Ahem

Yeah. It's true.

For a few people.............

To the FitBit Peeps out there: Have you tried this? (It just seemed worth a go!)

I have a little pedometer- nothing so slick as the genuine fitbit dealy-bobber. But it counts steps. I don't wear it much. Not since I got 16,000 steps in 3 hours on a typical bus ride. 

I've seen a lot of shivery posts on facebook- the weather's turning cooler and a goosebump or 2 might appear from time to time. No complaints here, though. It's such a treat to not be sweating all the time. I'm in love with being able to move around outside without feeling like I've melted into a yucky puddle of grime and slime. And sleeping at night and needing a blanket! How fantastic! I tucked my duvet into it's cover today and am luxuriating in the bliss of needing a blanket and the duvet. Of wanting to snuggle into covers and pillows. 

Even the buses are mostly no longer hot. 

I like summer for the freedom of movement- my backpack is lighter because there's no need for a sweater or extra socks or long-sleeve anything; no coat to slow you down and take up space. Footwear is a cinch- sandals! In that respect, summer is a treat. 

But this weather- you can breathe again, you can exult in the feel of cool air on your skin. Walking everywhere is a treat again and not just something to endure. Ahhh fall, I do love you!!!

Things that really aren't possible

I can only conclude that they have bad ice cream at that house.

 

I have ice cream memories from as far back as I can remember. There were a lot of things that we didn't have in our house when we were growing up. Some of those things I wanted pretty badly (oddly, though, I cannot think of a single one of them now. hmmm); some I don't remember fretting about much. For instance, we never had a TV and, while I loved spending the occasional night at my friends' houses- Sondra or Lorna, usually- and totally gluing my eyes to the TV while there, I really don't remember missing it much at home. (Maybe my mom can fill in forgotten details!)
I think I would have gladly had more soda pop, although I don't remember exactly suffering without that, either. I do remember that ice cold pop (Pepsi or Root Beer) and chips went with haying.
And I also vividly remember my very first ever Mountain Dew. I was at the county fair and stopped at a food stand for a snack...and had a Mountain Dew to go with it. And it was love at first swallow. And nothing's changed. Man-O-Live, I love that stuff. (And it's just good for everything about me that it's not for sale here in Ukraine, sigh.)
Same goes for my first Snickers. I was, if you can believe it, in the 8th grade. Supposed to meet my mom at the library after school or some such thing. What I remember clearly is going into the grocery store across the street from the library and buying a Snickers bar. And also loving that from first bite. Snickers is sold here in Ukraine. Snickers are too much and too sweet now. (I have no idea why Mt Dew isn't....I'm sure there's way more sugar there.)
And we always had ice cream in the freezer. Always. Burger's Vanilla Ice Cream. (And sadly, it doesn't even exist anymore.) It was delicious. My dad's favorite. About the only kind he'd eat, as I recall. His idea of an after dinner treat was a big bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce on top. My brother Paul has continued the tradition nicely. And I must say, I don't often say No to ice cream myself. Vanilla is the best. And when it's hot out? You simply can't have too much! Ukrainians love ice cream but most often buy it in single serving cones or bars or some such thing. The place is full of little ice cream freezers with a friendly woman (usually) and a cash box.
I had 2 ice creams yesterday and one today.
It's been very hot here the past few days.* Thankfully.
So let's hear it for ice cream!! And remember, Kids- You really CAN'T have too much! ;)

*It really has been hot- unseasonably hot. Over 90 degrees on Fri and close to that yesterday. 80-something felt cool today. 

Happiness is...

...being a Puppy

...if you're a little boy. :) Which reminds me of a story I've (possibly) told before.
Summertime, big family gathering. Sister 1 and Sister 2 each have little boys about the same age. Sister 1's little boy is potty trained; Sister 2's little boy is not potty trained. The 2 little boys are playing together and both run up to Little Boy 1's mom (Sister 1). Little Boy 1 says 'Mom, I have to tinkle' (use your imagination- shouldn't be too hard). Sister 1 thinks- Aha! I'll take Little Boy 2 along and we can show him how it's done! Off they go to a shrub (or tree...or something). Little Boy 1 takes care of his business. Little Boy 2 is watching with BIG eyes. Auntie- Is he a puppy? teehee Those 'little boys' must be about 17 or 18 now. 

...having a cat who loves (?) appreciates (?) acknowledges/accepts you; soaks up your affection.... or at least deigns to sleep on your sofa. ;)

I'm not kidding. I love this cat. She lives in the town of Ostroh, near the apartment I frequented in February. We'd come home after having been gone an hour or all day or 3 days...and she'd be waiting for us; jump up, meow in the most questioning way and run to the door, meowing...and run into the apartment ahead of us, heading for her favorite spot on the sofa, in the sun. And because we're such softies, we let her spend the night. Who knows what kind of life she led when we weren't around... must be tiring because she'd be in the exact same spot and position the next morning.... and also ready to leave and take care of business the cat way. ;)
 

... a for real toilet. (I'm not kidding.) See this one? The seat is attached. Affixed. Won't slide. Won't come off. Oh Hurray.

 Also there's a lid. I'm telling you, we are uptown, we are! (I'll bet you wish I had a pic of what we had before this one, don't you? Well, subtract the lid and imagine an unattached 'floating' seat. You really don't need a pic. Trust me. And trust me that this is a thing of beauty. 

(And did I ever tell you my other throne story? As in the throne that occupies the smallest room in the house? *throat clearing noises* Well, Once upon a time, Little T and I moved into an apt that had no furniture and just barely had a toilet. As in No seat, never mind lid. Just the ceramic base...and wherewith to flush. We move in. The landlords are there, all pleased and happy. Oh- You don't have a TV, they say. We'll bring you one. We have one we don't need. We'll bring it right over.
T and I look at each other. You know what we'd like more than a TV, we say? A toilet seat.
WHAT?! They say. Listen, if you want a toilet seat, go to the bazaar, get a cheap one and when you leave take it with you. They're not expensive.
I am NOT hauling my own toilet seat around Ukraine, I say. We'd like you to get one (it can be cheap, no worries) and we'll leave it when we move out.
And they did.
And we were TV-less and happy.

.... darling little nieces who grow up WAYYY too fast but are adorable along the way. Oh My Little B... you do thumpy things to me heart.

 .... this mouse catcher is pretty warm-fuzzy feelings inspiring, too.

This one is quite possibly my favorite of all... as far as cats, go, anyway.

...this duvet cover. I got to be with it again for the month of February. It just.... makes me happy. 

 ...this chocolate. A touch of salt in/on it.
Break it into pieces and put into a teflon-coated small pot with milk. Heat until the chocolate's melted and it's all mixed together nicely. Add hot red pepper to taste. Drink it.
It Is So Delicious. It warms your tummy-tum-tum in the most cozy way.
The real stuff is made with hot pepper syrup but...that I've never seen in a store. 

....and of course- Happiness is when your friend who had cancer and zoomed home 2 years ago for chemo and radiation and the works comes back, healthy and happy and raring to go!! Welcome back, Little T!

hello? hello? helloooooooo?

Just because it's been a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG time and so that you'll know there's still life here. ;)

I, uh, don't like it at all. Unless it's toasted in granola. Just because.
(But you're cute, Dolly, you are.) 

Did I ever tell you about my co who could swallow a WHOLE handful of pills in one go...with one gulp of water...and one swallow? And how one time her hearing aid ended up in that pile of pills? And how she could even manage all the pills AND the hearing aid with one swallow of water? It's quite the story. And it's true. :) (And she was quite the lady- I miss her!)

Pinterest Fail

Or it would be if I'd gotten the idea off of Pinterest.

And no- There won't be a pic of this fail. It is delicious, though. Remember that!
You know those white chocolate covered pretzel things that have been on the scene a few years now? The ones that are first dipped in melted white chocolate and then rolled in/sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies? Here---> These Things. Well I do love them. And I've made them several times. And, you know, they've always turned out pretty decently. Someone brought me the makings not so long ago. Yesterday seemed like the time to make some. And for the first time ever- Wow. I mean those babies are UGLY. I mean the chocolate did not at all cooperate and they are.... just.... amazingly unpretty. (They taste good, however. Their deliciousness is directly proportional to their ugliness.) :)

And then there's the win.
Someone made eggnog last week and promised to save some for me...and didn't. At all. Boo-hoo. So, I went shopping for eggs and cream yesterday and made some MYSELF. So there. And guess what? It is Exceedingly Delicious! This is the recipe (pretty simple, actually). I made half a recipe, omitted the rum and used 2 small tubes of rum flavoring instead. Try it. I'm not kidding. If you like eggnog, you will LOVE this stuff!

This is exactly how I feel about math. Unfortunately, I was never very good at pushing numbers. And- speaking of math. I saw how my nephew is learning math now. It looked like a nightmare come true. If we thought math was hard in our day, I'm not sure what these poor kids have. At least our math problems never took a whole page PER problem until well into calculus. Goodness. I really don't understand how the new way is anything but more confusing.

It is that time of year. Again. Already. I'm sort of stunned. 2014 seemed to just vanish. Here's wishing you all the best possible 2015...keeping in mind that this might not come about exactly how we think but that it will be the best if we are careful on our part to choose wisely. And I'm off to have a 'cup of kindness'--- see above re that eggnog! ;)

Hello Monday!

Having never had a kidney stone, I laughed robustly (but pretty quietly) over this one. Can the I'v-had-a-kidney-stone crowd also laugh? 

It's Monday. Unlike most people, I love Mondays. And have for slightly more than 20 years now. Ever since the big 'career' change. When Sunday is your biggest day of the week well, Monday is like a breather. At least when it's a quiet day..and ours tend to be. Thankfully.
Yesterday we visited our old and blind friend out in a village. The village is down a long and very pot-holey road that winds up and down and in and out of several major ravines. To me, the village is on the way to nowhere although there must be something farther down the road. Back to our friend. He's 86, blind, poor, stubborn...and has had an interesting life. He was forced into the Russian army at some point. When he'd had enough of that, he left. Deserted, I suppose, but he's never been a fan of the Russians. He was jailed (I think for deserting) and escaped from jail. He might have done that twice. He has grown children and grandchildren. He's a widower. And he's nearing the end of his road here. When we were with him yesterday, for a little while, I thought we'd be there with him as he finished. We weren't. We left when one of his daughters came to sit with him for a while. What struck me most yesterday was how strong his will to live is. We humans hang on to life with just about everything in us, it seems. Speaking was very difficult for him but he talked about the pills he was taking to make him better.
F's eyesight has been fading for the entire 14 years I've known him. His sense of hearing has been remarkable though, and for a long time, he knew everyone that visited him by their voice. Then that faded as his hearing faded. Another thing that struck me yesterday is that his hearing is better again. He once again knew me by my voice. The pic is from 2 years ago. 

It's definitely time........

To do this again! Admit it- You've just been pining away for a comics post! ;)

  

This just made me grin. Isn't friendship a bit like that, though? Sometimes I think we give to and take from a friendship X and Y. And in the other person's eyes, it's more like M and N. But it's friendship. And it endures. In spite of different sunglasses and book clubs. :)

I have this J-boy nephew. He was 2 1/2 when I met him. And so lively and curious and full of life. And one day, he climbed onto the seat and then the arm rests and then the back of his daddy's swivel desk chair. His momma and I were chatting away. His momma had just warned him not to do that particular bit of climbing. And then the chair spun and he spun ever so gracefully and magically pirouetted from the chair back to the arms to the seat all while the chair spun around. And then he looked at us with huge eyes and said: Momma! How'd I do that Momma? How Momma, How?!??? And no one could answer him. The universe was deliciously random that day! And he was heart-stoppingly adventurous!

  

But after they're done with their little bit of boxing ring madness, they make delicious banana bread. As I remembered again just last week. :) (Warm banana bread, soft butter, a cup of tea. Do you get it???) 

I have a friend. A dear friend. When she's visiting here in Ukr and someone rings her doorbell, she loves to say 'Друг или Враг?' (Rus'n for 'Friend or Foe'?) Which can be sort of puzzling to the locals. But is sure a lot of fun! ;)

The students here? They love Google. In fact, they call (him) 'Uncle Google'. "Just a minute, I'll ask Uncle Google..."

Catered small parties are great! I like this guy. (But I don't like his shirt.)

oh boy

Umm
Have you (fountainmist) seen this??? Oh Boy. Oh my. (Blood sugar level is an issue, keep calm and don't click just dream. But wow- whaddadream!) ;)

And is this a bit.... uff? Not even really funny.

And I guess that's me for now. I'm here, you're there. Life spins. That's not so bad, is it? :)

ahhh

Just checking in!
Today
- I realized I've lost the PO box key. Hmmm. Possibly when we get this renovation done and N's stuff moved back into her room it will show up??? One can certainly hope.
- I read about my aunt and uncle's trip via AmTrak to New York. Their train was only 10 1/2 hours late leaving IN. No kidding. They spent the whole night on one of those Very Cold Nights waiting for that train, running to nearby gas stations for food and restroom facilities. This is enough to completely blow the mind of the locals here. My aunt came to the conclusion that you never leave for a train trip without 1) food or 2) books. (This is something I abide by in the land where they're nearly always on time...same goes for bus trips. You. Just. Never. Know.)
- Mr Renovation Man has finished the new plaster work in the nearly new room. And I noticed that the light switch has been moved down to about waist height. Our landlady (the real one, not her mom--who's the one footing the bill for the renovation, remember?) has a 1st grade son. The new wall paper is blue. I have come to the rather astute conclusion that we will soon be looking for a new place to live. This renovation is not for us. They will also not be doing more while we live here. (I'll get back to you in a few months' time to let you know about the accuracy of that prediction!)
-Popcorn is superbly splendid. Especially the kind that you pop on the stove top. In fact, let's not even include the microwave stuff under the heading 'popcorn'. After being wintered in for over a week in a village in the western part of the country, N's face was one big grin when we had popcorn for supper!
-N also loves corn bread. It's a give and take kind of thing! I love love love 'Zeleniy Borsch' (I've never had it with parsnips but it would be worth a try! One nice addition is some Polish-type sausage; also cilantro. pix here)- which I never had before the fall of 2000; I have also developed an affection for savory buckwheat, boiled (like rice, for instance) and served as a side dish.

I used to wonder about the steps in an escalator. The world is full of magic to children! 

Ahhhh yes! Winter!

Remember those days? We did this. I loved it! :) 

We had a really warm winter until about 2 weeks ago. And then it was like someone flipped a switch. So now, instead of mud we do, indeed, have ice. And snow. And very cold temps.
And in some places, there's been lots of wind. Which is why I've been alone this whole week. Sometimes when you go make a short visit to your parents you end up getting 'wintered' in there. N was supposed to be there for a couple days but they've had so much wind that they can't keep the roads open and no bus has been by in days. (Or hadn't been.)
Yesterday, I made a pot of this (sort of) potato soup- only there's not much in the recipe that we actually can get here- like canned soup (which isn't good for you anyway, right?)- boiled chicken on the bones and used the broth and milk and white sauce for the soup and the broth in the recipe; no hash browns- used potatoes; no cream cheese- used a local sort of same thing; no cheddar cheese- used regular cheese; no bacon bits- used fried, diced ham. So- um, I guess that's the whole ingredient list. The thing is, while it needs some tweaking (not thick enough, needs more pepper in the actual cooking), it's pretty good was very easy to make and didn't take long. One thing living here does is break your dependence on processed foods... there just aren't many.
And then, when I needed a break in the evening, I went back to the kitchen and made these fun little donut-y things- also found here at PW. Ok- they need to be eaten while they're hot. But they sure are yummy! And kind of fun. I saw them on someone's page- don't remember whose- but Thanks, Whoever you are!
And I found this in my newsfeed- a fun first-lines-of-various-novels quiz.

And if you've been around Facebook, you maybe know that my parents got hung up in the Atlanta Snow Jam. Let me tell you- from across the ocean, it suddenly felt like they were tiny, helpless children caught up in a mad crush of danger. Ok, I'm sure it wasn't quite like that. We were all really really glad when some very nice people helped get them into a hotel room for Night #2 in the Snow Jam. (All the time they were holed up in that Waffle House, I was nourishing this hope that they were in a booth where they could sort of fall over sideways and catch a nap...which turns out to not have been the case.)

This is for Mom who had these nervous kids that kept calling and texting to make sure they were still frost-bite free and alive and not starving...every time she'd just managed to doze off again. See when we were little, we kept her up with our incessant crying (I suppose); now that we're not little, we keep her awake with our incessant worrying. ;)

A little unclear on the concept

This is a comic I only recently found- and Oh haha- they can be funny. Not that you have to know what 'Tae Bo' is. But oh this conversation. It's just hilarious. 

Et tu Family Circus?

Sigh. Grammar and spelling. How old fashioned. Let's just do away with all the words that confuse us so much. There, their, they're? Pick one and use it every time in every situation. It's and its? Ditto. Awhile and a while? Ditto. You're and your? Why bother learning the difference? Or proofreading? Just go with your...I'm sure we'll all understand.
Sigh.

A Little Unclear...all the way around

Apparently, at least in some venerated circles (or are those circles ventilated?)- the old 'from scratch' is now 'from itch'...because itch does come before scratch, you know.

Did you know....

….that a ‘babushka’ is not actually a scarf? It means ‘grandmother’ in Russian, Ukrainian (and possibly other Slavic languages). Interesting that the term made it into this comic strip. I never heard it used in the Midwest but I understand it’s common in Western Canada where there are many Ukrainians.

Grape Nuts...and other yummies

How funny. I've had Shredded Wheat (the hay bale kind, not the mini's) and Grape Nuts as many mornings as I could manage while in the US and I wasn't at all ready to quit. It was a treat, in fact, to have those again. So this time, Agnes, we are poles apart. :)

And speaking of grape nuts. Did you know you can make them? You can. :) Here's how:


8 pounds whole wheat flour (28 cups)
4 pounds brown sugar (8 cups)
3 quarts buttermilk (10 cups)
1 pound butter (1 1/2 cups), melted
1 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons soda
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 teaspoons maple flavoring

-Mix ingredients

- Bake in cake pans @325F until well done

-Cool

-When cold, crumble and put back in pans

-Dry @170 F (all night/day)

(When the cake has cooled, I break it up into big chunks and then let it dry a bit before grating it- like you grate carrots, for instance.) 

And then there was this recipe recently... hmmm. oooo- or even better- THIS one! Or...this one!!! (Speaking of the above comic strip.)

And since we're drooling over sweet things we'll never make or eat (because I-don't-eat-sugar-except-when-I-do)- well, there's these...

'scuse me, I gotta go get a towel... got a little damp around here... 

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.

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!!!

I so get you, Sally

I have been where this kid is. I have.

And when something- anything- about math finally becomes do-able, no matter if it’s by accident, it’s totally worth celebrating.

Totally.