[nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?

Christine Boone christine_boone at comcast.net
Thu Dec 2 22:10:41 UTC 2010 

Oh My Dear Mary Wurtzel, Do you know how much I love you?  Well, if you don't know, I love you soooooooooooooooooooo Much!!!!
Do you also know that we have known one another for 27 years?  Fred and I figured that out yesterday and it did not even make me feel old, only privileged to know you you guys still, and to count you among my friends.  

And just so the rest of you know...this friend thing is a pretty big deal for me.  After all, I am a very bad person...why it was in the best interest of the blind people of our state  to get rid of me, according to the current director of the Commission for the Blind.  
 
That's OK, because working together, the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan can still change what it means to be a blind Michigander...for the better that is!  Smile and have a very Merry Christmas season, and a Happy Chanukah too.  

Christine
  

On Dec 1, 2010, at 3:22 PM, mary wurtzel wrote:

> Hi Chris,
> I also do remember your mints.
> I believe that I still do have the recipe.  It is special to have something that brings a person you love into your mind especially at this time of year.
> Mary
> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Christine Boone <christine_boone at comcast.net
>> To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 09:45:42 -0500
>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?
> 
>> Oh man, I can't believe you still remember my chocolate mints.  
> Yes indeed, they are still a family favorite.  In fact, Kate now makes them at school and walks around the dorm, handing them out to friends and strangers alike.  They are a hit!
>> I am flattered, thanks Dave and a very Merry Christmas to you and 
> your kiddo's.
> 
>> Warmest Regards,
>> Chris
> 
>> On Nov 30, 2010, at 2:40 PM, David Andrews wrote:
> 
>>> Thank you for the kind words.  At least  for now I have retired 
> from the Christmas Party business, but do miss it some.  I also miss your plates of homemade Christmas goodies -- especially the mint fudge or whatever it was yum!!!
> 
>>> Dave
> 
>>> At 11:42 AM 11/29/2010, you wrote:
>>>> SURELY THERE IS NO PARTY SO GOOD AS ONE THAT IS HOSTED BY DAVE 
> ANDREWS!  NO MATTER WHAT HE IS COOKING, IT IS BOUND TO BE ABSOLUTELY SCRUMPTIOUSLY DELICIOUS!  YES INDEED, DAVE IS FAMOUS FOR HIS CHRISTMAS PARTIES,  , AND THAT FAME IS RICHLY DESERVED MY FRIENDS!
> 
>>>> WARMEST REGARDS AND A HOLLY JOLLY HOLIDAY TO ONE AND ALL!
>>>> CHRISTINE
> 
>>>> On Nov 28, 2010, at 11:35 AM, David Andrews wrote:
> 
>>>>> The way I got my tree trimmed a couple times was to hold a "tree 
> trimming Christmas Party."  I provided lots of good food and drink, a bare tree in the stand, lights, and encouragement.  I asked everyone to bring an ornament, and everybody did, and put the lights and bulbs and ornaments and garland on.
> 
>>>>> I am known, or at least was known, for my all you can eat chili 
> Christmas party, so I think people were glad to participate.
> 
>>>>> Dave
> 
>>>>> At 04:05 AM 11/28/2010, you wrote:
>>>>>> Well Fred, you could be more lazy and put an evergreen-scented 
> air
>>>>>> freshener next to, or a few inches to the tree--LOL!
> 
>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net
>>>>>> Sent: November 27, 2010 22:56
>>>>>> To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" 
> <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?
> 
>>>>>> Hi Jim,
> 
>>>>>> Mary and I have a stylized star for the top of ours.  It is 
> pretty old
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> too heavy for some trees.  I sometimes have to trim the point 
> down to
>>>>>> get a
>>>>>> stem strong enough to hold it up.  But, that is tradition for 
> you.
>>>>>> \
>>>>>> Re: angel hair, I do not think we have any of those ornaments, 
> though I
>>>>>> do
>>>>>> like them.  The fiber glass is a little irritating to the skin 
> if it is
>>>>>> handled much.
> 
>>>>>> We now have an artificial tree.  I basically object to this, but 
> I am
>>>>>> too
>>>>>> lazy to fight about it, since I will have to go out in the 
> weather and
>>>>>> cold
>>>>>> and wet, bring the tree home, let it dry out, mount it in a 
> stand and
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> it tip over a couple times before I get it right, then clean up 
> all the
>>>>>> needles after we take it down.  I love the smell of a real tree.  
> I like
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> ecological reasons for having a real tree.  Real trees create 
> more jobs
>>>>>> than
>>>>>> artificial and the disposal is more ecologically friendly than a
>>>>>> plastic,
>>>>>> glass and metal tree.  So, convenience and laziness, in me, is 
> turning
>>>>>> me
>>>>>> into an environmental hypocrite.  Just like a liberal like me, 
> huh?
>>>>>> (smile)
> 
>>>>>> Merry Christmas,
> 
>>>>>> Fred
> 
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>>>> On Behalf Of Jim Prather (Jim in Detroit
>>>>>> Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2010 10:43 PM
>>>>>> To: 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?
> 
>>>>>> Does anyone use Angel Hair nowadays?  It was big in the 50s.  Do 
> you put
>>>>>> a star or angel on top of the tree?  Because of ordinances, we 
> can't
>>>>>> have REAL trees in this complex.
> 
>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net
>>>>>> Sent: November 27, 2010 21:49
>>>>>> To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" 
> <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?
> 
>>>>>> Hi,
> 
>>>>>> I prefer starting at the bottom with the lights.  The lights go 
> on
>>>>>> first.
>>>>>> Then garland if you use it, then ornaments then tinsel if you 
> use it
>>>>>> instead
>>>>>> of garland.  Garland and tinsel are optional.  Most people don't 
> use
>>>>>> both,
>>>>>> though there are no rules.  We started using garland because 
> cats are
>>>>>> vulnerable to choking on tinsel.  A more earth friendly 
> alternative is
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> string popcorn with or without cranberries and use it instead of
>>>>>> garland.
>>>>>> This takes a lot of patience and that is why I don't do it.
> 
>>>>>> One of the most annoying parts of lighting a tree is knowing if 
> the
>>>>>> string
>>>>>> actually lights.  Our color identifier has a light probe on it, 
> so we
>>>>>> can
>>>>>> use it, now, to know if a bulb is lit.  You can also plug them 
> in and
>>>>>> feel
>>>>>> if they get warm.  Most tree lights are wired in parallel and so 
> if 1
>>>>>> goes
>>>>>> out, they all go out.  I find this to be the most annoying part 
> of
>>>>>> decorating.  So, plug in the lights before you string them on 
> the tree
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> make bulb replacement easier.
> 
>>>>>> Unless there is a window behind the tree, I do not totally 
> encircle the
>>>>>> tree.  I start nearest the electrical outlet then go straight 
> across
>>>>>> proceeding around toward the opposite side near the wall 
> opposite from
>>>>>> where
>>>>>> you start, then go up six inches to a foot, depending on how 
> many lights
>>>>>> you
>>>>>> have and then come back across, keeping the second string as 
> near
>>>>>> parallel
>>>>>> to the first as possible.  Keep repeating until you reach the 
> top  It is
>>>>>> sometimes necessary to adjust if you come up with too few to 
> reach the
>>>>>> top,
>>>>>> or have too many left when you reach the top, though this is not 
> as much
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> problem since you can simply reverse and go back down.  You may 
> end up
>>>>>> with
>>>>>> more lights at the top if you do this, which really isn't a big 
> problem,
>>>>>> depending on how fussy you want to be.  If possible, imagine 
> where most
>>>>>> people will view the tree from and consider that most of the 
> decorations
>>>>>> should be visible from that point of view and look relatively 
> evenly
>>>>>> distributed.  My only rule is "do my best have fun and don't 
> worry."
> 
>>>>>> With the ornaments, I start with the larger ones and try to 
> distribute
>>>>>> them
>>>>>> evenly from left to right and top to bottom.  I then fill in the 
> blank
>>>>>> areas
>>>>>> with smaller ones.  We have been married for 34 years and have 
> lots of
>>>>>> ornaments collected over the years.  Our first tree was just 2 
> feet
>>>>>> tall,
>>>>>> sat on a table had maybe a dozen ornaments and 1 string of 
> lights.  I
>>>>>> bought
>>>>>> it for $1 very near Christmas and all the needles fell off 
> within a
>>>>>> couple
>>>>>> hours of bringing it into the house.  We loved the tree, just 
> the same.
> 
>>>>>> Some people have theme trees and some people have all the same 
> colored
>>>>>> lights and ornaments.  We are very eclectic.  We have ornaments 
> that
>>>>>> remind
>>>>>> us of people and events in our lives and they range from 
> computers to
>>>>>> pets,
>>>>>> sports, food, reindeer to abstract curiosities.  I like 
> eclectic,
>>>>>> myself.
> 
>>>>>> Hope this is useful.
> 
>>>>>> Merry Christmas and Warmest Regards
> 
>>>>>> Fred and Mary
> 
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>>>> On Behalf Of trising
>>>>>> Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2010 7:19 PM
>>>>>> To: NFBofMichigan List
>>>>>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Tree trimming for blind people?
> 
>>>>>> Nick and I want to do our tree without sighted assistance this 
> year.
>>>>>> Last
>>>>>> year, because of the encouragement of our NFB friends, we
>>>>>> put the tree together and put up the ornaments.  This year, we 
> even want
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> tackle the lights.  Both of us are totally blind from
>>>>>> birth.  We have never seen lights, or been asked to help put 
> them on.  Can
>>>>>> we
>>>>>> get some instructions from other blind people who have
>>>>>> put on their own Christmas tree lights?
>>>>>> Terri and Nick Wilcox
> 
> 
> 
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> tine_boone%40comcast.net
> 
> 
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