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. 

The Fridge Got Married

What do you think about that??

No, Not THAT Fridge.

This Fridge.

This is the fridge that lives in our kitchen.
And, Why Yes, there IS a story.
Thank you for asking!

Just over a week ago, we went down south. All the way to the end of the world south...well, the end of Ukraine, anyway. Down to the mouth of the Danube River. And when we got back to our cozy little apt up here in the sort of north, we made a wee discovery.
First of all, we got into town really early. I mean really. (Because our city is in the middle and all trains are on their way to some end city a few hours, at least, down the road. And they want to be there at 6 am. Ugh.) And the night train had been HOT. As in SoHotICan'tSleep Hot. There was one 2hour stretch that I never noticed the time. (This is paybacks for never having had kids and losing sleep getting up with fussy babies. Nights on trains. So that I know what it's like. I feel your pain, I do. And do you know what? You cannot sit up in a rocking chair and cuddle the hot train and enjoy the smell of the top of its head while you're not sleeping.)
Anyway- so when we got back to the apt, we crawled straight into bed for a few more hours. Like 3 or 4.
And then I rolled out to the kitchen in search of cereal and coffee. And noticed the fridge light didn't come on.
And further more, the milk is...whoa- Very Sour. And Completely Warm. Oh dear.
And so's everything else. Everything. Everything is basically room temperature. Sure enough- it's off and has been for a while.
Long story somewhat shorter.
The fridge was plugged into a power strip with an auto shutoff in the event of a major power surge. There had apparently been just such a surge while we were away. That feature on the power strip likely saved the fridge. (Because of the ongoing crisis with Russia there is a bit of a problem with power supply just now- some days, the power is shut off for a few hours during peak usage time so that the commercial centers and hospitals near us have what they need. When it's turned on again, there are some pretty big surges.) However, you have to manually flip a switch to get juice back into the cord. Heh. And that takes a person. Present. Which there wasn't.
So, we talked to the landlord and he found and brought over a little surge protector that you set to a max output. If it tops that, it shuts off until the output drops below that level and stays there for 90 seconds or some such thing.

Here it is. See it? It and the fridge are Very Happy together.

See that number? 229? 
heh
We have 220 volt outlets here, theoretically. Our landlord tried it at his house (in a village on the outskirts of town) and said Set it to trip at 235 and you'll be fine. 
Thanks, We said.
We did.
And our fridge never stayed on for more than about 5 min at a time. This'll never work, We said.
Call the landlord back who consults his fellow electrical engineers at work.
Oh yes, in town it's quite high, They said. Set it at 250, They said.
We did.
The fridge runs and is happy. And that little gadget often registers outputs of around 245.
I'm telling you- Don't Put a Fork in Our Outlets. You Will Be SORRY!

And furthermore, I now understand why people unplug their washers every time they're finished with the laundry. I do, too.... now. And I also no longer leave my laptop plugged in when I'm not using it. 

When Life is Ended

Last week I wrote about our old friend Fedir, who seemed to be nearing the end of his life. Fri morning we learned that he'd passed away the day before. Yesterday a group of around 20 of us celebrated Thanksgiving early. True to tradition in many homes, we each shared something for which we are thankful. What's been on my mind since hearing of F's passing: I'm so thankful he didn't have to face another winter. I'm so glad he could go before winter truly set in. I'm thankful he could go. 

Ukrainian fun'ls generally happen very quickly after the death; this one was Saturday morning. A handful of people from 3 corners of Ukraine simply dropped what they were doing, threw some things into backpacks and jumped onto buses...and by early Sat morning, Dima's house was full of tired but happy (maybe thankful is a better word?) travelers. K and I cancelled our plans and got D's house ready for guests. Cooking. Making beds. Putting out towels. (I LOVE to make beds and do towels. And I love to do that at D's- it's so organized there! There's plenty of room.) We all piled into D's van and were on our way (having picked up funeral wreaths first) to the village by about 9.10. It's an hour's ride to F's village. We had a short service in F's daughter's house. Neighbors and family came and went. At 12 noon, a truck came to collect the body and we all walked (about 45 min) to the cemetery. Another short service and it was done. One life quietly and orderly tucked away. 

Funerals are for the survivors. And one thing about this one- we all spent much time reflecting on F himself, on choices he made and stuck with, on what his life had become and the very sweet release death was for him. And on this: God likes to finish His work. 

procession through town (Yes, it was very muddy and sloppy. A long walk to the cemetery but it warmed us up...and we were very much in need of warming up. No heat in the house where the fun'l had been, cold outside. We were individual blocks of ice. The walk felt good.)

Entering the cemetery

The Ushytsya River near F's house. His village takes its name from this river.

I'm glad I knew F. I will miss him. I'll miss the long drive out to his house. I'll miss the delicious grapes that grow on the arbor by the house, the wonderful pears from the tree in the yard. But most of all, I'll miss him. I'll miss hearing his stories. He had so much to share and I'm only just realizing that we didn't ask half what we should have. All older folks have much to share. The oldest generation here in Ukraine, however, has seen so much. They've survived wars and famine and several major changes in government- not just in officials but complete changes in government. F was born when his part of Ukr belonged to (Poland- I think)- before the red army and the Russians overwhelmed Western Ukr.

And for the record: When I'm buried- I want an Amish casket. I don't want a $10,000 overpriced funeral home special. I want a pine box made by an Amishman. 

Remembering summer

I started this post ages ago while waiting in a cafe for a bus. And um. It never got off the ground. Now that it's cold out, I get the urge to do a shout out to summer!
:)

We saw some truly gorgeous sunsets in June. Looking out over the lake. 

And there seemed to be an unusual number of rodents and other pests around. Ugh. These dudes were divided up evenly among the cats and dogs, I found out later. :)

There's a portable a/c unit in the wood storage/furnace room....

....which is where we stored the veggies....

....and created a walk-in cooler, Ukie style! :)

I love calzones...and I had a very delicious one at the end of June!

Ukraine is full of poppies in the early summer. The roadsides and fields are gorgeous when they're blooming!

Keeping cool on the bus. Hold 2 straight-from-the-fridge bottles of water to your face. :)

July in Greece on Crete. On the brown side of Crete, the only side I've seen. This is at the historic site of the ancient palace at Knossos. It's one of my favorite places. For whatever reason, it completely captures my interest. I could spend hours roaming here, reading the placards, looking at the stuff, listening to the guides. These earthenware jars were used for storing water, olive oil, olives...and likely anything else that they needed to store. Some are estimated to have held over a ton of liquid.
Links to Knossos: wikipedia, web images, here, here

More of the ruins at Knossos.

again, Knossos

If Ukraine is hot in the summer, Greece is HOTTER. It's a different kind of heat. Ukraine is humid and close. Greece feels like the inside of an oven, sometimes a convection oven. Very hot and very dry. I spent hours on the roof of a house stretched out on a blanket in a narrow strip of shade under this little roof-let getting ready for things to come...and also simply having a bit of a siesta. Almost nothing happens between about 1 or 2 pm and 5 pm- Siesta is a serious business. Well, for one thing, it's too hot to move during that time. Everyone hops up again afterwards and roars on till midnight, though. :) 

Climbing Mars Hill in Athens.

The view from Mars Hill

Greek dogs sort of reminded me of Ukrainian dogs. :)

The Parthenon is in a semi-permanent state of restoration. 

More restoration. Interestingly enough, although construction on the Parthenon was begun in 447 BC, it was intact and in excellent shape for more than 1000 years. The Ottoman Turks had conquered it, turned it into a mosque and then also used it for an ammunition dump. The Venetians bombarded it and exploded it in 1867. Wikipedia, web images

Back in Ukraine. A team of horses; one has its foal along, a very common sight in the summer.

I love this honeysuckle vine. It add so much sweetness to each of the hot summer days!

More pix of the yard I saw every day for most of June. I love this place!

brave new world

More than a month since the last post. Things got really dicey really fast right then and just took my breath away. And it's just been hard to get the 'umph' to write. There have been some very encouraging days in there but also lots of very uncertain days. Ukraine is in brand new territory, feeling her way through. As has been echoed from everyone from the new government on down, We never even thought to prepare a defense of some kind against Russia; we never could have imagined that we'd need one. 

But need it they do. And prepare it they have...or are. 

The army began mobilizing about 3 weeks ago. One of the things the last pres did (the one who was impeached) was to nearly do away with the army (never mind that, number-wise, it's still the largest in Europe). A voluntary conscription was begun and thousands have signed up. Including many relatives and neighbors and acquaintances of my students. And some of my own acquaintances. 

And, of course, lots of military movement and training. And fund raising. 

The bright side of this? There are several, actually. 

-People need each other, they need us, we need them- we all feel it. People are listening intently and with need. And on the streets and in the stores and buses- people are nice to each other. Polite. Kind. It's been interesting to note.

-Not nearly as many drunks. In fact, since the holidays ended mid January, I've seen probably a handful. And usually there were that many a day. 

And that brings me to this: Purpose.

One day, my friend and I were walking along the road and noticed a small dog tearing along in a straight line- Point A to Point B, that was very clear. 

There goes a dog with a purpose, One of us said.

Zoom- another, larger dog goes tearing along hot on the heels of the first dog.

And there goes his purpose, The other one said.

And we laughed.

But we're like those dogs- We need something to focus on, to motivate us, to get us moving in a straight line. We need a purpose. Many Ukrainians have found a purpose that they didn't have. 

There is a better purpose, even, than theirs. I'm glad I have a purpose.  

Aaannnnnddddddddddddd February!

The renovation is still going strong. Day 2 (yesterday) revealed that, although the landlady (well, her mom really. Wanna know something? The actual for-real landlady uhhh doesn't know about this little new room. Yup. I had a call the other day from Anya- the lady who originally rented this place to us. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the apt is in her adult dau's name. All our business was with Anya until a certain point last year when the dau stepped in and said- I'm the owner you know. Your dealings will be with me now. I think she thought her mom was too soft with us. heh. teehee. I wonder why. So anyway- Anya calls- Uhhh You're meeting with my dau later today? Yes, I say. Uhhh. Well. Do you mind not telling her about that work we're going to be doing on that room at the apt? She uhhhh doesn't know about it. She uhhhh doesn't think we have enough money for it right now. I thought for a minute. And then said Well I can just keep quiet about it. I had no intention of lying about it but I also couldn't see why it should even come up since Darling Dau had no reason to suspect, apparently. And sure enough, not a word was said. If I hadn't had so many frustrations with Darling Dau, I would feel a bit sorry for her but... so anyway- back to the proverbial ranch. Day 2 revealed that, although the landlady's MOM said they were going to redo the walls, it is, in fact, the whole room that's getting a new do. There is laminate flooring in that collection up there. And the walls and ceiling will be drywall. And Mr Renovator Man is one hard working dude. He works from 9 am to 6 or 7 pm with no breaks for anything- food, drink, toilet, nothing. He goes outside (ahem) about twice in that stretch for a smoke. And. That. Is. It. After a previous experience* with some handymen-types here, that is impressive, to say the least.  

So yeah- it's February and real winter has finally set in. It's so cold and windy that I had to put a sleeping bag on the windowsill in my room to keep the plants from freezing. And I'm wearing everything I can get on and still move. And I'm just in the apartment. Looking through the window at the few people out there trying to navigate cured me of the urge to go anywhere.

So- babble much? I guess.

*Little T and I once were called by a frantic (sort of) male from our little team- Get over here as fast as you can. These clowns who are supposed to be doing the painting aren't working fast enough. We need to use this place for GUESTS next week and they're slow as molasses. So off we went. To paint. And sure enough, there were 2 handymen. Painting. Sort of. Reality was they took a 20 min smoking and tea break once an hour. I kid you not. We worked circles around them and they laughed at us. What do you want to get this done for so fast, they asked. There'll just be more to do after that. One of our team said to me He doesn't want to hurry up because he's out of the house and away from his wife while he's here. Well haha. We gotter done, thanks. And they got fired. 

Curse? Necessity? Plague?

You've probably seen that video sneaking around Facebook. The one where Person #1 on a cell phone bugs Person #2 on a cell phone by pretending to have an equally loud conversation but just responding to Person #2's (supposedly too loud) conversation prompts. I say "supposedly" because it didn't actually seem to me that Person #2's conversation was all that loud...and Person #1 came across as rude...to me, at least.
There are an awful lot of rude cell phones out there, though. (Oh, you mean it's NOT the phone that's rude? Oh.)
Yesterday we had a 3 hour bus ride and were immediately in front of a whiny-voiced woman who used the whole time to catch up on everyone and everything. Actually, yesterday was full of rude cell phones.
A few years ago, I had the extreme good fortune to spend New Year's Eve in the same room as someone who was so important that she got phone calls and sms'es ALL NIGHT long...wishes for the new year and such. You know, important stuff. I guess she didn't know the phone's volume could, you know, be shut off. She also doesn't know how close she came to having that phone take a swimming lesson in the toilet.
Do I sound crabby yet? I do? Oh. Sorry. It's just this woman's phone apparently only works on speaker phone. On a crowded bus.
I value my privacy more than that. But whatever.

No Want Kiss U!

Did I ever tell you this story? The story about the little 3 year old boy who was cornered by a Big Older (WellNotThatOld) Lady? He was trapped in a corner as Big Older (WellNotThatOld) Lady closed in. Big Older (WellNotThatOld) Lady said- Come here I want to give you a kiss! Little Boy shrinks further into his corner and, in complete desperation shouts- I have a RUNNY NOSE!!
And No- he did not get kissed.
At least not that time.
And like little boys seem to do, he grew and grew and grew. I just looked him up on Facebook... he's in college. Oh my. And I remember him from when he was 3. (And no, Big Older (WellNotThatOld) Lady is not/was not me!) ;)

I needed this pic after wading through Google's new Terms of Service.  I don't pretend to even begin to understand most stuff about the web. And I know that it's nearly impossible, really, to make things completely private or to delete them once they're created and posted. But I'm not kidding- You'd better make sure your Google profile is where you want it. Those folks scare me more than Facebook. They seem even more intent than Facebook on making everything public UNLESS you specifically specify otherwise. (I keep both accounts because- Well, I do need to be in touch with people. And both sometimes work better than regular email for some people...especially people who change their email address more often than.... Than what? Than Ukrainian roads need potholes fixed? Than you sing in the shower?  Something like that. 

And while I'm at it- Be careful with what you put on your profile. Does everyone need to know what year you were born? Do they need to see your face tagged in every single picture? Does every stalker on the planet need to know your home address and telephone number? Or the names and ages of all your kids AND the school they attend? (A few years ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt was quoted as having said: "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. (this is a link, fyi)"  Of course, he's right. Duh. We need to be honest, upright, moral, etc etc etc. We need to be that for our own conscience's sake. We should all be concerned about THAT first and foremost NOT because of what Google or Facebook or LinkedIn or whatever will share with the public or government. BUT there are other reasons for guarding privacy fiercely. Identity theft. Stalkers. It's a long list, and does include the government and what exactly they'll do with your web search data- but you can fight about THAT one somewhere else. The point is- We Need To Be Careful. Because I doubt that Google or Facebook care about more than their own earning reports or bank accounts. They don't really care about your privacy. At. All.)
Just saying.

In other random news:

• In spite of being dead tired and wanting only to go to bed, I took a shower last night AND washed my hair (does every stalker on the planet need- or want- to know that?!?)- And this is a Big Deal why? Because there is no water anywhere in the city today (and tomorrow, we hear)- the twice annual cleaning of the water pipes has begun. Natalya went to the train station to buy tickets today and did find out that the bathroom there has water. But the hospitals don't; the university doesn't; we certainly don't. 
• Have you ever seen Orc Children? You know- Tolkien's little monsters. We had 2 hours on the train recently with some kids (age 0, maturity wise) who'd been for a tour of Western Europe. After watching them on the platform and hearing how they talked with their adult chaperones- I'm pretty sure they're Orc Children. I have Tolkien's Lord of the Rings as an audio book and some of them sounded exactly like the Orcs of Mordor. And were about as refined and polite and nice, too. I'm going to persist in my belief that not all kids that age are like that. Please please tell me I'm right. I mean- there are some MYP's I read about often who surely are NOT like that. (I guess someone knows what that's all about.) 
• Early fall was cold and unfriendly. No heat. Freezing temps outside. Much need for camel hair duvets. The past 2 weeks have been gorgeous. Warm. (And full heat in the apt- go figure). Gorgeous foliage. I'm sure it won't last. But it's been great! 

I'll leave you with a pic for evidence! :)

And no- that isn't my car. Not even close. I'd want a Hummer anyway, for the roads we cover. Uff.

It just depends on where you were born

There's a new school year. In fact, it's not even that new anymore. I have a few weeks under my belt already of classes again. One of the things we've done this fall is tell a story based on a picture. Someone (some wonderful creative person) left a pile of Norman Rockwell calendar pictures. And they are great. That Mr Rockwell knew how to tell a story in brush strokes. And the kids do pretty well making up their own little tales, too. The pic below has been a fun one. 

So take a look at it and tell me what you see. 

Pretty straight forward, eh? I mean. Naughty kid. Writing lines. (And when? Can you tell me that? And WHO is that man?)

Now here's the thing- Without exception, from my students, this pic has elicited this story: The boy is in trouble with his teacher. His father comes to school with a gift for the teacher to placate her and get the son out of trouble. (Today, the word 'bribe' was used.)
The first time, I was sort of surprised and had a good look at this innocent picture. After 6 classes of the very same story, though, it's quite clear that this really is a different culture and that Rockwell depicted something that is universally recognizable by Americans.
And here's the thing- When I asked if they have 'detention' here, they just gave me blank looks. I guess not. But they do buy their way out of trouble. (Chocolate, coffee, liquor and money are preferred methods.)
Again and again and again.
Sometimes I think I'm used to the little nuances that make this place tick. And sometimes, it completely catches me off guard.
Again.

Ahhhh

Went with a dear friend this afternoon out into the valleys and ravines to simply ramble, breathe and be. And Oh, it was perfect. I have about a hundred more pix but will be content with these for now. Took plums from the tree here in the backyard with us and ate heaps along the way. Came home and had pancakes, eggs and smoothies for supper. And lots of good conversation along the way. Does it get better than that?

ramble on

I have a bad habit of rolling through my day and thinking out mini blog posts (or emails or letters to friends, for that matter) and then never doing anything more than that.
So here's one from Dec.

- Do you know what a 'Фура' (Fura) is? It's a semi. Ever ridden in one? Probably some of you have. I hadn't- in spite of the fact that I know quite a few people who drive a big rig.
Hadn't. See, that's all in the past. Early Dec.
I was on my own, with a schedule. A regular round of visits and mtgs and buses and trains and such. And lots of bad weather. But that's a 'nother story. And I had a Fri night engagement in town 'L' and a train at midnight:40 in town 'Kh', an hour from town 'L'. No biggie, I think. L is on the main highway, lots and lots of traffic and lots of buses.
Can't buy a bus ticket, though, for anything after 7.30 pm. Odd.
No biggie. L is on the main highway, lots and lots of traffic and lots of buses.
Kids walk out to the road with me shortly after 8. We chat. We watch traffic (which is mostly 'фура's- huh). And we start to freeze. So I send the kids off home.
And wait.
And chat with a smattering of other people waiting. One woman informs me she's been there over an hour with nary a bus gone by.
huh
And we wait.
And freeze.
And wait.
And I'm wondering just how do I get down to Kh with no buses and nearly no cars.
One nice middle-aged man, the woman and I agree that if there's no bus by 10, we'll get a taxi from across the street at the bus station and split the cost.
And we do our best to flag down someone, anyone.
And Woman flags a trucker at (no kidding) 9.58.
And grabs me and hauls me up into the cab with her. And off we go.
Well- even in the dark, it's a great vantage point! I listen to Woman and Trucker talking. Woman is determined to share her entire life history. We make 'uh-huh' noises at appropriate times. And I begin to realize that she...uh...has no class at all. None. Zip.
But Trucker is a genuinely nice ordinary family-type of guy.
He doesn't, however, drop us off in town...as I'd oh-so-naively thought he would. Oh no. Trucks take by-passes. I didn't even know Kh HAD a by-pass. It does. It goes on forever and ever and ever.
2 km ON THE OTHER SIDE of Kh at 11PM, he dumps us off on a traffic circle. Sigh.
The ride cost a cough drop...he had a sore throat. :)
So now all we have to do is hitch a ride back INTO town...
It's foggy. And sure enough still cold.
We wait and wait and flag and wait.
(And find out later that it's illegal to stop on a traffic circle...no wonder the cops kept circling that one. For about 15 min. Creeps. No, they didn't stop to try to help us...just kept waiting for someone to stop and pick us up...which no one was dumb enough to do.)
The cops leave and about 2 min later a car stops. Woman tears off to talk to them and I grab the bags. And we nearly collide as I approach and she backs up fast. And says- I'm not sure we want to ride with them. And I think- If SHE doesn't want to, I sure don't want to.
And we wait another 5 min or so. A car stops- 2 guys and a woman. Going to the train station. Yay! We pile in and sail off into the foggy night.
They took about $2.50 for safe passage to the train station.

And that is the story of my ride in a фура. Which I enjoyed. But likely won't repeat.

Got snow? (yes)

I genuinely found this interesting. I'm going to see if I can remember to do this- the sidewalks are mostly ice around here. Thankfully, I don't fall much. But I'm going to make the penguin my new role model...for now. 

All this came Sun night. Really pretty. Sigh.

And a gorgeous hoar frost this morning. That lasted most of the day, actually. ;)

got snow? Uh-huh

Life can be crazy, of course. We all know it. And sometimes life is a mad rush. Mine is like that a lot...but an organized mad rush and I really quite like it.
I like the new. I like the change.
And sometimes I don't like the change. It would be nice to find a groove and stay in it. Sometimes I think that. But... I'm not sure I'd find my groove. Maybe the 'change' groove is my groove. :) The thing about change, though- it happens and you might as well like it. So, I'm looking forward to Mar. To the change that comes then. To some time spent on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, of all places, up where the Tsar used to have his winter palace. To the place they sometimes just call 'Peter'. I will love getting to know this city and I'm definitely looking forward to time spent there with someone I consider a friend whom I'm very much looking forward to getting to know better.
Speaking of change- one thing that hasn't changed in quite awhile is the fact that it snows here. For the fun of it. Every day. Lots. Still. For months. I'm sure.
Seriously...it snowed yesterday evening and all night. Yup, that's pretty. Nope, we no longer need it. I mean- I'm sure we've had enough here to share with the entire MidWest US...and still have all we need. I haven't seen a winter like this in... I-don't-know-how-long.

It is pretty though! :)
 And that's not the fresh stuff. That's last week's.
Here's some more of last weeks:

It was coming down thick and fast and wet...just as the kids were getting out of school. How cool is that?? 

Calvin and Hobbes revisited, beautifully
A taste of summer-to-come. Do this. It's delish!!!

'night you all! xo

ps- It's my baby sis' 37th birthday today!! 

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! 

:)

:)

There's a torture chamber small gym across the street from us. We go when we can. This pic has nothing to do with that. But it is kind of cute... and, as K pointed out- Granny totally missed that ping-pong ball... but maybe she's good advertising anyway???? She sure is cute at any rate!

from the weekend

Nazar found these! With Grandma or Grandpa's help. He was sooooo proud of them!

Showing off. But who cares?! She's too cute. And completely FULL of vim and zip and vigor. 

K playing with the kids. I sat in the swing and watched! ;)

Trying to hatch the watermelon ball... (it didn't work)

So cute I should be a girl! 

Find of the weekend! An old (and genuine- as in- Nina's grandparents used it) wooden hollowed out log used for grinding/pounding cereal grains into submission. Now the hunt is on for the pole they used to pound the grains. (Note- it's now used as a catch-all inside the door!)

baby piggies! 13 of them! And they move fast and constantly. And they looked for all the world like rats.

Oh- and we have a crockpot! Yay!!!! :)