Gratitude December - Day 10

Many of you know that I was involved in a bus accident at the end of September. The CT scan indicated a potential issue in my right ear. I've been visiting the ENT department at one of the local hospitals since then. 

I've been to the ENT unit 4 times so far and on Thursday I met the surgeon for the first time. My next appointment with her is early in the New Year 2022.

 

I'm grateful that I've had such good,  experienced and comprehensive care by all the staff and doctors. Already they have helped my ear in so many ways. I've learned a lot including the fact that surgery may not be a foregone conclusion. Even if I ultimately get surgery, I feel I'm in very capable hands and that is very reassuring.

Kenya 

I'm also grateful to have a little something to send to people in Kenya this Christmas. I am hoping to make the transfer in the next few days and if you would like to help give a Christmas meal to village Kenyans, kindly hit the Pay Pal button to the right of the screen. You can reach the direct link by hitting the red flower. Thanks so much.

I hope to send to the following people:

Rose is the mature, pregnant woman.  She is married and has several school age children.  She has had numerous challenges during this pregnancy which has required her to be hospitalized on several occasions.  She's getting close to delivery and is currently at home until labour begins.  Rose will get vaccinated after delivering her child.

Charles - He is married and has several  children. I don't assist him much except at Christmas though I'd like to do more for his family. Charles has had his vaccinations.

Ernest - He has no children.  He has diabetes and suffered several health challenges namely breaking the same leg twice and having been hospitalized due to Covid 19.  Kenya has been slow to roll out vaccinations but he has now had two vaccinations.

Livingstone - He has no children. Recently he too recovered from a broken leg and Covid 19. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation of his leg through physiotherapy and has had two vaccinations.

Elijah - He is married with 5 children and a dependent MIL.  He is the man whose coffee plantation was flooded out a few months ago when major floods forced many Kenyans from their homes.

Janet - She is married but separated and has four daughters. Her brother chased her away from her ancestral home and we've set her up in a humble store with attached living quarters. 

Pastor Jonah - He has no children. Jonah is primarily the one I work with to undertake all the responsibilities of the grassroots missions. We often work with other leaders in his church including the Lead Pastor, especially when I am in Kenya. He has had his vaccinations.

If I am able I would also like to send to the following people:

David - He is married with 2 children. I've known David for long and usually send him something at Christmas. This year I've tried to send him something as often as I can because his small tourist business was badly affected due to Covid.

Pastor Parteleu - He pastors a remote, rural village church and has had recent health challenges including undiagnosed stomach issues. He has very little financial support and has a wife and 2 children.

Sarah - She is single with 2 children. Sarah lives in Kibera slums and lost her catering job prior to Covid when her boss/employer was defrauded out of his valuable property and restaurant by high powered people.  Sara is a talented cook and caterer and has been looking for a job in that field for long. In the past I've provided her with blankets for the chilly Kenyan nights.

Amy - She is a single mom with a 2 year old toddler.  I send something for her child as often as I can. Amy has tried her hand at many different casual jobs but it has been difficult having a baby with her at all times.

This is my small list of people to help in December 2021. There are always many others who could use help who are not on this list. In addition to monetary helps all of these people could really use the prayers of the saints.  Thanks for reading and considering.

 

 

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.

October Wrap Up

Hello everyone, 

I trust you all had a good week. I've had a very busy and productive week. Much of it has been spent catching up on a lot of little things that needed to be done and it feels good to get some of it out of the way.

I also was able to get a flu shot out of the way. It's a good thing too because most of the pharmacies here seem to have run out of the vaccine and they don't know when they will get more.

I went out on Hallowe'en evening to get my flu shot at one pharmacy. When I got there I learned they were all out. I took these night photos of the autumn leaves as I made my way to the pharmacy. I thought the autumn leaves looked so pretty with the night lights shining on them.

The big structure you see in the distance is a heritage building that is undergoing repair. The workers fully enclosed the building and are now wrapping it in plastic so that the work will be protected from the wet and rain over the winter months.

I took a photo of the moon but it is only a speck in my phone camera.

Since it was Hallowe'en a number of people on the streets were in costume.While I was in the pharmacy there was a man wearing a Little Red Riding Hood cape. Can you see him at the end of the aisle in the photo below? I'm sorry I wasn't able to get a full view of him for you.

 

Thankfully the night in my neighbourhood was very quiet other than the fireworks that went on until the wee hours of the morning, I heard that wasn't the case in the downtown area where the number of people gathered to drink and party; all while standing too closely together and not wearing face masks.

On Tuesday,  I took a trip to the library to return several books and pick up one more.  Since Covid I've been reading mostly digital books.  But not every book is available as an ebook.

The most recent book I read, A Recipe for a  Perfect Wife, was a very satisfying read though I found the ending unexpected and a little bit unfinished. It did not take away from my enjoyment. Basically this book is a dual story: one of the homemaker/would be writer who purchased a home in rural New York along with her husband.  The other story is about the previous home maker who lived in the house during the 50s. Basically the new home maker finds the old letters and recipes of the former occupant and begins cooking and dressing like a housewife of the 50s. The basic premise is that the life you see a person living, is not necessarily the life you think it is. In both stories, the women are trying to find a balance and an independence in their lives that neither of them actually have.

The next book I hope to read is called Elizabeth and Her German Garden written by Australian-born writer Elizabeth von Arnim.  It was first published in 1898.  It's a year long dairy of the author's experiences in learning to garden and about her social life. The book is very popular and has gone through numerous reprints over the many years since it was first published.

I'm also reading The Little Common Sense Book of Investing. In this book the author, John C. Bogle is basically trying to teach the reader to invest in index funds rather than waste time and money on investment managers and timing the markets.

Besides reading, I continued with deep cleaning and a little decluttering here and there.  Recently I ordered a few items on line which didn't fit (rain shoes and a long sleeved top) and so along with the time spent to look for just the right thing to order, I've had to spend time preparing the returns by mail.  In addition to on line shopping I made a trip to a brick and mortar store where I purchased a carpet cleaner. I haven't owned a good carpet cleaner for many, many years and have only been using a lightweight steam carpet cleaner.  It does keep things looking better but really doesn't give a good cleaning.

Lately, the carpets have been bothering me a lot. I thought maybe it is time to replace them but I do not have the funds for that, nor do I want the upheaval that would bring right now.  After reading the reviews on the carpet cleaner I took a chance and purchased the one in the photo below.  I was so eager to find out if it worked well and I didn't even take the time to pre-treat stains.  I have to say I am very pleased with the results.  In the photo you can see the reservoir of dirty water after cleaning the high traffic areas in the front room.  I intend to do another more thorough cleaning before I decorate for Christmas.

Update on Kenyan Missions

Eunice continues to be in private hospital in Nakuru.  She hasn't improved much in the almost two years she has been there though we continue to hope and pray for more improvement.  I guess one would say she is more or less stable though from time to time she has a downturn and needs blood and other medical interventions and medicines.  We still hope to move her to her hometown.  However it is yet to be determined when and how, or even if, it will be  physically possible once we find a spot for her in Kericho town.

Some of you might remember Ernest who got run down by a motor vehicle last Spring. He recovered with the help of a donor who reads this blog though his recovery was very slow.  A few short months after his full recovery he suffered a bad slip in the mud.  He fell and fractured his leg. Due to him trying to break his fall, he also suffered a dislocated joint. He was attended to at the local hospital and was recovering at home. On the day he was to have his plaster removed it was discovered that his leg was very inflamed and that he had a blood clot. They tried to help him at the local hospital but in the end transported him to the missions hospital near Bomet. The doctors there were able to help him though it was touch and go for awhile. He is now back and home and will be getting daily physiotherapy with the help of his brother.

Pastor Jonah also did not go unscathed. He had a terrible cold and some kind of infection. At first we were afraid it might be Covid,but thankfully the tests were returned negative. Instead he had some kind of bacterial infection which cleared up after a week of medicines.  I think this is the same bug I had when I last travelled to Kenya though Jonah also had a very bad cough.  Sadly, a cousin to Jonah also lost her husband to cancer this past week so it has been a very sad week for the family.

I've heard from my sponsored boys in Kenya and Ethiopia. Sadly, John who is the eldest, lost his mother to a brain tumour. She had been sick for a few years but I didn't know that she had a brain tumour. The boy's family is now preparing to lay the mom to rest. Thankfully the children and their father are not sick.  

Ian, the other boy I sponsor lives in Solai near Nakuru.  He too is doing okay. 

Wondimu, the third boy is from Ethiopia and he and his family are also fine. 

I give thanks that all the boys hey are safe during these challenging times. My heart aches for John and his little brother. They are so young and now have to go without the love of their mother. At least they have a father who seems active in their care. I think the father has had to take a bigger role than usual in the care of the children due to the mother's long term illness.  I know the father himself has been going through a tough time emotionally. No doubt the stresses and concerns of his late wife's illness over many years has caused him both emotional and financial stress.

Last but not least, the young Engineering graduate I was hoping would come to Canada to study was accepted for admittance into the Engineering Board of Kenya. He had to pay an application fee and wait for 4-6 weeks after submitting documentation. Then the Board wrote to him to let him know he was accepted and to provide registration instructions.  In a few weeks he should be fully recognized as an engineer in Kenya.

With this post and updates, I say a final goodbye to October.  It's been a good month for me despite the challenges we all face, the delays involved in dealing with my personal business and the issues faced by those I care about. I pray that November will be an even better month, not just for me but for those in Kenya, my family members and loved ones near and far and all of you dear readers. Stay safe.

 Thank you to those of you who pray for and support the missions in Kenya. May God richly bless you and enlarge your territories.

What Have I Been Doing?

Hello friends,

I pray you are all safe and well during these tumultuous times.

In my little corner of the world I am super busy. I am catching up with many jobs and tasks that should have been done earlier but I lacked motivation and energy so other more immediate priorities took precedence. Like the seagull in the photo above, I would rather soar high away from the mundane things in life, ha ha. Now I have to roost for a bit and get caught up.
 

I can tell you I am so glad to be moving forward and getting things organized once again. In my former life I was a super organized person.  Over the past many years though I have done a lot of travelling.  Mostly to look after my dear late mom and also to undertake the missions in Kenya so it gave me less time to keep things well organized.

I hadn't really realized just how behind I was because I managed to keep everything moving along fairly well.  But now that I no longer spend so much time in care giving and I've been travelling less, it hit me that I have too much stuff and not enough space for it all. I don't want to simply organize it anymore. I want to get rid of of a lot of it.  Those of you who declutter on a regular basis would take the view that it is a never ending process to be clutter free. I still have some work to do before I get into the maintenance mode. I will be very satisfied when that time comes.

I've been doing this decluttering project for some time now and I've reached the stage of dealing with paperwork and files.  I've made a lot of progress over the past few days.  I'm excited that this task is well in hand especially since it is one of my least favourite things to do.

Some of you may be at the point in your own life where you need to get rid of things. Others of you still like your collections and sentimental items and you don't mind the extra time it takes to maintain  them.  Some people I know have far more paper than I do and others have virtually none.  We are all different.  I  just want to pare everything right down to the essence so that there is little left for someone else to have to deal with when I am no longer here. While I'm still here, I want to be able to easily access information and not have to dig here and there.

Anyway as you can imagine the week went by rather quickly with all this work.

Kenyan Missions of Hope Update:

The Kenyan Missions of Hope also occupies a good portion of my time.  On a regular basis I communicate with various Kenyans, do a lot of financial number crunching to figure out how to meet the needs and try to keep abreast of the many changes that regularly occur in Kenya in the political, economic and health areas.

The specific mission activities included:

• follow up on the application for Eunice's pension and hire someone to do the leg work (the elderly widow who has been in hospital all year).
• preliminary investigation as to whether Eunice can be moved to her home town and what will be required.  This initiative will take considerable communications with multiple levels of medical personnel and government politicos.  It will also take a lot of prayer and wisdom.
• sourcing and buying food, medicine, vitamins for Ernest (the diabetic man who broke his leg last year)
• assisting Alvin (the young university graduate who is looking for work in Kenya).
• researching work ideas to assist Alvin and others in Kenya where the unemployment rate is staggering
• preliminary investigation on land transfer issues relating to gifted property in Kenya.
• communicating with a Kenyan doctor friend about his plans to seek employment in the UK or Canada and helping him identify the English requirement examination (process and costs available in Kenya).
• considerable research and review about Kenyan political and economic developments.
• assisting with burial costs for the widow Esther who was laid to rest a week ago Saturday. You can read more about that here. Though no one from Esther's home area would step forward to help with burial plans and costs, many of them did arrive to pay their last respects when she was laid to rest. We thank God for that. I did what I could to ensure Pastor Jonah stays safe with social distancing and face masks while he undertook the organization of the funeral arrangements.

Of concern is that people in the villages do not tend to wear masks.  I see that some at least tried to keep social distance.

On Monday July 6, 2020, the President of Kenya lifted movement restrictions (effective Tuesday, July 7th) that have been in place in Nairobi, Mombasa and and Mandera.  These restrictions were put in place to try and contain the spread of the Coronavirus. However curfew restrictions are extended for another 30 days as are public gatherings.  Masks must be worn in public and social distancing maintained.  Schools will gradually be opened as of September, bars remain closed and churches can meet for no more than one hour with a maximum of 100 people in attendance with appropriate social distancing measures.  Domestic flights will resume July 15th and international flights as of August 1st.  As of Monday, July 6, Kenya has recorded 8,067 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 164 associated deaths.

Covid 19 Update in Canada
 
Most provinces and territories in Canada are returning to business since the Covid 19 pandemic was announced.  Today. July 6, 2020, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Medical Officer issued the following statement 

There have been 105,536 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,684 deaths. 66% of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada have tested over 2,940,000 people for COVID-19 to date. Over the past week, an average of 39,000 people were tested daily, with 1% testing positive.

I live in the province of British Columbia (BC) on Canada's west coast.

• There have been 31 new cases across B.C. since Friday.
• 6 people died from COVID-19 between Friday and Monday (all at long-term care homes).
• There have been 2,978 positive cases in B.C. since the pandemic started.
• There are 166 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
• 16 people are being treated in hospitals, including 4 in ICU.
• 183 British Columbians have died because of COVID-19 as of July 6.
• Benefits have been extended for low-income seniors and those on disability and income assistance.
• Over the weekend, Providence Health Care announced three new deaths at one of the hospitals.

One emerging issue is that there are American tourists who have been founding touring in Canada despite being told that the country and the province of BC is not open for tourists. In BC, Americans have been given the courtesy of travelling home through the province up to Alaska. However some of them have been found off the beaten paths in areas that are clearly not on the way to Alaska. This has been going on in several Canadian provinces and sadly due to lack of compliance some Americans have now been fined.  If you have any American friends who want to travel to Canada please let them know that it is not advisable at this time.

In reading goals I finished reading  The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. It was quite enjoyable and I learned something I did not know before about the Korean Island of Jeju where women were fishers and divers and the men stayed at home.  The novel is based on actual events and was very interesting as it is set in wartime when the Koreans had to contend first with the Japanese then with the American soldiers.  I am still reading The Power of Praise and Worship by Terry Law, Book of Signs by Dr. David Jeremiah and have started a new book called The Miracle of the Scarlett Thread by Dr. Richard Booker.  


I started watching a Netflix series called "Dead to Me" which is rather quirky kind of story about a woman named Jen whose husband dies in a hit and run and she wants to solve the crime.  I also picked up where I left off in watching Season 3 of "The Crown", a series about the British Royal Family through the decades.  Soon I hope to  begin watching Season 2 of a series called "Hanna";part thriller and coming of age drama about a young girl raised in the deep forest by her father who trained her to be a perfect assasin.  She is dispatched to Europe and pursued by an intelligence operative.

 

 I've been longing for a cat companion. I told one of my blogging friends that it has been difficult to find a cat to adopt. I just read in the news today that shelters are struggling to keep up with adoption requests and a single puppy can get up to 200 requests to adopt, similarily with other pet friends.  I submitted two adoption applications last week. I was told by one agency that I am on a back up list (they don't give you any idea who is ahead of you on the list.  I think most adoptions go through so that one probably isn't going to work out). I had another agency call and want to schedule an interview.  I've responded and am now waiting to hear back. Apparently this province often gets adoptable pets from USA and Mexico but with the borders restricted this has created a lack of adoptable pets. More news on this front as time goes by.

Last but not least, I am still taking early morning photos off the balcony. I cannot believe that it starts getting bright (like the light you get at twilight) anywhere from 4:45 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. I'm not sure how long this will last as summer solstice usually means the days get shorter by a few minutes each day.

That concludes another post for now. It is quite long as I am not posting very frequently these days. That might change in future but for now I want to focus on getting things organized however long it may take. Once the weather turns hot, if it ever does, I will not want to be dealing with decluttering.

Take care until I see you again. 

Joining in with Our World Tuesday

 

Early Morning on the Patio

Hi blogging friends,

I  hope you are all doing well and keeping happy and busy.

We are still getting quite a lot of rain where I live and I haven't been out in the gardens much.  The long term weather forecast is for more rain over the next 2 weeks. It has also been cooler than usual. At the end of this new week we will crack the 20 Celsius mark for only the 2nd or 3rd time since the beginning of Spring.

I'm not complaining as I'm still self isolating despite restrictions being lifted. I will continue to self isolate and keep my eye on the community transmission developments over the next few months. Being indoors means I am slowly getting some old business done though truthfully it is taking me a lot more time than I thought it would. I guess the good news is I always have something constructive to do.

I was out in the patio garden very early one morning and captured these photos. Most of them are of a bush that I don't know the name of but which goes through a multitude of looks over the course of the year. Sometimes there are berries.

The photo below is the only one that is not of my flowering bush. I think it's a Salvia plant but I am not 100% sure as I planted it a few years ago and it never did very well.  This year it seems to be doing better.

My reading list includes this raw and powerfully written memoir of an up and coming Indigenous writer and activist, Helen Knott. Unfortunately her story of gender violence is not that pretty but the good news is she managed to overcome her addictions to drugs and alcohol and begin a new, cleaner life with hope and promise.  The gender violence the author had to endure throughout her lifetime fed into her addictions and the memories kept her addicted.

I'm currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Several years ago I saw a movie based on the book and I enjoyed it. I'm about half way through the book and I don't remember much about whether the movie is true to the book. In any case, I always like to try and read books on which movies are based and the writing is quite enjoyable.

Last, but not least,  I'm reading Shadows Along the Zambezi. It's as masterfully written as Shadows Over an African Heart by Diana M. Hawkins.  Both books bring focussed attention to the issue of elephant poaching in Zimbabwe and all the violence and corruption that goes along with it.

Young elephants having a mud bath at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage, Nairobi, Kenya

All but one of the books are digital loans from the library which for some reason is still closed to the public.  They don't even do curbside pickups. I'm not sure why they are still closed while most places are now open with new policies in place to stem the transmission of Covid 19.  Some time back I purchased a digital copy of the book on elephant poaching and am reading it on my Kobo device, Canada's version of  Kindle).  I'll be so glad once the library is open again so I can borrow paper books. In the meantime, I'm grateful for the digital option.

A short update on the Kenyan missions.

• A variety of crops were planted for one large, extended family.  Once the harvest is ready there will be corn, cabbage, carrots and a variety of vegetables for 3 or 4 households to eat.
• Elder Eunice is still in hospital. Though it was about 8 months ago that doctors said she would be ready to go home in a month or two that never happened. She is still in hospital and is more or less stable. We have no information as to the prognosis. 
• Alvin, the young engineer graduate was hoping to come to Canada and continue his studies.  Sadly he was not accepted and we have given up on the idea.  It is very expensive process to prepare the application packages and has lead to a "no" decision two years in a row. It is very disappointing.  Alvin is a very intelligent and studious person and he would have done well here but getting accepted to a Canadian university (easier to get acceptance and scholarship if one is freshly out of high school)is difficult for people from poor countries and is more so the case when money is not part of the family assets.
• Pastor Jonah has had a very difficult experience of late with one of his molars. He needed a root canal and the hospital where they did it did not do a good job at all. It was becoming septic. Fortunately he managed to get the tooth redone at a private dentist office and after a week is now very much on the mend. 
• Others continue to receive food and medical helps when we have funds to assist them.
• I thank those of you who continue to pray for the missions and/or lend financial support. May God richly bless each and every one of you.

That's all for now friends. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Please continue to stay safe. xx

Life and Sky Updates & Thoughts on Happiness

Hi friends,

The rain, gray skies and coldish weather has continued all week so far. It means I didn't get out for new photos.
I'm sharing some from a few weeks ago when I baked some bread and took some photos of the sunrise.

I'm kept fairly busy with trying to ration the food stuff in the home so we don't need to go out to shop that often. I  also kept busy trying to find something to plant in the garden. This wasn't as easy as in years past due to the line ups to get into stores and also just the fact that there seems to be less on offer or things are sold out.  At least the things I want. I spent an hour in line on Friday to get what I hoped was the last of the things to put together a semblance of a garden. I may need to go once more to find the rest of what I'd like but I'll try to make do.  Here at home it looks like some restrictions will ease soon.  Personally I will continue to take great care until we are more assured of the future outlook. In the meantime I've got plenty to keep me busy.

In addition to being busy baking, cooking and tending the garden  I'm also spending a lot of time in contact with people in Kenya that I try to help.  The end of the month keeps me very busy in that regard. Many had difficult lives before Covid - 19 but the restrictions and curfews make finding daily bread even more difficult, very difficult. If any of you would like to help with a donation toward the Kenyan needs kindly be in touch at the email on the right side bar. I know not everyone can help or even wants to help. But if you do then the option and opportunity is available.

 I am often awake at sunrise.  This is usually the best time to get my sky shots.  

I love it when the gulls are flying around in the morning before the day gets busy. 

I always wonder what they are doing, seeing and even whether they think about what they are seeing. 

They seem to enjoy circling around in the air before everyone else comes out to make 'noise'.

I get the sense of their enjoyment by the way they fly and glide around and make a lot of bird calls. 

They seem to know exactly when it gets busy with traffic and people because they abruptly stop flying around until next morning returns.

 

It is also a joy for me to see a sky full of different clouds and colours.

This is one of the

more beautiful ones I've captured in awhile.

I found this little graphic that lists 10 ways to be happy. 

  I've employed many of these strategies in my own life though I hadn't seen this graphic, lol.  I have to say that I very seldom suffer from unhappiness.

I know some people find it easier to be unhappy than to be happy.

Unless one has a serious mental disorder or is grieving the loss of a loved one, I think happiness is a choice one makes and an effort to do certain things to avoid feeling down and depressed.  Happiness takes some effort because many people, including me,  are not chipper by nature.  I don't roll out of bed each morning and greet the day eager to get at it.  But I am thankful for each and every blessing including the simple act of waking up each day.  The alternative of not waking up and having another day to enjoy on this earth is one I hope remains in the far distant future.
Being happy takes effort but at the end of the day I think it is well worth it.

 

I will link up with Skywatch Friday later this week.
Thank you for taking a moment out of your day to stop by and visit my blog.

 Stay safe and be happy.

♥♥♥

This and That: Beautiful Skies and Various Hobbies

The beautiful sky that greeted my Saturday evening.

Beyond getting rid of clutter I've been preparing for Fall and Winter projects and making a bit of progress.

In February I purchased the fabrics on the left side of the collage (all cotton).

On the weekend I purchased the fabrics on the right of the collage (all cotton, viscose, rayon and bamboo).

I want to make some summer dresses or outfits but I haven't found the right patterns yet. 

I keep looking on line for inspiration and ideas.

I still need notions to undertake the various projects.

These are not for my winter wardrobe. These are in preparation for next summer so I still have plenty of time to find just the right inspiration for the clothing.

The white interfacing at the top of the right hand pile is for a project I hope to make for one of my brothers.This one I'm hoping to start before winter arrives.

The olive green dress below is one I got a Kenyan seamstress to make for my late mom. 

The seamstress was amazing as she sewed up 3 dresses for me virtually overnight.

African women seem to sew without patterns as they know how to measure and cut for various styles.

They are quite amazing in this way.

 I had two similar dresses made for my mom and one for me. I wanted mom's dresses in a very simple cut and wide enough for comfort when seated. I also wanted large pockets in the front of the dress for easy accessibility when seated in a wheelchair.

Mom loved her dresses and at her home going ceremony I made sure to dress her in one. This is the one I have left and on hot summer days I wear it around the house. If I want to wear it out I would have to alter it.

These next few photos are from my community garden plot. I had a good crop of beans and zucchini this year. 

I don't think I'll grow zucchini next year though as they take too  much room in the small plot.

The sunflowers grew very well but the leaves had spots on them.

I will have to try and learn what caused the spotting and check to see whether other

sunflower growers had similar issues.

I harvested kale and lettuce from the small garden.  I could not use up all the kale but the lettuce really didn't grow large enough or plentiful enough though I did enjoy a salad or two. I've had more success growing lettuce in containers on my balcony.  This year in my patio garden I grew mostly flowers which were growing nicely until end of July then all of sudden the garden dried up. I also grew cherry tomatoes and strawberries which grew well.  The peppers, eggplant and zucchini didn't grow well. The herbs grew quickly but sadly, mostly went unused. 

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In Kenya, Eunice remains at the private hospital so we have had no forward movement in getting her to hospital. But since I posted this on Wednesday night she took a turn for the worse and is back in Intensive Care. The family is desperately trying to raise funds for her further treatment.
~~
Ernest had the plaster changed on his leg and is healing well.

A young friend was robbed of his phone a few weeks ago while riding public transport called matatu (basically a shared taxi van). One really needs a smart phone to survive in Kenya (perhaps in most of Africa these days) as Kenyans do a lot of money transactions via phone and also need to keep in contact with friends and family. Thankfully a young Canadian woman offered to help purchase a new phone for him. That was an answer to my specific prayers.

In other good news, one of the young men I helped to finish an Engineering degree finally got a refund from the university he had been hoping to attend this year.
It took almost 8 months to get the money back.
We are grateful since universities in Kenya  are notorious for being broke.
This is another answer to a specific prayer.
For some odd reason the university insisted on making the refund cheque out to my young friend's mother despite the fact that he is of age and she did not pay his tuition.
This approach had great potential to cause other problems but thankfully everything worked out fine and very soon he will have the funds put into his own bank account.
These funds are needed to apply to graduate school.
More on that as time goes by.


~~~~~

By the time this post is published I hope to be enjoying my visit with my niece so I will "see" you once our visit is over and she has returned home.

 I close with one more photo of the misty mountains.

I really love the sky.

Joining up with

Skywatch Friday

Tuesday News

Hi friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I've been a bit under the weather so I have slowed down since the weekend.

I managed to get together with a friend I seldom see. She invited me last minute for coffee and snacks and we were able to work it out. I always enjoy visiting with her. Other than that I've been catching up with various people in Kenya regarding matters that crop up during the missions outreach I do there. That always takes a fair bit of my time and is difficult because of the time and distance differences. I may have a more full some update later on the missions. I know some of you have been waiting.

Since I posted my lovely sunny photos last Friday, the weather has returned to rain. Not endless rain so it is okay but gloomy looking overhead. I am not complaining because my neighbours in the province of Alberta have had lots of snow. I prefer the rain to snow.

 No complaining when I see views like these.

 

Other than enjoying the beautiful scenes at the beach I've been on a personal mission to save a few pennies here and there.  My next post will be about saving money.

I send a lot of funds overseas to help people in desperate situations because I know we are blessed here in North America where even the poorest people have access to food banks, food kitchens, shelters and so on.  I send to people mostly in Kenya not through any organization but directly to people I've met along the way.  I also sponsor some children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. I also like to try and send a bit extra at this time of year for the families of the sponsored boys so they can have something extra for Christmas.

In Kenya they like to have a meal of chicken (sometimes goat if the budget allows) and also a new change of clothing at Christmas.  This is in the villages where historically the people would not have so much access to new clothing due to the cost or to things we take for granted here at Christmas or any other time. There the focus is on eking out a day to day existence and trying to ensure the children get an education. Just these two things are beyond the ability of many families. If you are a subsistence farmer there is very little to meet all the needs and some are not so fortunate as to have a farm of their own.

If you would like to sponsor some very needy children I recommend signing up with Compassion International. I sponsor through the Canadian office and have found the staff to be excellent and responsive to all my questions including following up on an issue here and there about local conditions in Kenya.  I get letters from my sponsored children several times a year and I know they are all growing and developing well. Compassion tries to deal with the whole child and not just give them food or a bible. You can learn more about their approach here.

I also sponsor through a new to me  group called Food for the Hungry. I learned about them last year when the wonderful gospel singer, Don Moen was here and he encouraged his audience to sponsor a child that night. The response was very overwhelming and I know this organization also does great work. Both Compassion and Food for the Hungry take great care with the funds they receive and manage to keep the administration costs down to a very reasonable level. This means your donated dollars are actually getting to the child and to the communities.

This week and last week I took a bit of time to write my sponsored children some letters and also some cards for Christmas as well as figure out what to send to their families. In case you are interested, Food for the Hungry doesn't allow gifts to the children other than what you can send via the mail. Compassion allows a gift annually to the child for general needs and birthday and a gift annually to the family.The photos below show my boys from Kenya and Ethiopia. I don't have a digital photo of my boy in Uganda and my scanner doesn't seem to work anymore.

Ian

John

Wondimu

Thanks for stopping by!

Joining in with Our World Tuesday this week.