Why I Haven’t Been Blogging ✍️ 💻

April 24, 2023 | Filed under blogging Poem writing

Why I Haven’t Been Blogging

By Ann Chiappetta

Dedicated to 2023 National Poetry Month

I haven’t been blogging

Because my mind is fogging

From NPM – rest assured I’ve been writing

Scribbling, typing and scribing

Alphabetically, in fact

Abecedarians, ballads and couplets

Haiku, Limericks a letters

Verses penned about purple purses or petals

The view to the summit is near

And it looks like the terrain is clear

Yet The flag is yet to be unfurled

And the completion of NPM

Will be celebrated by the world

When it is uncurled —

And next year we will grab our literary packs

And retrace the poetic path to the summit

Inspired by a poetry-lined path.

Spring and Things Magazine

April 10, 2023 | Filed under blindness blogging writing

A great read and resource for Spring.

The writer’s Grapevine is a quarterly news and literary magazine featuring Writers, Small Business owners and Nonprofits.

In each issue you’ll find a variety of Articles, Essays, Short Stories and Poems for your enjoyment and education.

Read the full edition at: https://pattysworlds.com/the-writers-grapevine-spring-and-things-

To learn more about Patty Fletcher and her magazine, here is the link to her blog:

Patty L. Fletcher

author and social media marketing assistant.

Learn more at: http://www.pattysworlds.com

APH Career Conversations podcast Join the presentation 🎙️

March 29, 2023 | Filed under blindness blogging Guide dogs writing

Save the Date

📖 📚

Join the APH Career Conversation with Ann Chiappetta

April 6, 2023, 6:00 – 7:00 PM EST
Career Conversations Interview with an Author
Ann Chiappetta will share what it has been like for her to self-publish her poetry, fiction and nonfiction books. Ann has delt with changing vision as a result of retinitis pigmentosa and has used writing and her creative skills to help cope with her vision loss.

Register Here for Career Conversations Interview with an Author

Read about Ann on the APH blog:

Annie with pink mask and Bailey close up

Ann and Bailey on bench: Both looking straight on

The print Barrier Continued

March 25, 2023 | Filed under writing

Thanks to friend and fellow author, Patty Fletcher, what began as my personal rant about the accessibility divide is gaining attention. Please visit her blog and read, like, and pass along what will be a series of informational, lived experiential accounts of the print barrier and how it effects people with print disabilities interacting with all digital and electronic resources like the internet, smart phones and tablets and how developers and the general public can help with making these barriers a thing of the past.

https://pattysworlds.com/the-print-barrier-by-author-and-multimedia-specialist-ann-chiappetta-accessibility-assistivetechnology/

He’s Home! He’s Home! 🦮

March 2, 2023 | Filed under Guide dogs pets and people

After two days in the hospital, Bailey is home and resting. It has been a stressful two weeks. Once we got the diagnosis and scheduled the surgery for a carcinoma in his lung, Jerry and I were in a kind of shell shock. Hoping for the best, ignoring the worst-case scenario.

The medical staff at Animal Medical Center in NYC is phenomenal. We are still waiting for a full prognosis because the pathology takes at least a week but it is looking like pulmonary carcinoma. One entire lobe was removed, so the guy has only half a lung on one side. He went into all this in good shape despite the tumor and this has everything to do with a good recovery and getting back to work. Not sure working again will be in his future but time and rest will help the healing and no matter what happens, there is relief for what was ailing him for so long. His quality of life has been given back to him and for this we are grateful.

If you want to donate to the medical center and help support them in treating animals and educating future generations of veterinary physicians and treatments for diseases like cancer , and caring for guide and service dogs, we would appreciate it. There was no cost to us because Bailey is a working guide dog.

He is resting in the kennel on his squish mellow and seems comfortable. The first thing he wanted to do once we got home was eat. What a good boy!

A DNR for My Dog Guide? 😨🦮

February 16, 2023 | Filed under blindness Guide dogs pets and people Relationships

Whoa, pups and people, first of all, this is not a shock jock kind of post. It is my attempt to express the feelings and observations during the events of the past three weeks. We are all okay, so it is safe to keep reading.

🦮

Bailey, my 75 lb. yellow lab raised and trained by Guiding Eyes for the Blind, was diagnosed with a tumor in his lung. It was discovered in a routine vet visit and I am so grateful for the staff veterinarian at Guiding Eyes for listening to me and ordering the Xray and referring us to Animal Medical Center in New York City for a CT and needle biopsy confirming the diagnosis.

We are now waiting for the surgery date to remove it. During the examination of the CT scan/biopsy procedure authorization, I read the DNR clause. It said CPR would be administered unless directed otherwise by the owner. Of course I wanted lifesaving procedures to be performed, my dog is showing very little symptoms and isn’t ready to check out.

I stopped, thinking, OH, shoot, a DNR? And it hit me just how serious this was and how sick my sweet 9.7-year-old lab really is. He showed only a mild cough after playing and slowing down a little when we were out and about. I’m not sure why but Bailey’s diagnosis brought me back to our Mom’s lung cancer and the mind-numbing period of time during her surgeries and treatments. Because of the consultations and speaking with medical oncologists during our Mom’s illness, I believe I have a better grasp of Bailey’s chances and risk factors. I am not saying a dog is the same as a person, but I am thinking that Mom’s passing provided insight and strength for me and my husband to be better equipped to handle whatever comes after Bailey’s upcoming surgery and convalescence. Then again, maybe I am saying a life is worth fighting for, human or non-human. Mom did not differentiate among two or four-footed family, and neither will I.

yellow lab Bailey in our livingroom

Remembering Verona 2006 – 2020 🦮

January 15, 2023 | Filed under Guide dogs pets and people Relationships

It’s January, a month of memories. I look back upon those who have died and I also look forward to keeping them close to my heart through recalling the special times we’ve shared together. My Dad, Bob, and his being a neat freak and a talented carpenter and mechanic and lover of nature. I also recall my mother-in-law, Carol and the way she loved my kids and feeling blessed I survived her erratic driving and feeling relieved I did not have to see the close calls because I am blind. 😓😱 .

Although we lost both my Dad and Carol in successive January dates, both on the sixteenth of the month, I want to also celebrate the life of another family member, my first guide dog.

In January 2009 I met and trained with my first guide dog, Verona and this post is being written and shared to honor her life. I am fortunate to be part of the Guiding Eyes graduate community and because of it I take part in occasional grief and bereavement Zoom meetings. We share how much our dogs mean to us, the bond of trust and love and how much they mean to us even after they die. I always feel better after one of these meetings because I spent the time with other handlers who understand the lifetime bond developed with these incredible dogs and the indelible imprint they have upon our hearts.

Here is one of my favorite stories about Verona, a sweet sixty lb. black lab. My husband, Jerry, took over her care and handling once I retired her and submitted my application for a successor dog. She was seven years old and full of energy but she developed cysts in her eyes and it began effecting her ability to guide me. One day Jerry took her upstate during turkey hunting season. She was a great field dog and not a bit gun shy. He set up the blind, telling Verona to lay down. He soon shot the turkey and got out of the blind, saying “Let’s go get it!” and Verona ran out of the blind and ran for the turkey, grabbing it’s neck. He asked her to let go and she did but kept trying to grab it. After he called me and told me the story, I laughed and between giggles, said, “Well, you told her to go get it and she’s a lab, what did you expect?”

Verona lived a great life, succumbing to old age in February 2020 at age 14. I could not have had a better first guide dog and since walking our first route together I haven’t looked back. Thanks, sweet girl for being able to give me back my independence.

If you want to read more about our adventures, pick up my memoir,

Follow Your Dog a Story of Love and Trust .

close up of Black lab with snow on her face

January 2023 Annie Shares News V.3 I. 1

January 2, 2023 | Filed under blindness blogging writing

Annie Shares News January 2023 Volume 3 Issue 1

Anniesharesnews+subscribe@groups.io

www.annchiappetta.com

2023 greetings! 🥳 🎉

2022 has been challenging and it’s great to be stepping out more, giving and receiving a hug from friends and colleagues once again. Society has endured and learned how to cope with the physical limitations associated with the pandemic and while we are still being effected by covid, we are adjusting. To hug or not to hug, that is the question.

One mask-wearing phenomenon I’d like to share is the increased level of general disorientation when wearing one. And it isn’t just me experiencing this weird reaction. Whenever I first put on a mask, it causes me to feel dizzy and like I am in a bubble. I can’t hear or rely on my sense of direction, which is usually good. The spatial awareness is the worst and I have spoken with other blind friends who have experienced a similar lack of sensory information from mask wearing. I tried a clear face shield and it was even worse. I hope this is something we can research more to help others.

I want to share some good news about a friend and colleague, Elizabeth Ianelli. She and I worked together and remained friends after we both left the VA. She is one of the most resilient people I know and I am pleased to share the advanced ordering link to her new gritty and powerful book about the troubled teen industry called I See You Survivor: Life inside (and outside) the totally f*****d up troubled-teen industry.

Another author I know, Trish Hubschman, has released her newest book, check it out:

Gayle’s Tales: Tracy Gayle Mysteries

by Trish Hubschman

Copyright December 2022

The book is for sale from Smashwords in eBook formats and from Amazon in e-book ($3.99), paperback ($8.50), and hardcover ($16.50).

175 pages in print.

Full details of this book and Trish’s four Tracy Gayle mystery novels are on her website:

https://www.dldbooks.com/hubschman/

Synopsis:

Gayle’s Tales is a collection of Tracy Gayle mystery short stories.

Everyone’s favorite couple, Tracy and Danny, are still going strong, romantically and professionally, rocking and rolling and solving crimes. The story is a first-person account told in Tracy’s point-of-view, detailing the circumstances as only she can tell it. Through all this, she and Danny are planning their wedding extravaganza at the Plaza Hotel in New York. In the end, she brings long–lost family members and friends back into each other’s arms and lives.

Trish is also appearing on January 25 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time as a guest author hosted by the Behind Our Eyes Book Launch program via zoom. If you would like the Zoom invitation, email booklaunch@behindoureyes.org and make sure you mention it is for Trish’s book.

What’s in store for 2023? Writing, of course! 😉 I am working on a nonfiction book about pet assisted therapy, gathering a third poetry collection, and writing a new crossover novel plus a new chapter of a sci-fi novella. I am reading different genres of books, including an RPG-inspired series penned by Kevin Sinclair, a series by Andrew Rowe narrated by one of my favorite voice actors, Nick Podell and Marshal Arcane by Terry Mancour is waiting in the queue. I also read The Address by Fiona Davis for my local book club. Very good historical fiction/mystery novel. I also must recommend The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving. The audio book is performed by a talented voice actor and it is better than Irving’s book, The World According to Garp. It’s brilliant.

Reading is a considerable piece of developing as a writer and I plan to continue the quest. 😈

Until next month, be well and blessings to all.

Enjoy this classic poem about the New Year by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

The Death of the Old Year

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Full knee-deep lies the winter snow,

And the winter winds are wearily sighing:

Toll ye the church bell sad and slow,

And tread softly and speak low,

For the old year lies a-dying.

Old year you must not die;

You came to us so readily,

You lived with us so steadily,

Old year, you shall not die.

He lieth still: he doth not move:

He will not see the dawn of day.

He hath no other life above.

He gave me a friend and a true truelove

And the New-year will take ’em away.

Old year you must not go;

So long you have been with us,

Such joy as you have seen with us,

Old year, you shall not go.

He froth’d his bumpers to the brim;

A jollier year we shall not see.

But tho’ his eyes are waxing dim,

And tho’ his foes speak ill of him,

He was a friend to me.

Old year, you shall not die;

We did so laugh and cry with you,

I’ve half a mind to die with you,

Old year, if you must die.

He was full of joke and jest,

But all his merry quips are o’er.

To see him die across the waste

His son and heir doth ride post-haste,

But he’ll be dead before.

Everyone for his own.

The night is starry and cold, my friend,

And the New-year blithe and bold, my friend,

Comes up to take his own.

How hard he breathes! over the snow

I heard just now the crowing cock.

The shadows flicker to and fro:

The cricket chirps: the light burns low:

’Tis nearly twelve o’clock.

Shake hands, before you die.

Old year, we’ll dearly rue for you:

What is it we can do for you?

Speak out before you die.

His face is growing sharp and thin.

Alack! our friend is gone,

Close up his eyes: tie up his chin:

Step from the corpse, and let him in

That standeth there alone,

And waiteth at the door.

There’s a new foot on the floor, my friend,

And a new face at the door, my friend,

A new face at the door.

This poem is in the public domain.

Dreya sends her best wishes for the New Year!

💗 What to Love about a Human’s Best Friend 💗 🦴 🐕

December 10, 2022 | Filed under blogging Guide dogs pets and people

After raising two kids and doing the parent thing with the pediatrician for all those years, I thought my husband might like helping out with our pets once in a while. I am proud to say Jerry has become a wonderful pet parent and takes our pet dog, May to all her appointments. We adopted her in 2020 and love her sweet and sassy personality. She is smart, protective but not territorial, and solves problems quickly and efficiently, just like a good German Shepard should. While she has a bit of Rottweiler , as proven by a DNA test, she’s got a GSD body type and traits and the only part missing is pointy ears. She has derpy ones that flop over and stick out perpendicular to her head. Do not let this fool you.

At first we house trained her, which took a few months. She was already crate trained. It took a while for her bladder to mature. She learned how to unlock the metal safety gate, you know the child-safety ones with the lock cover and the sliding , recessed latch?

My yellow lab guide dog, Bailey and May love one another, play together and love to share space, which is good. She also loves our cats. She does poke and play with them but taps down the chasing and while this took some time, the darned cats like to be chased, so we gave up trying to stop it. A few swats from the kitty pins and she learned to respect them. When we brought in a kitten, May’s mothering instincts blossomed, surprising us. She raised it, groomed it and now they all sleep together. April, my daughter, who convinced us to adopt May and who has been a huge part of caring for May, has been able to help with most of her doggie dislikes, like the ear drops. April is great at relaxing May for a two or three toenail trim. But it does take a few days because May won’t tolerate more than one foot at a time. The groomer must hate it when she comes in for a spa day.

But these aversions are within the normal spectrum for a pet, right? Let me go on to what is challenging . sometimes she reverts into a demon, thus her alternate name, Mazikeen. Anyway, her Shepard came out, she is such a drama queen. First, to tell us her ear hurt she jumped onto the bed, flopped between us and kept us awake by whining and shaking her head all night . Then she hurt her ear more by scratching it and when we tried to look at it she screamed like we were cutting it off. So, off to the Vet to take a look at the ear. Then, Jerry gave her the anti-puke pill because she gets car sick in the truck. Well it didn’t work but we have a blanket for that and an extra seat cover just in case. Then, they can’t take her temp anally because she turns into a whirling dervish in the exam room so they have to do it under her leg. That went okay, so did the ear inspection. But when they wanted to take a blood draw to check basics from taking the allergy pills, they could not do it. She became a manic mess and sprayed blood all over them from jerking away. Three times, even with cheese whiz and three people to help distract her. So next time we have to fast her in the morning, run her until she is exhausted because a tired dog is a good dog in the exam room, give her the anti puke pill two hours prior and maybe Jerry can avoid a mess in the truck and the vet tech can get some blood. Oh, they want a urine sample. Well, that is not going to happen, She won’t let anyone sneak up and put a pan under her ass.

All this is frustrating and I am thankful it is Jerry and April facing the challenges with May. Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention she punishes herself by running into the dog crate and facing the wall after we discover a chewed slipper or something she’d taken off the kitchen counter, like an oven mitt. How could you not love this dog or be amused when she does this? Talk about operant conditioning, lol.

The best thing about May is the way she lowers her head and leans into you or lap asking for affection, exposing her neck as if to say I trust you so much I want you to scratch me where I can’t reach. What could be more endearing than this?

May on the dog bed with her bones and toys

May the dog on her dog bed with her toysMay the dog on her bed with her bones

The Tooth about Aging 🪥

December 1, 2022 | Filed under Guide dogs Relationships

Have you ever had the feeling you were forgetting something as you walked out the door? Well, folks, if you haven’t already gotten the hint, once you are past fifty, the forgetting increases and making a mental list isn’t enough.

Case in point: Yesterday I got the text message from the paratransit provider about my confirmed ten-minute window and pick-up time . I put on my guide dog’s harness, my jacket, slung my bag over my shoulder, and grabbed my support cane and tromped out the door into the pouring rain with the niggling feeling I’d forgotten something.

I soon put it out of my mind as the driver and I talked. We arrived, my dog guiding me from the bus into the office building and into the PT waiting room.

It wasn’t until I was halfway done with my routine that the forgotten thing was exposed.

“Where’s your tooth?” asked the physical therapist.

All I could do was take it as gracefully as I could considering it is a front tooth that is gone.

“I left it at home,” I said.