Булочка з маком!/Poppyseed bun!

There's a story behind the title... wherein 2 of my co-workers travelling together on yet another bus stopped in yet another bus station and 1 went on yet another snack run... then there was a cell phone conversation- What do you want? Oh, whatever... get a булочка з маком (poppyseed bun)... Later the hunter/procurer (that's a word, right?) returns and triumphantly holds aloft the poppyseed bun and says булочка з маком... whereupon the whole bus breaks up in laughter- they've understood nothing except the булочка з маком bit. But as everyone knows, a булочка з маком is so yummy that even the foreiners had oughta like 'em... and for sure, they know how to say it!

My own take on them- they're either drop dead gorgeous good or awful. They're most often found in some little kiosk on the sidewalk where a million people flock by... they're always proclaimed to be fresh and Just What You Need and Crave Right Now... but... they're often dry and seriously lacking in the good stuff- the poppyseed filling. I seldom get one because it's such a collossal disappointment to get your hopes and salivary juices all worked up and then... pfffffft Nothing more than old bread. So, when we saw this one the other day at the bus stop I just walked on by. But the stop was seriously lacking in any kind of food... unless you wanted chips, candy bars or soda. So, back to take another look. Jill says- It looks pretty good...if you like poppyseed. I took a chance... and Wow- was it worth it! Soft! Fresh! Plenty of filling! It was Super!

birthdays are best in chocolate

It's been great having the fall with this gal... and she decided to have her 2009 birthday here... with us... wild...
so we did what any red-blooded North Americans living in Kyiv do on a birthday- we went to TGIF and had some food! And then we had some dessert...
<--- Hers
<-Mine!

fish tank

This is the end table at 'my' clinic... it doubles as an aquarium. Love it!

food... again

Today's lunch... really hit the spot! Simple omelet- filling: sauteed onions, ham cubes, chopped fresh basil and cilantro, grated cheese (proly Dutch cheese, but I just grabbed what was in the fridge) and then... and then... *happy smirky grin* I drizzled just a bit of olive oil and lemon dressing over the top of the other stuff and folded it over. Oh My... (cough- some of these flavors aren't exactly used to meeting in the same dish...but they got along just fine!) ;)

Sharon A and I went out for lunch awhile ago... dessert was this: crepe with a scoop of ice cream, folded over and deep fried then drizzled with strawberry sauce... and the garnish at the back? Wow- was that nice- slice of green apple, slice of kiwi, slice of banana, bit of strawberry sauce with sprig of sweet fresh mint. Finishing with the mint was really really nice!
the 'before' shot of my new favorite roast- did I do this already? Yes- here pork chop done in a bit of butter with olive oil (not much of each), sprinkled with French herbs, salt and pepper; just before it's finished, put coarsely chopped fresh basil on. Carrots done in the pan with the chops. When everything's cooked, remove the food then add a spoonful (for a single serving) of water to the pan- just enough to get the juices and herbs that are on the bottom of the pan. Scrape around and stir then pour over the meat and veggies.

and this! When your friends go to Italy, have them bring back fresh Parmesan... I did... it's Nummeeeeeeeeee

pit stop

on the way to Kyiv. The trip is 5 1/2 - 6 hours by mini-bus. And there's one stop. After nearly 3 hours scrunched in your seat, you're more than glad to stretch your legs... you can also grab a cup of tea or coffee or find some chips or chocolate. The last time I wondered into the cafe to get something to drink and found our driver hunched down in a booth wolfing down some food. It's also the only bona fide bathroom stop. Oh the driver will stop for you... anywhere... and we'll all patiently wait for you to return from the bushes/tall grass...


so this is a welcome stop

The parking lot is nothing more than a wide spot in the road- they just sort of widened the shoulder. There are usually anywhere from 3 to 10 or more buses (marshrutkas) pulled off here at one time. We were just off the road this time... my hair was blowing in the breeze of the passing trucks... but it was a welcome break.

recent events with people...recently

do you get the 'recent' idea? ;)




These 2 are new (and welcome) additions here! L (on the left) teaching English. J (right) hanging out with me for a few months.




This lady and her husband are back... rumor has it they kissed and hugged on their grandkids all summer (or part of it) and when the g'kids got sick of all that, they came back to us... or something... (you know how rumors are...) ;)

so we had a ton of company recently (and please forgive the pic quality... I seem to be into taking trembly pix these days... it adds to the aura, don't you think?) So- L took in 2 arrivals at something like 3 am the other day... we were heartbroken that they went to her place and not ours at that time of the day... yawn...



Later, we all met up there and did a bunch of yakking. I just want you to notice L's completely cool slippers over there on the left... they're pink... well- a bit hard to see- they're lamb's wool (pink lamb's wool, in fact... how about that?!) with harlequin cut out top. I love them!

and speaking of cool slippers... and cool in general- J's slippers- love that color! And the top- the next time it ends up in the laundry, well... it might get lost on its way back to her cupboard... that's all I'm saying...

so then there was the bday to celebrate. How considerate of her to do that while she was up by us... we're always looking for a reason to have cake around here!



there were people everywhere- at my desk, on my floor... I just rambled around for a bit ;) (it's awesome to have friends!)

in the kitchen...






people in the living room... A there at the back? She's wearing my shoes... used to be mine, I mean... sniff... well you can't see them all that well either, so I'll just show ya....


Here ya go. The rotten thing is, something in my foot changed and they hurt my feet like fury now... but she had great fun waltzing around the apt in my 'big girl shoes'... so they went home with her... it just seemed the right thing to do. But I really did like them.... (I'm looking into visitation rights...)



oh yes- S up there- she's getting to know Mackie... as in Mac-ie... as in Steve Jobs as opposed to Bill Gates... you get the picture... takes some time, learning to know Mackie... Mr Husband (of the lady with the squash) came home eventually and gave a guided tour (another really bad pic...



<--but shows Mackie a bit better).





eventually, everyone left... here's Little T with her brand new completely orange scarf...








So, on to another day



O's smiling because it's her bday; V's smiling cause he's married to O... They're both smiling cause I'm taking a pic of them.

and this? This is M holding up A's shoes... proof, Ange, that he has your shoes and should be taking them back this weekend...so if you never see them again, don't blame us!

and then there was a murder

If I were you, I'd be tensing up right about now... run, Mr Potato, RUNNN....

changing seasons

my favorite view, out the kitchen window...

a few weeks ago in heavy fog... but still fairly green out there

a few days ago... quiet and calm as can be out there... with a little bit of color

this one today- windy and the canal surface is ruffled.... and- although it's hard to see it here, there's a lot more color... looks like it's going to be a dull-color year, though. The last 2 days have been gorgeously sunny and exceptionally warm... summer's last hurrah... and we're loving it!

cats and dead flies

always land on their feet
on neatorama

almost a malaprop

Last night, while eating my PB and jelly for supper, I scrolled through my feed reader... and came across the word 'egregious'.
Which reminded me of a recent conversation where I tried to use that word and a dear friend, keeping a straight face, said Oh do you mean...........? (with a very odd pronunciation of that word- that I couldn't get, by the way.)
Let me just say that I'd always sort of liked that word- it had a cool sound (I thought) and seemed so specific and Right-to-the-point. If you use it, you don't need the other 15 words- One word covers it.
Conversation moved on. Forgot my 'egregious' friend (the word, not the person).
Then last night...
I just couldn't accept that this really interesting and fun word would sound like that... so I did the logical thing- f/b-ed it- as in My status: How do you pronounce 'egregious'? And within minutes another dear person (who mercifully had never heard me try to pronounce it) had replied: egre·gious Pronunciation: \i-ˈgrē-jəs\
Doesn't look good. I go to a dictionary site and click on the button to hear it... Yikes...
Let me just say- I liked my way a whole lot better. It was just- I don't know- it fit better... it sort of started with a nice 'egg' sound and tripped on from there. Admittedly, I had a few extra syllables in there... but still...

The other blow? It has a much stronger negative connotation than I'd been fondly picturing.

I tell you, this word has let me down. I'm trying to pick up the pieces of my life and go on...

My therapy:

ever eat these?

We grew up on these super yummy pickles... They're made in a plant not far from Mom and Dad's. All kinds of pickled stuff- veggies of all kinds as well as your ordinary cukes... sweet pickles, sour pickles, hot pickles... totally unique. I've never had anything quite like it or quite as nice in the pickle line. If you ever have the chance, try some!

Link to the flickr page I got the pic from... I took a screen shot and cropped it....

family pix

I'm going through pix tonight... lots of them that need sorting and caring for... Here's one I got recently (from???? I think from my cousin Dort) of our Grandpa J, Mom's dad. He has 12 living children (2 sons died- 1 as a newborn, 1 as a young adult), all married and heaps of grandkids- no idea how many of us there are now- over 60, most of us married... the only thing I know for sure is there have been no new ones for several years now... there are lots of great-grands... and at least 1 great-great-grand. Grandpa's nickname is 'Kivel'- and when the Kivels get together- it's a great and large time. Looking at this pic brings it home forcefully that my ageless (to me) Grandpa J is, after all, aging. He's amazing though. He learned to rollerblade after he turned 80 and still zips around on his 2-wheel bike (no 'old-fogey 3-wheeler' for him!); he spends part of each winter in FL; he loves the Bible, poetry (sometimes writes his own, often quotes favorites) and writing letters... and his family. He was married only once- to Grandma, a union that lasted 68 years and 10 months; he cared for Grandma in her last years when she suffered from dementia and could do less and less for herself. When I was with the 2 of them last, Grandma was 'home' if Grandpa was there- no matter where they were; if Grandpa was not there, she'd say Don't you think it's time to go home now?- even when she was home. He's unique as can be and pretty special...

And another pretty special family member... my brother Paul. He was my first best friend and my first sparring partner. It was Oh So Special just to have him around to look at and talk to and joke with! That's him reading Mark Twain in the kitchen during their visit... he's always loved to read and had pretty good taste! And he left that book here for me- a massively fat volume of many of Twain's works.

I have a ton of pix to sort through and want to get more posted eventually... this'll do for now.

Family- we need our family. Do all you can to keep the peace in your own family... they are so so special. There is no one like your family. xo

Making jelly with Mom

When Mom was gathering up stuff to bring, I requested several boxes of SureJell. Ok- you can get something similar here, but she's familiar with SureJell and I wanted a SureFire success... because, well- there is nothing like Grape Jelly with your Peanut Butter!! (I should know- I had some tonight for supper!!) And, You Cannot Get Mom's Grape Jelly Here In Ukr. Nope. So- 'we' made jelly...
or rather, Mom made grape jelly.... I took pix! ;)
The grapes simmering

then into the guaze to drip

the gauze full of pulp and skins and stuff... from it drips the juice... yummeeeee!

and the juice simmers...

while the jars and lids sterilize

ooo- now we're ready for serious stuff...

over here, you put a spoon in the jar to keep it from breaking when the hot liquid gets poured in... Mom had never heard the likes...and later I did another batch without the spoon- and whaddya know? No broken jars...

Paul kept us company... It was seriously nice just to have his body parked over there within easy reach.

And some super yummy jelly!

Meanwhile, there was still some dripping going on from the guaze... so, even though you're NOT supposed to squeeze it... tell me- could you have resisted?

I couldn't either... it was oddly satisfying... and the juice was not-so-oddly delicious!

Thanks Mom!! xo

ps- and these last 2 pix? See those seriously short and business-like forearms? I mean- sort of like tree trunks there... we're talking shade-tree tree trunks. One of my sister's girls has the exact same forearms... built to pitch bales of hay... but feminine? Not so much... ahhh well... All I can say is We get them from my dad! He's got 'em too... only they look pretty much ok on him...

cool fake photography

This is so completely cool, I can't stand it. Mind you, I didn't understand a whole lot of the explanation... and mind you, I can't even draw that well with a pencil, never mind with my mouse or any other electronic dealy... but it's still really cool. It came through my feed reader...

no likey

saw this (re Skype) on my news feed tonight... I'm trying to track down people on skype right now- have 3 different conversations opened, hoping to eventually talk to some of my family... Please don't sink Skype... pleeeeeze????

and I'm ditching comment moderation... drives me nuts.