Saturday, September 19, 2020

Farm Animals at the PNE & A Few Other Things

These are not the best photos due to low lighting and use of a poor phone camera but I took these several years ago and don't believe I ever posted them. They are photos of the farm animals I took when my niece and I went to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). She really enjoyed all the animals. I did take photos of other animals and will probably share them at a later date. Today I am showing the pigs.  I love little piglets and always think of the movie Babe whenever I see them.




 

Sadly, my niece and I couldn't have a visit at Christmas or this summer for her birthday like we usually do. Both of us have underlying conditions so it isn't worth the risk. 

We have been going to the PNE every year for years with her late mom and grandma but of course this year the PNE was not open for business as usual.

The spider I photographed last week is still on it's web in the same spot. It was difficult to get a good shot today.  Please check this post if you would like to see better photos of the spider and it's web.


Tonight's news reported that the air quality advisory for Vancouver and area has been lifted. That's such a relief.  The sky is full of rain clouds and we are expecting rain for several days this coming week.  I took the photo below on Saturday early evening.  There was a flock of birds flying around (click the photo to enlarge and you will see the black spots near the church steeple).  The birds were flying too fast and were too far away to capture them clearly.

I captured a few geranium shots using a lens borrowed from my brother who is a more serious photographer.  He is letting me try 4 different lens and I'm experimenting here and there.  They are all prime lenses not a zoom like I usually use.  I eventually want to move beyond my zoom lens.



I'm currently reading these two digital books and have a notice to pick up 5 paper books at the library.


 

I've made a new header for my blog.  I was looking for some Fall photos which I know i have somewhere but my digital files are not well organized. I have been decluttering digital files here and there and there is much more to do. The last step will be organizing what I have left,  be it digital assets or physical ones. Anyway the photo I've selected instead is of the Pokot children who come from the northern part of Kenya. 

It was taken on a mission we undertook some years back to bring a bit of food relief to the Pokot people who go hungry whenever there is a drought. We have undertaken several food missions to the Pokot people as they are often overlooked given their location in the far north and dusty parts of Kenya.  There are little to no amenities where they live.  The Pokot are largely pastoralists and when there is a drought their cattle die off. 

In the photo the children are eating bread and juice and I believe they also got some fruit that day.  Watermelon if I remember correctly. Many Kenyans love white bread and it is a treat as it isn't something they get very often.  The food stuffs we gave to the households consisted mainly of rice, maize flour and oil. There is a button on the right side bar for anyone who would like to help the people of Kenya. That button will be there for the foreseeable future and there are other links to different aspects of the needs and work in Kenya.

Last,  but not least,  I'm on Day 19 of the 31 Fly Lady Baby Steps (click the highlighted words if you would like to read more about Fly Lady's Baby Steps). If  you already follow the Fly Lady, let me know how what you think of her system.  As for me, I'm working hard at it even though I don't like routines.  For clarity, I do much more than the Baby Steps during the course each day but gradually I am hoping to replace my various quasi routines with a system that seems to work for so many women around the world.  (Note:  I am not buying Fly Lady books or  merch to undertake any routines. I use what I have or get something local if needed).  I'm working toward better routines so that I can keep a household running smoothly, keep up with all my responsibilities and have more time for reading, hobbies and most importantly Bible studies and devotions as well as the  Missions of Hope Kenya.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe.

I'm linking up with Saturday's Critters.


Friday, September 18, 2020

First Day of Clear Sky

We've been experiencing very poor air quality as a result of the wild fires that have been burning in Washington, Oregon and California states.  I've had to keep all doors and windows closed and stay indoors for five days.  On Wednesday the sky finally cleared a bit and it was such a relief to be able to go outside and to breathe better air.

These few photos were taken as soon as the sky cleared in late afternoon Wednesday. Then within a few hours the sky darkened again. I wasn't quite sure if it was due to the fires or if rain was on the way. Then it rained Wednesday night. The sky cleared a bit on Thursday and it rained a little again in the evening. We are expecting more rain over the next two days.

 






Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.


Beauty in the Night

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, I hope you had a wonderful week and have some nice plans for the weekend.   Even though it's a long w...