Farewell, my friend
Filed Under Thought for the Day | Comments Off
Princess Curly, Curly Sue, was our longtime faithful friend. She danced. She sat pretty. She begged. She could, “Sit, Shake and High Five!” She loved to go for rides in the car and enjoyed an occasional baby cone at the Purple Cow. She loved to eat, especially “people” food and knew that I was a softy because what was mine was hers, too! Always.
Curly was afraid of thunderstorms and was stressed by visits to the vet, and haircuts. She tolerated being in the swimming pool and often enjoyed one lap around the pool, then quite happily laid on the deck while we swam.
In her last days, Curly developed Congestive Heart Failure and spent more time sleeping, “going outside” or “scratching at the door” to go outside than anything else. She looked like a starved child from a 3rd world country, with ribs sticking out and inflated belly. Her breathing was labored at times and you couldn’t pick her up because it was painful. Yet, she was always Curly Sue, with that persona that was her own. She was almost deaf and her sight was poor but her sniffer worked well - she could always smell food and sat patiently waiting for her share. If you weren’t careful, she’d help herself.
On Tuesday afternoon, June 26, we said our farewells and had Curly put to sleep. Sara and I were with her and it was very peaceful. It was also very difficult. We brought her home and Nathan buried her in the back yard. We loved her very much. She will be missed.
Accessible for Visually Impaired Users?
Filed Under Thought for the Day, Web Developer | Comments Off
I am a standards/accessibility nut and very determined that my websites are usable and accessible. Funding for user testing is not usually an option, especially for my small business and non profit clients. So, what can one do to assure that a site is truly accessible and usable?
You begin by learning the “how to” in building an accessible website (Web AIM is a good place to start!). You incorporate the guidelines into the site builds. Then, if you’re lucky like me, your nephew will marry a beautiful woman who just happens to use screen readers and is willing to test the sites for you. My niece, Karen, checked out Projects by Peggy, my business website and this is what she had to say:
Hi Peggy!
I’ve explored your website and the links on your pages, and it is very accessible with my screen reading software (JAWS). I am able to read all of the text on the site. It is quite professional … if you want me to try out other websites to determine their accessibility, just let me know.
Needless to say, I was quite thrilled in receiving that email. :-)
And, hugs to Karen for her willingness to assist me!
Climbing with the Experts
Filed Under Calendar | Comments Off
| June 5, 2007 | ||
| 8:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
On June 5, I will be providing a Breeze Live presentation for my alma mater, Westwood College Online, entitled, “Starting A Freelance Business.” Open to all current students and graduates, this series will encompass sharing how to get started in business.