BOLD VENTURES
December 2020
Blind Outdoor Leisure Development
BOLD welcomes persons 18 and older with all degrees of vision: blind, low vision, partially sighted and fully sighted.
PO Box 8114
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Editorial team: Veronique Schreurs, Nancy Leverett, Terri Winaught, Peggy Walsh
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
Admin note: we are keeping the dues for 2021 to $12. Call Veronique 412-225-4038 if that is a hardship, and you would like to remain in Bold.
The following positions are up for reelection: second vice-president, Treasurer and recording secretary. Please call Tammi Swiantek 412-488-6298 if you are interested in serving Bold in one of those positions.
I am happy to report that YOGA KEEPS GOING! It is still free of charge to participate. Thank you to those who sent a contribution. Our teacher, Richard, does not think it is safe for us to resume yoga at the Schoolhouse yoga studio. We will continue doing yoga, which is going very well, by conference call until further notice.
For details on how to dial in, email Veronique at veronik43@gmail.com, or call 412-225-4038.
Every Thursday it starts at 2:45pm, call in at 2:42pm. It is a one-hour session. Don’t call too much before the starting time! We will not dial in on Thanksgiving or on 12/24 or 12/31.
For people reading this by email, here is a link of our July 2 yoga session, which you can click on or paste into your browser to activate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v_BIbISDHM
Monday November 23, from 7:00 to 8:00, Please come and join Penny Fleckenstein for a time of sharing poems and stories. You can share yours or someone else's. This is also an opportunity to be entertained, so feel free to be in our audience. If you desire to share, please call Penny at: 412-415-3871 or email: goodthaimom@gmail.com to reserve your spot. You do not have to be a BOLD member to participate. On November 23 call the usual phone number of 605-475-6777 code 265396# to join the call.
Continuing our popular weekly chat session! Every Tuesday at 7pm, until further notice, we will have a one-hour chat session where our Bold members can tell each other how they are doing during this difficult time. This is also a time you can ask for help if you need it.
Number to call: 1-605-475-6777, passcode 265396# don’t forget # at the end.
If you don’t have free long distance on your phone, call Joyce 412-521-4385 or Peggy 412-683-6070 at least one hour ahead, one of them can tap you in.
Here is how it works best:
Call in and say your name, even if you hear talking. Then mute yourself by pressing *6. The board member who is moderating will check who is on the call at 7:05pm, then will say a person’s name. Unmute yourself again by pressing *6, then start talking about what’s on your mind. It doesn’t have to be Bold related. We are trying to have only one person talk at a time after the initial 5 minutes. Note that the board meeting is now private because we have the chat sessions. The moderators are:
Veronique on November 24, 7pm.
Karen on December 1, 6:30pm, followed by the board meeting which is private.
Terri on December 8, 7pm.
Penny on December 15, 7pm will be our guide for a Holiday celebration. In her words:“2020, what a bust of a year it has been, no in person gatherings, few friends have we seen,
long separations, while COVID spreads through the nations … stealing our loved ones away
making for a grim holiday
Let's brighten this season for just an hour or so with a Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza celebration
for on the phone we can still go to have fun with our BOLD family and friends
come have a good time with Penny Fleckenstein. give 605-475-6777 a call, access code 265396#
where we welcome the tall and the small. Bring your funniest holiday memories to share
with joy and laughter we will fill the air. Despite closings, COVID, restrictions, and the weather
we can still celebrate this beautiful holiday season together.
Tuesday, December 15 at 7 in the evening
No need to worry about transportation or cleaning
Just come and enjoy while we give this holiday season great meaning
BOLD invites you to take a vacation from streaming.”
Tammi on December 21, 7pm Nancy on December 29, 7pm.
Monday December 14, from 7:00 to 8:00pm, Ceinwen King-Smith will lead us in a Holiday sing along. By calling 605-475-6777 code 265396#,
Join Ceinwen as she leads us by playing the piano and sings our favorite Holiday songs. This is how it will work. Announce that you are on the call.then everyone except Ceinwen will need to mute there phones by pressing star six. Star is the key to the left of the zero. Press star 6 to unmute your phone if you want to make a request.
PAST EVENTS
Thanks to Penny & Nancy who arranged for an enjoyable evening with Peggy Chong, the blind history lady. You can join her email list where she tells the stories of the blind people she has researched, by emailing her at theblindhistorylady@gmail.com
Thanks to Nancy, her daughter Allison Leverett Davin and Maggy who presented an informational evening on Insta Pot & Air fryer! Email Maggy if you want more information at mio528@comcast.net.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists will perform free Brown Bag Concerts on select Saturdays from 12:00–1:00 pm on both Pittsburgh Opera’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
December 12, 2020 12-1pm (The concert begins about nine minutes after the start of the video.)
Pittsburgh Opera will offer a Sensory Workshop for each opera via Zoom on Sundays from 4:00–5:00 pm. Call Marilyn Egan at 724-612-1661 to register and get the Zoom dial-in phone numbers.
Sunday, December 13, 2020, 4-5pm Soldier Songs
Pittsburgh Opera will offer the Audio Commentary service at the opera headquarters for each opera on the second Tuesday performance at 7:00 pm. Limited numbers of $12 tickets are available; call Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912 extension 213.
Tuesday December 15, 2020 Soldier Songs
Opera up close: none in December. (The one for Soldier Songs was held on November 15.)
Third Thursday of the month, Book Club by Library for the Blind, led by Katie Jackson and Angela Woodard on zoom or phone. Reserve by calling 800-242-0586 or email Them at lbph@carnegielibrary.org
- Thursday, November 19th from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Born A Crime: Stories from A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah DB86608-
- Thursday, December 17th from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair DB52961
- Thursday, January 21st from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett DB96739
They will contact you by phone or email with the Zoom invite information or phone number a few days before the book club date. In the meantime, please let them know if you need a copy of a book so they can mail it to you as soon as possible.
BOLD BITS
Get well wishes to Brian Rutherford who is recovering from surgery. Natasha Brown wants prayers for family members who are struggling with health issues; Kimberly Smythe requests Well Wishes because the Cleveland Clinic found another small brain tumor which they believe is benign,
Congratulations are extended to Penny Fleckenstein who just published a book entitled, “Lessons in Love: A Poetic Autobiography”. In addition to Standard Print, Penny’s book can also be found on Amazon and Smashboards. Penny is making arrangements to create an audio version.
http://dldbooks.com/pennyfleckenstein/ to read a sample.
To ask questions or order, Penny can be reached at: goodthaimom@gmail.com, or by phoning (412) 415-3871. (Terri Winaught feels both honored and humbled that one of the book’s selections is a poem she and Penny wrote together, two of Penny’s poems are about Terri.)
Happy November birthday to Ernie College, Celeste Compomizzi, Karen Seligman and anyone else with a December birthday.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE by Terri Winaught
Even though many people have experienced isolation and loneliness during this pandemic, that has not been constant for Bold members. Bold has tried to temporarily lift people out of loneliness. Every Tuesday, Bold board members facilitate a wellness check-in where we see how people are doing, share resources & provide any help we can. We appreciate all participants and would love our sighted members to join us as well.
THE END
BOLD welcomes persons 18 and older with all degrees of vision: blind, low vision, partially sighted and fully sighted.