A Simple Friday

The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts: and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible.~ Montaigne

I don't think I wrote on my blog that both knees started bothering me this week. Fortunately when I awoke on Friday the pain in my right knee had gone away and the pain in the left knee was considerably reduced. I am still not back to "normal" but I am much better. I am hoping and praying for complete recovery soon as I already know the healing process is cyclical; at least where my knees are concerned. In any case, I was very grateful today!

I stayed up very late last night (early Friday morning) and finished reading "Appetite for Life", a biography of Julia Child. I would have finished sooner but the last two days have been rather busy with lots of phone calls and interruptions.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. What most impressed me was just what a tremendous work horse, Mrs. Child was. She worked tirelessly to bring the joy of French cooking and good food to Americans.  She also worked until  near the end of her life:  keeping constantly busy with writing, cooking, and making cooking television shows as well as her charitable and other educational interests.  Another thing that impressed me was her devotion to her husband;  in fact, their devotion to one another really touched me. Julia Child and her husband Paul were fully devoted to one another and they supported one another throughout every stage of their lives.  It was also surprising to me just how much moving around Julia did before and after her marriage and how many different jobs she had before she become a French cook. She lived in many different places in California, Massachusetts, India, China, France and Norway.  When she married, she and her husband had several homes on both coasts in USA.  They also had a home in France where they spent as much time as possible. They travelled a lot and socialized a lot throughout their marriage.  Julia's non-stop energy for work and socializing was noted by all around her.  All in all, she led a fascinating life.

I made some ham and lentil soup on Friday evening.  You might say I was inspired by Julia Child, but I've always loved a hot bowl of hearty soup on a winter's evening.  Yesterday was also grocery shopping day so I had all kinds of veggies to use (onions, carrots, celery, potatoes) and left over ham from the ham roast made the day before.  I also had a bit of bannock bread (whole wheat and white)  left over from the day before to round out the meal. I never got round to eating the strawberries for dessert and saved them instead for a late night snack.

Photo from my archives.

I did a lot of  window shopping (the internet version). I made myself tired looking for boutis work, flannel sheets, and pendleton blankets. I  think I better give that a rest for awhile since I don't plan on buying any of these items anytime soon. I also spent time sourcing some very large containers for dry goods storage. I don't have a pantry and my kitchen has very limited storage so I need to find storage containers that will sit in the corner of my kitchen and store some of my food. I think I may have found just the thing. These are actually storage containers for pet food but they are air tight and will work just as well for dried goods.  The bonus is they cost a lot less than similar items sold for (restaurant) food storage. I also looked at other types of bins but I like these ones on wheels with tight closing lids.

A purchase I made a few weeks ago arrived last week and I haven't taken it out of the box yet. I need to finish moving things around so I can it up and try it out (more about that later).  Instead I spent some time dealing with purchasing the new Word 2013 Suite and having it installed on my PC. Later I will have it installed in my laptop too.

I gave some time to my calendar and planned to attend my writer's group.  However the session for tomorrow is fully subscribed so I'll have to wait for next week or the week after.  Much later, I spent time viewing parts of a 'new to me' documentary called the Up series I believe it is the last in a series of

documentary films produced by Granada Television that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The documentary has had seven episodes spanning 49 years and the documentary has been broadcast on both ITV and BBC.

The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen as he can get to participate. The purpose is also stated at the beginning of "7 Up," as, "Why do we bring these children together? Because we want to get a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The union leader and the business executive of the year 2000 are now 7 years old. (Source: Wikipedia)

Part 1 of the series can be found  here if you are interested and youtube also has several parts to this series available on line if you don't mind watching on line. I didn't get to watch all the parts so I will continue another day as it is quite engaging.

I found it very interesting having a peek into what life was like in 1964 for these British children from all walks of life and  was quite impressed with them  The documentaries begin to document these children starting from age seven and then every seven years thereafter until they reach age 56.  At age seven they seemed so mature. I don't think seven year olds today are quite so mature but perhaps I just haven't spent enough time around this age group to really know.  I do know that youngsters of today are exposed to far more than the youngsters of old, so perhaps they are more mature or as mature, but in different ways. One of the things that surprised me about the 7 year olds in the documentaries is how many of them had boyfriends or girlfriends and spoke so freely about having these young relationships.

I read a blog post today asking what the readers have done to save money today as part of frugal living. I always make an effort to live frugally and stretch my funds as far as they will go but I had to think about my answer for today's savings.  I saved elastic bands from the produce purchased yesterday, made coffee and drank it at home, made home made soup and ate home made bannock bread.  Lastly, I guess I saved the cost of a movie ticket since I am not going to the "56 Up" documentary which is playing in town. Instead I am watching all the free parts on line.  On my brain is the question of how much the new appliances I got after Christmas will save in my power bill.  The appliances are all energy efficient so if they save me money it will likely be evident over the course of the year.  Any savings through the new appliances will be offset by my heavy use of the electric heating this winter.  With the sore knees I could not tolerate the usual cold.  Still, I am curious and will be watching the power bills.

I hope you are keeping warm if you are having a cold winter. For those of you suffering from high temperatures like in Australia, I hope you are managing to keep cool and hydrated.

Happy weekend to each of you.

Doing What I Can

“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from what you can do.”

~ John Wooden

How are you my friends?

I'm doing okay. My left knee is still a bit sore and believe it or not my right knee started acting up too. But overall I am walking much better than a week ago. I've decided to use a cane now and then too just so I don't over stress my joints when I have to walk a bit further. I'm just so thankful that I can still move around and that there have been improvements. I guess I should have gone to the doctor but really what can they do for me besides give me painkillers? I will try to schedule an appointment for next week and get it looked at as well as deal with my blood sugar test results. I really did not have the energy this week to deal with the doctor, testing for sugars and leg and all of the things that come with it....so I wait awhile.

Around the house, I've been contemplating how to move things around. It seems a never ending job around here. I'm making room for mom's medical lift chair and walker (with a seat and basket) to be delivered by my brother. He has had to go out of town and get these items as they have no storage room where mom lives and she doesn't use these mobility aids anymore. In fact she hasn't for the last two years. It turns out I might need these items myself and if I had to purchase these items (again) it would cost me quite a pretty penny.  So I've decided to keep them here at  my home in case I do need them.  I'm also returning the stove I bought a few weeks ago and getting the exact same model as a replacement. There was a minor flaw on the stove top but it was in a very noticeable place so I'm getting a replacement which will be delivered Thursday.

My creative juices are flowing but I'm not entirely up to making anything.  Instead I've been admiring a lot of handcraft on line.  In particular, I've been admiring the Boutis work of the French.  Boutis is a Provençal word meaning 'stuffing', describing how two layers of fabric are quilted together with stuffing sandwiched between sections of the design, creating a raised effect.

I've long admired Boutis and once I even asked a long distant relation to pick one up for me. She did in fact search for a quilt for me when she went to Paris, France.  However I was quite disappointed when I got it and found it had a tag on it stating "Made in India"!   I could have purchased a similar quilt here in town and in a more appropriate size (French beds are a bit narrower). Nonetheless I did appreciate all the effort my relative went through to search for and find me a quilt.  She also had to get her Parisien friends to visit the vendor from time to time as the quilt had to be ordered.  Then her friends brought it in their carry on luggage when they paid a visit to Canada.  That quilt really made the rounds!!.  I enjoyed my quilt for about 10-12 years but I gave it to the goodwill last year.  I don't plan on buying another one soon  But I would like to make a Boutis for myself one day.

Boutis Quilt Ideas

Photo Credit:  Satin Moon

Photo credit: J. McEwan's  Etsy shop

Photo credit: Japan Lovely Etsy Shop

I've got so many lovely projects to work on right now so boutis making won't be happening anytime soon. But it is so nice to dream.

Pendleton Blankets 

I've also been dreaming about this cream, gray and light blue Pendleton blanket.  Some day I might have one for my bedroom.

Photo of the blanket alone.

Blanket dressing the bed.

A throw blanket like the one above, in shades of cream, khaki and black, might work for my front room. It gets very chilly here from about November to about February.  A throw blanket is a must.

I love Pendleton blankets and own two already. They are quite expensive but I've noticed the prices have remained almost the same since I bought myself  one some 20+ years ago. As far as blankets go the price is actually no more expensive than other quilts and comforters and what's more the Pendleton blankets are great heirloom pieces. I use my Pendleton blanket in the bedroom but I'd like another for those extra cold days. I inherited another one from my mother but use it for decor rather than as a cover because of it's lighter overall colour.  Some of my long time readers might remember the one I purchased for my nephew's baby.

This week I've also  been enjoying reading my two books (see my last post if interested in the books) but it seems like I haven't done anything. I have in fact been dealing with a lot of little things related to the university procedures, my medical appointments, various business related to my condo and follow up matters concerning my new appliances.  Also this week I need to get some grooming done.  Earlier this week, I put some henna in my hair and my nails are really overdue for a nail treatment so I have an appointment tomorrow. I'm so pleased I could get in as I only just called today. Usually the nail technician is so busy I can't get in when I want. God is with me on this.  You might be laughing about now.  But I really rely on my pedicures to treat an on-going ingrown nail problem.   I've noticed that after 10 months of going to this young woman and having her do my pedicures, my ingrown problem has improved a lot. This means I have far less pain than I used to have when she does my nails. Halleluia!!! You would not believe just how painful it has been every time I go and get my nails done. Most people equate getting nails done with a time of relaxing and pampering.  But trust me, it hurts a lot when the nails are embedded in your skin and the technician has to do minor surgery without anesthetic.  True, with the price of such things, it is a luxury though and I feel very blessed to be able to get this done on a regular basis as part of my health regime. Diabetics needs to look after their feet.

Well I've rambled long and I want to get the dinner made and more reading done. I hope you all have a lovely rest of your week. 

A Reading Week

It's been cold over here. Since Thursday until today, we've had mostly clear skies,sunshine and a decided chill in the air.  It is always colder here when it isn't raining. Last night I felt the deep chill despite having the central heating on. When I woke up this morning, there was a sprinkling of snow on the ground. Enough to cause a lot of havoc on our streets because at a certain dewpoint (in this case zero degrees) we get fog cover and icy streets. The city workers weren't ready for the snow fall this morning for some reason but they should be ready now.  The meteorologist says this weather is expected to continue for a few days.

In other news I've been slowly making my way through two books "Where White Mean Fear to Tread", the autobiography of Russell Means and "Appetite for Life", the biography of Julia Childs.

I have completed the chapters devoted to Russell Meanses' early life and work history and am now in the early days of his involvement with the American Indian Movement (AIM), the sacrifices made by his family and and some of the personal angst he suffered in his early days of involvement with AIM.

I have completed the chapters devoted to Julia's Child's early life, her early work history in India and China, and marriage to Paul Child. I am now at the part where Julia has finished her training at the Cordon Bleu Institute in Paris and is writing her book on French cooking.

These two books couldn't be more different but they are very fascinating since both of these individuals contributed to the contemporary history of the United States.Initially I didn't like the style of either of these books but I got into them as I delved deeper into the books.

Both of the accomplished individuals in these books are now deceased and I  wanted to learn more about them and their huge contributions to today's society. Mr. Means came from an impoverished background, of rough living, drugs and moving from job to job; whereas Julie McWilliams came from a very privileged background.

I didn't plan to read both of these large-ish books at the same time but I'm glad it turned out that way for it helps me to compare and contrast how each of these larger than life individuals developed and became what they became. I found it very striking what each had gone through in their early lives and how they both reached a pivotal turning point in the direction of their respective lives when they reached their early 30s.  For Mr. Means this meant becoming highly active in the AIM movement and for Mrs. Child, this meant, getting married and moving to France to begin her culinary training and career.

I still have a lot to read and am taking my time. If you get a chance I would highly recommend you pick up one or both of these books.

In other news I've been spending some time studying Cree, dealing with things around the house and for my mom. I also have a whole lot of errands and appointments this month; many of which I've had to cancel or postpone due to the leg problem. If the weather ever improves I should feel better all around but I'm glad to make even a little progress. At least the weather is a good excuse for staying indoors and reading a good book.

I hope all of you are enjoying your January.

Blessings.

Journey Home - Part 3

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

I returned home from my Christmas travels on December 27, 2012. Part 1 of my journey photos can be viewed here.  Part 2 can be viewed here. This is the last installment of this series.  I hope you enjoyed the peek into the scenery around these parts.

We are at Herrling Island just before you get to the City of Chilliwack.

 

I think I was just taking photo of the traffic sign and the red barn to the right of the photo.

Chilliwack is a farming community and in this photo you see row upon row of greenhouses.

A photo for my international readers so you can see what is on the side of the road. I think KFC is now in many countries including Kenya. It is a fried chicken fast food outlet.

 

A scene from the freeway toward one of the many suburbs outside Vancouver. I think this is part of Port Coquitlam.

We are fast approaching the new Port Mann Bridge. You can see it in the distance to the right of the photo.

We are on the new Port Mann Bridge which has only been open about a month and cost 3.4 Billion dollars or thereabouts. It has already been closed to traffic twice due to the bad weather we've been having. They need to find solutions to the problems that have arisen thus far. It's atrocious that the bridge cost that much and can't help move the traffic in bad weather, especially when drivers have to pay a toll fee on top of it all!

A close up view. You can see the posts are designed to join right above the cars below. This was problematic after a snow fall when icy snow bombed cars below causing numerous accidents and bridge closure just before Christmas.

After we crossed the 2nd Narrows Bridge to the north we travelled west on the Upper Levels Hwy. (Trans-Canada Hwy. to Taylor Way and then south to Future Shop at Park Royal Mall). You can take this highway to the Sea to Sky Highway which takes you to the beautiful ski town of Whistler where many locals and celebrities go skiing.

We ended our long journey with a several hour shopping expedition at the Future Shop looking for appliances. It was a busy store that day and my leg was very sore. I was not in the mood for shopping. Thank goodness my brother and nephew were there to do the "legwork".

I was glad to finally get home to Vancouver that day!

This is my submission to Skywatch Friday. You can see the sky was very gray in the last hours of our journey. If you look at Parts 1 and 2, you will see we had a variety of skies that day.

Happy Skywatch Friday! 

Kenyan Update

Hello friends,

From time to time I've blogged about Kipngeno  and his need for sponsorship to attend medical school. Kipngeno is a very bright high school graduate from the highlands of Kenya.  Though it was a huge struggle financially with not knowing where his funds were coming from, he managed to finish first year medical studies and sustain his desire to continue medical studies.

My efforts to find him a sponsor have gone in vain but I am thanking God because now Kipngeno has finally received a loan from his government to pay for his tuition.  Praise God!!

Kipngeno still needs some modest support to pay for transport from his home to his university each new term and to pay for his room and board.  The costs are a lot less than in America and if you are able to help at all it would be gratefully appreciated.

Kipngeno on the far right with his classmate in the middle and Jonah on the far left.

Please send any donations to me and I will send them on to him in Kenya. It costs about $300 total for Term 1 (room and board, travel).  I don't expect any one person will be able to cover the full amount but if you can help at all, any amount you can send would be a huge help. Somehow with God's help, and a little help from others here and there, Kipngeno will get through another year of medical studies. Kenya is in dire need of doctors and medical professionals. If you are new to this story and this need and you would like to help Kipngeno through the longer term I would love to hear from you!

In other matters, Jonah's mother is still in hospital in Eldoret. She was released and went home to the village but was readmitted to Moi University Hospital in Eldoret before Christmas. She is suffering from some kind of vascular,  blood and paralysis issues.  Doctors believe it is caused by decades of bending over to cook and do the work that village women do.  Doctors would like her to be transferred to hospital in Nairobi for further treatment and surgery.  Your prayers for her and all the associated needs would be most welcome.

Thank you.