On Sunday I was concerned about hanging three things about my ears – mask, glasses, and hearing aids. John arranged for me to hide in the balcony to avoid having to wear a mask. For the last few months, I was able to follow the service and see the hymns using cheap reading glasses. I couldn’t see anything close without them, and the world tilted if I looked up. They were on and off my face constantly. That worked well until I added hearing aids. Without my realizing it, the wire tangled with the glasses, digging a hole in the ear. Pain! The throbbing continued to increase after I put the glasses away. Thankfully, it receded so that I could enjoy the afternoon with grandson Nathaniel and Sarah.
Glasses are out now until the hole heals. In order to refer to a recipe, I put a page-magnifying sheet on two plastic containers, with the cookbook flat on the counter. This was even better than pulling glasses on and off. I could read the amounts without touching anything.
The cookbook is 57 years old and also feeling its age. I’m glad I’m not literally falling apart, as it is. Still, we are both somewhat useful, and with care, will last a few more years.
Mehrling Muse 
Oh yes…I do understand about the glasses and new ears.
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I’m sorry you understand, but thanks for standing with me. It helps to have company.
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I feel your struggle! I wear progressive bi-focals. If they get at all out of line everything blurs. Without them, everything blurs. 🙄
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Wow! I didn’t know that could happen. I’m glad I had straight vision most of my life.
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They are as bother. Especially with the safety goggles and hard hat that I used to have to wear for construction site meetings. I don’t know how people stand having to wear them to work on sites all the time. Even if you have prescription safety goggles, the hard hat would Knoch them out of kilter all the time.
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I had no idea a hard hat would be hard to wear. Now I know.
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Lol. They are not much of a fashion statement either. But seriously, I think they must be horridly uncomfortable for anyone to wear twelve or thirteen hours a day. I have so much respect for the people who work on sites or in plants like my husband does. ( A steel pant).
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Our son was in construction until a scaffold fell. He broke his ankle and had a long recovery. He is in maintenance now. I admire people who work physically stressful jobs.
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And always on the worst conditions! I hope your son’s ankle will not be bothersome as he ages. 💞
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He doesn’t swim or ride a bike any more, but he still hikes.
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I am surprised about the swimming. My husband has any number of joint issues after years of playing hockey and raquetball. The one place he feels good is in the water. It is nice that your son can still hike.
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Swimming would be in a mountain stream, and that is COLD!
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I see! We have a pool for in the summer and indoor city pools in the winter.
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You should take your cook book to a library that does repairs and get it rebound.
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I never thought about getting a cookbook rebound. My children don’t cook, so all of my cookbooks will be thrown away.
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don’t you dare allow them to be thrown out Anne! Get them rebound in secret and have them given as a legacy gift after you pass.
Every time they create something from your book it’ll be like they are visiting with you!
These things mean more after we are gone.
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I won’t throw them out ahead of time. OK?
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A creative solution indeed! Sorry about the hole!
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Very nice post. I like. ”Whithout mask no entry. !”.
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I cannot juggle mask, glasses, and hearing aids. Even with just two of those things, I rubbed my ear raw. Some day we won’t have to wear a mask, and I’ll be more used to corrective aids.
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Oh Anne, your dilemma has helped me. I never thought of a page magnifier for cookbooks. I also take reading glasses on and off, and when I have them on a string they sometimes do end up giving me sore ears because of the bulk of it all. I’m glad this worked for you, and I will be looking for a magnifier to keep in the kitchen.
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That magnifying page saved time! I was surprised at how well it worked.
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It would be great for me when cooking since I take my readers on and off again and again.
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I never saw a page magnifier before. Cool! I’ve always used the smaller ones that don’t cover much.
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John had both a large and a small magnifier. Somewhere he has a real glass one with a handle, but we haven’t found it yet.
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Those old cookbooks are the best. So I think anyone getting older is the best as well.
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I’m glad I’m still getting older and happy others are, too.
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Yes, necessity is indeed the mother of invention. My kid sister says, “This aging stuff ain’t for wimps.” Stay strong, my friend.
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My family is enjoying my hearing aids. They have to help me read, because I often do not have glasses handy when the phone rings. I can’t tell who is calling.
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Brilliant solution.
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It worked!
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When I was in high school I worked part-time at a book bindery (https://www.houchenbindery.com/services/restoration/) where all sorts of book restoration, and re-covering was done. They are still in business in the little town of Utica, Nebraska, where I grew up!
Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. It looks like you found a great asset in the kitchen – and being hands-free is a plus!!
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How interesting that you worked at a book bindery! Thank you for sending the link. I enjoyed reading about the things they do. It was fun imagining you working there.
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I was 16 at the time. I was a cover-maker, standing over a giant glue roller, which put glue on the inside of the fabric cover, then moved along a table to put the cardboard (front and back) on the cover, and sealed the edges. It was a fun job for a young girl. 🙂
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Wow! Impressive! How long did you work there?
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About a year an a half. I started the summer of my junior year, and quit the summer after I graduated.
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That is wonderful. When I was that age, I played the organ for a tiny church that was one block from my church. Their service was early, so I walked to mine where my mom was the organist. I haven’t thought of that in ages.
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I have my mother’s old cookbook that is faded and tattered from love. Your page-magnifying sheet on two plastic containers trick is brilliant.
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It worked well that day.
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An inventive solution indeed! Nowadays I take a photo of a recipe with my iPad and I can then enlarge the recipe as needed. As other readers have experienced, varifocals only work well so far … then the blurriness.
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Using an iPad is ingenious. I tried using a tablet several years ago, but I didn’t find an easy way to keep it from turning off.
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That worked very well! Somewhere there is a page magnifier (8 1/2 X 11 inches) that I bought for my mom and she used it for recipes out of magazines mostly. I should look for it now by the look of this house. As to the hole in your ear, take care of it as I got metal poisoning from my wire glasses not fitting properly and wearing a ridge on the top of one ear. I got thin wire eyeglasses while in high school and went to a football game. Our team won a point or did something great and someone cheered and their arm or hand hit my glasses knocking them off. The lenses didn’t break, but when I put them on, they were a little off-kilter. I straightened them out, (or so I thought), and when I began working at the diner, I had to wear my hair pulled back, something I never did before. The weight of my hair pulled over the misshapen “arm” of the frame caused the “arm” to dig in. It made a cut which got infected and my mom made me go to the doctor for it – he gave me a blood test and I had metal poisoning from the frame digging in.
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Wow! Who would ever guess glasses could kill you?
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I know! My mother said “why didn’t you tell me and I could have put ointment and a Bandaid on it as you can’t reach it yourself.” She had a point, but be careful!
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Hmm – I was six days behind in Reader when I sat down at the computer this afternoon. The very next post after I read this one was by a fellow blogger, also named Anne, who uses her phone camera as a handy magnifier … thought I’d pass that tip along to you when you’re “on the fly” and without magnification. Here’s Anne’s post:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/16613107/posts/3651809898
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Fantastic! I would never have thought of that! I wish I’d known about that when I was reading labels in the store. Now I’m armed, thanks to you.
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You’re welcome and how coincidental is that? The very next post I read gave this tip. Labels are difficult to read, all the fine print.
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I can so relate, Anne! I miss wearing pierced earrings because of mask & glasses & hearing aids – it’s all too much and tangled up! So I forego the earrings, but look at them longingly from afar every day… sniff…
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I wore earrings, glasses, and mask, but hearing aids tangle with glasses. I’m not going anywhere masks are required.
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Anne, how resourceful you are with the cookbook to avoid the glasses. Yesterday, I went to the local art museum nearby for their annual quilt exhibition. Exhibitors from around the world had the most exquisite colors and techniques on display. My head still swims with ideas and colors. Yes, the mask too. Fortunately we do not wear them at church to sing. I enjoyed the post and have empathy for all the things on and around ears. Tangles galore sometimes. Thank you. oxox
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That is great that you can sing freely. oxox
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We have done so since Feb. 2020. Imagine that! I did an Anne at the Dr.’s office just now and pulled the head band forward and off came that cloth thingy in my hand. Young nurse said to just leave it off. It’s not nice to give older people so many things to contend with at the same time. Haha. oxox
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They let you off the hook! A week ago I had an injection in the eye, and the nurse said I could leave the mask off if I’d been vaxxed. Yes!!!
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Life’s simple pleasures! Be well. oxox
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