Thanksgiving Dinner, Fall Leaves and Eunice

In my last post I mentioned that Canada celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend and that I was under the weather.
Thank you to those blogging friends who prayed for me. I am feeling better and am on the mend.

🦃🦃🦃

I mentioned also that I was to make dinner for family. I did and took my time. It was a relaxing day and we enjoyed a quiet celebration.

My brother pronounced the turkey as the best I've ever made.
I think what he really liked was the crispy, golden skin. 

You can see all the liquid at the bottom of the roasting pan. It isn't all grease from the bird.
When I was growing up my mother always added water to the roasting pan.  I copy her approach. It helps to steam cook the bird and keep it moist. It also provides more drippings and liquid for making the gravy.

Roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots tossed in olive oil and coarse sea salt.I didn't make so much of this because I didn't want them as left overs. I also omitted green salad because no one ever eats it at the holiday meals.

No matter who cooks the bird I always go for the wings when it's time to eat. The wings are my favourite whether I'm eating turkey or chicken.  I stuffed the bird with bread stuffing and made extra for cooking on the side. I ignore all the expert opinions about stuffing the bird as a big 'no no'.  No one ever got sick in all the years my family and extended family and friends cooked a stuffed bird.
To round out the main meal we had mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce.

We had pumpkin pie and/or bread pudding topped with whipped cream for dessert.
The pie was not home made but the pudding was.

There were plenty of leftovers to eat during the week and I've saved some bones for soup stock.

I hope to make some turkey pot pies soon too.

 🦃🦃🦃

We've been having so much rain off and on for well over a month.  We did have a break in the rain for about a week and a half.  It is so beautiful here when the sun shines and the glorious blue sky and the red leaves of autumn abound.

I love the canopy made by the leaves in the above photo.

Looking at and taking photos of the sky through leaves is one of my favourite things to do.

🍁

In other news,

my friend Eunice was tested to see how well her body is absorbing and utilizing the medicine she is on. The test results are now in and there has been improvement in the oxygen in the blood.
I'm so thankful for that.

She has improved but there is still a ways to go with her recovery.

Medicine and special food as well as oxygen and blood when needed (less frequently now) is very expensive.

I am still trying to raise awareness and raise funds. Take up is very slow but there isn't a deadline. I will keep

trying until there is a definite outcome for Eunice

Click here for the Go Fund Me page.

Please take a moment to share it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or email. 

It only takes a moment and you will be helping to save a life.

If you are able to contribute that is even better and we thank you so much for your giving.

Whatever you do, please do something.

I have added a photo of Eunice and  a link to the side bar for anyone who would like to come back later and link to the campaign.

Thank you 

and have a wonderful weekend.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

Miracles Still Happen

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

1 Kings 18:39

Grandma Sally was released to home today (Monday) and will have a nurse at home. This is a miracle as she was on life support just a short time ago and has been in intensive care for several months.  Grandma Sally is very old but obviously very strong and highly favored.  I can't believe she is actually sitting upright.

She does look weak so kindly continue praying for her health and her comfort.

I said a few posts ago that I didn't want to limit God and what he will do in Grandma Sally's circumstances given her very advanced age.  Sometimes the circumstances can look rather bleak but only God knows what he will do and why he is doing it. I hope to talk to Grandma's grandson later tonight to learn the details of her home care.

Update:  Grandma Sally is quite weak. You can see it on her face.  She needs assistance in walking and utters one or two word sentences very slowly.  She has house help to bathe and feed her. A nurse will attend to her twice a week and monitor her breathing and blood pressure which are her two main health challenges.

She is very happy to be home and be able to sleep in her own bed which is far more comfortable than the thin mattresses they have at hospital. She also doesn't want or like so many visitors because the noise (talking) disturbs her. I can imagine it is very wearing because I know when I am very sick I too cannot handle much noise and I don't want to talk to people.  It would certainly be more difficult for Grandma Sally in her current condition.

I'm very happy she is now in her own home with the familiarity of her surroundings and the help of family members and a nurse. That will give her a lot of comfort especially after being away from her own home for so long.

Here are a few photos of the countryside around where Grandma Sally lives near Bomet, Kenya. The green fields are full of tea.

Joining in with 

Our World Tuesday

today.

Have a wonderful week ahead. 

#miracles #GrandmaSally #Godisgood #prayer #KenyaMissionsofHope #Kenyamedicalmercymissions

News

I awoke to news today that was upsetting. The young orphaned boy I wrote about here and here has passed due to complications of cancer. He was barely 20 years old.

" Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

James 4:14

I want to thank those of you who gave to help his medical bills and to those that have been praying for him.



The comfort is that he will never suffer again and as a Christian he is with his Heavenly Father.

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” 

John 14:1-4

I was feeling rather emotional today upon hearing the sad news. Mostly because this boy is an orphan.  He's had a hard life so far and had to fight this terrible cancer. No doubt he went through periods of not really understanding what was happening to him especially during the chemotherapy sessions which weakened him a lot.  I am also grieving for the fact that he will never have an opportunity to reach his potential here on earth though in Kenya that is a very hard thing to do when you live in poverty.  Right now I am glad that this young man will never pain and poverty again.

In addition to the comfort of the biblical promises, I often find comfort in God's creation and from seeing nature close up.  Today it was in my garden.

I could hear the birds singing so beautifully.  Their warbling drew me outside.

I wasn't able to capture the birds in photo.  They are very well camouflaged in the trees and they fly away so quickly.  But I was delighted to find bees enjoying the flowers in the garden.

Beyond the enjoying the birds and the bees in the garden, I enjoyed the beautiful colours of nature.

I like the flowers and plants reflected in the bird bath.

This photo was taken a few months ago at Westham Island.

Joining up with Eileen at Saturday's Critters
and
Weekend Reflections.
Thank you for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

This and That

It's that time of the week again! It is raining cats and dogs here at the moment. Tonight on the evening weather report I learned that is has been anywhere from 4-11 degrees cooler at this time than last year around the same period. I could tell just because by this point last year we were in advanced stages of water restrictions.

Though water restrictions also started early this year they did not escalate. My garden isn't doing terribly well with the inconsistent temperatures and inconsistent watering. I've neglected to water on days when I thought it was going to pour and didn't. Then I've watered only to have it pour rain the next morning. I'm grateful for a good soak of the earth though. It  usually seems to perk things up a bit in the garden.

Though we've been having rain I managed to get a few sky shots on a dry evening (click photos to enlarge).

On the day I snapped these photos I was strolling along the street and stopping at various furniture stores. I'm keeping my eyes open for a set of chairs, new or lightly used.  I snapped a few photos of this and that. I saw a lot of vintage furniture (not antique but several decades old).  There used to be many antique stores in my neighbourhood but most have fallen by the wayside or moved to other neighbourhoods.

I rather  like this teak dresser but don't need one.

A few vintage chairs but not what I'm looking for. 

The chairs below are made of wood salvaged from an oxen cart.
I love them but am not sure these are the ones for me.
They are probably a bit too rustic for my indoor needs and other decor
but they are nice and very comfortable.

I stopped at many more places.
I have my eye on chairs made from salvaged wood. The chairs are in shaker style and have a nice
smooth finish.
I haven't made up my mind so the search will continue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

News from Kenya

 I've been involved in assisting a young teenage Samburu girl who is 13 or 14 years of age.
Her parents arranged a marriage for her for 30 cattle and 6 camels.
She ran away to a rescue center to escape the marriage so she is now all alone in the world and dependent on well wishers.
The missionary at the rescue centre asked my friends to take her and put her in school where she can be in hiding and get an education.
That was working out until she got a bad case of pneumonia.
During treatment and evaluation, a heart problem was discovered.
The school didn't take any action to help her so my friend did and she is now in a hospital several hours away that specializes in diseases of the heart.

She was very weak upon arrival but I am cautiously optimistic.  She seems to be improving though I have no idea yet about her prognosis.

I can only imagine what a scary proposition to be all alone in the world like she is.
The school has been good to give her an educational placement but they have not responded to any of her medical needs.
 I've been trying to help her through my friends there.
My friends are in a difficult and awkward position too. Should the girl not survive, her family will need to be notified..
If you are a prayer warrior please say some prayers for her.
I won't share her photo here because of her situation.

Ernest who was in hospital recently for infection complications cancer surgery is now home and recovering. He seems to be doing much better now. I am hoping they have managed to eradicate the cancer but it will take time to know for sure.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday
and
Friday Foto Friends  today.
Thank you for stopping by.