Showing posts with label winter 2021. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter 2021. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Quick Changes in the Weather & Short Kenyan Update

I'm easing into 2022. Most people seem to jump right into their activities, plans and goals once the New Year arrives. I tend to slide into the year and take things slowly.  

The main priority in the very early part of the new year is putting all the Christmas decorations away and catching up on any housework that may need doing after making two big holiday dinners (Christmas Day and New Year's Day) within a 7 day period.  This year we had turkey dinner for Christmas and glazed, roasted ham for New Year's dinner. It was all good and appreciated by family but it takes me days to catch up with all the washing up afterwards.

I mentioned the new planner I ordered but it won't arrive for another 10 days or so. In the meantime, I'm just using a wall calendar to keep things organized. I've got several appointments this month but due to inclement weather I'm postponing an appointment here and there.

This is what the sky looked like on January 3, 2022.  I really liked the colour in the sky.



The next photos show how it looked when the snow started falling again. It snowed for a few hours and stopped in early evening.  We're supposed to get another wallop of snow on Wednesday night.  How quickly the days change. 

You can see in the bottom photo that the snow is coming down very thick and fast.  In fact the snow sounded a bit like rain.  I guess that means the snow was filled with water and it was raining 'icicles'.  At least it is considerably warmer than it was a few days ago when I was having trouble keeping warm enough indoors.





I'm thinking I should try to clean the bird bath and the feeders for the birds but until the snow eases it's a bit pointless.

How is the weather where you are?

Do you do anything special for our feathered friends?

 

Late breaking Kenyan Missions of Hope update:

Some of you may remember Rose, the mature, pregnant woman in Kenya. She has had a difficult pregnancy and almost lost the baby once or twice. She is now in the hospital in Kericho, Kenya awaiting delivery. The doctor will do a C-section and Rose will remain in hospital for about 5 days. Health insurance will cover approximately one third of the cost (or 30,000 Kenyan shillings of the total 100,000 shilling cost). We need to raise the rest of the funds. 

Please keep Rose, the unborn child, her health care team and the financial needs in prayer.


Monday, December 6, 2021

Gratitude December - Day 6

Happy Monday. πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰

Today we woke up to snow 🌨️❄️🌨️ It is cold enough to freeze the water in the bird bath. πŸ¦πŸ›



On Day 6 of Gratitude December I'm grateful for indoor heating. πŸ”₯

For a warming dinner I made beef brisket in the Instant Pot.


I hope you are warm enough where you are.🧣πŸ₯ΎπŸ§€

 



Thank you for stopping by!

Friday, February 26, 2021

The Last Friday in February 2021

This week I thought for sure we were going to get spring weather but it snowed again.  When I awoke on Thursday this is what the scene looked like (left side). As the day progressed the sky clouded over and the snow melted

There was a pinkish glow over the ski mountain (to the right of the church steeple in the photo). The phone camera didn't capture the colour so well.


I bought most of these small cans of herbal teas on sale and I've only just started drinking them. The two I've tried (Antiox and Immune) are quite good. The Early Grey is not herbal tea but it is decaffeinated. 


These came in handy this week while I was fighting off a sore throat during the snow spells we've been having. Normally I enjoy a cup of Rooibos tea (Red Bush tea from South Africa) at night.


I baked these beef pot pies a few days ago as lunch items or snacks.  They are store bought and I don't like them much but they fill a need if nothing else is handy.

 

Reading

I finished reading Woman in the Wilderness which I found interesting. This woman who lives in the wilds of New Zealand has written two books but my library only has this one.


 

I'm finishing up with these two books. The fashion book is super interesting and is basically about the psychology of fashion or clothing and also provides tips on how to construct a minimalist wardrobe. I've been trying hard to fill the gaps in my wardrobe for years but with steady weight loss it has been challenging. I keep having to get rid of things and buy new things though I only ever buy on sale. Thus I don't always have the best selection or the colour selection I want but I do my best. There is no way I will pay full price for things though I do try to buy good quality regardless.  This week some on line purchases arrived. I didn't have much luck with them though. Most of the clothing was either a tad too small or a tad too big. I was very happy to have get a pair of slip on shoes for a fraction of the regular price. They are just a tad too long but I know the next size down would be too small and the store doesn't have any stock left whatsoever. I guess the clearance price made it appealing to a lot of other women. Anyway, whenever items don't fit it is a lot of work to package it all up and return it. I will try to do that this weekend. I may even go to the store in person to speed up the refund.


 

The next book on my list, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, looks and sounds interesting. If you click on the title of the book I've linked it to an article in the Irish Time, summarizing how the author came to the idea for the story and how it took shape.
 


Shopping and Air Travel Points

I went shopping today a bit farther afield than I usually go because there is a point promotion going on for collection of Air Miles. I made a list of items I need that gave bonus Air Miles.

 

Of course all this food needs to be sorted and put away. My fridge needs a good cleaning too.

It takes forever to collect these points or rewards unless you shop at all participating stores. Which I don't. I save these and eventually hope to use them toward a few nights hotel somewhere.  I'm not sure where I will go yet or how easy it will be to use the points. I only used Air Miles once before on a trip to New York. We stayed in Seacaucus, NJ and another place near the Jersey Shore. It was many years ago now but I do remember that both places were Holiday Inn hotels with the latter being an Express (limited services).  I especially enjoyed the service and the location of the Holiday Inn at Seacaucus. They are located in a mall area with access to restaurants, cinemas and a few shops.  There is a shuttle bus that takes you to the train station which you can hop on and it drops you right downtown Manhattan at Penn Station.  We actually chose this location to avoid paying for car parking in Manhattan.  It can get rather pricey. In those days I was barely walking so all these things were very important to my stay. If I should ever return to NYC I would gladly stay in Seacaucus again. 

Covid 19 Vaccination Plan

We are a little behind in my province for getting vaccines though they did start implementing them in late January to residents in care homes and staff. On Monday the government and top medical doctor will release details of where and how to register for the vaccination. They have already identified in which order different groups of people will be vaccinated and it is for the most part based on age. It means I will be at the end of the queue though I suppose that could change. Either way I'm okay with it. I'm more concerned about those that are older and in care or dealing with people every day. At least I can keep myself at home and much safer than many others can.

Kenya 

Pastor Jonah has been working on the court documents for the land grant and a court hearing will be held in early March. Hopefully this will conclude the court process for the land grant to be effective. After that land will need to be registered at the Land Title Offices and so there will be some cost and time involved in that process as well. 

I realized the other day that I hadn't sent any funds for planting. In earlier years I would help the people do the planting in January which is the normal start to the planting season but the last few years I've had to delay the planting as I've found myself over extended as costs have risen both in Kenya and in Canada. We really cannot delay anymore otherwise several families are without food to eat through the year. So funds have now been sent. In a few days additional funds will be send for the day to day needs (medical, soaps, additional food stuffs like flour and oil, etc.). If you are able to assist in any way kindly get in touch.

At Home 

I'm marking my 3rd year with the community garden plot located a few blocks from my home.  Last year I found it difficult to manage two gardens during the time of Covid.  This year I've asked a young relative to take over the garden for me and she readily agreed.  The garden overseers have already been in touch about compost, garden repairs and so on that will occupy the summer months. My relative is eagerly studying and learning about what to plant and how to start seeds. If she enjoys the gardening experience maybe she will want to continue with me the following summer or get her own plot.  With the help at the community plot I will only have to care for the patio garden and I have a lot of work to do there. Despite my best intentions of cleaning it last autumn I never got around to it. I need to start buying what I need soon and I hope if all goes well that I can start this weekend. If not, it will be next weekend.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday.


It Was a Spectacular Day! ~ Skywatch

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, It was a spectacular, sunny day where I live. It's still rather chilly from my point of view but the ...