in the September issue, I need to have it in by the 10th of August. However, if you don't care when your article is published, you can send it in at any time. You don't have to just use the first 10 days of the month, any time at all, I'll be happy to look at what you write. I'd really like to see articles come to my mailbox more than just near the end or beginning of the month. Check the General Information at the end of the magazine to see how to send in your articles.

President’s Message

By Tina Terry

There is so much craziness in the world today. I hope all of you are staying safe. It seems so much of our lives have become connected virtually and many are still isolated at home. We are hoping that things will return to a little bit more like normal soon. I know that some of you have asked about activities. We will begin to do things as soon as it is a little more stable. We will keep you all posted. Rick has been slowing down a little more because of the treatments, and I have been glad to be with him. I don't know if any of you are facing the problem of days blurring together, but it has been a time of experimenting with new things and spending time organizing our home so that we are prepared for whatever happens. I just want to remind everyone that we are here to help and to please feel free to call if we can help with any needs.

UCB Annual Business Meeting

At this time, it is still not possible to safely hold our annual business meeting. For this reason, it has been cancelled. Regular board meetings are being held by conference call.

After much consideration, the Board of Directors of the UCB has decided to follow the lead of our national affiliate, the American Council of the Blind, and extend the terms of office for current board members by one year. This eliminates the need for nominations and voting by mail. If you have been preparing your statement to run for one of the open positions, keep it on file. We will need all the help we can get next year. In the meanwhile, stay safe and healthy!

Color Star Review

By Tina Terry

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is about matching clothes as a blind person. People naturally assume that because my husband is sighted, that he picks them out for me. Rick is color blind and so that is not a valid assumption. I have tried many apps since smart phones have come out. I have not found a reliable app yet. We finally made the decision to use a technology grant and purchase a Color Star by American Printing House for the Blind. I purchased mine through Blind Mice MegaMall. I investigated some less expensive ones and read a lot of reviews. I finally chose this one because it also can identify if there are patterns in the clothing. It also identified 1000 color variations compared to a few hundred by the others. Here is a quick description and review.

The Color Star is about 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches. It has an open end where the detector is. There are 3 buttons. The first button from the open end is the on button. This is also the button that will identify colors. You place the open end on a folded garment, hold the button and it will give a description. There are 2 options, one is artistic and the other is universal. If you hold down the on button and move the detector around the garment, you may hear a range of beeps. If you hear a different tone and stop, press the button again. The new color will be announced. The second button is a light meter. This has proven to be extremely helpful when I cannot tell whether my computer is on. I point my detector at the monitor and if it is off, I will hear something like "light white, intensity zero." If it is on, I may hear, "light white, intensity 5." It can go up to 300 I believe. The third button is the volume. If I want to change the mode from artistic to universal, I press the light and volume buttons at the same time. There are times when I may understand one description better than the other.

I have found this to be an amazingly simple device to use. The speech is clear. I do have to clarify that there is no perfect color detector out there. The human eye will always be the best. The Color Star does have problems with shades of pink. Fortunately for me I do not wear that color much. It comes with its own carrying case and can be hooked on a purse strap or belt. It will be extremely helpful when I am clothes shopping. I also have days when my light perception is not reliable, so I love the fact that it has both uses. I have a hard time purchasing stand alone devices when there are apps out there that may work, but for me this was a great decision.

Book Review

By Tom Mitchell

Twentieth Century Drifter: the Life of Marty Robins
by Diane Diekman

Maybe you remember songs with lyrics such as:

"A white sport coat and a pink carnation"

"Don't worry 'bout me, it's all over now"

“Out in the west Texas town of El Paso"

“Ribbon o' darkness over me"

“Ruby Anne took the hand of a poor poor man, ain't true love a funny thing?"

Well, I would hope that most of you remember these songs, sung by Marty Robins. This is a great biography of one of country music's most beloved musicians. But Robins cannot be said to belong strictly to country music, as many of his songs, during the late 50s and well into the 60s crossed over into pop music as well, and left their mark on the music scene.

The biography tells of Robins's unhappy childhood, his service career, and his long climb up the ladder from clubs and bars in the west, to early Nashville recordings and finally to his work with the Grand Ole Opry, and then stardom. However, one thing I didn't know is that for a time, he was also an enthusiastic NASCAR driver. The author drew on personal interviews and research into Robin's life, and paints a picture of an ambitious man, but not one so driven that he forgot what was most important in his life, his wife and family.

But one of my favorite features of the book is the occasional stories of how he created some of the songs he wrote, and even the story of a recording mistake in one of his songs that revolutionized the recording of music throughout the recording industry. The book does have occasional strong language, but for me, it in no way detracted from the story of what made Marty Robins the great musician that he was. The book is well narrated by Jack Fox, and chapters are well-marked.

In my opinion, if you love pop or C&W music, this is a must-read.

Quotes from Helen Keller

Submitted by Sandy England

(Editor’s note: For many, this has been a period of fear, desperation, sadness, loneliness, and discouragement. But perhaps, in these few quotes by Helen Keller (1880-1968), some can find a measure of encouragement and a reason to keep on.)

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.

Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.

Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men. It then appears that we are among the privileged.

Best Apples for Apple Pie

By Sandy England

Honey Crisp: Honey Crisp apples are nice and sweet, and they're a fan favorite in apple pie. They're also relatively firm and hold their shape well when baked, so you'll get nice clean slices of pie without too much juice.

Granny Smith: These tart, green-skinned apples are a favorite pick for apple pie. Bonus: They're easy to find year-round, so you can get your pie fix whenever the mood strikes!

Gala: Gala apples have a nice mellow sweetness to them and they don't get too soft in the oven. They're a great pick for pie.

Pink Lady: We love Pink Lady apples: They have a nice, rosy color (hence the name!) and they're super crisp, so they're ideal for getting that picture-perfect slice of pie.

Golden Delicious: Golden Delicious apples are pretty mild in their flavor, so they work well in pies that have some extra sweetness and spice. They're also a good choice to combine with other apples.

Northern Spy: These apples aren't always readily available throughout the year, but when they are, they're one of the very best for pie! They have a mostly sweet, very lightly tart flavor and they're nice and firm.

Jonagold: Jonagold apples are a cousin of Golden Delicious and they have some of the same pretty golden hue in their skin. They're a nice mix of sweet and tart, so they work well on their own in a pie. They're mostly found at farmer's markets during apple season.

Braeburn: Braeburn apples are perfectly balanced: not too sweet and not too tart! They're great for baking because they release very little liquid when cooked, so your pie won't be too runny.

McIntosh: This classic fall apple is actually better for making applesauce than pie—it can get mushy pretty quickly. If you love the flavor of McIntosh apples and have a lot of them, try mixing them with a firmer variety, like a Pink Lady or a Honey Crisp for pie.

Cortland: These apples don't brown as quickly as other varieties—you can slice them and set them aside while you roll out your dough. Cortland apples have a very sweet, slightly tart flavor that works well in a pie.

Red Delicious: These aren't the most exciting apples for eating, but they work just fine for pie. The flesh is crisp and juicy, with a very mild sweet flavor. They break down more quickly than other apples, so we recommend mixing them with one of the firmer apples on the list.

General UCB Information

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 August newsletter is July 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. 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.