Asubuhi na kuwa na siku njema Jumapili! (Good morning and have a good day Sunday!)

[Kathryn-in-Canada-DH]

I see I have to start this morning, and I never get the chance since I sign in so infrequently ... I hope it is okay with you ladies that I do so!

The subject for today is "Good morning and have a good day Sunday!" and I've written it in Swahili because I am writing this from the village of Longido in Northern Tanzania in the heart of Maasailand. Do you remember from your childhood the National Geographic cover pictures of the Maasai warrior wrapped in his red shuka and with his sword on his belt and long staff in his hand? Nothing has changed! I am in the middle of that culture and it is around me all day, every day.

Kathryn tells me someone has asked if I am writing a travelogue again this year, and I've only just published the start of it in the last hour. If you are interested, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/june-201 ... ken-holman (you do not have to have a LinkedIn account to see the post and follow the link to the album).

Please feel free to comment on any of the photographs, or ask me a question through Kathryn (since I don't follow PWYC day-by-day). LadyM, you can tell LittleOne that I was thinking of him when writing some of the details because I think he will be interested.

Enjoy your Sunday!

. . . . . . Ken

[DeeClutter]

How very nice to 'see' Ken. Hoping the rest of his stay is a good one! What a surprise to see this today and so very glad at that!

I'm up a little late today. Not planning to go to church this morning as I'm still going through hankie after hankie. Hoping this goes away soon.

Have an appointment with my cardiologist tomorrow afternoon. Hoping for a good one.

Supposed to go to friends (here) for a cook out this afternoon. I've not done very good on my diet the past few days so need to buckle down for sure.

[LadyMaverick]

Ken - OH HOW FUN! Thank you for providing the travelogue. I will be sharing it with DS10 and DGD8. I find myself zooming in/out as I am reading the annotation for each of the pictures. I will never travel to Tanzania so this is as close as I'm going to get to what it is like there. I am thankful for the opportunity to see that part of the world and glean a small understanding of their daily life.

My word of the day is Mzungu.

DD came about 3am to pick up DGD8. I think she will return later today or early in the morning.

Next up -
** Personal AM dailies
** Front Porch dailies
** Swim Pool dailies

[BookSaver]

Good morning, villagers ~
Ken-not-in-Canada ~ Thank you for opening the thread today.

I'm going to jump right in chatting without CUOP. (To our new member MadHouseWitch, CUOP is our shorthand for Catching Up On Posts, or reading everything since last time you were here.) I did scan through yesterday and enjoyed very much seeing what y'all have been doing.

The past 2 weeks I have had very limited time to be online at all.
First, because summer is our busiest season at the public library. I'm run off my feet every time I go there.

Second reason for crazybusy is what I think I mentioned last time I was here, our teenage worker quit with no notice. Since we're a city department, the boss couldn't hire anyone immediately because she was required to advertise the job for 2 weeks before starting interviews. She scheduled me work extra hours to fill in. Also, this past week we closed the library for 3 days to take inventory. My "normal" schedule is between 15 & 19 hours a week, usually 2nd shift. 2 weeks ago I worked every day swing shifts early mornings, afternoons, and evenings. This past week I worked noon to 8PM Monday, and then Tues/Wed/Thurs 8AM to 4ish.

Thursday night after supper I went back to the library to help set up the volunteer group's annual book sale. In past years I would also have spent a couple of days with them working the book sale, but I couldn't do that this year because --

Friday and yesterday I had 2 days of workshops with my sewing group. I am so very grateful that another officer offered to be in charge of the event. I still needed to pitch in with the other board members, though, because any event involves a lot of moving parts. Plus, of course, I had paid to take the classes myself so I needed to keep my brain awake and try not to get sidetracked into how much I really wanted a nap! (What's the emoji for exhausted?)

I didn't schedule anything out of the house for today. Must get caught up on desk work. I was able to stay on top of laundry and dishes over the past 2 weeks, but paperwork is out of control. I need to start a grocery list, too, as I see that the refrigerator and freezer are looking quite bare.

BUT FIRST ... coffee!

[Twins' Mom]

Good morning, what a surprise start from Ken (not in Canada right now!)

I stayed with dmom until about 4 this morning and came home to sleep. She slept, was restless at times later in the night and still had the cough going, but not as bad. Talked to hospice nurse already this a.m. about whether this is the best place for her and I guess it depends on her recovery and what happens next.

I'm feeling pretty low this morning. I woke up snapping at dh about waking me up - he swore he wasn't making any noise like I thought he was so I'm edgy about that. After yesterday, I'm feeling like I can't trust the staff there at assisted living to tell me what's really going on. The nurse there yesterday had talked to the hospice nurse before I showed up, but had downplayed with was going on, I think.

So I'm feeling low today and anxious about what the day will bring.

[Nancy]

Waving to everyone, thanks Ken for the great start & link.

I have been out in the garden thinning plums listening to the sound of bees in the bushes. Got one bed weeded while I was out there.
Earlier I saw a young robin bathing in a wide shallow I put on the bbq pit for a bird bath that made my day! we slept well & both slept in.

Had lunch.

[LadyMaverick]

Home from church and lunch with DFriends.

Church service was emotional today as the preacher called different people up on the stage with him one at a time and spoke how they had influenced his life and how they serve others. After doing this to a couple of dozen people and putting the focus and emphasize on the fact that many people make up a church, then he announced that he is leaving the church. The preachers' wife was sitting next to me and she had tears falling through most of the service.

Next up -
** Kitchen dailies
** Bathroom dailies
** Package smoked brisket into 4 oz meal size portions

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

LadyM: that would be an emotional service.

My day has gone well but I'm bone tired now.

It is finally hot here. We tell temps in Celsius in Canada. There are some easy to remember points: you probably know 0 (freezing point of water) is 32F. 100 is the boiling point of water. So your summer temps always sound horrible to me! Then the cross-over points: 16C is 61F, 28C is 82F, -40C is -40F. And -17C is 0F. We set thermostats in winter to 20 (68F) and in summer the A/C to 25 (77.) When I was growing up, 90 was hot. Now 30 is considered hot but that is only 86. That's the psychological trick one's mind plays. Even numbers have more impact than irregular ones like 32 (90F.)

So, in summary: 16 - 20 is coolish, 20 - 25 is warm, 25 - 30 is nice and 30+ are hot, summer, temps.

Today its 30 according to my car. When I came out of the church and then again from the grocery store, the air feels hot on my skin. That's what summer feels like. It is a glorious feeling.

People are out everywhere and smiling and happy. This is the 4th day of sun in a row, but the first of hot temps, although it was in the nice range yesterday.

My day started out with tea and chocolate and finishing off a magazine. Then dh sent his email with the photos and the link it didn't work for me so I sent a note back. He called and we had our chat plus I tidied the few things out of place while on the phone. I'm keeping up the progress I made on Friday.

I haven't seen the pictures yet because I didn't have time before church.

I was out the door on time and the car was leaving the garage at 8:50, the exact time I had hoped. I hit 4 out of 6 lights red between here and the highway but then it was smooth sailing.

I was first to the church by a long shot. I had nothing to do but sit on the steps in the glorious sun and enjoy the beautiful day for 15 minutes.

Then my service (which went well but did not go over the hour despite my long sermon.) It was 11:09 when I turned on the car so I drove over to the village church and made it in time for the second half of their anniversary service.

I heard the guest preacher, and took communion. At the luncheon, I had a chance to visit with people. And to say goodbye to my minister (who is no longer my minister because I've transferred my membership.) I think that church will always be 'my' church just like our family homes are always our homes even if we don't live there with the family anymore.

The mom of the child who died last year sent me to the graveyard to check out the area where he'll be buried. She's doing somewhat better but is still stressed over her daughter, naturally enough (big problems there.) But she's back at a new job and seemed very good. There's a decent education plan in place for the daughter who is off to high school next year.

CM was all excited to see me. She texted me a photo of her and MF at a ministry event yesterday. With the restructuring of our church governance, his church and the village church are now in the same region so they saw each other for the first time since Thanksgiving at my place a few years ago.

The minister and I might get together before he leaves for his summer home.

And the guest preacher chatted with me and said "let me know when you are back on the supply worship leader list" because she was interested in hiring me to supply at her church but then backed off when she found out I was no longer licensed. In fact, she was surprised United Churches will still hire me. I had to point out it was the boards' prerogative, if the board wanted me, they can hire me. Hopefully that puts a bug in her ear.

I texted ds during lunch to see if he was home so I could drop off the chair. The village church is 30 minutes from his house. He was off hiking so I brought the chair home with me, stopping off for a few much needed groceries on the way home. My car is stuffed with things to drop off places but I'm out tomorrow to babysit for dd at a library that is near to most of the places I need to visit. And out for brunch on Wednesday or Thursday, so tomorrow is an errand day with a back-up day later in the week.

I'm home now, on the balcony, out of the sun, just enjoying the heat. I have noise canceling headphones on to relieve the drone of the traffic out here.

I think I'll recline my zero gravity chair now and close my eyes for a bit.

[Twins' Mom]

Spent some time with my dmom, she is withdrawn, dehydrated. They are getting meds down her using applesauce and crushing the meds but the mucinex can't be crushed. Hospice nurse today said that she has some crackling in her lungs that could be the beginning of pneumonia. I will meet or talk to the case manager and social worker tomorrow about options, although I'm left up the in air about meds overnight and whether I should be with her.

I'm tired, and weepy, not surprisingly and not thinking clearly.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

(((Twins)))

I'm supposing you hold her power of attorney for personal care (that's what we call it here, the one that determines treatment offered and withheld if the patient can't make an informed choice themselves.)

(((Twins)))