Friday, November 22, 2013

A Glorious Sight

Hi friends,

I'm a bit late with the post but it is still Friday where I live so I am posting my Skywatch Friday pics.

I took these about two weeks ago when I was in a different part of the city running errands. I am not usually out at dinner hour looking at the sky so I often miss the beautiful sunsets.

I hope you like these photos of the one I caught that day.



I had a busy day today dealing with my mother and her needs.  There is a flu outbreak at her residence and she and 13 other residents are quarantined. It sounds rather serious. I pray that she and the others will be better soon and that the staff will give them the very best care. In all honesty, I am not pleased with the level of care she has been receiving since she moved in there 4 months ago and I've put in a request to move her to another residence on a priority basis. We are now waiting for an available room.

After discovering mother was in quarantine and that I'd done what I could to ensure her needs were taken care, I decided to go downtown for a few errands and a distraction.  I wanted to buy some yarn, crochet thread, snack foods to send to mother, and a lot of smaller items for gifts to friends near and far.  I also thought I might get some flannel pajamas or some flannel sheets as it is now quite cold where I live.

Despite the fact that I don't really need more yarn, I continue to purchase a few skeins here and there of colours that I like and don't think I will easily come across again.  I'm actually thinking of starting to purchase skeins on line so I can have more colour options.  This way I will have what I want on hand for new projects. I want to make another African Flower Afghan once I've finished with the first one I'm making for a gift (see here if you like).  Truth be told I already have far too much yarn and other craft supplies on hand.  But it is the age old problem of never having quite what you need when you need it. I think other crafters can relate.





Tonight after I got home and had dinner there was a brief rap at my door. I looked out the peephole to discover that there was no one there but something red was sitting on the ground outside my door.

When I opened the door, there was this HUGE RED surprise there to greet me.  I joked that the poinsettia is so huge (you can't really tell from the photo) that it could take the place of my Christmas tree.

My nephew & his girlfriend left this surprise at my door but couldn't stay to visit. He called me to let me know.  I was very touched that he remembered I get poinsettias every year to brighten my home at Christmas.

I had a another happy surprise yesterday when I went to the Post Office. I won this beautiful Christmas book in a giveaway hosted by blogging friend Terra from Terra Garden.

The win was a delightful surprise as I don't tend to win things. The small Christmas book is beautifully presented and chock full of wonderful Christmas items such as recipes, heart warming stories and crafts. Terra also sent me a note card with a delicious sounding recipe on it. Thank you so much Terra for your generous heart!


18 comments:

Unknown said...

What lovely gifts, and they seemed to have arrived right when you needed a pick-me-up! I'm sorry to hear about your mother, it must be so stressful for you, and my thoughts are with you both. Craft is a therapy for me for so many of life's anxieties, so you need no excuse for buying more supplies! Chrissie x

Jo said...

Wow, Penny what beautiful skies! And congratulations on your lovely gift of poinsettias from your thoughtful nephew AND on winning the stunning scrapbook. I hope it lightened your heart a little in between the problems of seeing that your poor dear mom is looked after properly. I will pray for her and all the others in that home. Blessings and (((Hugs))) Jo

Hannapat said...

I am so sorry to heat about your mother and I do hope that you get her transferred soon. It must be awful worrying about your mum when you know shes not being cared for properly. I don't think you can ever have too much yarn and like you I am in the same boat. Beautiful poinsettia and very lovely looking book. Enjoy them both, how very generous of your nephew. Beautiful photos!! Enjoy your weekend xoxo

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful sunset shots! Your poinsettia is gorgeous! Congrats on your book, it looks wonderful!

Mereknits said...

I am dealing with my aging parents and it is so difficult, making sure they are well cared for, hoping they are not ill. I hope your Mother does not become ill and that she is moved to a better place very soon. I think buying yarn is a perfectly fine thing to do. Actually I bought some myself yesterday, some I really did not need, but yarn is my thing so it made me happy.
Hugs to you,
Meredith

jabbott said...

You do take wonderful photos, the sunset photos are stunning.i know what its like to have to be a helper to someone, its good you took some time out to fo a little shopping as a treat for yourself x

Terra said...

An almost Christmas tree size poinsettia and you received my Christmas themed book too. You are heading toward Christmas, and I like your colorful sky photos.

Amazing wonders in my life said...

Awesome..... Love that book as well

Jan said...

Lovely gifts. Just what you need to brighten your week, in addition to those beautiful skies. Love the border you have used on your photos. Very stylish indeed. I do hope your Mum is better soon. It is very worrying to hear and also the concerns you have about her care. Is there anywhere you can go to ask for help with this? xx

Joy said...

Your pics are beautiful Joyful, and how generous and thoughtful of your nephew to gift you such a beautiful poinsettia - and then there's your wonderful Christmas book win - all lovely, but, I'm so sorry to hear your Mum is not receiving the care you had hoped for in her place of residence and do hope and pray that you will be successful in quickly moving her to where she will be well cared for. I think that it's wonderful for you to buy lovely new yarn - you deserve it, and besides, it enables you to produce such lovely goodies! Warm hugs and blessings, Joy xo

Susanne Tyree said...

I have worked in 3 nursing homes over the years. I often left after my shift, wondering if there was more that I could have done for my residents. It is the age old problem of too many souls to care for and never enough help. So many places think of the people as just dollar signs, and filling the beds. They talk out of one side of their mouth about "giving excellent care" yet in all reality it always boils down to the owners lining their pockets with the money. You can bet it is never the actual workers who do the hands on care who profit. I hope you do what is best and move your mom to a place where you can both be satisfied with her care. I hope she doesn't become sick. It is hard to bounce back when you are elderly. Love the sunset photos.
(((HUGS))) Susanne :)

Joyful said...

Thank you Susanne, I agree with you completely In this new place they make enormous sums of money and give very little back to the residents. I do appreciate that the staff are not lining their pockets however I also have to say that the majority of staff in this new place do not have the experience, the compassion or sensitivity required to care for old people. They ought not to be working in the field at all. I've seen with my own eyes as have others I know. Unfortunately there are not enough experienced care workers available and even if they were, this place would not likely hire them. I will return my mother to the one place where I know there were some good workers and where they also have the necessary experience It is really very sad what is happening in the fieldof senior care. We have so many problems here in the entire country and I think this is a problem in all of North America. Sad to say, wherever you have vulnerable people, there will be problems of others taking advantage or outright abuse. I pray that God would protect these dear ones and give them a voice where they have none. Mom is already sick with the flu. She hasn't had one in years but there is an outbreak where she lives. I hope she will be better soon. Hugs to you. xx

Chris-June said...

beautiful sky photos and lovely poinsettia!
hope your mother will soon be better.
thank you for visiting and commenting my blog.

affectioknit said...

Gorgeous!

~Have a lovely day!

Unknown said...

Beautiful pics! I too have been caring for my elderly mother and understand the challenges and heart aches that come with it. One way that I deal with stress- during days like you are having, is to read. In fact I wanted to recommend to you a great book that has helped me understand the stage of life that I am in now and to better help my mother- "Rich in Years" by Johann Christoph Arnold http://www.richinyears.com. Good luck to you. I hope you have a better week next week and that you are able to move your mom is doing OK.

Joyful said...

Hello Ashley, thank you for your comments. I do like to read also :-) I don't usually permit links in the comments but have allowed yours because it helps me and any of my readers to find the book recommendation. It looks like a very good book and I hope to check it out soon. Have a wonderful week. Hugs. xx

Linnea said...

It sounds like your life is keeping you very busy! I'm glad you had the time to snap these beautiful skies though! Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a good week )and I hope your mother is okay).

Unknown said...

Thanks Joyful! I appreciate your letting me leave a link, and hope that your readers find it helpful. Hope your week is going well. Happy Thanksgiving :)

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