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| February 2, 2022 |
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| February 11, 2022 |
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| February 12, 2022 |
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| February 15, 2022 |
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| February 18, 2022 |
Joining in with Skywatch Friday.
Thank you for stopping 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.
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| 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.
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| 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? 
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.
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| 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.
Thursday is usually errand day for me and I often run several errands on this day. However, today I only ran one and that was to do some grocery shopping. I don't want to be running major errands this weekend unless it's to the library.
I really didn't want to go out today but I finally did and I closed out the store because I went out so late. It means I didn't shop as carefully as I normally would but at least it's all done! Go me 👍🎉🎈. I intended to buy a few items needed to make taco soup. Would you believe I completely missed out on buying 2 of the items I need? I can probably get by without buying sour cream because I have plain Greek yogurt. I may need to go out and buy taco seasoning and cream cheese but there is a possibility I have both in my cupboards and refrigerator. I'll have to check more closely before buying more.
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. I didn't mention that Friday and Saturday's menu consists of roasted chicken with red potatoes and veggies/salad. Another night is taco soup topped with avocado, shredded cheese and a dollop of cream.
Once I got to the store I saw that a 2 pack of whole chickens, a "family pack" of steak and roast beef were on sale. I picked them up and also picked up a round of Kolbassa sausage. Though I haven't exactly planned the week's menu I have certain basic things that I do with the meat and fowl and I have been experimenting of late just to keep things interesting. I find the cost of beef, pork and chicken have gone through the roof. For awhile the store wasn't selling the 2 pack of chicken which had always been a staple of mine. I'm craving chicken souvlaki with rice pilaf and lemon-garlic potatoes. Maybe now I can make some. I would buy more chickens but I have no available freezer space. (Please click on all photos to enlarge).
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| I got a good selection of vegetables, herbs and greens. |
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| I don't often buy beef steaks or roasts anymore. |
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| 2 pack chicken, fruits, choc bars and other treats. |
If you're like me you like to see how much other people pay for their groceries. I know that some places like England and parts of the USA, do not pay the same high prices we pay in Canada. Within Canada too the prices vary a lot. It is much cheaper to buy groceries in places like Edmonton, Alberta or Toronto, Ontario, than it is in Vancouver, BC. For what reason, I do not know and I find it rather annoying.
Today's haul cost me just over $100 (see receipt) and I paid for the pack of chicken with points, not cash. This food will last about 10 -14 days, perhaps longer if we have meatless days. But I will need to supplement the haul with other things like more veggies, milk, eggs,yogurt and possibly bread/baked goods; all as needed. Considering prices here, I think the overall total was a good deal.
I haven't mentioned Kenya for awhile and I wanted to let people know that I'm still looking for a helper for Janet, the lady who started a hair business after being chased from her family home. My assistance will come to an end in March and I would like to find someone who could help her and her 4 daughters for a few months. It would mean $40 - 60 Canadian per month. This is just enough to pay rent and a few food items. It would help her get a surer footing. If you cannot afford that but want to help her, please send any amount.
Rose, the mature woman who recently had a baby by C-Section is now in the town of Kericho with her friend. She has developed a bit of an infection in her wound and the doctor wanted her to visit the hospital more than once this week so she could be treated. She returns Friday (it's already Friday in Kenya) then hopefully she will be released to home. It costs approximately $35 - $40. Canadian for each visit. Almost two thirds of this amount is for private transport since Rose cannot ride the crowded vans they call matatu with her baby. It isn't safe, especially during this time of Covid and it also isn't good for her wound. This past week was more expensive than $35 - $40 because the baby's umbilical cord area also required a bit of medical attention and Rose's wound needed treatment.
In Kenya you can either pay the hospital to provide all medicines or you can buy it yourself at a less expensive pharmacy. In all cases we do what we can to save costs and buy medical supplies and even medicines at the pharmacy. One needs to shop around to find the best pharmacy prices because costs vary a lot. Then the doctors will administer the medicine or use the supplies on your behalf when y\uou visit at the hospital or in their office. This is quite acceptable in Kenya but would never "fly" in Canada or in most western nations.
By the way, Rose named her baby boy Kipkoech. I hope I am spelling it properly. It means 'new beginnings' or 'blessings of a new day' and is given to boy children who are born in the morning. I thought the name was very fitting.
Anyway friends, if you are able to help either Janet and her 4 daughters or Rose and her baby boy please be in touch. You can find the Pay Pal link on the right hand side of this blog. Thank you for your consideration.
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Valentine's Day is coming soon. Whether you do anything special or are with loved ones or by yourself, please be kind to yourself and enjoy the day. Thank you so much for your visit.
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| After dinner the dishes were done and sink shined. |
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| I ran some vinegar through the coffee maker. It's been clogging a lot. |
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| I washed the inside of the stove's glass door. Cleaning of the oven will happen in spring. |
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| Roast pork tenderloin was the star of Wednesday's dinner. |
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| I always love a medley of roast veggies tossed in oil and herbs. |
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| I finally made some spicy, roasted chick peas. |
It's Anti-Procrastination Day in Fly Lady Land. I didn't actually plan the tasks I completed today because I was feeling very sore from a bit of exercise I did this week. I'm so out of shape because all I have been doing for awhile is walking. I just added some strength training back to my regime. I hope I can sustain it for awhile. I've also added this 'pink' drink to my daily intake. Does anyone know what it's called? I started a few days ago primarily to help balance my blood sugar. It seems to be working. Of course for most people low carb eating works too but my low carb eating is not consistent so I need other strategies.
All in all, it's been a busy week so far and I've decided to take the day off from cooking tomorrow. There is enough left over chili from yesterday to feed us. There is also sandwich and salad fixings ready for use if need be.
Last but not least, I'm on the last one third of the book, Arctic Man recommended by Red at the blog Hiawatha House. At first I wasn't 'feeling' the book but I'm really enjoying it now. It is fascinating insight into early 'white' contact with Eskimo people, now called Inuit. I'm also enjoying learning about the early economy of Canada's far north, the activity of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the mode and manner of travel between very remote and distant, not to mention cold, places I will likely never get to see. The simple map provided at the beginning of the book was very useful and I made good use of it. I think I almost wore the book out flipping back and forth to the beginning. I wish everyone could read this book especially those that are enamored of the writer Farley Mowatt. Ernie Lyall, the writer of Arctic Man wrote this book in part because he wanted to set the record straight about a number of incorrect statements made by Farley Mowatt in his writings about the north country. I'm glad he did because his writings are also an important contribution to Canada's history.
Hello friends,
I hope you had a great start to your week. I had an appointment downtown so thought I'd share a few photos from my journey. The weather was quite nice and I hope it will continue this week.
This old brick building is the north end of the St. Paul's Hospital downtown. A new hospital is being built in another part of the city but it won't be ready for a few years.
This brick building is an old apartment building. I love the older buildings though I realize they are not up to code. As I walked on some of the residential streets (no photos today), I noticed that a number of low rises or 3 storey walk ups are being demolished and high rises are going up. I guess it's inevitable especially since there is a critical housing shortage where I live. By the time all the new buildings are completed in this city there will probably be a glut of places to buy or rent. I hope it will also mean a down turn in prices because things are out of control these days and have been for some time when it comes to housing costs.
This street going toward the sky is called Davie Street. For years it was the hub of the gay community. However I think I read a few years ago that many of them have migrated to a nearby municipality called New Westminster. I believe the exodus was due to exorbitant housing prices. The hotel called Sandman Suites (the tower in the photo) is where I stayed for four months when I had fire damage to my home several years ago. I didn't mind the hotel because it was like an apartment with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and insuite laundry. Sadly I never used the swimming pool or even ventured out very often. It was in the days of newly diagnosed illness and I was so tired all the time. I am not fully recovered but I have improved considerably.
These tall, black towers are a hotel called the Sheraton Wall Centre. I was only in one of them once for a conference many years ago. At the time they were the tallest buildings in the city but they have been overtaken by a place called Shangri-la and possibly by other buildings as well.
I don't know where the weekend went. I thought I would have a lot of time to do things because I precooked meals on Thursday for the weekend and did a lot of housework as well. There are some household jobs I dislike and I tackled 3 of them this weekend. I guess I must be in spring cleaning mode.
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| The range hood, filter and back of the stove were cleaned. I see I missed a few spots. |
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| The vacuum canister was emptied and washed. |
Friday I stayed up far too late. I was pleased with myself for getting so much done and decided to take advantage of that by staying up to watch television and read. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy myself because I was too tired. My fatigue bled into Saturday and I did nothing except read a book. Thankfully today was back to a more or less normal. I was able to do my daily Bible reading, lots of dishes, cleaned out a good part of the refrigerator, did a load of laundry and made some chicken-rice stew for Monday's meals. I also finished reading one of the books on my stack. Soon the library will be letting me know that another 2 books are ready and after that I'll probably slow down in the reading department. The days are getting lighter and brighter as long as it isn't raining. I'm hoping to tackle some long awaited projects when the weather warms up and the light in the day starts earlier. I'm like a turtle when it comes to household or crafting projects but I enjoy the process.
One of the things I did on Friday was wait for my meat delivery. The ranch that delivered the meat is located almost 3 hours north of me and they delivered right to my front door. It's my first delivery from them and I was only able to get ground beef because that was all they had left besides ground pork. I am pleased with the process so I'll see whether I'm able to order different cuts next time. It will really depend on cost, timing and room in the freezer. My freezer space is limited and it would need to be emptied to get one of their 'packages'. That makes it very tricky right now so we shall see how it goes.
For the first package of ground beef I made some roasted veggies, ground beef patties and salad. It's also the first time I've used rainbow carrots. Altogether it was a satisfying meal and the beef patty was filling so I only had one. The other one was saved for the next day lunch/snack.
I do have a sweet tooth so I made these blueberry muffins with a mix of unbleached flour and spelt flour. They are dark from spelt four but also because I accidentally dumped a lot of cinnamon in the batter. No worries though. The cinnamon spice is well past it's prime and the taste is quite weak. The muffins were just right.
If you have done the FlyLady system before and want to try it again I thought I'd provide a summary chart for you. This might save you having to go look for it. Click on it to enlarge.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey friends and fellow bloggers,
I hope the week is going well for you. It's been a bit busy for me but not with anything major. I just have a lot of little things to do and small things to catch up on. Don't you find that little things seem to take more time somehow?
I completed the murder-mystery by Canadian author Shari Lapena. I enjoyed it but the ending left me a bit disappointed though I think someone else may find it suits them fine. I don't want to say more because I know many of you are fans of murder-mystery novels so I don't want to give anything away. Currently I'm reading, The Lemon Tree Hotel and Arctic Man both of which are good for different reasons. However I wouldn't say they are totally engrossing. Just satisfying and satisfying is good enough.
I'm still working to try and keep the meals tasty and interesting.
These are a few of the meals we had in the past few days.
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| Stir fried beef and onions and stir fried noodles with chili and vegetables. |
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| BBQ Ribs and Kraft dinner with side of coleslaw (coleslaw not in photo) |
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| Curried cauliflower & split peas served with rice and homemade chapati |
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| Penne-pasta-lox-n-spinach with caesar salad. |
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| BBQ-salmon-pilaf-salad |
I think I mentioned that I try to follow the Fly Lady household routines. One of the big principles is to clean and shine your sink at least once a day. I try but often it seems like I don't get to it until very late at night. It takes me so long just to wash the dinner dishes after I've finished eating dinner. Now and then I get ahead of the game and it always feels good to have a nice, clean sink.
Yesterday I paid the fee for the community garden and asked my nephew and his girlfriend to take over the plot once again this year. After that I'll decide whether I want to continue renting the plot going forward. My nephew and his girlfriend gained some valuable gardening experience and I was able to focus on my patio garden and also catch up with a lot of projects and tasks at home.
One of my favourite days is Wednesday which is called anti-procrastination day in the land of Fly Lady. I usually am able to get one niggling item out of the way on that day, sometimes two. I think it helps me to stop thinking about my long list of items during the week if I have a dedicated day to work on them. Of course, if I'm up to it I can also work on such tasks on any other day.
Errand day is on Thursday and I usually run to the post office, grocery stores and the library. Actually grocery shopping usually takes me about 3 separate errands on different days but Thursday is the main shopping day and some weeks I don't have so much to buy. Tomorrow I am expecting a package and I'm looking forward to it. If it turns out to be helpful I will write about it in a future post.
Friday I'm also expecting a long awaited delivery of grass fed beef from an area where the ranchers were flooded out in November. You might remember me writing about the floods and the destruction of a major highway from Vancouver to the Interior of BC and beyond. I'm surprised the rancher has anything to deliver but I'm anticipating they won't be able to fulfill all their orders, possibly even mine so we shall see what happens.
We had some sunny days last week and fog earlier in the week. The weather forecast was for possible snow today. In fact it is did snow but barely and it quickly melted before the rain started.
As you can see, the sky is very gray and not very interesting unless there are some distant lights to look at.
Other things keeping me busy are liaising with long distance friends and relatives, watching a lot of Netflix, daily devotions and prayer and the daily things that keep the household going.
What about you dear reader? What things kept you busy this week?
Whatever it is you are doing, I hope you are keeping healthy and happy.
Hi friends and fellow bloggers, Here are a couple of snapshots to end the month. Wishing you a fabulous end of November. See you in the mon...
