Outreach in Kenya

Some of my friends in Kenya went on a short term missions to the dry northern regions of Kenya to a place near Marsabit, Kenya. Along the way you can see it is quite dry. You can see wild ostriches along the highway.


As they got closer to Nanyuki, Kenya, they had a car breakdown and had to overnight there.

You can see some scenes in the general area and how dry it is.

Stopping for a break.

This young missionary couple in the photo are from the Maasai peoples of Maasai Mara and they were being accompanied to their missionary post in Marsabit area, where they will minister to the Rendille tribe of peoples.

Young missionaries from the Maasai Mara in southern Kenya.

A natural, local landmark.

A local man in traditional dress pops into the local store.

My friends were also on an short missions trip to deliver food, medicine, water and the gospel to these precious people.  The missionary family will stay behind and make this area their new homeland.  I've learned that there are a lot of high powered weapons around this area.  My guess is it is because there is a lot of cattle rustling that goes on in these far flung areas where tribes raise cattle. Once you leave Laisimis and carry on north to Marsabit, outsiders often need armed escorts to accompany them for their own protection.

The Rendille people are largely unreached by the gospel and follow their traditional beliefs and god called Ngai.  The people originate from Somalia and have amalgamated with the Samburu people of Kenya. They live in very large villages in the dry regions of the Kasuit desert.

I absolutely love the intricate bead work the women are wearing on their heads and around their necks.

Drought has forced many to leave their traditional ways and move closer to aid depots and towns.
Marriages are arranged by parents, and a heavy bride price of livestock is involved. Rendille marriages are frequently between an older man and young girl.

Pray for these people. If you wish to donate anything to the efforts there, please send via Pay Pal to kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com

At this time, please also keep Elvis in your prayers. He is the young medical student studying in Kisii Town. We are anticipating he will have two more months of university and then graduation. We still need to cover his final living costs and graduation expenses. If anyone would like to help him, funds can also be sent to kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com. Just specify whether you want funds to go to Elvis or to Rendille efforts.

I spoke to my cousin yesterday. She is visiting me from Edmonton, Alberta; a far distance from Vancouver.  It was good to see her again as it has been a few years and she almost passed into glory in February 2014.  I consider her a walking miracle.

She has expressed an interest in travelling to Kenya.  I am hoping next time I go there she will be with me.  That will be so exciting!  Many friends have said they want to travel with me but no one actually saves for the trip.  When my cousin sets her mind to saving, she can do it so I am very hopeful. It would be a trip of a lifetime for her and I would be privileged to share it with her.

Many thanks for reading and for praying.

Have a wonderful week.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday.

Hello Tuesday!

The church steeple has been under construction for a very long time; at least a year or more. They moved the steeple from one corner to the other, raised it by several feet and added light to the cross so that it shines in the night.

The cross has not been lit up all week and I was wondering why.
Perhaps it just needed some bulbs or something.

Whatever the case, it is illuminated once again.

I like looking at the cross light up against the night sky.  I also like seeing the lights on the ski slopes.

After what seems like a very long and cold winter, the sun has returned and warmer temperatures are here.
 Spring is definitely in the air this week.

~~~~~~~

I've been keeping busy assessing my mother's transition to the new care home and providing feedback to the facility.  This will be an annual process and our one big opportunity to make important changes if needed so I've been stressed about making sure I give the right messages without seeming like we are complaining.  Today was the day for giving informal feedback and the official meeting will be in another few weeks. The official record becomes a government record so I guess they don't want any surprises.  The feedback seemed well received and I am happy with the outcomes.

Mom is much happier where she is now.  Though of course there is never perfection, things are definitely a lot better than where she used to be.  The care is much better and more consistent. What a relief!

I've also been identifying some of mom's new needs. She is in a smaller space and believe it or not the needs she has are greater as we try to figure out ways to ensure she has access to key things. Other than that I've been busy making her appointments for personal grooming and adapting some of her clothing.

~~~~~~~

On the home front, I'm finally feeling just a wee bit better after weeks of feeling oh so tired. I've been doing a bit of cooking, a lot of laundry, a little reading and a lot of errands. I've also had another appointment with the foot care nurse over the ingrown nails. It will likely take another few months before we conclude whether the nails are going to grow properly or not. I sure hope they do.
 
Outside, it is time for the garden debris to be cleared away.  This is my least favourite job of all time but it must be done.

Inside, it is also time to do some Spring decluttering.

I read a few interesting books in case you are interested.

(A thrift store find).

In Kim Izzo's novel, Kate loses her job and her grandmother at the same time. On top of that she loses the family home due to her mother's gambling debts. It sets her on a course to find a rich husband using the methodology of her favourite author, Jane Austen. This book is light reading and while it isn't the best book in the world, it certainly isn't the worst. I found it a nice distraction from the deeper cares of the week. It isn't too heavy to carry around when you are out and about in case you have time to read when you are running errands.

The other book I read is by an African author who now lives and works as a professor at the University of Kent in the UK.

(Another thrift store find).

Paradise is a tale about 12 year old Yusuf, who is sold into slavery in repayment of his father's debt. It is difficult to know the location of the story as it is never made clear.  It might be Tanzania but it could also be Kenya as there are numerous references to Kenyan coastal cities. This poignant story follows the young Yusuf over a period of about 6 years through his various adventures and the twists and turns in his life. It is an interesting look into pre-colonial Africa.

I am now reading a few different books.

I borrowed this book from the library.

and

This one is for my personal library.

Radiance of Tomorrow is the second book by Ishmael Beah.  Ishmael is a young man who overcame the nightmare of being a child soldier in Sierra Leone. He now lives in the USA and is an author.  He also does work with the United Nations to raise the awareness of the plight of child soldiers. 

~~~~~~~

I know the snow is still falling in central Canada and other parts of North America.

I hope there will be relief for you soon.

Our World Tuesday

The Long Saga is Over

In late June my family and I looked forward with great anticipation to moving my mother into a new care home. We felt it was going to be very good for her since it was "state of the art" facility and brand new staff. Boy were we ever wrong!  It has been a virtual nightmare for mother and I and a very tiring and stressful one at that.  We have now moved mom back to her former facility and the difference is like night and day in a good way.  The move went smoothly though it took long as most of her things needed to go into storage.  She no longer has a private room. That was the only way to get her moved quickly.  There was only one hiccup which wasn't of the facility's making and that issue has since been resolved.

I had a couple of not very nice surprises about mom's condition.  One of them was the state of her pressure wounds.  Right after moving mother was assessed by her new nurse as having stage 3 pressure wounds, rather than the stage 1 which she was told by staff at the former facility. The new nursing team is working around the clock to treat and pack the wounds.  Part of the treatment is keeping mom in bed for much longer stretches of time so they can turn her on her side and relieve the pressure. In between lying in bed she gets up and motors around.  This keeps her happy.  The other problem is the terrible state of her oral health. I have to locate a dentist as soon as possible and make an appointment to address several problems, not the least of which is pain.

The good news is that though mom is now sharing a room, the things I packed for her fit nicely into the space.  We have retained her television and dvd player for her use but had to store the portable cd player, fridge, bookshelves, books etc.  She doesn't use any of this anyway but if you've ever dealt with an elderly person you know they like to have their things around them.   The only thing that helps deal with this situation is that mom is the one who decided over my objections, that she wanted a shared room.  That means she has to adjust to the situation. There are a number of positives about where she lives now.  Too many to itemize but a big one is that she is now she is able to "drive" all over the place without worrying about getting through doors by herself.

The new facility is located all on one level unlike her last residence. That alone really brightens her day.  Plus she was also welcomed back by so many people, staff and residents alike, and that can only lift one's spirits.  Since mother last lived at the "new" facility, there has been a change of management and I observe that things are much more organized and running better all around.  There is also a lot better communication with the family.  This is wonderful!  The long saga of dealing with the former facility is over. I'm so relieved. Now I can start to focus on some of mom's other pressing care needs like dental and eye care.

A huge snowfall was forecast for our journey.  In my city, the snow quickly turned to torrential rains but as we got an hour or two out of the city, the snow was coming down heavily.  These photos (above and below) show the early stages of snow fall.

 

By the time we got up the mountain, the snow was considerably heavier.  One hour from our final destination we passed one terrible accident on the highway due to the icy conditions.  The weather was significantly warmer and sunnier when we returned south a few days later.

I've been home for a few days and am slowly trying to get back into a normal routine. I am quite tired but have managed to do a few errands, lots of laundry and stock up on food for the weeks ahead.  This weekend I am taking it easy. I'm exhausted from the stresses and moves of the last 7 months.  We've moved mom 5 times in total (4 times within the former facility and once last week) and dealt with endless issues.  We may have to move her again if she gets a private room but have been told the wait is very long.  In the meantime I hope to get some rest.

It is a cold, rainy and windy night tonight.  As I sit here I am smelling the comforting aroma of a ham roasting in the oven and scalloped potatoes baking.  This kind of dinner is rare since I only roast ham about once a year at New Year's and make scalloped potatoes even less frequently.

It smells good!

Here is the recipe for the scalloped potatoes.

Ingredients: 

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika

Directions:

1.   In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
2.   Let sit for a minute.
3.   Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.
4.   Season with salt and cayenne.
5.   Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
6.   Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
7.   Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
8.   Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
9.   Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
11. Top with some paprika for color.
12.  Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

The recipe for scalloped potatoes is from southernfood.com and is the first time I've tried it. I didn't have much cheese so saved it for the topping and omitted it from the sauce.   I'm used to mom's scalloped potatoes which is a much quicker and easier way to prepare them and doesn't use cheese at all.  Perhaps I will share that another time.

I like to cook the ham until it practically falls off the bone. I save the sauce for New Year's Dinner.

Changing Skies and Moving Forward

 I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

~ Nelson Mandela

Ever since I was a child I always had a sense of optimism and hope.  My faith in God is a big part of that.  But even before I knew what faith in God was I had a sense of optimism and looking forward to future possibilities, joy and dreams.  If I wanted to do something, I didn't think of the obstacles; only the fact that it could be done.  I realize that not everyone feels this way and I know I didn't exactly get it from my parents.  So where does the joy and hope come from?  The idea that things can get better or will improve? That all is not lost?  That there is still life to be lived?  I think it must be a gift from God himself and for that I am very blessed.  I start this new month of February feeling oh so very tired but hopeful for a wonderful month ahead.  Even baby steps in a future direction are better than no steps.

We have had a delightful winter weather-wise because we've seen more sun and had less rain than I can ever remember over the winter season. It has helped me to get my walking exercise in and I haven't suffered quite as much in the knees.  With the start of rain again I can surely notice the difference but I have hope for a brighter day ahead. My hope comes not just from my faith but also seeing some results in how I feel physically as a result of exercise, better diet, acupuncture and herbs. I am still going to sleep far too late and I'm working on trying to do better in this area.  One night though I was up so late (or early depending on how look at things) and I snapped this photo with my camera phone.

My night photos aren't the best but I love how the city lights twinkle in the dark.

The past week has also been busy with a number of things I won't write about it all but I told you in this post that I was going to attend a fashion workshop with a friend.  We went on Friday night.  There were about 17 ladies altogether.  We sat through an interactive 2.5 hour long workshop on fashion and dressing for your body type. The young ladies who gave the presentation are designers and they were a lot of fun. They brought in  all kinds of clothing and modelled them while they gave their talks.  It made for an interesting show.  Next week we are doing a clothing exchange.  Each of us has also been assigned to wear a particular colour.  No doubt the colours will illustrate why the colour is good (or bad) for us.  I've been assigned to wear magenta which I already know is a good colour for me.  But I cleared out my closets a few weeks ago so I will have to dig deep to find something suitable.

A friend I haven't seen for a long while told me he is moving out of the city, albeit temporarily. He will likely return this summer to commence a new chapter in his life by returning to university for his 3rd degree. In the meantime he is off on a holiday and for an extended visit with family members.  We had occasion to get together for coffee and reminisce a bit before he had to pack, be out of his apartment and fly off in the early hours of Saturday morning.

News of family illnesses kept me close to the phone this week. I have one cousin who was infected with MRSA a few weeks ago and has been in hospital on life support for a few weeks.  Just yesterday she was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and into a regular ward. I have no idea how long she will be in hospital but am grateful she is on the mend and that she has the support of her church. I can't even go and visit her because she is about 1200 miles away. One of her sisters who lives even farther north had been visiting with her but unbeknownst to me was also scheduled for major surgery to remove one of her kidneys.  She underwent the surgery on Wednesday this past week and was already discharged and flew home today.

It is hard for me to believe how they could send someone so far from home on such a long journey before her stitches have even healed. My cousin lives in a very remote community where there isn't even a hospital. I just pray she will be okay. Her husband has been "holding the fort" and keeping the money coming in as my cousin couldn't work while keeping company with her sister. Living in a remote northern community can be very nice and has advantages but it is also incredibly expensive and the downside is being so far from extended family and not having any available medical or hospital facilities.  I've been praying for both of my cousins and am so happy that one of them who was so near death, has revived.  I had just talked to her in late December and was shocked that a week or so later she was struggling for life in hospital.  It really drives home how fragile life can be.

To relax a bit I've been reading more this week.  Reading is one of my favourite hobbies but I've been trying to cut it down a bit this year so I an focus on other things.  This isn't really working, lol.  This time I've picked up "Long Walk to Freedom" which is Nelson Mandela's autobiography. I decided to  read it after recently seeing the movie.  The book fills in a lot of gaps about Mandela's early life, education and political development.

This book is currently half price through Amazon or Chapters.

 
I was out and about in another part of the city the day before and took these photos for you.  This corner of the city is called Granville and Broadway.  Both of these are very prominent thoroughfares in the city and I thought it would be interesting for those of you who have never been to Vancouver to see what a typical street looks like.

This view is on Broadway facing East. Kaplan signage & building  has been there ever since I first came to Vancouver many years ago but most of the corner has changed.

Broadway Street facing East. If you carry on this way you will get to the neighbourhoods of Kitsilano and farther on you will get to the University of British Columbia.

This is the shop right on the NW corner of Broadway & Granville. Tea is sold here.  The window is reflecting Kaplan's across the street.

This is at the corner facing south on Granville Street.  Head south and you will eventually get to the Vancouver International Airport.   If you visit Vancouver and take a taxi into the city you will come down Granville Street.

The "Aristocratic" signage on the window of Chapter's Bookstore is in homage to a restaurant/diner that occupied this corner of Vancouver for decades.

Little flowers stalls like these dot the city but there don't seem to be as many of them as there once was.

This is at Granville & Broadway facing north on Granville. You can see the downtown highrises. You must cross the Granville Street Bridge to get to downtown.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday
 and
Weekend Reflections
 and
Mosaic Mondays
and
Our World Tuesday 
and
Blue Monday

A Busy Month Unfolding

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude 

we will embrace for that day.

Charles R. Swindoll

Hello everyone, I hope you've been having a good week so far. 

I've been busy with this and that.

 I have a friend who is applying to university in my city. The process is complicated, labourious and expensive.  I've been helping him get things sorted out. We are very close to the wire (upon the deadline). Please keep him in prayer.

I have another friend who has just moved to a new apartment and needs a few things. I've been checking out my cupboards and the thrift store for some unique items to donate to his kitchen and he has been taking things home little by little. I thank God that he has at last found a place of his own after living in several different unsuitable sharing situations.

Salad tongs from Africa for my friend's kitchen. They just need a bit of oil to" freshen" them up.

I have a mother in care who has multiple needs & every day brings news of something else.  Some needs relate to her care, some  relate to her material needs & some of them relate to the need for medical appointments. It keeps me busy. 

I thank God mom is still here and that small progress is made here and there though there are days I get very exhausted. Sometimes the progress is hard to see but I try to keep hope. 

We are also still waiting for a room at the new care facility. I hope it will be soon.

I met with my Tanzanian friend and a new Italian friend at the start to the weekend. I've spoken with the woman from Italy before but it was my first opportunity to meet her. She wanted to learn about my experiences in East Africa as she planned to travel there but was a little nervous.  Several weeks before meeting her I spoke with her by telephone.  Since then she has made arrangements to travel to both Kenya and Tanzania soon. How exciting for her. I wish I was going too!

I started going for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments once again; primarily for the pain in my knees. The last time I tried TCM  was about 2 years ago. At that time I didn't experience a lot of relief.  But this time I am not only getting acupuncture but am also taking herbs. After about 5 weeks I am starting to feel relief though it will take months yet before real and lasting change might occur.

The last bit of Moroccan stew I've been enjoying.

 The TCM doctor suggested that I not eat rice, not even brown rice. I'm not sure I agree with that but it doesn't really matter because I eat very little rice of any kind since rice isn't my favourite. I prefer barley to rice. I also eat cous cous, bulgar and quinoa as well as a bit of pasta. 

 I also try to eat beans but now and then get out of the habit because I prefer to soak my own beans rather than buy them in a can. I started back to soaking beans this week and made some Moroccan stew with chick peas (yum!).

Tomorrow I hope to make some navy bean soup. These kind of soups and stews are perfect food for the cooler winter months.

Soaked and cooked beans ready for Navy Bean Soup.

Last but not least I am reading my Bible and some other works. I've just finished a book called "Minding Frankie" by one of my very favourite authors, the late Maeve Binchy.  The book is about Noel, a young alcoholic man who turns his life around to care for Frankie, a baby girl left to him by her deceased mom whom Noel dated briefly.  The book is really about a cast of characters in a small Irish town as most of Mrs. Binchy's books are.  But Noel and Frankie are the core characters around which the other character's lives are intertwined.

Reading Maeve Binchy's books are always like sitting down with a warm comfy blanket and cup of tea in front of a roaring fireplace. I've almost read every single one of her books.

I picked this book up at the thrift store.

Last Friday after meeting my friends, I made a stop at the local library where I checked out 4 books.  I also picked up a couple more books, some novels and one cookbook for experimenting in the kitchen at the thrift (2nd hand shop) store.

I'm afraid I haven't had the  space of mind to do any more crafting since before Christmas. That might happen in February.

With a new year comes new changes. I was saddened to learn that I will no longer be able to sponsor children in Zambia. For whatever reasons the school sponsorship and pen pal program have been stopped and the children are no longer available for sponsorship.  I will be updating the information on my blog page in due time. I still have to update the blog page to introduce my new correspondence child in Ethiopia.

Also, I wanted to mention that Elvis, the young Kenyan man who is doing a diploma in medicine and surgery is expected to graduate in about one year. I'm still trying to get some sponsorship help for him. What remains to be funded is one semester of tuition (close to $500 Canadian) and monthly living costs (room and board & pocket money) until August 2014 (about $100 Canadian), as well as books for a term (about $65 Canadian).
If you can help, please do contact me.

I've put a lot in this post as I'm not posting quite as frequently this month though I am still visiting blogs that I keep up with.  I hope you are all enjoying your New Year so far. 
Enjoy the rest of your week!

Linking up with Our World Tuesday this week.

A Glorious Sight

Hi friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Skywatch Friday!

Work-in-Progress

 “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

My nephew's quilt is nearing completion

and that makes me happy.

This is a snuggle size quilt for one person.

I would like to make more time to work with my hands.

I find it relaxing.  But as I do it so seldom, I tend to do it to excess 

as I don't know when I might do it again.

I still have to quilt it and I haven't decided whether to do it by hand or by machine. 

I will only do a "light" quilting job so that the finished effect is more or less, reversible.  

This throw has has a nice loft making it extra cosy.

I'm joining up with  I Heart Macro for this post.

BREAKING NEWS:  In sad news, there was a terrorist attack on innocent citizens at an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. See more here.  Please pray for the government and security to get the perpetrators and bring security for their citizenry and tourists.

My Next Project

Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.

Quilting Quote from Greenfairy Quilts.
 

My next project....

I made a start with cutting the fabrics.

My apologies for the colour and quality of the next photo.  My night lighting is very poor.

This quilt will be for my mother or my nephew. I haven't quite decided yet.  I do have fabric and quilt ideas for several more quilts although I still have to purchase the batting and backing fabrics.

 One of the quilts I have in mind will definitely be for my nephew. Originally I thought to make it for his birthday but that date has passed. I will likely give it to him at Christmas.

 I'm still new to quilting and I'm realizing that I would save a lot of time both in cutting and in finding coordinating fabrics and colours if I simply bought pre-cut fabrics.  I'm also finding that a lot of the new patterns I've been admiring are designed to be made from pre-cuts (jelly rolls or charm packs).

What about you  dear reader?
Do you cut from fabrics you've carefully selected or do you purchase already coordinated pre-cuts?

I'm Making Some (Slow) Progress

Hi everyone, I want to thank those of you who have been praying for my mom and for me. I thought you might like an update on what has been happening.

Mom is still waiting for most of her medical equipment. If the word we've been given is true, she will have the trapeze and the parachute sling on Wednesday. She had the commode but can't use it just yet anyway. There are other more important things. There is no word yet on getting hospital table trays for her use. I left word with the OT about that about one and a half or two weeks ago. These tables are easy enough to get as they are on loan at the Red Cross. It just takes the OT to write something up. I guess she is too busy or something.

As for the largest need of all, the wheelchair, there have been some ups and downs on that front. The first step is to get a demonstration model. That wasn't so straightforward for the local supplier but it now seems as if they were ultimately successful but the chair won't be arriving until August 20th. Mom has already been in so much discomfort for so long that the demo chair couldn't come fast enough. Even when it arrives however, it won't be the chair she really needs. The point is to assess her specific and precise needs when the demo model arrives. Hopefully the demo model will be more comfortable for her than what she is currently using. She is in a high state of anxiety about the whole chair business. I try to keep her as calm as possible.

When mom moved into the care facility she moved into a second floor room until a room because available on the ground level. I've been dealing with the General Manager on that front and have been trying to get a move in date now for over a week. Just last Friday I was able to get a list of unassigned rooms on the ground floor but still no move in date. Then mom heard a rumour that there isn't going to be anyone moving in just yet as there aren't enough residents to fill the ward. That may be true as it requires the facility to also staff up and they aren't going to staff up until they have enough residents.

Mom is desperate to move because then she will have access to the outdoors more directly and the fresh air walks she craves. I would ask you all to keep this need in prayer.

 I'm busily preparing a bunch of things mom needs as I haven't seen her now in a month. One thing that has become readily apparent is that her wrists no longer can hold the telephone. This is troubling as she has arthritis very badly and the only real tool she has to keep her sanity, reach out for prayer and family and friend contact, is the phone. I've done some research on line to find a suitable head/ear piece for her. I'm not sure yet whether it will require a new phone. She just got a new phone within the last few months. I will let my brother look into what is really required.

Now on to me. I thank those of you who encouraged me and are praying for me too. I have to say I've been doing quite well this past week with tracking my food intake and my blood glucose levels eight times daily. I will only be tracking this extensively until I feel confident that I know what foods trigger my blood glucose spikes and by how much.   I had one scary moment of very low (for me) glucose level and day by day I see my glucose level is indeed levelling out to more normal levels.

This plane is advertising a website which I can't read because it is backwards from my vantage point. Or, maybe it is only backwards in the photo. I'm not sure.  Anyway it is probably not that important. We get bombarded everywhere it seems with commercials and advertising.

Today though I was in a lot of pain. I had to cancel a long anticipated dinner at friend's because of stomach issues. My radically new diet has caught up to me today and everything is backed up. I drank so much water yesterday but that didn't help. Today I was in a lot of pain probably caused from intestinal gas. I don't have flatulence just a lot of abdominal distension, pain and a feeling general malaise. I'm surprised by this as I've been fairly careful about the level of fiber I've been taking (not too much or too little) but I guess it stands to reason that there will be some issues arising as my body is adjusting to drastic changes being made. Yesterday  I felt rather good (normal) for the first time in ages. I hope to continue with that feeling after getting over today's bump in the road. I know it will take a lot of work and I haven't developed the good habits yet but I'm working on it.

There were some gentle colours in the northern sky last night. Usually you only get these colours (and deeper) to a western view. I don't have a western view so miss out on a lot of good photo opportunities. Nonetheless I get a great mountain view.

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know that I don't blog details about my health issues other than the knee issues I've been having.  Right now though, I feel the need to write about my diabetic challenges and blogging is what I do. Hopefully it will help me get this stuff down in writing.  Who knows it might even help someone else who is dealing with the same things. I hope also to continue writing about progress and challenges concerning mom's medical equipment (and other needs.   Updates probably won't be more frequent than once or twice a month or when there is something really good (or bad) to report.  Thanks for reading.

If you have a parent or loved one in a senior's facility and want to share your experiences, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section. Maybe what you share will also be useful to my readers.  Or, if you are dealing with diabetes like I am and have a story to share about how you manage it and what works for you, let me hear from you.

I am still hoping to raise funds to help Elvis finish university in Kenya. If you can help, please see my gofundme button on the right of my blog. Thank you so much!