it got cold

It's been cold here (high today around -15 C/5 F)... with a fierce wind... which makes for a mighty windshield factor (ps- see previous post if that's a mystery). Good days to not go out more than you have to.
a peek out the kitchen window.

the canal is frozen... the lighter area down the middle is (I think) what bubbled up in the night when it got really cold and froze deeper... then this stuff froze on top of the ice. It looks like open water but it's not... and tonight it's doing the same thing).

Even with the windows shut tightly, the wind hitting the side of the building full force means it's cold in my room... I've been having a lot of this... and it is So Yummy and Cozy!

my friends

I've said more than once that my friends are better than the likes of me deserves... I mean, it, too. But sometimes one of them does or says something that I want with all my might to share around even if it doesn't, you know, make the person look like the genius that they are. (I'm sure.)

ahem

Earlier this week, I got an email. It's cold here. It's snowy here. And with the windshield, it's even colder.

And, as Phyllis says: Believe me, it'd be even colder without the windshield.

And she would know... having ridden around sometimes in the winter on a tractor with no windshield.

Thank goodness for the windshield.

The Cook

This was cute...

and it reminds me of something... the other day, we heard someone talking about making lunch. Haha, I laughed and continued mentally planning what I would have for lunch that day.

Then there was more talk about lunch. And get this- said person's wife looked ready to take him seriously. And sure enough, he had a menu all planned out- veggies, a salad, fish, dessert...

and he wore an apron to make it really official

Phyllis enjoyed it!

note to Colin- We'll clear the kitchen for you anytime, just any old time

musings

This certainly isn't a new thought... many have had it before and will have it after me. Some have described it with much more elegant words than I can.

The torch is being passed, a generation is gone or moving on. The children who were playing in the streets yesterday are being looked to today to bear a burden with a steady hand and strong shoulder... and the thought tears at their lungs and leaves them gasping for breath. But they've had wonderful sturdy people to look to and they have access to the same source of help that every weak and faltering human through the ages has always had access to. None have been perfect but their knowledge and admission of that fact and then finding help that is beyond them have made them fit for the task. And it will be like that for this next generation.

Every year brings changes- most keenly felt when the change involves loss. One of the most deeply satisfying things in my life is seeing the kids I knew maturing and changing and filling the places left empty by the deaths of the older faithful souls who used to surround them. Truly, it is joy and sorrow interwoven. Sorrow for the loss which we continue to feel but joy when we see growth in others because of it. I have a list of every baby, child and teenager and the age each was when I was in their area. I look at from time to time. I love those kids. I wish them all the best.

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I've been going through my comics folder (news to you, I'm sure). This one reminds me of myself. Back in the summer of 2002. Karen, DeAnn and I roaming the streets of Lviv... yacking and chatting and doing the kind of stuff that women do when they're just enjoying the afternoon together. K&D were talking away and I repeating the word ринок (rynok- market) over and over just quietly under my breath like, just enjoying the company and the day and being alive... and all of a sudden, something happened that had never happened before in my life... see, unlike an English 'r', the Ukrainian 'r' sound has a slight roll to it... as kids, we'd goofed around with sounds and I could never roll my r's... never ever... and I hated it but had resigned myself to it... and here, lo and behold- that 'r' sound at the beginning of the word just rolled off my tongue and all the way down the street, around the block and back, stopping at my feet proud as a peacock. I was in shock. Stopped walking. Made the other 2 listen to my new-found ability... of course, it was no big deal to them... but to me? My life was never the same again

:)

Longevity

A doctor on his morning walk noticed the old lady to the left on her front step smoking a cigar. He walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help but notice how happy you look! What is your secret?"

"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said. "Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. Apart from that, I drink 4 bottles of Jack Daniels every week and eat only junk food. On weekends, I watch TV, pop pills, party till 4 am and don't exercise at all."

"That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?"

"Thirty-four," she replied.

you maybe got this as an email, too... oh my...

short people and big days

I ran errands today! Wow!

Back in Indy Margaret C was with us part of a year but she didn't go everywhere with us- wasn't up to that anymore (she was only 90-something...) We stopped to see her one day and the lady there laughed and said- You know, I just realized today that I haven't been counting right. She'd asked Margaret how she was doing and M had answered, all smiles and happiness: It's been such a good day, I've gotten so much done- I got up, took a bath, combed my hair, read a little, did some laundry, took a nap...

You get the picture. Well, I've had some days like that lately... but things are really picking up. Today, my list of 'stuff done' includes going to the grocery and going to the train station to meet a bus (Yes, we do understand the difference between buses and trains... it's just that the train station happens to be a major bus station of sorts, too).

Now- that train station run- well, that was a great one. See, I'd gotten wind of a care package that was on its way... and then I heard tell of someone from Poland spending a few days in Ukr... only west of us... and then I got on the phone with someone else and said- Hey- that stuff that came- ya wanna ship it my way on a bus? Well, sure, hey why not...

So she did. And I met that bus. It was like a birthday ripping into it back home again! Here's what it was:
aren't these just the cutest things?! I love them! (They're slippers, Dearies, on my feet... incaseyoucan'ttell)

these were with them- get well cards... from my bro and sis-in-law and nephies!
Now let's take a look at this one... this one's from the youngest nephie... He got quite eloquent with his... in the lower right corner-that's an 'X' made from that white medical tape you all have in your medicine chests... and (they don't show so well here) to the left of the x is a row of multi-colored staples. (Don't you just love how a kid's mind works?!) And we won't even talk about what the hand lettered messages from a 7 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 year old will do to an auntie...

Here's what the last package from them looked like:
again, decorated by this little guy
and while we're on the subject, here he is again- recent skype conversation... I need to do this again soon!

we did some serious chatting that day! It was breakfast at their house and the rest were busy eating... but O came to chat.

Big Brother came by, too...

F plays the violin... he played a song for me... and I recognized it-"Long Long Ago"! Yay! In fact- he's so good, there was no way to NOT recognize it! (and do you see his shirt??? :) They live near Indy... where there's a football team... not that I care about football... I just happen to sorta keep track of 1 team... that's all...)

this guy's my bro... he was there, too... (actually these shots are from several different chats...but he's generally there)

Miss was there, too

They never know what I'm doing with my web cam...

But isn't it great to see the faces of the people you love, hear their voices... shoot them as they look the web cam right in the eye? :) <3

I love you guys!

Vegetables

My friend Karen likes vegetables... veggies are super, yummy, wonderful things. Ask her what her favorite vegetables are and she says:

• corn on the cob
• popcorn
• pumpkin pie

I like those veggies, too... a lot... Around here, we eat a lot of pumpkin custard- just like pie only without the crust. It's even more of a veggie that way...

Crocs!

I had no idea this was why people were wearing these things...

mind you, I suspect my darling nephews and nieces wear them because Mom and Dad buy them... and I must say- they sure are cute in 'em...

So- this summer in France, I kept borrowing someone else's crocs... because they're so 'water-friendly'... and because I just plain took a hankering to them... So, I looked around the shops of the small village nearby... none... someone kept their eyes peeled for a pair in Paris (here's a hint- when you go to Paris to shop, you're not really there for the crocs... I mean, come on... this is just not what to look for in Paris...) that's a good friend who'll do that... what she found was this: now isn't that just the cutest little croc you ever did see? :)

Anyway, I got Mom on the job and she brought these along in September...

and let me just tell you- we've had fun together, these crocs and I! Never thought I'd get into wearing plastic shoes... again...

remember jellies? ;)

3six5 I'm in!

and I can't believe it.

check out April 30 right here

I debated about doing this- back and forth and to and fro; should I, shouldn't I? And then I popped my hand in the air and waved it around... and someone saw it... gulp

I saw this originally as a feed from Mental Floss and it grabbed my attention and imagination immediately. It evoked the same kind of feeling as the time capsule you bury as a class of 4th graders that will get opened in 50 years. Why do you want to, I asked myself. Do you want to be a writer? No. Do you want someone to know you? No, for sure not. Why? Because it's unique. Because I see life and world events and people in a place and from a perspective that few ever speak from... not just from the perspective of Ukraine but also from my personal perspective. Because there's a part of me that is still full of 4th grade excitement and wonder over a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I'm excited to see what others write and I'm excited about writing my piece... and I'm a little bit nervous... Mom? Can you type?

ahem- for a friend

in honor of someone's facebook status yesterday... and for all the rest of you, too, who survived/are surviving ushering one generation into the wonders of adulthood

This won't look like much, but... wow!

Sitting at my desk working and look to my left... things out the window are suspiciously light... there's an odd sort of tinge to everything...

what could it be?

Slowly realization dawns... sunbeams???

Run to the kitchen window... sure enough, there's a light spot in the clouds! Which minutes later was looking more like this!

and then- see this? Those are really and truly rays of sunshine reaching reaching reeeeching for us! The first time in weeks.

Welcome, I say... Welcome... pull up a chair, put your feet up... don't worry about the furniture, we don't mind. We're just that glad to see you!

:)

carrots... carrots... more carrots

I like carrots... really, I do. Always have. Good thing, too... they're in just about everything I eat these days.

this is salad... before mixing...
boil beets, boil carrots... when they've cooled, grate them all into a bowl along with several peeled apples. (An apple secret(?): grate and then allow to turn brown- it's a bit easier to digest... I care about stuff like this right now...) Sprinkle a bit of salt over this, drizzle about 1/4 cup of honey or dark corn syrup over it and about half a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice... then mix it all up. Now... it's not quite your typical salad...but it is really pretty good. It's a take-off of a really super Ukrainian salad where you grate raw beets, carrots and apples together and dress with honey (and maybe a bit of apple cider vinegar or lemon???). Chopped walnuts are super in it... but we are not yet back on such delights as walnuts...
It also smells sort of like freshly chopped silage... but that just adds to the mystique! I'm sure...

then there's this... see, I told you there were carrots everywhere you look! Start with fish- this time it's trout. Beat an egg (add a pinch of salt) and dip the fish in the egg. Sprinkle finely ground bread crumbs mixed with herb of choice (I used a French Provincial mix) on bottom of baking dish and lay fish on this; sprinkle more breading on top of the fish. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon on the fish. Then- here's where the carrot comes in (!)- grate a raw carrot over it... Then- this has been fun- pour the rest of the beaten egg over it all (it goes to the bottom and makes a sort of omelet on the bottom). You can also do potatoes with this. It's not much to look at... but the taste is just plain good... after boiled chicken breasts umpteen different ways. Cover and bake at 350 for about 30 min. Add a bit of boiling water towards the end if it's getting dry.

of course- you have to watch out for bones when eating this... with the tilapia, you don't... I usually do this with a flat white fish and am generous with pats of butter and mushrooms. One thing that's saved the day with all this boiled/baked/fat free stuff- herbs! You can do dried herbs (and proly fresh- I just don't have any) and get flavor! And thankfully, I love boiled veggies with salt- I've always loved the taste of the veggies themselves and have never cared all that much for cream and cheese sauces. However, I'm going to be mighty happy to get back to some other kind of eating!

more food

Karen was here recently. Her brother and sis-in-law were, too... they just left yesterday. K saw them off at the airport... then she came back here and had some supper... potatoes done in a bit of olive oil... and then some ham fried up after the potatoes... and then some really yummy Korean-style carrot salad... and then she ate that all while I watched.

And you know what? When you do all that up in the kitchen, other people (who can't eat it) can smell it...

I'm really happy for her. Yes I am... (I am I am I am I am)

The day before, K and her people and 2 other good friends met for dessert at TGIFriday's... the skunks...

(I made them all tell what they'd had... oh my...)

STU

ok- the little guy's name is: Sunshine Titis Ukrainets

:)

Thanks for the suggestion, Dorothy!

The last part is the masculine adjective form of 'Ukrainian'

food food food fooooooooood

I'm hungry... insanely hungry. My new diet (for 2 weeks... gack) includes: boiled-in-water-no-sugar cereal grains, eggs (thank goodness), boiled veggies, boiled chicken or fish (and I decided that baked fish or chicken is good, too... I mean, let's be real here...) and hard unsweetened bread stuff- like the stuff they let babies chew on when they're teething.

Oh, and I can have salt.

wow.

So far, I've been tickled pink to eat all that stuff and feel good afterwards... last night, though, I went to bed hungry... woke up hungry... ate an egg... hungry... ate some cooked buckwheat... hungry...

toughed it out till lunch

hungreeeeeeeeeee

baked some tillapia- tiny bit of lemon on top, brushed with an egg and breaded, salted, grated carrots on that and topped with leftover baked potato. Oh yeah- wrapped in foil. Baked it. Ate it.

hungry

ummm

hungry hungry hungry

Phyllis says it's a good sign... that all's going to be well... Let's hope. All I know is My.Appetite.Is.Back. Big time...

I'd like some of this:

My birthday cake... gorgeous, no?

Mom brought these- they're still in the cupboard... drool

oh my goodness sakes alive... a BLT

or how about this?

this was my reward after all my pre-op tests were done... poppy-seed crepes... truly lovely and delicious... and I will have more someday...

someday...

sigh

hungry

I'll go have a cup of tea and some hard tack...

Rocky Road... not just an ice cream flavor

time for an update? ya think?

The Welcome home bouquet from Colin and Elaine Nov 24 :)

so, details? There are details, of course... fairly boring except to me... and maybe to my mom... at least she patiently listened to every last one the other night. Let's just say the title says it pretty well. I had some rough nights and then better ones and better days and all was just tripping along splendidly. Some company in and out and great to see them all... had a yummy Thanksgiving Dinner with special people... didn't stuff myself, had a little of most things and life was just ducky...

Until about 9pm Sunday evening... it 'unducked' itself pretty fast... by Mon afternoon, I was sicker than I think I've ever been. With a fever to boot, not able to eat or drink anything (and keep it with me) since the night before... ok- call the doctor... go see the doctor... and... well, let's just say that when you put on a spectacular show for the doctor (who quickly calls for assistance in the wipe up department), the doctor just fast forwards to iv's and an ambulance and off you go... to the hospital. Only, this time to City Hospital #5, Infectious Diseases Division... cause they don't know what's wrong with ya and there are health regulations and such and private clinics (at least that one) can't take 'infectious patients'... (that'll make you feel good).

Well, turned out to be an attack of pancreatitis. But I'm here to tell you that pancreatitis is nasty stuff. You want sick and dehydrated and bottom-of-the-barrel yuck? There you go. (But don't google it and read all you find online about it- that'll scare 2 nights' sleep right out of you... thank goodness for nice doctors in SE WI who answer emails on Sundays and calm people down again.)

A few days of completely boring food, iv's and drugs got that back under control. Some very dear friends brought me home Fri afternoon... where this little bear (a gift from Phyllis) was waiting to celebrate...
(He needs a name- any suggestions?)

So, now we really are being careful... no fat, no dairy, almost no sugar (just a little in my tea)...

While I was in the hosp, I came across this article on my news feed: Nice doctors heal you faster. I've had my share of encounters with doctors the past 3 months. I never before appreciated just how much a really truly good doctor- the kind who listens to you, responds to what you say, acts like he cares- wow- that kind of doctor makes a huge difference. Mostly I noticed this because my first main doctor here in Kyiv did NOT fit that description...and I spent a lot of time worrying about how I was going to convince him that things were not as he thought they were. In fact, had the ultrasound tech not sent me to the surgeon/specialist she did, I probably would not have consented to have the surgery here at all. You have to be able to work with your doctor, to have confidence in him/her. Mine is the greatest...

home!

I’m home! Writing this from my laptop! Yeeha! It’s so great to be back here. Phyllis and Elaine came just before 6 and we got in about 7, I suppose. Had a little supper and am now ready for bed… You’ll be surprised (and pleased?) to know that I’m tired and heading to bed…at 9 pm! J

Standing at the window waving

Actually. Those are my toes waving at you from the foot of the bed. They were ecstatic to be freed from their pressure garment-tights-torture chamber last night. The other is just me on A recent bad hair day... There've been a few lately. Had a hair wash last night, though... could have (gingerly) danced!

Thanks for all your care, thoughts, wishes, commiseration, etc.. Mostly, I do feel better... Just have sore muscles by the incision. I spiked a fever last Fri, so still getting antibiotics... But that should slow down today. I'm hoping to go home today. There was talk yesterday of maybe waiting till Weds, but I'll bust into tears if it helps him release me today...

Haven't posted because it's not all that easy to get a decent connection here.

a whole lot of silence

from these parts... and more to come.

Cut my nails
Vacuumed my room
Packed my bag
Ate a leftover piece of pizza
Had a cup of coffee
Did what I could for me

Oh- and I watered the plants

That's what you'd do in the last 2 hours before leaving for the hospital to have surgery... right?
Today's the day... the last day of my association with the space aliens inside...

And I'm glad about that.

Take care and see you when things calm down around here! xo

Pac Man!

I was a kid in the 80's. Occasionally on a Friday night, I'd go home with my friend Sondra whose big brother had fun stuff... like Atari and a computer with computer games (that is ALL we did with those things back then...what else was a computer for?! Come on...) It was always rather a competition, of course, trying to get to the computer... I was never any good at any of the games. Sondra and I never got much game time in, as I recall... after all, the stuff belonged to Mike... but we did play some Pac-Man... played it at school, too, on the school computers when we could get time on them.

Well- this real-live Pac-Man recreation is just too cool for an 80's kid/nerd like me! I guess it was inevitable that they'd eventually program a Roomba to do this... ;)

Nov 9... 20 years ago

This spring was the 20th anniversary of my high school graduation; a month or so ago, there was a 20 year reunion...which I didn't attend. I was curious though... brings back a lot of memories.

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of something bigger... far bigger. I don't have a lot of clear memories of the day, but someone (likely our floor counselor) came to our door room and said we needed to go to the common room where the big screen tv was, history was being made. I went... and sat there in silent awe watching people an ocean away in the dark lit by bright lights (guard tower lights?) and flash bulbs tear down a piece of the Berlin Wall. They swarmed on and up and over it. My memory is of watching a surreal event with a feeling of wonder, awe, amazement. If this is really happening, what else can happen? In fact, What won't happen? Anything was possible.
And it was true.
The Velvet Revolution in Czech. The (not-at-all-velvet) revolution in Romania. East and West Germany ceased to exist as separate countries and reunified. And other revolutions, resistances... the crumbling of the Soviet Union.
And even to a young person- for whom nothing ever seemed to happen fast enough- it all happened quickly. I knew it was history and that, even though I was watching from across the water, I was 'watching' history happen.

I didn't dream then that I would ever visit (never mind live in) part of what had been the USSR. My life then was all about other things- classes and getting through undergrad as fast as possible. Later, we heard stories about Romania, what it was like to be there during the Communist regime and the revolution. It was all fascinating, but I never connected it with myself. Ever.

In October, 2000, I moved to Ukraine. A brand new world to me. The next summer, I visited Germany for the first time- more new stuff, but it felt like home- America with a German accent. The following summer, my friend and I spent a week in eastern Germany and later we visited Berlin. It was fascinating. I remember one story we heard in that summer:
Sunday morning, November 12, some of our friends were together in the home of a mutual friend in Berlin... just together. A knock at the door. The knock answered. A family they knew from the East standing there, Can we come in? Everyone in shock. They spent the morning together and a lot of tears were shed. The family from the east was visiting East Berlin that weekend and heard that the wall had come down. Can it be true? They drove towards a checkpoint (Checkpoint Charlie was the most well known), expecting to be stopped any minute. Nothing happened. In amazement, they reached the checkpoint and drove through. Still no barriers, no guards, nothing. They're across, in the West! Where to go? Let's see if our friends from 'way back when' are still where they were... and off they go... and get there in time to drop in on a very special gathering of special friends, the icing on the cake... Old friends reunited...
To hear it told by some of the participants was truly goose-bump material. (I hope I've recounted it more or less accurately here.)
We stayed with the mother of a friend in Berlin. My friend took me to see Checkpoint Charlie and I had my pic taken there with Flat Stanley at a USSR memorabilia kiosk... I need to find that pic!

So- this has all been rolling around in my head the past few days as the 20th anniversary of this monumental event approached. Here are some of the links that have come through my news feeds the past few days...and one from wikipedia about the wall (you can get good stuff there if you filter it through your brain cells!) ;)

The wall came down- eyewitness account

wiki link on the wall

Peter Turnley's essay on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the iron curtain and the accompanying slide show, narrated by Peter (just wait out the ad)
an essay and slide show about East Germany
Kottke.org's post

Back

To the land of questions and sometime confusion but that gets into your heart and being and keeps you coming back for more... and glad of it, thanks! ;-)

And we're currently on a very icy road in a full bus headed for our beloved capital. I reckon we're going to be very late, the rate we're going. You know what they say- Better late than never. Amen. Here's to cautious and careful drivers. 4 hours worth of them.

stomach ache?

hmmm- it seems these are sort of small... hopefully you can read them well enough to enjoy them...

We didn't often trick or treat when we were little... there just wasn't a lot of it going on out there where we lived. I'd be like John in the FBFW, though, if I had kids and took them down the street ringing doorbells... yummmeeeeeeeeee

And- it's just over 2 years since the first short order blog post. I've loved it, for sure... Thanks for the good times (or whatever) and for stopping by! xo

not much

all's quiet
at least here.
Last week we went over to Western Ukr to help out in the kitchen with food preparation while some of the guys were around doing some work. Lovely! I mean being with the people... all of them! The food part went not too badly as well.
We also used the shop vac to slurp up millions (I'm sure) of flies- that was oddly satisfying. They worm their way inside this time of year and then zoom around drunkenly and litter the place up with their corpses after awhile (when they're done zooming)... if this happens to be in the attic/upstairs part where no one actually lives, well their dear little departed left behind selves accumulate... and then crunch into the floor when you walk on the floor... This just sort of offends some part of me- some sissy weak part of me- so we bribed someone to haul the shop vac from one upstairs to the next and then mindlessly slurped them up- chic, ching, chic, ping, pong, chic... they make such cute little pinging noises on their way up wand of the vac... I'd go out and do some more just any old day... ;)
*******************************
Have I told you about 'Tushene Myaso'? It's literally 'Stewed Meat', but I'm here to tell you that it's nothing like what N Americans usually think of when they hear 'stew'. No pix, but I did pork that way one day:
-cut the meat into chunks (like stew-size pieces)
-brown it in a bit of oil (or butter...or both) with a bit of salt and pepper
-reduce heat to low and pour sour cream over it (this is best but milk also works wonderfully well); add a bay leaf or 2.
-Let simmer for 2 hours (or more), replenishing the sour cream/milk from time to time. You don't need lots of liquid, just enough to cook down and keep the meat from burning. I let it cook uncovered at first and then towards the end, put the cover on the skillet but cracked open.

This is an excellent way to do any meat that is likely to be tough... and the flavor- out of this world! Serve over rice, potatoes, macaroni- whatever. Works well with a white sauce gravy made at the end.
*********************************
In other news, Ukr is in the middle of an H1N1 scare- all schools and universities (in Western, Central, Northern Ukr at any rate) are closed for 2 weeks; supposedly there are travel restrictions into and out of the 3 areas in Western Ukr that have been hardest hit. No one seems to know just how serious it really is but people are scared... and it certainly seems that the flu season has gotten off to an early start. There isn't a lot of flu in Kyiv yet but someone told me that their city has been hard-hit and that the pharmacies are out of typical respiratory meds... Lots of masks out in public... I'm maskless... can't stand that wet stuffy feeling up by my mouth. Besides- do they help? I am washing my hands often and, as Jill says, Keep your hands away from your face!
Ok!

en route to Poland tonight... border time... again... hurrah... (for Poland that is... border crossings are for the birds, mostly)