Sitting at the university waiting for students who simply aren't coming, it's become clear. So. I read some blog posts and that put me in the mood to do one.
Seasons in the Ukrainian calendar officially start on the first of their respective months - so today is the first day of spring. And it looks and feels like it! WooHoo!
--Also - it's time for a new toothbrush. 😃 (My mom taught me that a long time ago - New Season, New Toothbrush. Out with the old!)
--There's a home visit in the very near (relatively) future now! There's a ticket! July! But we do have some special days here yet, first. And I'm glad about that.
-- The war continues. It will continue until Russia withdraws. It's that simple. Ukrainian troops had nearly contained the whole thing and reclosed the border in August of 2014 when columns of Russian tanks and truckloads of soldiers rolled in. These are things I really don't understand except in the context that we are all part of a larger plan and picture. Living in Europe, the memory of war is always just under the surface. The First World War. The Second World War. The Ukrainian genocide in the 30's. It's very clear that the Lord does not stop these things. The best we can do is be faithful in them.
-- We're busy, as always and I'm glad.
There are pix somewhere in this post. Since I'm on my phone, I can't see where they are.
----- birds on wires. 😎
----- the baby in our field turns 1 next week! Polina. With her mommy!
----- the snow and hoar frost: We had lots of both this winter. Really, it was a beautiful winter. Only a very few really cold days (5? 6?) Fresh snow most of the time so it was pretty and clean. And high humidity so lots of gorgeous hoar frosts, some of which lasted all day. 😊 And when it got warm, it got really warm really fast so that stuff melted and disappeared in about 3 or 4 days. Mind you, those were extremely muddy days. But. It's mostly dry now.
----- one of the old fortresses in our field at sunset. (This field is full of ancient fortresses- this is the best-preserved/restored one.)
----- oh yes. The stove. There was an emergency with the old one. No insulation at all around the oven. By the gas pipe. Also the electrical cord (from the stove) that somehow got wedged up against that uninsulated oven box. That nearly started a fire. But then I accidentally felt the gas pipe and it was too hot to touch. This was not my first near miss with gas because of shoddy work and poor appliances. I pretty much had a panic attack. The landlord wanted to put a sheet of asbestos between the stove and pipe, redo the cord (he's an electrician! He fixed that cord the first time that almost-fire happened! No- I wasn't there then.) I said No. Please take this hunk of junk out of here. Go blow up/burn down someone else. I accept that I won't live forever on this earth. But I'd like to not blow up a building today, thank you. So a new stove came to live with us. We like it just fine. 😊
----- Grandpa J (102 now!) is in FL (with my parents - Who knew there were snowbirds lurking within my parents' skins???? I'm happy they enjoy this, though. I just have one question: Next winter, can I come see you in FL Mom and Dad? I've never been there. Not even once. Also - I'll let you show me the alligators but you have to promise me they'll stay far away!) [The pic of Grandpa taken by Katie Troyer and used with her permission.]
