I’m sitting here next to the Christmas tree gazing out the window as I listen to big band music playing on the record player in the next room.  A deer just waded through the deep snow outside the window.  The deer like to come eat the scraps of birdseed from under the bird feeder.  It is a peaceful evening here in Wisconsin.  I came a couple a weeks ago from Kenya to celebrate my daughter’s graduation from University on the 17^th and stay for the holidays.  I have certainly had a white Christmas.  And a cold Christmas with below zero temperatures. A big change from my desert life in Northern Kenya, that’s for sure. 

I had a very busy October and November in Kenya with some interesting trips and a lot accomplished. The highlight of October was a visit by my daughter-in-law to the village.  We worked with the basket
weavers to get ready for taking baskets to a craft fair in Nanyuki in the shadow of Mt Kenya at the end of October.  

After the craft fair I went to Nairobi for the last week of October in which my birthday and the holiday of Diwali happened to coincide.

The fireworks over the city were fabulous.  I had picked up food poisoning at the craft fair. Uggh.  So I wasn’t feeling so well.  It cheered me up to be able to find a 7^th floor vantage point next to my apartment and see 5 or 6 firework shows at a time from all corners of Nairobi.  Amazing.  My birthday was fabulous.  My favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, an afternoon

in the spa and evening sushi and drinks on the top floor of a fancy hotel.  What a treat!

Back in the village in November I concentrated on the PEAR Innovations cybercafe project that I am working on.  The first stage is to renovate several of the business houses owned by Salato Women’s Group.  Some of the women helped me to start the process by cleaning them up to be ready for the construction of fixing them up.

By the time I left for the USA, they were starting to look very good.  There is still some work ongoing while I’m gone.  Once I’m back by the end of January, I’ll be able to start stage two of getting it into shape with desks, computers and internet connections.  Exciting. 

It was still very dry in October and November with the pasture for livestock very scarce. 

We had many very young goat kids that weren’t getting enough milk from their mothers so we supplemented extra packaged milk.  They were so cute.  Sweet little things.  Fortunately by the time I was leaving Ngurunit the beginning of December, there had been several heavy rain showers over a couple of weeks and things were getting green and pasture growing well. 

I headed to USA the beginning of December.  On the way I stopped in Amsterdam to meet up with a friend and we jumped on a train to Belgium to stay with a mutual friend there for 2 nights.  What a great time.  We went to a Christmas fair in a nearby town.  My friend’s daughter and I rode on a huge Ferris Wheel near an amazing old church.  It was so fun to see the town from a birds-eye view.  And the hot chocolate in a local pastry shop was so delicious.  Belgium chocolate is the best!!

That brings me back to today and my snowy white holiday season.  It is the end of 2022.  It has been an eventful year.  Not always easy, but always blessed.  I’m looking forward to what 2023 has in store.  As always, I will take life one day at a time.  Wishing you all a joyous New Year full of peace and beauty.  Breathe. Be.