Good news

No, our car isn't fixed yet; they told us that they hope to hear some word about the part tomorrow. It's been three weeks.

I took my 4yo into town on the bus to run a few errands, and we noticed something new:


Now our town does not have a reputation for being progressive but these little gadgets buzz to let blind people know when the light is green. On the top, a raised arrow points to the relevant crossing. I wish I knew what the pictures mean.

The intersection is near a club for the blind. I know this because I was walking nearby when I saw a man with a white cane bump into an electric pole. (Another sign of the city's progress is that they are gradually burying electric wires as they replace old sewage pipes and put in the new light rail.) I offered to help him get where he was going and told him about my father, who never learned how to use a white cane. This man had become blind only three years ago. When we approached the club, a religious man greeted us and said he would take the blind man the rest of the way. The religious man's expression made me feel uncomfortable about having guided the blind man by letting him lightly rest his hand on my arm, and I said goodbye rather abruptly. I still feel bad about that.