If you go to Warsaw...

...make sure to go to Arkadia mall and find the E Wedel shop and have some super special hot chocolate. Mine was spicy pepper...and it was delicious! Wow! Some pepper syrup in the bottom and hot pepper sprinkled on top. Would never have tried it on my own but a friend let me have a taste of theirs and it was instant love. I'm Not Kidding. And you will love it, too! ;)

Forgot to take the before-I-drank-it pic. But use your imagination. ;)
need some Wedel links?
all the stores in Warsaw
main store-really nice but too far away for this trip
and how about just some good old all around hot chocolate recipes?

Smile!

This is Fenya. We see him nearly every Friday and he is a real sweetheart. 

25cents if you can tell me what's coming next...

And then I had to stop taking pix and go chase him off... ;)

all so appropriate

First it did this... and did it some more and some more.

Until it literally was a blanket. A swooshy looking one. 

And then I ended up with this. Although I'll have you know I didn't stay in bed. Didn't go out, though. 

ps- saw an article online- 10,000 cars stranded on roads and bridges in Kyiv, our capital. Whoa.
BBC had a bit to say
One article said Northern Ukr has had up to 50 cm (19.5 in) of snow in the last few days- more than twice the normal for December. I don't know how much we have but it's getting on toward that much, I'm guessing.

;)

my broken ankle

For sure. But aren't these cute?!
Oh My.

let's take a look out the window

A month or so ago. 

Yesterday afternoon. 

It's hard to do it justice. And I didn't go outside today to get better shots. It's just too miserable out there...

I had plans to visit A way out in Western Ukr near the Carpathian mountains. Last night a friend was here for about an hour and was worried she wouldn't be able to get back to her apartment (about a 30 min walk from here). Get off the narrow beaten path and you're in snow to your knees. And the buses? Having serious trouble staying in motion. Traffic accidents and jams and snarls. She wasn't hanging around, thanks very much. I got worried and called A to ask what was happening out by them. It's raining she says. RAIN?! I ask. Yikes. Uh, I think I'll likely not come tomorrow I say. Oh please do come she says. I'll uh see I say. But I'm thinking- this is December, it's in the 20's here (Fahrenheit) and we know good and well that rain won't stay rain. You'll have ice by morning. And I have to leave here at 6 am to catch my train. And they won't have these rapidly-jamming-with-cars-and-snow streets cleared then if they don't have them open now. I mean...this isn't New York City. We just aren't into keeping roads open like that here. Not when the day coming is Sunday and not a work day. 

I went to bed feeling troubled but also scared about getting on a train (the last time I saw the train station- at 1.50 AM Sat- the tracks in the station were blowing closed. And the wind hadn't stopped since then and neither had the snow. I didn't set my alarm knowing that I'd have a hard time not going once I woke up and knowing with my head that it was foolish to get out.

Well- 5 AM on the nose I'm wide awake. Completely. I never knew my body had its own alarm clock. It's never seemed to have that affliction before. Well- I got up and shuffled around, literally and mentally. Looked out the window. Snow. And blowing. And lots of both. What to do? I really need to go back to bed. It's crazy to even consider going. And I do. I go back to bed but I'm restless. 

A is looking forward to this. 

Be quiet and go back to sleep. 

But A....

NO! 

Well, I did go back to sleep but it was restless sleep. Woke up again at 6. Still not too late to peel out of bed and fly for the train. Like really fly. I looked out the window again and reluctantly went back to bed. 

When I came to again the train, thankfully (if it managed to get through at all) was long since gone. I'd missed it and I was here for the day. For good.

Called A later and she said- I was so worried about you. Our rain froze-there's soooo much ice- and now lots of snow on that. The roads are closed and they're telling people to stay home unless it's an emergency. I was afraid you were on the bus. Oh I'm so glad...

That made me feel better! 

So- now you know what it's like here. It's snowy. And wintery. And bad. 

And I've got chicken curry in the crock pot and it smells super! 

:)

You know how kids are all about being logical? And how it's so easy to explain the totally logical things to them? Yeah. Well- this brought back a lunch with my Sweet Sis and her Darling Kiddos. (And they are darling.) Must have been a stressful day for Kiddo #2. Who had a tall glass half full of milk. And who looked at Kiddo #3 or #4 who had a small glass full of milk. And dissolved into loud angry 'life's-not-fair' tears, sobs and wails. She has more milk than me! She does, She does! She has a full glass and I have only a half glass! Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, nothing ever goes right for me. And in the end, the only thing to do was pour her milk into a small glass (probably it didn't even all fit) and give it to her like that. Wow.

When did they start making bifocals for kids. I have a nephew (and a niece, I think) who have bifocals. One's 10 the other is 6. 

Once again, I love Peanuts!!

Snow!

The weather app on my phone is iffy, at best. It says it’s raining when it’s actually sunny. It says it will be sunny and there’s a thunderstorm. It says cold and colder and it warms up.

But yesterday it said snow all night and today.

And… we got snow!!!