Rose & Janet Update

 Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Rose has now been discharged from hospital as of Tuesday morning, January 11, 2022 Kenyan time.  She has to return for wound care in 5 days then again in 2 weeks so she has not gone home yet. She is staying with a friend so she can be closer to the hospital. Hopefully it can work out for the doctor to make home visits in future for wound care and follow up.

 

New mothers and newborns need a lot of things. We've helped Rose to purchase the above items and other necessaries to help her get underway.

Kindly continue to keep her need in prayer.

We also continue to seek prayer for Janet. 

She is the lady who was chased away from her ancestral home when she had to move back there after her failed marriage. Her brother dismantled her roof, burned the house and threatened her life. Janet has 4 daughters and is trying hard to make a go of a shop selling hair products and related grooming items.

Her brother is in jail and charged with some criminal offenses for what he did to Janet. He is a poor villager so he has been unable to raise the bond until he awaits trial. The bond is extremely high for a Canadian let alone a poor villager. While her brother has been in jail, Janet and her daughters feel much safer.  However she needs continued prayer for several things 1) business success 2) emotional and spiritual strength 3) stability for her daughters and 4) funds to eat and send them to school.  

She is also being pressured by the village elders who are now realizing that Janet's brother could go to prison for a very long time. They want Janet to speak to the police on behalf of her brother. As you can imagine, this places her in a very difficult position. She needs prayer for wisdom and strength concerning this matter also. I have shared my views and thoughts with the Kenyans who have been my hands and legs to help Janet through this time. My assistance to Janet will end soon and it would be nice if I could find someone to help her with monthly needs. Would you pray about whether you could be her help? Thanks so much.

Friday Sky Just Before Friday Sunrise & A Missions Report

 
We are officially into the Fall season and the weather is much cooler than it was a few short weeks ago. We have been having a lot of rain and we expect more this weekend. However today is supposed to be a dry, sunny day.  I look forward to it and will run some errands later in the day.

I hope the weather is good for you wherever you are in the world.

I have some happy and some sad news to report from Kenya.

The young man named Livingstone has now had his cast removed. I think they botched the job when they plastered his leg more than once.  He is now taking a few sessions of physiotherapy to reduce swelling and other concerns. The good news is that Livingstone has stopped drinking and accepted Christ as his savior. We are overjoyed for him.  He has been getting visits from a local pastor in his village and getting counsel from others.  Through that and through the love and helps he has been getting during treatment for his leg and for Covid, he has decided on this faith step. He is now making plans as to what he would like to do to earn a living (raise chickens). It's an awesome change and the first time in years that he has a dream and a vision for his future.

Ernest, the other man who we have been helping in Kenya for the past few years, has also fully recovered from a few health issues though his diabetes is ongoing. His most recent health setback was a stint in the hospital with Covid and we're so thankful he has recovered fully. He's  been very anxious to try and get back to work. His doctor advised him to stay out of the larger town center during this pandemic.  For now it means he is only able to earn very small amount of money by cutting hair for the villagers, mostly children. The payment for services is not reliable since villagers have very little money but what he gets pays for his phone airtime. If he could purchase a good set of barbering shears he would be able to do better business. If you are reading this and want to contribute toward buying this item for him please let me know.

Now for the sad news. Pastor Jonah is in hospital after a very bad reaction to his second Covid vaccination (Moderna). His first jab was Astra Zeneca and his doctor recommended vaccine mixing for better effectiveness.  This view is based on studies showing that a vaccine mixture can have a more potent immune response and thus give more protection against the virus.  Though he expected he might have a reaction, especially since he experienced a bad reaction to Astra Zeneca, he certainly did not expect such a serious reaction. 

On Wednesday night my time, I asked him how the vaccination went.  He wasn't feeling well at all.  As he explained his symptoms and showed me photos of his swollen limbs and his swollen tongue, I  became very alarmed.  His tongue which was about 3 times larger than it should be. I immediately told him to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. He went in to inpatient services on Thursday afternoon Kenyan time. I insisted he remain overnight (or longer) in hospital to make sure he is safe.  He is now recovering and resting at the hospital under doctor supervision. 

We covet your prayers for Pastor Jonah's full recovery and for the material needs of Livingstone and Ernest to be met.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Beautiful Light This Week

 Hi friends,

Popping in to the blog after a time away because I captured a beautiful sky today and a yesterday.  Now that the heat is not quite as intense, I find the light very beautiful. I get out bit more now that Covid restrictions have largely lifted. I still take precautions as most people do and all places have protocols in place as a condition of re-opening.

The very intense weather we've had this summer has been very hard on the garden. I've also had a real problem with sow bugs this year and they have chewed up most plants with leaves and thus the plants haven't thrived at all. I'm grateful that some things survived despite the challenges.

Updates:

In other news, I've been off line a lot during the past few weeks.  I wanted a break to try and enjoy what's left of the summer and restore my equilibrium.  I've found it a pretty stressful time this summer. In addition to dealing with Covid like everywhere else, my province has also been dealing with intense heat for several weeks.  We are dealing with a large number of wildfires across the province and the destruction of several villages and towns and many people are now homeless.  I'm not directly impacted by the fires but I know people who are and of course, I just feel for the people who have lost everything since I don't think they are getting the help they need from our elected officials.

I wanted my niece to visit late summer but the wildfires mean that this has had to be put on hold indefinitely because of where she lives. We are just waiting to see what happens from day to day and maybe we will manage to get a visit in before the warm weather has come and gone. 

In the meantime I've been dealing with other things like small house projects and organization. I've been slow to get things done due to the heat. I'm still hoping to get a lot done before the cold weather sets in.

One of my favourite things to do is read and I have been doing a bit of that.  The books below have been completed recently and I would recommend all of them. The first two books are works of historical fiction based during the time of the Last Empress of China, Empress Dowager Cixi. These books have different perspectives on Empress Cixi but both are very interesting. The third book is a biography of American Bob Gersony, consultant to the US government, who lived a very interesting life working and reporting on the major conflicts of the world.

The next book is one I came across  when scouring the internet. I came across someone who had recently read the book and though she didn't say much about it she seemed to enjoy it. I'm always open to following up on books I hear about and it happened to be at my local library. I didn't much enjoy the opening chapters.  I became annoyed with the constant references to water and watery things  but it is a major theme of the story. I'm about a third of the way through the book now and I enjoy it much more.  If the title intrigues you, have a look at this review which is far better done than what I could say in a couple of words.  This book definitely has it's fans. As for me I'll reserve my final verdict until I'm finished reading the entire book.

Last but not least, I've been dealing with many needs in Kenya amongst the people that I  know or the people that they know.  I've been trying to deal with them without any outside help and I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed. When you are dealing with life and death situations and with people who are in desperate situations, it can be very, very difficult to turn away from them.  It is a lot for one person to deal with at any given time. I'm still praying for regular and consistent helpers but that is all in God's hands.  In the meantime, I continue doing what I can.  

Livingstone in Kenya is still in plaster and has returned to the doctor for another x-ray and follow up. I'm not quite sure how long he will remain in a cast but it generally takes 3 months minimum for healing and I'm guessing in his case it will take longer due to lack of nutrition and health as his starting point. I mentioned last time that the mature pregnant woman named Rose had to be rushed back to hospital after being released for Covid treatment. She was in great pain and bleeding. I'm happy to report that she stabilized and went home again. I'm praying she will be okay until she delivers her child. We purchased all the school books for 3 other of her children and they returned to school several weeks ago. It's very challenging for parents to ensure their children can go to school. Even though primary school was made free several years ago, there are a host of other costs involved. Most students are boarded out at school and so the parents must pay for everything involved in that and if students are in day school there are still costs involved like school books, uniforms and so on.  Thank you to those of you who prayed over these needs, especially for Rose and her unborn child. We give thanks that Rose has recovered from Covid. There have been other people who need help with food, air time and other essential needs. It always amazes me how some people are able to get by when really pushed to the wall. This is a huge reason why many of the people in the villages do not plan for tomorrow. One can only deal with each day as it comes when you don't know if you have the funds to deal with all the basic needs. Education is a constant concern for parents as they struggle to keep the children in school but medical needs are always overwhelming. The costs are simply too great.

I'm hoping in the next few weeks to make some progress on various small projects around the house.  The projects are small but they tend to take me a lot of time and there are a lot of projects. Whatever doesn't get done today will get done another day. Even so it would be good to get things done.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Short Update on Rose

 Hi friends,

I've been absent from this space for long. I've been quite busy doing big household chores and since that tires me out a lot, I am generally resting in between. This might be delayed spring cleaning because I am getting to seldom cleaned areas and things I often don't have time to do. I have a lot I want to accomplish before the weather gets cold. 

I was also waiting for an update on Rose in Kenya; the mature woman (52 years old) who is pregnant and was in hospital with Covid 19.

Rose was able to be discharged from hospital less than a week ago. Her discharge had been delayed due to not having a place to quarantine. In Kenya, villagers live in small quarters and some arrangements had to be made before she could get out of hospital.

Sadly last night Rose was rushed to hospital with severe stomach pains. Private transport had to be hired as she lives in a rural place.

Please keep Rose, her  unborn child and the rest of her family in prayer for all the many needs. Thanks so much.

Yah, it's Friday

 Happy Friday and happy weekend ahead.

It's been a busy week of errands and trying to find this and that for upcoming birthdays and projects so I'm a bit late with posting.

I captured these sky shots in early morning hours. I'm actually a night owl as that is when I seem to get more energy to do things but I do love to see the sky and feel the cool air in the very early morning hours before the city gets loud and busy.

 

 

 

 

My herb garden is overgrown. Too hot to cook. I guess I should freeze some.

I've slowed down reading but I have a number of books to keep me busy. I'm reading a little out of each one and hope I can finish them all before they are due at the library or unavailable for further renewals. I also picked up these magazines awhile ago. I seldom buy magazines any more but I'm sure I will enjoy them. I especially love looking at nicely decorated spaces and beautiful gardens. It relaxes me.

 

Last weekend I did a lot of meal preparation and batch cooking for the week. It was lovely since I've been feeling rather tired. It enabled me to focus on my errands and a few other things instead of cooking every day.

In the Kenyan mission field, Pastor Jonah has been kept busy with Livingstone's leg issues. Livingstone has been back to the doctor several times for follow up, had his cast redone numerous times and had multiple x-rays done. His leg is not healing very well but then again it's only been just over a month.  I have tried to insist that they stop redoing the cast and expecting Livingstone for such frequent follow-ups but that is how they do business at Kenyan hospitals. In the west that doesn't typically happen since it takes months for leg fractures to heal properly. We'll see how it goes moving forward.

There has been an outbreak of Covid 19 in various parts of Kenya due to mass political gatherings that were held weeks ago.  Certain communities have been hit hard including the one where we focus the missions work, the town of Kericho and surrounding villages.  It means curfews and restricted travel are again in place in much of the country.

Regular readers of this blog will already know that Livingstone has had Covid but was able to recuperate at home with prescribed medicines. Ernest, the other man that had a broken leg, had been hospitalized for weeks but is now okay. 

There is a woman I am concerned about. Her name is Rose. She is 52 years old and several months pregnant. She landed in hospital with Covid like symptoms and ultimately tested positive for Covid. She has been in a small hospital for almost 2 weeks and in need of a great many medicines (I have no information on how these might affect the unborn child).

Another younger woman named Joyce was admitted to hospital with pneumonia like symptoms and later tested positive for Covid.

All these needs at once are stretching my resources since I also try to help certain households with regular food and  helps, 

If any of you are so inclined to help out please feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached at kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com. Pay Pal donations can also be sent there. If you experience any problems kindly let me know. I've heard of two people now over several months who have had problems sending donations. They were ultimately successful after trying several times. I could also send you a payment request through Pay Pal if you send your email and how much you would like to donate. I thank you in advance for considering the needs.

~~~

I tired myself out this past week by going out almost every day for hours at a stretch. I'm not used to that at the best of times.  So this weekend I hope to catch up to some chores, some reading and some rest.

~~~

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week ahead. 

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday.

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.

~~~~

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.

Eunice Needs Medical Help

*Awaiting Access to Go Fund Me page to update. 

Thank you.*

Please share widely

One of my faithful readers asked me privately about a month ago if I have considered a Go Fund Me Campaign for Eunice.  I had not due to being so busy with other things but now I've had a moment to do so.

Eunice is the women in the center of the photo and she has been in hospital for months because she cannot afford the proper treatment for her medical issues. 

I need everyone's help in sharing and spreading this campaign page.  I'm not sure if this is the right fundraising platform to start a campaign but with your help in sharing we can do something to help Eunice.
Here is the link for copying and pasting

 https://www.gofundme.com/f/eunice-needs-our-help-with-medical-issues?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

You can also get to the campaign page to copy and page by clicking on the photo caption.

I will update the page as I get more information.

Thank you for your help.

Note:  Since I posted this item it's come to my attention that blogger is preventing some people from leaving a comment. I know that happens from time to time as it has happened to me on other blogs too. I hope it won't deter you from sharing or from donating as you are able. Thank you on behalf of Eunice and her family.
In retrospect it probably doesn't make sense to keep comments open. I will try to figure out how to disable ethe comment feature. It doesn't seem so straightforward as before.  I would rather people took a few moments to share this need within their social networks rather than leave a comment here.

Status Update

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of June so far.

I have been kept busy with the usual: gardening, doctor appointments, family, changing financial advisors, dealing with estate matters and other legal issues, catching up with friends and reading.

It has been a bit hot this week but not for overly long.  Thank goodness. Tomorrow we are supposed to have a bit of rain. I hope we get a good amount to help the gardens along.

Right now I'm suffering from a lot of inflammation. I have both a tooth infection, resulting in headaches and knee pain. The pain is almost constant and for the first time ever I've had to take Tylenol for pain. I've also started to seriously contemplate knee surgery or least speaking to the doctor about it.  To try and help myself  I've been back on the whole body vibration machine,  taking daily walks and various supplements.  In the last 2 days the knee pain has eased a lot.

I scheduled a dental appointment but due to some issues with the front desk staff at the office there have been delays in getting insurance approvals for the dental work.  My appointment is almost 2 weeks away and I've asked to be on the wait list. In the meantime I'm trying to do pain management. I don't expect to be on line much due to it being hard to concentrate with toothaches and headaches.

On a brighter note, I was able to volunteer to raise awareness of Compassion Canada. There were about 140 of us who went to the Pacific Coliseum where Hillsong United of Australia was playing to a sold out crowd. Our volunteer efforts consisted of handing out child information package and collecting completed applications.  Afterwards many of us stayed to listen to the concert.  Of course we were not allowed into the areas where people paid for their tickets and we had to be respectful of security staff who were very sensitive about it all. Each volunteer received a free Hillsong CD and a Compassion T-shirt which was nice. Many of the songs sung in the concert are from the new CD.  I really enjoyed the worship experience and many of those in attendance said the sinner's prayer at the invitation by the band leader.  I pray that these dear ones would be able to grow in their faith as the days and weeks go on.

Update: I received an update from Compassion staff on June 5th. The total volunteer count was 187 people. Two hundred ninety three children received new sponsors.  There is potential for an additional 93 sponsors because that is how many child information packages were handed out but have yet to be turned in.  That's so awesome.

Orientation Leader

Band Rehearsal

Volunteers enjoying the Orientation Leader's sense of humour.

Hillsong United concert underway.

~~~~~~

In Other News

Ernest in Kenya has gone home to recover from recent leg surgery however he will have a long recovery ahead.

So far we still need $180 Canadian to clear the hospital bill and a bit more to cover transport back and forth (a vehicle needs to be hired) medicines and doctor follow up care and possibly some medical supplies.
For further information kindly click on the top left of this blog.

If you are able to help with a donation  you can make it

via 

Pay Pal

To send money you need an email address.

You can click here for it.

Otherwise, please consider sharing this fundraiser within your circles.

Thank you and have a wonderful week or two while I'm off recovering.
I will try to visit your blogs here and there.
~~~~~~~

Sally's Miracles - Part 2

This is Part 2 of the story of the elderly lady named Sally that I introduced you to about a week ago. If you missed Part 1 and are interested you can pick up the beginning of story here.

I left off in Part 1 by saying how Sally began having health issues and had to be admitted to hospital more than once.  I guess that can hardly be surprising at the ripe old age of  103 years but she had been a vibrant, energetic woman throughout her life so this was a new thing.  Sally began having unexplainable fainting spells and weakness.  Once admitted to hospital she was alternatively placed in a private ward or an in Intensive Care Unit depending on her particular condition which would change if she was in the hospital for any length of time.

A week and a half or so before Christmas 2017 she was discharged to go home from one of her hospital stays.  She was extremely happy because she wanted to spend Christmas in her own home. Of course anyone can understand that. But it wasn't meant to be. Within just a  few short days she returned to the hospital and has been there ever since.

Skies above Utali College, Nairobi, Kenya, January 18, 2018.

  Now comes what I feel is a very miraculous aspect to this story.

These Kenyan skies give a feeling of peace. Taken January 18, 2018.

I  had gone to sleep rather late on Christmas Eve and was awakened at approximately 5:50 Christmas morning. In Kenya the time would have been approximately 4:50 p.m. Christmas Day.  I awoke with a song playing through my head (Song: This is Just What Heaven Means to Me).  I felt led to pray for Miss Sally.  I knew from previous experience that this meant that Sally was struggling with life and likely on her way home to Heaven.  Yet I had been roused from sleep and felt the need to pray for Sally so I did. Shortly after prayer I went back to sleep. 

Another Nairobi sky, January 18, 2018.

Later that same day, I chatted with my Kenyan friend and asked some questions. Through the process I learned that Sally almost went home to be with her maker at precisely the same time I had been roused to pray for her.  But she rallied and ultimately lived through the day and was at that moment stablilized

I was very grateful. Grateful to hear Miss Sally was still amongst the living and grateful that I did pray for her too

I remember saying to my friend that I was glad that the family did not have to lose their loved one on Christmas Day. If that had happened they would always remember Christmas Day as the day that they lost their mother or grandmother.  I also said at the time that we do not know how long Miss Sally would live and remain on earth but we knew that God had answered prayer and he would determine how many days she would have left.

Since that time Miss Sally has had a few medical ups and downs. We thought she might be discharged at one point but later she lost strength and was ultimately sent to another city, as if often the case in Kenya, for MRI and other tests. They found that she has a very low red blood cell count and have been administering appropriate treatments.  But they also think there might be some kind of a spinal issue.  The doctors are thinking Sally may be released if her blood pressure stabilizes but she will need to return frequently as an outpatient for check up and  treatment.

We continue to pray for her and she seems to be improving daily.

I conclude this story by stating how strong Miss Sally's faith has been throughout this time. On the days when she has been able to talk and is aware of everything, she prays for the needs of others, sings songs of praise and encourages her family members to walk uprightly and in a Christian manner.  Her approach to life and her approach to dealing with these difficult days has been very inspiring. In fact, her ability to bounce back has been very surprising too to everyone, including the doctors.

I do not know how many days Miss Sally will be given but I thank God that I have been able to help her and that her faith has remained strong throughout.  It is very inspiring to walk with Sally through these latter days of her life

Now since it is Skywatch Friday I want to leave you with some a few more sky photos from Vancouver, British Columbia where I live.

This is the sky on Thursday afternoon So dark and foreboding.

If I look further up, I see there actually is some blue sky above.

I was lucky enough to capture a seagull in flight.

It has been raining heavily on and off over the last few days but the temperatures are about 5 degrees warmer than the usual temperatures at this time. That's what I learned on the late night weather report recently.  Thank you for dropping by. I do appreciate each and every one of you who visit and leave a comment.

Joining  in with

Skywatch Friday 

Friday Foto Friends

and

Saturday's Critters.

Update: Friday January 19/17 - I've received word that Sally is to be discharged this weekend. The hospital is waiting for medications sent from Nairobi. The medications are expensive.  I am helping with the full hospital bill and required medications but I need help for future medication needs. If there is anyone that feels led to help Sally into the future please do get in touch with me.
Otherwise, I understand.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Good News & The Bad News

Hello friends,

It's my first post in the month of May. Things have been very busy of late and they continue to be so.

I started but didn't finish planting the garden. I should finish the planting soon but had to take a break due to workmen trampling through my garden to clean windows. That is now done for another year as is the annual fire inspection. Next will come the annual carpet cleaning. This year it seems like they are doing everything all at one time.  It's all okay because it is better to get it out of the way IMHO.

The weather here has been fantastic. Perfect blues skies today. I had a wonderfully long walk. Something I haven't done in absolutely ages for many reasons. But today was a beautiful, quiet, peaceful kind of day. Not too hot and not too cold and was just right for strolling.

It allowed me to take a few photos to share for Skywatch Friday. However the sun was very bright so the photos have been touched up a bit. Nothing too fancy though as I don't have Photoshop or such like program.

The sky was a gorgeous blue and not a cloud in sight.

I took an extra long walk today and saw places I haven't seen a long time.

I thought these two old houses were a nice subject.

 

I said I had good news and bad news.

The good news is that the weather has been very lovely.  We've had a few cloudy days but we've also had a few very warm  and sometimes hot days.

I love these two old buildings. The top one with it's bay windows is nice.

The bottom one reminds me of buildings in New York City with the lovely red brick.

 I found this beautiful salmon coloured poppy nearby.

The bad news is the weather has been far too hot for this time of year and we've been shattering temperature records, left right and center all across the land.  It has contributed to raging fires in the far north of my province and in the province next door. There are devastating aftermaths and thousands and thousands of people have had to be evacuated.  I heard on the news today that the only way the fire will be extinguished now is if the rain comes. They will need a lot of it.

In my last post I provided some very brief updates  about the young man that many of you are praying for.  If you missed the post you can read it here.

 I learned that the open wound on the boy's face is caused by the tumour. It was the central point from which the tumour grew out of the boy's face and spread.  It was the "stem" so to speak.

The boys release has been delayed because the doctors are trying to ensure the wound heals first and it isn't healing that quickly so they've been trying to help dry it out.  They have also been watching his blood and giving him medicine or supplements (not quite sure which) to boost his white blood cell count. Some of you will know that white blood cells are important in protecting the body against foreign invaders that would cause illness or infections and are needed for recovery. The doctors have also been administering blood to counter the young man's anemia.

The open wound and scarring have made it difficult for the young man to chew and eat but today I heard he has graduated from runny porridge to mashed potatoes.  A friend in Kenya has also been trying to get the boy's chemotherapy administered in his hometown due to the expense of being in Nairobi for long and the expense of travelling back and forth from his home to the big city with escort.

At last today the hospital has said they would release the boy for treatment in his home community as they are satisfied the public hospital is properly equipped. That means he should be released soon pending health clearance and clearance of the hospital bill (a significant challenge).  This is good news and in the "nick of time" because his escort no longer has a place to stay in the city. He was staying with a helpful student but there have been problems with student unrest and new rules from the university administration strictly prohibits guests.

Please continue to pay for this situation if you feel led to do so.

Thank you for coming along on my walk today.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time, enjoy your weekend.

As for me, I am going to try and work on the garden and join friends for a barbeque.

Joining in with

Skywatch Friday

 Floral Friday Fotos