'Tis the Season

Welcome to December! May it be a good one.

The busyness of November is carrying into December with many different things going on.  I started my Aqua size class and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is only going to be 6 sessions long.  The class is really just to get you used to the type of exercise you could do in the pool so you can decide whether you want to continue on your own at a public pool.  The pool is heated and not too deep and the exercises are much different than what I’ve seen in most of the Aqua size classes organized by the community centers. Perfect for me.  So I’ll enjoy it while I can.

I’ve also been busy shopping for gifts for Christmas, graduation gifts, winter boots and a few casual and dressy clothes for the holidays. I’ve already been able to use much of what I bought and so that is great as I know the money has been well spent. 

I was invited to a friend’s convocation ceremony and spent almost a full day with him and his family at the convocation, taking photos afterward and joining at the Alumni Centre for cake and coffee.  Later we went to their home for tea and snacks, then they invited me (and a few others) to dinner at a fabulous African restaurant downtown called Simba's.  Some of you long time readers may remember that I took members of the Kenyan Boys Choir there several years ago when they were in town.  There are several African restaurants in town but I think the one downtown is best for consistency and the owner is very nice too.  The food was delicious as always.

My friend has been looking for a job the past weeks now that he has his Ph.D. in Linguistics. I was very pleased to hear he already has an interview lined up and pray it all works out for him. I've become very close to he and his family over the years that they've been in Canada and his wife and I try and get together as often as we can.  She is a wonderful woman who amazes me with her phenomenal energy.  She has a very kind heart and looks after her family and work, participates in community events, church and related activities and so on.  She is always looking to fulfill a need when people don't have family or friends here.  She will see a need and do something special for them like organize a bridal shower or a baby shower.  She is a darling and I don't know how she does it all.  In the new year she will be even busier as she will return to school part-time while continuing to work.

It’s also been busy with the missions in Kenya. My friend Eunice is still in hospital and has her ups and downs health wise. I thank God she is still with us and that her son watches over her and oversees every aspect related to her care.  We are still looking for a donor to help Ernest (the guy who was run down by a motor bike taxi) to start a small barber business and/or repair his humble home. We are also still investigating Alcohol Rehabilitation Programs to see if we can afford to sponsor a man named Charles to get treatment. The Alcohol Rehabilitation programs are very expensive especially as he needs at least 3 months in residence and another 6 months or so of follow up. If we cannot find an affordable program we will have to wait until we have the funds or until we can get someone who would step up to help him.  The Go Fund Me campaign link remains on the side bar for those who would like to contribute to any of these needs. I also continue to help Alvin with all aspects of finances (budgeting, budget forecasting, tracking spending, problem solving for needs) and some investigation into programs on offer here at the university. I do some preliminary research and he does the detail research in regards to graduate school here in Vancouver.

I have a lot of appointments coming up in the next while so I’m not sure how much I will be blogging for the rest of this month.  However I always make time to read and comment on other blogs as most of you will know.  My schedule is full up to the middle of December though mostly with things that have nothing to do with Christmas.  Then in mid-December a friend and I will attend Chantez Noel at one of the church's in the city.  We are both looking forward to it. We've already decided that next year if we are able we would like to splurge and go and see the concert called Winter Harp.  If you like you can google it on You Tube and see what it is all about. 

Yesterday I decided to pare back the schedule a bit in favour of getting more rest and to finish the year strong.  One of the things I want to do this week is to put up the Christmas tree and a few lights. My decorating is not over the top.  There will be just enough to add some sparkle and glow to my living space. In the meantime, I've got a  lot of gifts to prepare as I take them with me to dinner at a friend's house next weekend.  I can give out several gifts to various people I know will be there.  Otherwise it will be very difficult to deliver gifts before Christmas.  I also need to alter some of the clothing I purchased for my niece because she usually need sleeves and leg hems lifted.  I may actually deliver the gifts in person after Christmas which requires a short trip out of town. How I deliver will be decided based on time and energy after Christmas.

We are expecting snow. It may even arrive tonight and it has been super cold all this past week.  I'm well prepared this year with the addition of comfortable winter boots and my long faux fur coat.  I've had the coat for several years but seldom have a chance to wear it. It  only comes out on the very cold days when it isn't raining and I know I'm going to spend time outside.  It keeps me toasty warm.  I find it chilly indoors too.  I've got the heating on 24/7 which I never, ever do because of the very high cost of heating and electricity in general.  The rates have increased twice in the last 2 years and I'm keeping a very keen eye on things due to the significant increases in other costs (car insurance, strata fees, condo insurance and property taxes).  I also wear socks, slippers, puffer vest indoors or sit with the heating pad on. As the years go by I think more and more of moving to a warmer apartment or out of the city altogether. For now I am here because it is not only a lot of work to move but my city has the best access to medical services in the entire province and I would hate to lose that.  So far, I haven't seriously thought about a move but it comes to my mind every so often. Don't get me wrong.  I am grateful to have indoor heating. I just have to manage it properly to make it affordable.

For relaxation I'm reading books number 51 and 52 or watching recorded television programs (Dancing with the Stars, The Marylin Dennis Show, Y & R, New Amsterdam and whatever new and interesting series may be on) .  I have another few books in my reading pile but doubt I will finish them all before 2020 arrives.

Last night, in between running errands, I stopped at a new to me restaurant called Cafe D'Afrique, an Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant. Since I had not been there before I decided on a combination dish in order to be able to sample as much variety as possible.  The main part of the dish (as you can see in the photo below) is beef  stew surrounded by rice, spinach and beet salad on far left and lentil stew on the far right. It is all served on a plate of injera bread and the small dish of rolled up things is more injera bread (a type of fermented bread).  I've been to Ethiopian restaurants before but this is the first time I had the food delivered on a regular plate.  It is also the first time I've had the beef stew.  Usually I order something called tibs which can be ordered in goat, beef and other meats. The beef stew and side dishes were very tasty.

Wishing you all a very beautiful season as you prepare for Christmas however humble or spectacular. 

May you have moments to pause and reflect on the reason for the season. 

I have been reminded so many times in the last few months to give thanks for all the many blessings I have and not to take even the simplest of things for granted. One of the many blessings I have is faithful blog readers who have become like friends.

I wish each you of you good health, love and happiness.

♥♥♥

Moving on the Hottest Day

I've been busy for some time now with plans and preparations for my mother's move.  Her move was delayed by several weeks.  Originally it was tentatively planned for mid-June.  In retrospect it worked out better having the move early this month as it gave me a bit of time to recover from my whirlwind trip to eastern Canada and New York.  I am also thankful that mom only had two rooms of stuff to be moved, (albeit there are too many things for those two rooms).  Two and a half years ago is when I had to sort through a lifetime of her accumulated treasures and try to fit it into two small rooms at the first facility.

When you move a parent from one facility to another, there are so many things to do besides simply packing, unpacking and finding a place for everything. There are also the interviews, financial aspects, preparing for services needed (hair, dentist, doctor, shopping, etc.), filling out paperwork, making sure all the right documents are on hand and transferred, notifying the insurance company about the move, transferring telephone service and making sure your parent has funds available on hand to them each month for their needs. Then there are the side arrangements just to get out of town:  preparing the car, the hotel accommodations, and thinking about meals while away (fast food is not so good for diabetics but are often the standby for a quick meal), looking after extra snacks for my mother who always has a list of "wants" when I visit since she cannot just get these things for herself.  Last but  not least, there was a shopping list and shopping for her needs (toiletry articles and such like).

This time there were a few additional things to purchase. We wanted to give mom some flowers and a card welcoming her to her new home.  We also needed a small stand or table her mini-refrigerator so it could be lifted off the floor for better accessibility.  We tried to get the new home to "loan" us one but couldn't wait around for their answer.  We had a hard time to find a new one in the right size but managed to pick up something from a local thrift store. We also decided at the last moment to buy a new 32 inch flat screen television.  Mom already had a smaller  flat screen television but I thought with her poorer vision it would be a nice treat to have a bigger screen.  In addition, the dresser top was quite large and a new, larger television fit perfectly onto it.

After all the excitement of the move and high expectations, mom's first night in her new home was not up to expectations.  She was in a tremendous amount of pain and this was largely due to the facility not being properly prepared.  The ceiling track had not been charged up in advance and so was unusable.  The bed itself had no trapeze overhead to help with her transfer and they had to bring in a manual lift which wasn't big enough and squeezed her causing pain.  I was very disappointed and was feeling quite low about it all.  The good news is that the management immediately met with us and we discussed the situation.  I was happy for the proactive approach and hope that things will improve in a significant way very soon.  However,  I think some of the issues will continue to be issues until the new occupational therapist (OT) starts working and does a full assessment of the needs.  I will also want to keep an eye on the lack of certain other medical supplies (over the bed table stands, etc.) and see what I can do to fill in these gaps.

Other than that the facility itself is beautiful and the staff seem very kind. I didn't have time to take photos but I did have a look around at some parts of the facility.  It is very high end and more secure than where she lived before. Mom also has a view of the river and the courtyard from her window.

The move took place over the hottest days of the summer thus far and I was exhausted over the hectic two days of activity. Thank goodness for air conditioning.  However even good things have their down sides.  Over the course of my sleeping I was awakened with deep cramping in my leg.  I've noticed that cold can cause these very deep, painful cramps which nothing can help.  I unplugged the air conditioning unit at the hotel as it was too high for me to set lower.  I was able to get back to sleep.

After day 2 of reorganizing her room and finalizing paperwork for the administration, I was able to get back home late last night.  I couldn't call mom as her phone hook up was delayed.  Due to to last week's flood disaster in Calgary,  I was told that many technicians from the province were dispatched to Calgary to try and help with needs there. The best I could do was to get mom's phone service operational on Day 2 of her move in. I was anxious about her not having a way to communicate with me after the trials of her first night and I did a lot of praying for her. I asked her to call me as soon as her phone was operating.

Mom was able to call me before noon today and she sounded like she was doing fine.  I called her in the afternoon and she didn't seem to be too needy on the phone. I hope she wasn't pretending for my benefit but I am trusting she will make the best of this move.  The staff were able to help her today and she had met some new residents so we are both anticipating a positive experience ahead. I think by the time I visit her next month she will be feeling more settled and hopefully things will be well underway (hopefully completed) with the OT assessment.

For more Skywatch photos, click here.

(All photos taken on the drive back to Vancouver.  Bridge photos are taken on the new Port Mann Bridge connecting Surrey to Port Coquitlam).

Plans

Hi friends,

I hope you have all been doing well the past week or so that I have been away. Some of you know I am away at mom's trying to help her. I cook, do some light cleaning and shopping as needed. The real reason I am here is to help her sort her personal belongings and try to figure out what to give away, what to keep and what to pack as mom needs to move soon.

She lives in an apartment building that is difficult for wheelchair accessibility. She has lived in this difficult situation for some time now and has been after me to help but with work and sickness, I haven't had the kind of time that is really required. Now I am finally a bit "free" to assist her for more than a few days.

I haven't actually gotten started on the real sorting as there has been so much day to day stuff to get caught up on. The things that most of us can do ourselves; pay bills, buy daily food needs, cook, do dishes, wash floors, shop for household and personal items. These are the things that we often are not too fond of doing but when you can no longer do them, you surely wish you could!

Today (Saturday), we were supposed to start on mom's bedroom by putting away and sorting clothing but we were a bit lazy. Instead, we listened to some old George Jones tunes, I made some head cheese sandwiches and salad for lunch, simmered a chicken rice soup in the slow cooker for dinner & made a dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in the microwave (mom has no kitchen oven), cleaned and chopped red peppers, celery, carrots & turnips for juicing tomorrow and washed oodles of dishes.

Late tonight, after scanning the local paper for apartment rentals & making enquiries for senior care attendant services, I started dusting a seldom used bookcase. Oh my! There was so much dust and mom has so many allergies, especially to dust. I set about wiping down the shelves and all the books. It is now almost 3:00 a.m and I think it is more than past time for sleep. I will leave you with a few pictures of the "dust bunny free" books.

In a day or two, we plan to clean and sort all the clothing in the master bedroom and then begin sorting all the books and videos in the living room and kitchen. At the same time, I must try to find out what housing options are available and I also have some coming business of my own in Vancouver and meetings here where mom lives to sort out my niece's housing needs.

In all of these things, I trust and lean on the Lord God, the maker of Heaven and Earth. Otherwise, I would worry and fret. The plans of loved ones are riding a lot on my shoulders and I can plan and execute to the best of my ability. But most importantly, I must not forget to pray and lean on God in all things; for direction, wisdom and guidance. It has also been a great help to get the prayers of friends and supporters when times are particularly challenging. I am grateful for those that always to stand with me in prayer. They are a true treasure.

For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

I'll be Gone

Hi everyone,

It is moving day today. At last I move from the hotel where I have been for 10 weeks and move back to my condo. It is also travel day as I will go for the long weekend to visit family. Consequently, I won't be adding any new posts while I am away.

Have fun and stay cool!