Fading Colour & Parting Gifts

I've mentioned in earlier posts that my garden did not grow well this year. I also didn't do much to try and help it along other than watering but that didn't seem to be enough.  It was so hot and humid this summer and it wasn't until a very late season heavy rainfall that the plants started perking up a bit.

Despite all that, my garden is still giving me some brilliant pops of colour and I am grateful for these gifts.

I apologize for the quality of the photos. I tried hard to get some clear ones but it just wasn't happening today. Perhaps my camera has seen it's better days. In any case, I wanted a photo record of what the summer ended like.

Joining Skywatch Friday this week. Happy weekend!

Precious Water

Recently, my friend Jonah went on another mission to the Pokot people of Kenya, near Lake Baringo (circled in red on the map).

I have travelled to the area a few times and can tell you from first hand experience that is a very dry place.  (Over the last year the general area has been hit hard by flooding and lake overflow causing destruction of several hotels).  There isn't much in the way of towns and cities and amenities beyond a place called Marigat which I have written about before.

Jonah is pointing to some water but this isn't Lake Baringo which is much larger and has resident hippos and crocodiles.

Water is a scarce and precious commodity.

Jonah joins the others in refreshing his hands in the wonderful water.

See all the water bottles and oil containers. The people will fill them with water.

Close Up of Some of the Women 

I love their faces and their smiles. They still show much joy despite the harsh living in a dry climate.

I also love their traditional beaded adornment.

You can help Jonah go on future missions to help the vulnerable.

Please donate if you can by

clicking  the donate button

 If you have any problems please let me know.

Thank you for your kindness.

My Great Nephew

It has been awhile since I posted.

To be honest, I have tried posting earlier but I've discovered that since I upgraded to Windows 8.1 a lot of things don't work (phone to computer connection, printer, scanner). Of course they still work but they all need to be reset somehow. I'm no good at that kind of thing. I usually get my brother to set everything up. He will do so but then neglect to tell me he didn't download a certain program or connect up my printer. That kind of thing.

And isn't it Murphy's Law that you always need something the most when it isn't actually working as it should? I discovered that last week when I was trying to scan some documents and help my nephew out with some on line research. The computer connection would just "spin around". I'm not sure what the technical term for it is. Later on we discovered that my wi-fi signal wasn't working. A call to the telecommunications company resulted in them changing the modem frequency remotely.  Now at least the scanner and printer are working again.

The cell phone connection to the computer isn't. I tried to figure out how to do that myself but have no patience for it so will need to wait for help. In doing some on line research I found a forum which told me that others were having similar problems.

In my last post, I mentioned that I was preparing to go out of town to celebrate my mom's birthday.

Since then I've been to her place and back but most of the photos I took didn't turn out so I don't have too much to share with you photo-wise.  I was too busy trying to set up the room and be the hostess as well as taking photos for both my niece and myself on two different cameras.  I didn't even get a photo of the cake which looked lovely.  Sadly too most of the photos on my camera were blurred. I hope they turned out better for my niece.  The main thing is we all enjoyed a good meal.  Mom enjoyed her special day and she really enjoyed seeing her 2nd great-grandson for the first time.  Of course she also enjoyed visiting with her children, grandchildren and her 1st great-grandson.  

My picture of the fruit plate is the only thing that seem to turn out fine, lol. Everyone also enjoyed this dish at lot or at least the fruit.  All the fruit on the plate was gone and I brought home the cheeses home.

Hunter, born June 14, 2014

Oodles of food was left over. We packed it up and left it for the staff and an extra plate for mom for a snack later.  The remaining cake had to go in the garbage.  The weather was so hot that the cake frosting (cream cheese) melted and the top layer slide off the bottom layer when cut. Each of us had a piece and I threw the rest away. It was a strawberry cake and looked lovely but it wasn't nearly as good as the cakes we've had in previous years.

Besides trying to ensure mom enjoyed her day, I was so happy to see  my little great nephew. He is only two and half months old and the cutest little thing (of course we all say that). He is like a miniature man and very strong. His preferences and character are already so evident and he is the spitting image of his dad. His name is Hunter. His father is a huge outdoors man (hunter, fisherman and cowboy) and will no doubt take him hunting at the first opportunity.

This is the quilt I made back in May for the baby.

While I was there I was able to take the little guy's measurements to see if I can tailor a sweater that will actually fit him.

Frugal Thursday & Party Plans

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, 

But a foolish man swallows it up.

Proverbs 21:20

It was a very busy day Thursday dealing with mom's birthday party planning and financial matters.

It is only a small party but because I live out of town it is always a bit more difficult to get everything organized. I've bought her a small gift that she will really like. It is a child size pendleton blanket that she can use as a lap blanket. It will be much warmer than the one I made her a few years ago.

I hope mom will enjoy herself and feel special for the day. I've been rather worried about her as she has been feeling frail and weak for some time now.  This will be her opportunity to see those that mean a lot to her. She will be 79 on Sunday.  Many years ago I used to tell her she will live until she is at least 82 because she used to think she wouldn't make it to the age she is now.    If we are blessed to be able to celebrate her 80th birthday party I hope to try and do something special.  Maybe invite relatives from afar. I have to start thinking ahead for that one.  It would have to be a surprise or she may not like all the fuss so we will have to see how it goes.


 I sourced out the place to purchase the cake, appetizer tray and food. I also made sure my niece will be escorted to mom's residence and invited my nephew and his family and his mom (my SIL). My other nephew won't be there as he is going for a few days holiday to Las Vegas. He has been doing double duty this summer at his job and studying for his GRE exam to get into graduate school so he has long planned this one weekend away before university starts again. He told me yesterday that he will visit his grandma next week before classes begin.

Mini version of a blanket I bought mom many years ago. I have her big one.

I also undertook a number of activities to shave a few dollars from my monthly costs. I'm always looking for ways to be frugal and cut monthly costs. How about you?  Do you spend time looking for savings too and what do you do with it?

I have a friend in Kenya who could use a little help to finish his university and graduate and that is where I put some of my savings. His name is Elvis and he is finishing his medical studies in Kenya (read more to the upper right of my blog). Let me know if you would like to help him. Any amount would be appreciated by him and his single mom who looks after 3 other children on her small income as a worker in a flower factory.  If you live in Europe, just think she might have picked the flowers in your vase.! Life is very hard for your average person in Kenya. The vast majority are not privileged to have a big income or eat more than a meal a day.

Today I saved money by doing a number of things:

* cancelled my movie package on my television programming.  This is a savings of $18. (Canadian) per month.  Initially I purchased it when it was a promotional deal. I don't usually do this but was feeling extravagant at the time. I meant to cancel the deal after 3 months but ended up keeping it for 6.

* opted into another package of channels because of a 6 month promotional deal at half price ($9.00 Canadian). The cost of the package is the same as my movie package but is currently 50% for half a year. I'll decide in that time whether I want it or not. I will likely cancel it before the 6 months is over or just at the 6 months.

* switched my long distance call plan. The cost is half of what I have been paying ($6.00 a month).  I haven't been using that many minutes per month so this works out for me.  It is easier for mom to reach me when she needs me than for me to reach her. So she is the one that needs unlimited long distance calling plan. Her plan is $20. (Canadian) per month.

I also look after my mom's bills and try to save her money wherever I can. Given her many moves last year, the telephone company made a royal mess of  a number of things. After several attempts to straighten things out I discovered that they are now giving her a $10 discount each month for the next year. They call it a loyalty discount.  She really has been loyal to them in choosing to stay with them over 40 years!

* I asked my telephone company where else I can save money on my bill?  Apparently I am already paying for the least expensive options for the telephone, internet and television bundle.  But I have been a loyal customer of the same company for a very long time also so they gave me a 6 month discount of $5. for each of the services. It amounts to a total savings of $90. They said it was in recognition of the fact that I do have other options for my telecommunications needs.  I can get a much cheaper telephone rate somewhere else or cut my home phone altogether. I have Skype and I have unlimited cell service. However I keep the home phone the same for my mother's sake (reliability of service, same phone number, voice mail, etc). I would also probably be paying more on the internet and television without a bundle. Of course, I am always assessing whether to stay with the company or go elsewhere. I've determined that for my needs at this time, this company gives me the best rates and the best services for those rates. If things change, I can always change providers

* they also suggested I delete my paper bills for a monthly savings of $2. but I wasn't quite ready to do that given all the issues I've had over the last year (or so I thought with my mom's bill and my bill.  It turns out I misread my bill but I still like to check them over on paper not on the computer screen.  I dislike looking at documents on line but once I feel comfortable that things are straightened out with the service providers I can easily give up the paper bills. Update:  the very next day after posting this I learned that the telephone company has been challenged over the issue of charging people for paper bills. I also understand that they have recently stopped charging seniors, the disabled and those that don't have internet (another $2. saved on my mom's monthly bill).  In the not too distant future, the federal (national) government will prevent the telephone company from charging anyone for a paper bill. Now if only they would also stop the banks from charging us for the paper bills too and let the consumer decide how they want to receive their bills. Many would opt and have already voluntarily opted to receive bills on line to save paper and impacting negatively on the environment.  For those that can't or don't have internet usage (the economically disadvantaged, the disabled and many seniors), should not be charged for the privilege of having a paper bill.

* colouring my own hair. I have saved quite a lot of money by buying and applying henna to my roots every month. I go to the hairdresser only once or twice a year to get my entire head of hair coloured, get a few highlights and/or a trim. This usually costs $45.00 and I save $25 a month doing my own hair. I actually save more than this because my former hairdresser charged $45 a month to apply the henna, wash and blow dry and I now only pay $25 (different hairdresser).

* contacted my financial advisor to let him know I want to eliminate critical illness insurance. This costs $120. (Canadian) a month. I've been paying it for 16 years and I think it is time to stop especially since I am not working any more. I've tried to eliminate this several times before. My advisor always convinces me to keep it and to cancel my life insurance instead. I keep my life insurance mainly because lenders like to know you have insurance and I want to have a small amount for loved ones if needed when I ultimately pass.

* returned a pair of winter woolen socks and exchanged them for a different pair. Savings: $3.36 (Canadian)

* purchased an African basket from Ghana for a savings of $15.00 plus tax off the original price. Believe it or not, I purchased the basket at a postal outlet of all places.  Chatting with the proprietress I discovered that she was born in Kenya, a land that I love so much. She is clearing out old stock to make way for the new.  My basket got quite a lot of compliments as I wondered about the west side neighborhood doing my errands.

* shopping at a new to me store for a food items. I was pleased to discover that a lot of things I like are much less expensive there (examples: flax seeds, some cheeses, whole meal bread, molasses). I saved about $8.00 (Canadian) off just a very few items that I would normally purchase in my own neighborhood.

My work on "tweaking" the budget is not done. 

I still have a number of areas that I know I can eliminate and which I hope to do very soon. 

That brings me to the question how many of you my dear readers have critical illness insurance.

How much coverage do you actually have and do you think it is worth it? 

Personally, I think that once you hit 55 years or older, the critical illness is not so important. Most people are going to get critically ill before that time.  If they get critically ill when they are older then they usually have no need for a smaller lump sum for vacations or bills.  You usually have equity in your home for those purposes and some more fortunate people have more than adequate income in savings. If you don't have either of these, you probably wouldn't buy critical illness insurance as it would cost too much.


My benefit is not that great in the event I was to get very ill. When I purchased the insurance I was a lot younger but because I noted every little, small thing that was wrong with me at the time it ended up costing me a lot of money.  The primary issue was whiplash and back problems brought on by car accident and also some ear, nose and throat issues caused by a skating accident when I was a teenager.  These few problems and a bit of excess weight caused me to end up paying much more than I was expecting. Whenever I ask my advisor why I need this insurance he says to pay off bills or take a vacation if I should live long enough (3 months) after getting critically ill (cancer, stroke, heart attack...that kind of thing). When I was working and not retired it made more sense to me.  I was far too busy to scrutinize expenditures and maximize savings by implementing frugal measures and routines.  Even now that I am retired, I still don't have a lot of excess time for these two activities but I make time every year to evaluate where I'm at.  I'm retired now and eliminating critical illness insurance seems to be a good way to go. I've already notified my advisor by email so he wants to meet next month if I am free and get me to sign some papers. Perhaps he will try to convince me again but this time I am pretty certain. I also want to give up the accidental death coverage through my previous employer.

Total savings:  Approx. $265. dollars. $54 savings is spread over 6 months. The $120. on critical illness insurance won't be saved until my advisor gets me to sign papers next month. So real savings this month of August is about $91.to be used for charitable works and mom's birthday present.  Not too bad and soon I will have more savings. More tweaking of the budget and any resulting savings will allow me to continue with my ongoing charitable work in Kenya and also toward saving for household needs (renos, appliances, etc.).

 I'd like to hear your thoughts about your own experiences, if any, with critical illness insurance.

{Photos of flowers were all taken in Kenya.  Please do not use for Pinterest or any other purpose.  I hope I don't offend anyone but recently I found a number of my blog photos on Pinterest and no one had ever asked to use them. I guess this is kind of the purpose of Pinterest but I don't subscribe to that kind of usage.}

Simple Living

 ‘Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.’
 ~Walter Hagen

Normally I do more reading over the winter but this summer with the heat I've managed to stay cool by staying put and reading.  Here is a photo of this week's reads.

I've finished the two books on top the pile but am still working on The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book by Peter Finn and Petra Couvée.  This is an interesting story of how Boris Pasternak's classic book, Doctor Zhivago became a weapon used by the CIA in the cultural Cold War to provoke dissent in the former USSR. Read more here if interested. Though it isn't the main thrust of the story, I'm fascinated by just how much the Russian people love(d) poetry and how much a part of life it was for many.

I'm still reading The Blood Sugar Solution , The Lost Art of Gratitude and Laced with Poison, (my 3rd mystery novel of the year).  After that I have a new book I purchased called, Obama's Wars and some other books I want to take out of the library. When I finished reading The Emperor of Paris, I successfully completed my reading goal of 40 books for the year. I think this was the most books I've read in a year since I started keeping track a few years ago. I don't read every day.  I might read two days a week but when I really like a book and it is a longer one, I usually read it every day until finished.  This pace suits me because I also have time to do other things. I do like to set some goals so that I actually have a target that keeps me moving forward.

I'm still engaging in my "secret activity" several times a week. I've had a series of ups and downs, especially these past two weeks, but I persevere. I'm hoping I will begin to see some tangible benefits beyond the immediate stuff I've noticed.  I also need to see if any benefits are lasting or temporary. More to come later.

I've also been busy preparing to go out of town, keeping busy around the house to see what I can clear out and recycle & keeping in touch with family and friends. 

I had one friend move back from the prairies and has been here for a few weeks only to be moving again.  This time to the City of Toronto which is about 5 hours by plane to the east of where I live. He expects to be gone for a year or two as gets his career headed in a different direction.  Yet another friend is also looking for work again. That will make the second job this year. He is a terrific worker but needs to find a job where he isn't the only one putting in 150% of the physical effort.  Otherwise I fear he will burn himself out with all the physical demands of the job.

Our province has been having a teacher's strikes since mid-June 2014.  A friend who works as an assistant to disabled children in the classrooms has been affected by the strike and doesn't know when she will be able to return to work. All teaching staff, students and parents too have been affected. Quite likely all support staff and management staff have also been affected but I am not 100% certain of that. There is still no new deal in sight though the school year begins in a week or so.

It is a very sad situation as teachers have been terribly affected over the summer months with financial losses. I don't have little ones at home but there will be many parents who have to manage child care as they juggle work demands. Our government is trying to pay them some money that has been saved by not paying the teachers. I view this as trying to score political points against the teachers. Nonetheless I'm sure many parents can really use the funds to help pay for child care.  Hopefully things will soon change soon for the better.

An elderly friend broke her hip and underwent hip replacement surgery in late May.  We finally were able to get together for lunch at her place today before another mutual friend drove her to do some errands.  Though we didn't have much time together it was nice to catch up with her. She is looking remarkably well and is getting around very well too though she still needs to take it easy as she recovers.

Now that the weather is transitioning to Fall, I've been spending a bit of time thinking about what I need to round out my wardrobe for the coming cooler weather.  Of course I always do so on a budget this week was no exception.  I saved hundreds of dollars on my purchases and purchased everything brand new.  I have nothing against buying second hand but seldom do I ever find what I need in the colours and sizing that I need. It is always much easier for me to buy new if I can find a good sale. To give you an example of the sales, I was able to purchase a Fall jacket for $18 (original price $120 Canadian). It is something I will be able to wear for years to come so I am quite pleased.

It is still very warm here in Vancouver. Today was deceptive and a little time spent outside at my friend's place made me yearn for the cool of the fan.  But I have noticed a distinct change in the air in the early mornings. Past experience tells me that by the 1st of September there will be a definite chill in the air.  Though the days may be warm, you will know that Fall is not far behind.

I've been hoping to have some completed works in progress to post and show but haven't met any crafting deadlines. In fact, I've found it too warm to really get into crafting.

Instead, in keeping with my one of my guiding words for this year (simplify), I'm working toward simple living, not simply living, I've been making time for the things that matter to me: friends and family, reading, health and routines, and keeping pockets of stress free time to relax and enjoy the simple life.  This is actually harder to do than not. I keep reminding myself with quotes and pictures of flowers and taking time to smell real flowers.

I hope all of you are coping well wherever you are. I end with a beautiful scene from my fair city, Vancouver. Enjoy!

Linking with Our World Tuesday

A Trip Down Memory Lane

When I was a child Sundays & nights were always a busy time. Family outings, dinners, church services, television and last minute home work filled my day.

Often I would have knots in my stomach because I didn't do my homework when I should have because weekends were always a busy time at my house and playing and church were more fun than doing homework.

Needless to say I didn't look forward to Monday's and getting back to classes. As much as I really did love school, I didn't like returning to school with unfinished homework and I would get so anxious about it that I could hardly get the work underway as the minutes ticked on through Sunday night.

Back then I was very much a procrastinator on weekends in so far as homework was concerned.

I don't think I ever outgrew the dislike of impending Monday mornings though I have no longer suffer "Monday blues".

Just out of curiosity, did any of you dear readers ever suffer from Monday blues or anxiety over unfinished homework on weekends? 

I'd like to think I wasn't alone in my feelings and experiences though it isn't something I've heard heard my friends admit to.

One thing I did look forward to on Sunday nights was the "The Wonderful World of Disney".  An hour long children's program featuring the work of Walt Disney. That was always a highlight of the week.
I also looked forward to watching "The Ed Sullivan Show". Ed Sullivan had a variety show in which he introduced many new acts (entertainers) which went on to be very famous in North America.  Acts like Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Mr. Sullivan also had many established acts and entertainers on his program; most of whom I enjoyed for years afterward.

One entertainer I really enjoyed was Doug Kershaw, better known as the "Ragin Cajun". He so impressed me with his unique style of fiddle playing.  I'm sharing a more recent video of Mr. Kershaw here. He must have already been in his 70s when this video was made.  I just marvel at his energy!

I don't exactly know why I like fiddle music so much. I didn't hear a lot of it as a child but whenever I did, it was in my blood. Kind of like bagpipes. I actually heard more bagpipe music as a child than fiddle but I truly love the stringed instruments whether it be folk music, country music, or classical.

Grey Skies and Garden Greens

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend wherever you may be in the world. In my part of the world it has been raining heavily all week. I was looking forward to having rain because it has been so hot and humid for me this summer.


Unfortunately I was not counting on the arthritic pain that came along with the rains. I've been moving more slowly this week as a result and not feeling up to much of anything.  After 5 days of rain, I am feeling better today.

As you can see from the photos, we've had thick gray skies with a sliver of blue (lower photo) but so far it hasn't rained today.

I was disappointed in my garden this year. Nothing really grew as it should. Some things matured too quickly and died.  Like the corn I like to plant most years so the squirrels can have some food. The sweet peas which I planted for the bloosoms also died rather quickly.

Even container plants which have always done well for me, like pansies and geraniums, died rather quickly even though I did dead head and water them.  I thought the pansies had died altogether.  But just the other day they started blooming again so I hope they will last for a little while yet.

I can't really complain too loudly about the lack of gardening success for I don't really tend to my garden too much except to water it almost daily and deadhead the container plants.

Everything looks a bit wild, lol!

Just when I thought none of the vegetables would grow I see the kale is looking healthy and the brussels sprouts are suddenly doing better too. Even the tomatoes are finally showing signs of growth.  Perhaps all is not lost just yet. I will be glad to use anything that grows. Sadly the sunflowers I planted for the birds didn't grow very big and are almost dead now after the heavy rains this week.

Almost ready to use. I've seen smaller leaves on bunches in food stores.

The strata council where I live will soon be uprooting all the gardens to test for membrane damage.  Hopefully next year I can plant and tend my garden without worrying what will happen to it. Perhaps next year things will grow better.

I've never grown these before but they look almost ready to harvest too. I've got a few bunches of them.

I have kept very busy trying to get healthy and lower my blood glucose levels (with some success),  looking after my mother's many needs and hosting some visitors a few times.  I haven't had a whole lot of time for much else, including the garden.

Thank you to all those who commented on my last post about trying to help me find pajamas and warm socks for my mother. I had been looking on line and not finding what I needed in the right sizes.

Last night I finally made it to several brick and mortar stores to see whether the selection was any better than what I've been seeing on line.  I was able to find what I needed:  4 sweatshirts with long sleeves and 3 coordinating sleepwear pants.

These are the tops (and one cami on top). Two of the long sleeved sweatshirts have a bit of glitter. 

 
It took some doing to find the right sizing and colours to coordinate tops and bottoms. But I'm happy with what I found for now. She wants to start wearing pajamas throughout the day so she can keep warm so I've bought things that don't scream "pajamas".

I will still be looking for thicker sleepwear.  If I cannot find them I will try and make some as the fleece and flannel selections will soon be in stock in the fabric stores. I will also wait to see how mom fares wearing what I've just purchased.  I labelled all the clothing today and hemmed one of the bottoms. I put together mom's favourite snack foods since she often says she cannot eat the food served to her at the residence.  On those occasions she needs something else on hand.  My brother will be taking everything up when he goes to visit mom on Sunday.  When I see her on her birthday later in the month I will assess how the clothing has worked out and take some measurements for the socks she still needs to ward off the chills.

Last, but not least, I just want to mention that there is still time to help Elvis in Kenya (if you wish, you can read more about him at the side bar on the right of my blog).  Elvis will take his last class at university in a week or so. He will then need some help with graduation costs and some small funds to help him while he looks for work. If anyone can assist, please let me know.  I know Elvis and his mom who raises 3 other school age children will thank you so much!

Linking with Our World Tuesday