Tuesday 4 - Which One?

 Welcome to Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo.

Which one do you prefer?

1. Picnic by the water or backyard BBQ?

I absolutely love the waterfront and would choose the venue for a picnic if there weren't a lot of people around. I love to have peace and quiet and just enjoy the picnic with family or loved ones. A backyard BBQ is attractive because you won't have a lot of noisy people around plus you don't have to schlep your food and other accoutrements very far.

2. Spring or Autumn? Got reasons?

This is a hard one because these are both my favourite seasons. If I have to choose one I guess it would be spring. The reasons are that it brings so much joy and colour after a cold, long, gray season of late autumn and winter. I do love fall too because of all the beautiful colour and the cool, crisp air after a hot summer. I find crisp air so invigorating.  But I would have to choose spring just because it gives my spirits a lift and I look forward to growing season. When fall rolls around I get a bit melancholy because I know it won't last long and winter is around the corner. If I could only have fall and spring, I would gladly do away with winter and summer.

3. Cup of Tea or Cup oCoffee?   'splain it to us Lucy... if you don't mind!

I love coffee best. Probably because when I was a child almost every one drank coffee when they visited one another and there was a lot of visiting going on. Tea was usually only brought out for a one on one afternoon visit. I really love the smell of coffee too and I have fond memories of the coffee aroma wafting it's way to my nose whenever mom or dad would make morning coffee.  Nowadays I drink coffee in the morning and early afternoon. I switch to decaf or herbal tea late at night to keep me warm and I also drink a lot of water.

4. A weekend at home or one spent out and about?

It depends what one is doing out and about. If it is going to see some naturally beautiful spots or spending time with a friend  then I will go for being out and about. I also like to go out and about once or twice a week just to spend quiet time on a walk or running a few errands, maybe reading a book over coffee. Otherwise I would much rather stay home relaxing or doing things around the house. 

Dockside, a local restaurant to which a friend introduced me.

A friend took me to the above restaurant which was quite special because it is marina side and it wasn't very busy at noon. I enjoyed it because I don't really like crowds especially when trying to visit with a friend. Of course if you go to some events you expect it to be busy and then you don't really visit but simply enjoy companionship while taking in the sporting event, concert, movie and so on.

Tuesday 4 ~ Memories of Days Gone By

This is Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo.

 

1. What was life like for you as a child of elementary school age? Friends, games, TV, music, food, interests?  Tell us about it won't you?

Life was active for me as a child.

I had a few close friends but in those days we didn't play together at one another's houses so often. I lived the farthest from school and sometimes my friends would ask me to stop at their houses on the way home from school.  I don't remember a lot of what we did except we usually had a snack and would then retreat to the bedroom where we would gab as girls like to do. 

On the occasions my friends would come to my home, my mother would often invite my friends to join us for a meal and then she would chat them up too. I remember one Italian girlfriend in particular. My mother made spaghetti just or my friend and I and served us on a table outside on a lovely summer day.  She gave us water to drink and while we ate she convinced my friend that she was part-Italian by speaking a few words of Italian. It was funny because my friend really bought into her prank and on the sidelines I was splitting a gut laughing.  It was all in good fun and mother eventually told my friend the truth. 

At home my siblings and I played together outside a lot and we also played games with the neighbourhood kids most of whom were younger than I. Reading and learning was always an interest of mine and I would pretend to play 'teacher' with the smaller children.  I mostly liked reading so I could continue learning new things and that interest continues to this day. I have a lot of memories of friends and I spending a lot of time together after school, often we were doing homework. in those days we had to be home by a certain time after school, before dinner and certainly well before dark.  At night after the evening meal, I would tie up the phone line for hours doing homework with my best friend. My parents didn't mind me tying up the phone because I was doing something constructive.  In the daylight hours at home we also played a lot of action games like tag, dodgeball, hide and seek and tether ball.  My dad put up a tether ball post in the yard and when I was at school, I loved to play tether ball at recess and lunch.  My younger brother and I also played a lot of ping pong with two of the local teachers who taught ping pong to the youth.  We didn't have our own ping pong table at home and we did this at a local community organization.

I believe we got a television when I about 6 or 7 years of age and we only had two channels. I remember western shows like The High Chaparral and Davey Crockett. The main television shows for kids were on Sunday night though. I loved Ed Sullivan and the Wonderful World of Disney. I learned a lot about the culture, the popular music and so on by watching Ed Sullivan though I think my favourite segment was when Ed Sullivan would talk to the puppet Topo Gigio. My heart would melt. I thought Topo Gigio was so sweet. Of course Ed Sullivan show is where I heard about all the singers of those days including: Mahalia Jackson, The Supremes, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Janis Joplin and The Rolling Stones as well as many others.

 

I used to love the Topo Gigio segment on Ed Sullivan

 

Food was anything my mother made. She was an excellent cook and we were never bored with the menu.  She didn't make fancy dishes, just good home cooking with substantial stick to your ribs kind of food.

2. Moving along to the teen years would you mind sharing some of the same things with us? What were you interested in?  What did you watch on TV or listen to on the radio?  Tell us all about you as a teenager.

I got saved in my early tween years and church took up a lot of the week. By this time I was going to church about 4 times a week which is the norm in Pentecostal circles (Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday and Friday night). I also was part of our small church choir so we had practise on one of those nights and of course there was always the Christmas and sometimes Easter plays at church and school. I didn't really enjoy being in the plays and I still don't. But I did love singing in the small choir. In summer we went to a wonderful Bible camp. It was always such fun; the food was great, sermons were motivating and friends and activities were plenty. 

My siblings and I were basically well behaved kids.  If anyone did get into mischief we were made to be accountable for it and make things right.  It was mostly my younger brother who got into a bit of mischief here and there. We were all kept very busy babysitting and with required daily chores around the house.  After we completed our chores we were free to do homework or play.  We were in great demand as babysitters but when I think about it now I shudder. We were just children looking after children and in those days people usually had several children at home. But the times were very different then.  Rules around child care were not as stringent as they are today and thankfully nothing bad happened.

I never did like radio much though I listened to it every morning before setting of for school.  We would have to get up very early for school. Once we woke up we would wash and get dressed, make and eat breakfast and gather our school books, bags and lunches . All the while the radio would be on so we could listen closely to the weather report and be alert to any school closure announcements due to inclement weather. At times it would be so very cold.  I can still remember being so annoyed when the DJ played certain hits songs over and over again.  One of the songs was by the late BJ Thomas entitled, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head".  Meanwhile, it was in the dead of winter with enormous amounts of snow and freezing temperatures.  This experience led me to dislike that song forever though I did come to enjoy BJ Thomas' other hits. 

More my style in the later teen years were the Rolling Stones and Janice Joplin. By this time I was no longer in church quite as often.  My world and tastes were expanding somewhat though I never really strayed too far into the 'world'. I remember I had an 8 track player and 2 'albums' and I played them again and again at top volume.  I cannot believe that my mother and father never once complained.  They just let me listen to the same songs over and over again. I think if the shoe were on the other foot I would not be so understanding. 

My siblings and I were very sheltered from the bad things in the world.  There were a lot of opportunities for kids to get into bad habits but my parents made sure they kept a watchful eye over us and protected us as much as possible.  I thank God for that because mother and father did not go to church themselves yet both of them believed in God and in a decent way of living. They also tried to be understanding and supportive of whatever we wanted to do as long as it was reasonable and lawful.  They supported my musical tastes at the time too.  I had absolutely no idea about the kind of lifestyle that rock n rollers were living when I was in my rock n roll phase.  When Janis Joplin died at such a young age I am not even sure if I knew why or how she died. I just remember being shocked and saddened. My mother was also saddened on my behalf. We had both liked the song "Bobby McGee"by Ms. Joplin. In fact, mother and I had started playing acoustic guitar and singing together for fun at home and we learned that song. We never sang for an audience unless it was a visitor or two. I was simply too shy for that. But my mother had a wonderful voice and her own singing style. She grew up singing country or country gospel songs at public events like rodeos. She and I began to sing many songs together all for fun and for a hobby.  Though she sang a lot in her youth she didn't want to sing for the public anymore as she had not kept her voice muscles in good condition.  Other hobbies I started during these years were crochet and beadwork.  Mother and I liked to bead together and we made earrings and necklaces which we sold here and there.

I still remember hearing about the death of Janis Joplin. So young but she had made a mark.

 3. Would you share your college or young working years with us?  Did your interests change or grow in your late teens or early 20s?  Did your friend come or go?  Did you live at school or home or have a place of your own?  So many questions only you can answer.

As I grew up and started university, I was still very studious and still did a lot of babysitting.  By this time my entire family had moved far away from where we all grew up.  We moved because I was going to go to university.  My father had recently died in a vehicle accident and my mother wanted a complete change and new start too and my need to go away for study coincided with the family's needs. I lived at home for the first two years of study before moving south to Vancouver to complete studies.  At this time my musical tastes changed from rock n roll toward folk music and I also began listening to more classical music. I had also returned to church life and many of my family members came to know the Lord during this period as well. Country music and country gospel were popular in the household and I kept on singing and playing guitar in private for fun. In act my brother did the same. My sister was left handed and found it hard to play the guitar but she loved to sing too.  Playing an instrument and singing were just things that so many people did back in those days.  Though many of us were never that talented we all enjoyed it immensely.

I kept in touch with a few friends through letter for awhile but gradually we all drifted apart as we all got busy with our own lives and new friends.  This was in the days before Facebook or social media and cell phones. I still retain fond memories of all my childhood friendships.  From time to time, I do wonder whatever became of 'so and so'.  Now and then I have tried to locate one or two old friends but haven't had much success in that regard.

After completing university I moved east to begin my career but after a few years returned to Vancouver and have been there ever since.  During all these years I had great work opportunities but worked too hard.  I didn't have any time for a personal life or for cultivating hobbies. I love working and when I work, I tend to over do it.  I had no idea about work life balance as I'd been trained to always do an excellent job. When you are working and there aren't enough staff or resources to do an excellent job it means you yourself have to put in the time and energy. I'm also a "recovering" perfectionist and have been very hard on myself and others who don't give their best efforts at all times.  In retrospect I wish I had learned about the need to pace oneself and take care of the body, the mind, the emotions and spirit at the same time as earning a living.  All the emphasis on work took a toll on my health and since those years, I've been in a  process of learning to be content with my physical limitations as much as I try to improve the physical body.  I am learning firsthand the meaning of 2 Corinthians 12:9 and God has been faithful. I've also learned that not everything needs to be done to a very high standard. Some things can be done to an okay standard.

4. And lately... what are the topics occupying your mind right now?   How have things changed in your life in the not to distant past. Are you okay with the changes?

The topics occupying my mind right now primarily relate to health, family and faith. Of course the broader things going on in the world are never far from my thoughts and prayers.

Books picked up at the library on February 15, 2022

 

Now that I am no longer working and we've all had to stay home for a few years, I have lost touch with so many people.  I try to look on the bright side of things and do what I can to keep in touch with people through technology.  If one cannot get together with others in real life we are so fortunate to have technologies that help us meet others and stay connected. It isn't quite the same thing but it is a good thing.

Last, but not least, I always have the Kenyan missions needs on my mind. As time goes on I wonder how much I will continue to be able to do  to help the grassroots people in Kenya. God knows and I try to leave it all with him. I also try to look for small ways to save funds to send to the mission field or small ways to earn funds for that purpose. Along that vein, I have recently added advertisements to the blog in case you are wondering.

My post is a very long one and I was late to preparing it.  In the next day or so I may change it up a bit as I review for errors or things that aren't clear. Thanks so much for your visit today. I appreciate it!

Joining in with Tuesday 4 here.

What's Up in My World

It was a real treat to go to a restaurant on Monday night. I had so many errands to run and I didn't want to make a late dinner so I opted to go to a local Vietnamese restaurant. 

This dinner consists of pork brochette, roll dip, crepes and fried rice and though it was a tad over done it was still very delicious. (Click on each photo to enlarge).

I also made a library run. I picked up these three books which came up early on my hold request. I'm still working on 2 other books. I hope I can finish them all before someone else makes a request for them. That's always the challenge with popular books.

While at the library I took notice of their digital language services. Some day I've got to investigate further and use the service. 

Likewise with these free creative lessons also on digital offer. 

I haven't done anything crafty for awhile so I started this doily.  I love making doilies and have missed doing so. 

I've also been using the Instant Pot for cooking dinner these days. It keeps flavor in and makes cooking so much easier. 

Pot roast, cabbage, carrots, onion and potatoes with gravy.

Chicken (cooked in IP) served with roasted fries topped with chili, green salad.

I think I mentioned before that I try to follow the Fly Lady house cleaning routine system.  I've never been one who liked a lot of structure and routines but I found that with everything I want to get done, I needed more structure to my days.  The daily and weekly routines keep me fairly busy.  At the same time I'm also downsizing, decluttering, redecorating, bringing paperwork up to date, enjoying hobbies, working on Kenyan missions, following through with all the doctors appointments and doing all the things that arise with daily household and family life.

 

I've also started Christmas preparations slowly but surely. Last week I prepared most of my Christmas cards, printed recipes to include with some of the cards, made frequent trips to the post office to pick up parcels and send mail, purchased some artificial flowers for my yet to be made holiday bouquet.  I've also been scouring the on line shops for the last few gifts I want to send to loved ones and friends.  Hopefully I'll be done with all but three cards and gifts by the end of November.

With all these activities I can honestly say I'm never bored. I just wish I could accomplish things a lot more quickly than I seem to do.  But slow progress is better than no progress. 

How about you dear reader?  What is keeping you busy these days? Have you started Christmas preparations? Do you have a lot to do? 

I don't really have a lot to do to get ready for Christmas. I could get by with preparing a simple meal and putting up  minimal decorations. However, I like to reach out to others at Christmas and try to make a bit of an effort at the holiday.  After all they only happen once a year.  This means remembering people with cards and notes and often making hand made gifts if time permits, otherwise I look to buy something suitable.  Some years I give fewer gifts than other years.  A lot of that depends on what my loved ones need or what they may be going through.  Much of the time most of us in the family really don't need more things when we already have so much compared to those in the Kenyan villages where I've seen first hand the suffering and the hardships.  There is a great need for even the most basic of things (food, medicine, education, books, pens and so on).  One year I was fortunate enough to be in Kenya during Christmas month and I enjoyed visiting several villages and taking basic food supplies to many widows and orphans.

 

I would love to do a bit more baking at Christmas but I don't like to bake if I don't have more people to share it with so the past few years I've only made Christmas bark because we always eat chocolate and nuts. Since the pandemic began I have only visited with 5 people:  my nephew and his girlfriend (we visited outside in the park), my brother and his wife (we had dinner at a restaurant) and one friend (we've met for coffee a few times which we usually drink outside the coffee shop).  Of course I've mingled with others at the post office, the pharmacy and the grocery store but my world has become very small and I take all the precautions.  I have been fully vaccinated and all of my contacts have been fully vaccinated too. I'm due for a booster shot early in December.

Last but not least, I want to mention that I've put a new Pay Pal link on the blog for those that are able to donate to Kenyan missions. Perhaps some of you are thinking of a Christmas gift to the missions. It will be a huge blessing to those in Kenya who have no social safety net. You simply need to click the red flower on the side bar and it will take you to the right place. My friend Jo says to tell everyone that "it's dead easy!" Thank so much for your consideration.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers 🦃🦃🦃🙏🙏🙏

and 

Happy Season of Christmas preparations to all. 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Update - Mostly Health and Decor

 Hi again,

 It seems so very long since I've written here about what is going on so here goes.  I meant to post on Thursday for Skywatch Friday and post some autumn photos but time slipped away on me.

I'm still recovering.  My face still looks like quite a fright but the swelling has gone down a lot.  Now I watch the colourful bruises change from day to day.  I have a big bump under my right eye. When I touch it is is very hard.  This is where I have a fractured bone. After a lot of telephone tag, I finally have an appointment to see the plastic surgeon in just over a week. 

I've been working very hard for over a month to try and manage my blood sugar levels better. I had been eating well, exercising and watching snacks but the sugar levels just keep going up. I have been researching all about the causes of insulin resistance and the effects of low carbohydrate diet on insulin and blood glucose. I am now on one meal a day (OMAD) and Intermittent Fasting. I'm glad to say the blood sugar level has come down a lot. I compared my current reading to the last few years and I see that I haven't had such a good reading in 4 years.  So I 'm very excited and will keep doing what I'm doing. Hopefully in 3 months the blood sugar will be even better.  Since I've been trying this new way of eating I am not posting photos of my cooked meals.  It just isn't that interesting but if I should somehow become more creative about the meals, I will post about it.

I haven't been able to get back to household routines while I've been recovering. I'm too sore and tired and I still have a lot of neck and shoulder tension.  But I am moving forward every day to complete a number of 'to dos' and errands that I've been wanting to get to for long. That is how I happened to be out to get some photos some of which I'm sharing today.

The Sea bus to the North Shore leaves regularly from downtown.

During Covid it has been much harder to do the shopping for anything other than groceries and medicines.  Over the summer things opened up more and  now I'm running around trying to get what I need.  I'm also worried that things might become more restrictive again so the more I can do now, the better.

Most of my 'to dos' have been focussed on trying to fill the gaps and needs in my home.  I'm doing everything on a very tight budget so it takes a lot of looking around, consideration of the overall theme and colour scheme, seeing about the size of pieces and how to get them home. Truth is, I've been looking for some of these items for a few years already but wanted to get rid of other things first. I'm not much of a decorator. I usually see something I like and then I try to make it work. But now I have to be far more mindful if I want to avoid collecting a bunch of things that just sit unused.

I took this photo from the downtown Simon Fraser Uni. campus

I have needed dining chairs for a very long time.  Whenever I'd have people for dinner it would usually be a crowd so we didn't sit at the table anyway. We would gather on sofa, ottoman and side chairs.  Before I got different chairs I wanted to get rid of my old ones.  I did that just over a year ago. I've been searching for quite awhile for just the right chairs: sturdy, right colour, appropriate style and good price.  I finally bought some thrifted dining room chairs and they are absolutely nothing like I originally planned to buy. In the end I got tired of looking and considering and these chairs will do just fine. As it turns out my late sis owned a set of these oak dining chairs an an oak table to go with them.

They are just solid, oak wood chairs that will blend in with many other furniture items and decor.  These are not very popular chairs where I live.  Most people want modern or post-modern furnishings, not traditional or farmhouse.  However I happened to look at a new issue of Victoria magazine and saw the chairs featured in a restaurant and in some beautiful photos. I also saw them in a music joint in a You Tube video featuring Zydeco music and dancing.  So I'm thinking the chairs are popular with restaurants and bars in rural areas of the USA.  I think if I lived in a rural area in Canada, I could also find a lot of these chairs but not here in the city.  I found some on the Wayfair website (see photo below).  They vary in price from about $250 per chair to $550 per chair. If you find the chair in a brick and mortar store I'm certain they would cost a lot less.  In fact, my late sis used to own the exact same chairs and an oak table to go with them.  They and can be stained or painted a different colour and that was one of the reasons I bought them besides the fact that they are solid.  I had been looking for new chairs in a more traditional style and primarily made of wood or a neutral coloured fabric.  It wasn't easy to find anything in a style and material that I like and that won't need constant tightening of the screws and also fit the budget.  The antique oak and cane dining chairs I gave to my cousin needed regular tightening of the legs and I grew tired of dealing with that.  It seems modern chairs may be no better.  My cousin lives in the country where there are craftspeople who can repair what needs repair. In fact, her father-in-law did the job of fixing up the chairs for her and she absolutely loves them.  I am happy too that I found a good home for them because my late mother bought the chairs for me as a gift.  I picked the chairs against my mother's better judgement. I should have listened to her.

One chair on Wayfair for $450.

When I'm up to it, I'll share a few of my container finds from the thrift store for those of you who like thrift hauls.  I did a bit of research on the pieces I bought before I decided to go ahead and buy them.  I wanted to be sure the prices were not too high and I also wanted to consider whether I would really use them or they would just become clutter.  I hesitated to buy them at all because I'm not yet ready to display and use them.  I  need to get a few shelves to put up  in the kitchen and then I'll be ready to put out the containers.

I  also found new planter pots to repot some the aloe vera plants and other large plants that already out grew the pots I put them in over the summer. I was glad to complete this job before winter arrives.  They should all be good in their new pots for a long time to come. 

I've long had an interest in Chinese porcelain but to be honest, they don't go with my decor. I have such eclectic tastes which lean toward bohemian or classic. However this past 6 months or so, I've been trying to hone in on a style and I'm going for ethnic or tribal bohemian to incorporate different things I've collected over the years. It might seem a bit strange to hone in on a style as I head into my the last third of my life but I see it as one way to harness my purchasing habits so that I don't end up with a lot of needless things as the years go by.

• Can anyone relate to being indecisive about what style you really like or do you just go all eclectic? 
• Does anyone relate to ethnic or tribal bohemian decor?  

So the Chinese porcelain doesn't really fit in though perhaps some small items here and there will work. 

A jaunt to Chinatown to check out plants and porcelain

 

The Bamboo Village was my destination. They carry a lot of plants and pots

The thrift store where I bought the dining chairs was selling 2 Chinese porcelain pieces that had not yet been priced. I was a bit interested in them so I went to Chinatown to see if I could price similar items. I also checked on line and then went back to the store. It turns out the larger porcelain piece, which is the one I liked most, had been sold just a few minutes before I arrived.

I found out it was sold for $140. I couldn't believe it because though that is less expensive than what you will pay on the Wayfair website, it is definitely not what I consider thrift store prices. I also think you can buy a similar piece in store for a lot less if you look around.  he thrift store isn't an antique store and of course like all thrift stores the items are donated to them for charitable purposes.  I just don't agree with pricing donated items out of the range of most thrift shoppers. I likely wouldn't have purchased it anyway but I had to go through the process. The store has a second item which hasn't been put out yet because the lady who prices the items told me she is still researching.  When she researched the piece she found it on line for $3000. and on that basis she is going to price it on the expensive but hasn't yet decided on the final amount.  

I had discovered that there is a city in China (and quite likely many cities) where making porcelain reproductions is their chief business. So I asked "how do you know the vase isn't a reproduction?" She didn't have a good answer for me and acknowledged it could be a reproduction and that she hasn't finalized her research.  This is another reason why thrift stores should not try to act like they know about authentic art vs. fakes and reproductions.  If they keep prices on the high side they might end up selling something to some unsuspecting person who pays a lot and the purchaser might end up with a fake!  Anyway, I'm glad I was not interested in purchasing the piece.  It is a vase with butterflies painted on them similar to the photo above.  It wasn't that pretty to my eye.  The one in the photo is nicer. If I ever do purchase a Chinese porcelain pot or two I won't be looking to buy originals so I don't want to pay high prices. I am no collector of fine porcelain. I just want something pretty that catches my eye.

More fun for me was going to the fabric store and buying muslin and cotton fabric and cotton webbing. I have some tea towels on hand that I want to turn into some bags.  This is just to occupy my time and perhaps give some gifts as it is that time of year again. I have one or two people in mind for the bags. 

We celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada on Monday. I will be making ham for dinner so we don't have turkey for two holidays in a row. I like to have turkey on Christmas Day. If you are a Canadian reader, have a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

 

One of my brothers who lives far from me will be visiting with his wife a week after Thanksgiving. They are coming to Vancouver on a short vacation and it will be nice to see them again.  Since it's Covid times, their options for travel are limited.  Though we've talked and visited by phone, I haven't seen them since mom's funeral service in April 2017. Time does fly by so fast.

Last but not least, I'm reading a bit. Here are 3 books on my list at this time. I can recommend them all. 

 

The Book of Candlelight is a mystery set in a town called Miracle Springs. The town suffers a flood and mystery unfolds concerning the death of a Cherokee pottery maker. 

Under the Table is chick literature.  The story concerns a woman who separates from her husband, moves to New York City to live with her sister and start a new life through cooking and catering private dinner parties. On one of her jobs she meets a reclusive, nerdy multi-millionaire and with his consent, begins a process of making him over.

1000 White Women is a fictional book based on a historical fact. It's the story of May Dodd who was committed to an insane asylum by her rich family because she married a man they felt was beneath her station in life. In 1875, she decides to volunteer to travel to the American West and marry the chief of the Cherokee Nation. The marriage opportunity is through a secretive government program and she joins up so she can escape the asylum.

Enjoy your weekend and the week ahead.

A Snapshot of the Last Few Days

It's peach season in British Columbia and lately I have been craving peaches. I purchased some to eat about 2 weeks ago and over the weekend I purchased a 10 pound box of peaches for canning. I haven't canned anything in years so I took my time reviewing the process.

First I had to take the big canning pot from it's resting place and thoroughly clean it before I could sterilize the jars. It had accumulated so much dirt and grime due to no enclosed storage and no ventilation in the kitchen for a dog's.  The actual canning process was a bit messy because even though I purchased the peaches the night before I did the canning, they were likely sitting at the store for one week before I purchased them.  They were a sale item and I  bought them on the last day of the sale.  When I opened them up they were going a bit soft.  Have you every tried blanching, then peeling and slicing, slightly mushy peaches? It gets a bit messy but oh so yummy.
 

I canned 10 - 500 ml jars in total. It wasn't cheaper than buying a can of peaches at the store due to the cost of the peaches and also having to buy the jars and lids. Fortunately I already had the big pot for sterilizing and canning. At least now I have a supply of freshly canned peaches to satisfy my sweet tooth over the coming winter (I know, let's not think about winter just yet, lol). The added benefit is I used the smallest amount of sugar I could get away with. One can actually can without sugar but it affects taste, colour and shelf life.

The finished product. I could have packed them a little more tightly.

 

In  some of my more recent blog posts I've mentioned that I have all these household jobs and projects I want to accomplish.  I don't seem to be making quick progress on them but slowly and surely I am getting things done and will ultimately achieve most, if not all, of my goals.  the majority of the projects are small and one category of projects is mending.  Anyone who mends knows they usually have a pile of things that need mending when you can find a few moments here and there.  I tackled a  small mending job on a hand towel.  About 2 years ago I purchased a set of expensive towels that were supposedly made from high end cotton.  Within a very short time the edges on one of the  hand towels significantly (see the first photo below). I didn't know whether I could repair it because there was very little of the edging border left. I did my best and I'm hoping it will hold together (see the second photo). This repair was done by hand stitching not by machine.  Trying to sew such a narrow border by machine would have probably been more obvious of a repair and also more of a finicky job for me.

Homemade green (and fruit) flavoured smoothies and cappuccinos have been on  my menu this week.  I've had my eye on a Nespresso machine for quite some time.  I saw it recently for a good discount so I snapped it up. Now I have to stock up on coffee pods which are super expensive. But I'm also going to get some refillable pods to cut down on both the cost and the environmental waste.  So far  I've made 2 cappuccinos and one larger cup of coffee and I really enjoyed all. I also continue to enjoy the smoothies. This one is banana, strawberry, vegan protein powder, MCT protein powder, ice and water. I didn't want the banana due to the sugar content but the bananas are going bad and I don't need any more frozen bananas.

I mentioned the book below in my last post and it is now in the completed pile.  I give this book a 4 out of 5 mainly due to what I thought was a clever plot line and a heroic feat in bringing all the puzzle pieces of the story together.

I went to a new specialist doctor recently and this is what the waiting room looks like. I loved the views from the lobby looking toward downtown Vancouver.

 

Signage to keep people apart in the seating area.

Last but not least on the home front, here is a collage made of  my garden and sunrise photos taken on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. The garden never really bloomed properly this summer and some things didn't take at all. I think the intense heat was to blame. The other blame goes to the great many sow bugs that were looking for something to eat. I didn't realize that was the issue until very late in the season. I'm so happy that the garden is still giving colour though my plans to sit outside on the patio and relax this past summer season did not pan out at all. I hope next year will be better.

In Kenya, we have been helping a pastor who has travelled from the outback areas of Marigat Town.  Pastor Jonah was able to host him for a few nights in Nakuru, Kenya.  

The two pastors at the hospital (Jonah in the blue, Pastor P in the brown).

 

Pastor P is from a very small village and receives little by way of stipend so having a safe, free place to stay while in the big city of Nakuru is a huge burden off his shoulders.  He has been experiencing stomach troubles and had to go for endoscopic procedures and other tests at one of the city hospitals. He is being tested for cancer amongst other things but we are hoping it is an infection that can be treated through antibiotics. 

The drinking water that comes from the well where Pastor P lives is not suitable for drinking.  This is a real pity because it is the well need Pastor Jonah brought to my attention back in 2007.  We helped in the early days of the to get an engineering report done and to raise awareness with organizations that might help to undertake the well project.  There were many others who helped along the way including people from Israel who ultimately built the well. Even though the water is not really suitable for drinking, the people still drink it because they have no choice. I heard that the Kenyan government is trying to see what can be done about the water situation.  I don't know exactly what the government is doing or whether it is actually serious about doing anything because the community had been left on it's own regarding water needs for a great many years.

Livingstone will return to the doctor in Kericho next week for follow up concerning his broken his leg. He has been in a cast for 3 months now and has been sticking close to home because he is a patient who also recovered from Covid. He is doing well for the most part. 

Livingstone and Pastor P need our prayers as does Rose, who is with child. So far she is also doing okay at home. Pastor Jonah also needs prayer support as he has a lot on his plate. Right now he is waiting for the hospital to get a new supply of vaccines which are arriving in Kenya imminently if not already. His doctor wants to give him a different vaccine (vaccine mixing) this time. I think this is a good idea as it will mix AZ and Pfizer and I've read that early studies show this boosts effectiveness of AZ by 6x. However I've just heard on the news that people who mix vaccines are prevented from entering certain countries or they have to quarantine due to the fact that some governments don't recognize mixed vaccination as 'full vaccination'. Everything is so complex. We pray for wisdom in this regard.

Rainy Sky in June

Hi friends and fellow bloggers. I hope you are all doing well. I am keeping very busy.

Early this week I finally completed the digital project I've been working on and now I'm turning to a few other things like reading, sewing and crafts. I've also got a lot to catch up on with lab tests, medical and dental appointments. I also go in for my 2nd Covid jab next week. I'll be glad when that is done though I hardly think that will be the end of it all. We will all hear more in time but I'm thankful that the country's Covid numbers are now getting under control. It will only help us if all other countries can also get their numbers under control before the world wide travel restrictions are lifted. I'm hopeful that I can visit with two different family members before the end of the summer.

I don't think I've shared here yet but I finally was able to have my late mom's power wheelchair picked up for assessment and repair. This has been on hold for a very long time due to Covid restrictions. But at last it went out the door and the good news is that the things I thought needed repair were the exact things that needed repair (new batteries, charger and air for the 2 Roho cushions). My friend and the organization she belongs to raised the funds for the repairs and the chair will now be gifted to a woman who is a paraplegic. I am very happy for her as it will make her life that much easier. To date she has been trying to get by in a manual wheelchair that she propels herself. This is just not working out and is very exhausting as you can imagine. Now she will be able to drive around in comfort.

 

Alvin, the young man in Kenya is now in his first phase of seminary training called Postulancy.  He is at the halfway mark of a 2 month period of introductory studies. Once that finishes he will return home to Nairobi for a brief break before commencing full time study in August. He is going through a period of adjustment but I think overall he will enjoy it.

Livingstone was recovering at home from Covid 19 and has been out of quarantine now for just over a week. He has also returned to the hospital for what we thought was removal of his leg cast.  Instead the hospital has asked him to start on a vitamin regime, removed his old cast and put a new cast on.  Many villagers do not get adequate nutrition and this makes it difficult for them to heal in the normal way. I hope next time he goes to the doctor they will find that his leg has properly healed.

 

 

I hope all is well in your part of the world. Keep safe.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.