A cast iron skillet filled with cornbread fresh out of the oven. To the best of my knowledge, this recipe has never been written down. I’m not even sure who taught me to make cornbread this way. It could have been my mother or my grandmother. It could have been Kate, the cook on the…
In this Tech Doctor podcast, Allison and Robert speak with Sue Martin. Sue has recently written and published her memoir. The book is entitled “Out of the Whirlpool: A Memoir of Remorse and Reconciliation.” Sue’s story is absolutely one of triumph and fulfillment. It begins, however, with Sue describing her serious struggle with depression and…
Someone I follow on Twitter throws out occasional writing prompts. Sometimes it’s “In six words or fewer write about…” Sometimes it’s, set a timer and, in 10 minutes write something that begins with…” Today’s prompt was, “In 10 minutes or less, write something that begins with, “She jumped…” Here’s what I wrote. She jumped…
Lights, camera, action! My part on a Stephen King film Sue Wiygul Martin It’s a month into the filming of the movie The Langoliers. Today, we’re filming in the baggage claim area of the Bangor International Airport. I quietly encourage my Seeing Eye dog, Quoddy, to move forward to the place where the activity seems…
Recognizing the need for comprehensive rehabilitation for soldiers who were blinded in World War II, the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, established the profession of Blind Rehabilitation as we know it today. Those early pioneers, many of them veterans themselves, understood that blind rehab could not be just about so-called lifestyle adjustments such as the…
I have no idea what my name would have been had I not been adopted as an infant. As it turned out, I was christened Lillian Sue Wiygul. Sue came from my maternal grandmother, Sue Eleanor Varner. Lillian came from my paternal grandmother. Well, it sort of came from my paternal grandmother. I heard her…
At 26 years of age, my life had hit rock bottom. Deeply depressed, I had reached the point where I believed I no longer had options. Placing a loaded gun to my head, I pulled the trigger. There was an explosion and, in an instant, my world went dark. I didn’t die, but the failed…
When we go hiking, we usually get away from it all. In this recording, done as we descended Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, we encountered a whole bunch of chatty folks! Since it takes us more time to negotiate these rough places we always let other hikers past so that we can take our…
Standing on the front porch of the cabin In Nantahala Village we looked out, across the valley, to the Smokie Mountains. That night we walked to the lodge, ordered dinner, and took it back to the cabin. The next day we went horseback riding. The day after that we hiked a bit of the…
In my day job I’m part of a virtual team in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Members of the team, as well as the customers we serve, are scattered all over the country. Mostly, we use technology for communication; email, Microsoft Lync or Live Meeting for screen sharing, loads and loads of…