Monday, February 3, 2020

Welcome to February

Hi friends,

Time is flying by. I'm glad to see the backside of January and say 'welcome' February. January ushered in the New Year quite rudely in my life with sickness (a lingering cold and a weird skin infection for which I've gone to the doctor and a specialist), my nephew's near death accident, a compromised credit card (usual process of investigation is ongoing and I have received my new card), very stormy weather in Canada and in my province with road closures due to heavy snowstorms (highways were closed more than once), record rainfall with accompanying landslides and other destruction (one parking lot crumbled behind a restaurant not too far from me and now the powers that be have decided to shut the restaurant down due to the uncertainty of land stability), the onset of the worldwide global health crisis (my province has tested 114 people and confirmed one case of the coronavirus; Canada has 4 cases overall with 3 in Ontario).  I thank God that through it all he has preserved me and my family and I look forward with gratitude to what lies ahead.




I want to thank all of you who have prayed for my nephew's recovery. It is remarkable how God not only preserved him from death but is helping him recover. What was first thought to be a broken shoulder was found to be dislocated and reconnected. He has been released from hospital and is recovering at home.  I ask for continued prayers that he doesn't suffer any long standing damage to bones and tissue from the heavy blow his body and that God would provide for all the needs of his family.  I give thanks to God and those who prayed for him. I do not know how long it will be before he can return to work but he is well on his way to recovery and all of his family is grateful.

In late January my friend Eunice in Kenya also suffered a setback. I somehow feel this may have been deliberate negligence of the hospital which is responsible feeding her the special diet we provide and also giving her medication and water. She became severely dehydrated and we then had to provide several bags of  IV fluid. Private hospitals and hospital in general are notorious for bilking the patients and finding all kinds of reasons for charging more money for this and for that, much of it unnecessary. Now today I learned that over the weekend she has been suffering from cold and I'm not certain whether she has not had enough blankets or whether she has malaria. Jonah has had to camp at the hospital to ensure that she is getting proper care.

This poor woman has been through a lot but through it all God has preserved her. Her blood condition is in fact improving and it is unfortunate that this latest setback had to occur and cause fear and financial loss. Please continue to pray for her. At this point the hospital bill has grown enormously as we can only afford to pay for urgent interventions (IV, special diet, blood, hormone medication) and a privately hired nurse to ensure that we understand everything that we need to understand. Jonah is there to attend to much of Eunice's needs however as a man in his culture he is not permitted to do certain things and that is why we have hired a nurse who is also from Eunice's tribal group. (The Go Fund Me Campaign is still open if you can help with any of Eunice's costs. See side bar to the right of the blog).

I do not have a recent update on Ernest since his last surgery.  However he continues to be monitored at the hospital both for his leg and for the diabetes and to receive his medication each week at the hospital. Thank you to one of my blog readers for assisting us financially so that Ernest can get the food and other care he needs. It has been a huge blessing and a help.  Ernest has monthly food needs and medication which costs about $ 150 US funds monthly ($200 Canadian) at minimum. Once he is nutritionally stronger and he can stand on both legs, we hope he could work again as a barber.  If you feel you can help him on a regular basis, kindly let me know.

Jonah himself was sick and in hospital for about 5-6 days. He contracted some kind of bug from suspected contamination of water. He got very sick and tried OTC medicine before checking into hospital. Then he checked out of hospital to try and save funds. I insisted he return to hospital until the laboratory tests were available which he did and spent a further 2 days in hospital before feeling strong enough to discharge.

Finally, I have reported before about Alvin who is hoping to come to Canada to do a Master's program.  It has been a long and very involved and expensive process to assist Alvin, a young man in Kenya, to submit his applications to a university in BC. He has now submitted to 2 programs one located in Vancouver and another located in the Okanagan.  We are praying he will be accepted and one of the programs.  He is also looking for sources of funding both in Kenya and in Canada to help him pay for his studies and living costs. If anyone would like to help this international student kindly let me know.

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I didn't get a chance to review 2019 and post my reflections. Too much time has passed for that so I only wish to state I was looking forward to 2020 and an opportunity to work on new goals. I am making slow but steady progress on them.

I also wanted to share this little graphic about my reading goal for 2019. Some of you might remember my reading goals for 2019 was a modest 25 books. I deliberately set it low so that I could focus on real enjoyment of reading and if I read more that was a bonus.In 2020 amongst other goals I hope to read 45 books and am off to a good start.



I spent a lot of time in January cooking and trying new dishes. I also made a lot of bread as a way to reduce spending on groceries. I like to make yeast bread but as any of you who make bread knows, the process can take a long time out of one's day. I found this new to me recipe that allows you to make artisanal bread in just about one hour. I then experimented with it to make regular loaves of read for toast and sandwiches.  I'm quite pleased with how the bread has turned out in my experiments. These bread baking experiments are allowing me to use a large bag of flour, a lot of expired yeast (which is still proofing properly), save money on bread buying and enjoy some home baking.


These are the artisanal style loaves.

I shaped the dough into regular loaves but had to add more flour. I let it rise one extra time.


This recipe is No Knead, No Time Bread and only takes an hour or an hour and some minutes from start to finish. 
The bread turned out quite well after figuring out how to work with the sticky dough.
Here is the recipe if you would like to try it.

In closing I leave you with a view of the mountains today. The sky had a pretty pink glow.
Click photos to enlarge.

15 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I am glad you are feeling better and that your nephew is recovering well. Sending prayers for his complete recovery. Your bread looks delicious, I will try the recipe. Thanks for sharing the link. Pretty view of the sky and mountains. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy week ahead!

Red said...

You're starting 2020 out with a downer. I hope your situation turns around rapidly.

affectioknit said...

Hi Penny,
...I loved your recap of the month...and I'm definitely trying the bread...yours looks awesome!
~Have a lovely day!

Joanne Noragon said...

Thanks for the recipe. Recovery wishes to your nephew and all your dear friends.

stardust said...

I love the photo on the header; a spire of a church and mountain with skiing slopes, nice composition. You are so lucky to be able to see this wonderful scenery painted in different changing colors like the photo in the below. Your new year may have started with misfortunes, but life will go upward from now on, I hope and believe.

Yoko

Joyful said...

Thank you Yoko. I do believe the worst is behind me and so I look forward to February :-)

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

I finally fixed my comment issues. I am sorry life has be stressful at your end. I will send positive vibes. All the best to all. Your food photo made me hungry. Hugs

Rhodesia said...

I hope February brings health and joy for you in all directions, also for your nephew. So far we have not had the healthiest of years, but we are so much better than many others which I give thanks for.
That last photo is superb, well done. Take care and look after yourself, Diane

Lowcarb team member said...

The bread you made looks very nice indeed.

Sending my good wishes to you, and positive thoughts and prayers for your nephew and all your friends.

All the best Jan

Jeanie said...

I'm so sorry you have had friends who are ill and challenged but grateful to hear good news of your nephew. Your reading is impressive! And so, too, if your cooking. I've not had breakfast yet. Now I think I must!

Jo said...

Dearest Penny, your bread looks so yummy I had to check the recipe. Unfortunately I don't have a mixer machine and do all bread by hand. I will try to add balsamic vinegar to my next batch. I already add oil. Oh yours looks so yummy. I am also reading a lot of hard copy books since my Kindle gave up the ghost in mid-2019. Have a great weekend. Blessings Jo

shayndel said...

Dear Penny, February blessings to you!! Praise God for your nephew's recovery! Believing with you for his needs for his family to be met and his strength and full recovery!! The artisan bread looks delicious!! I hope to remember to bookmark the recipe to try it! I hope things will be bright for you in this month and for all the friends in Kenya. ♡

Pamela M. Steiner said...

I know I read this earlier and I guess I didn't comment, so just wanted to check in with you and let you know I am thinking of you and praying that you are feeling better by now. I love the smell of homemade bread, and I know your home must be warm and cozy with all that wonderful yeasty fragrance wafting through...and then to have that delicious bread to eat...Oh my! Now I want some!!! I haven't baked bread it quite a while, and I even have a bread machine so there is no excuse except that I just haven't thought about it and now I am...I have to check and see if I have any decent yeast. I know I have bread flour in the freezer that needs to get used up...hmmm. Maybe tomorrow. Today we have a lot of company coming and I don't have time to "play", although the smell of fresh bread would be wonderful when they arrive...oh well... I hope you have a wonderful day today. It is going to be chilly here again after a very warm week. But I'd prefer the chilly to too hot. It's too early for summer weather!! Have a blessed day and may the Lord be with you and give you strength and peace.

R's Rue said...

❤️

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

It's nice to catch up with you! Love seeing what books you've read and the bread looks amazing. I love making it....and eating it! It's my biggest splurge! I would rather eat homemade yeast bread than dessert! Hope this month has been a good one!

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