Hmmmm

Bet you always wanted to know what our quarters look like in the middle of the rush. Now you no longer have to wonder. This room is normally a living room... But we sort of dominated it the past week. Meant to get a pic of it after clean-up yest, but forgot. Big Surprise.

We had another very good weekend. Our days together were made exceptionally soft by various things. I admire the courage and strength we see in others. Someday, I hope to amount to something myself...

Clean up yesterday went very well. Uncle B chased the young girls out of their quarters at somewhere around 5.30 so they could dismantle that all and put everything back in its place for the year. The first group left at 7.45 (this would be why Uncle B was in such a toot to get going since that group consisted of him, Ian and 2 of those young girls).

(aside: Just out of curiosity... What's the latest anyone's ever heard of clean-up getting started? I've been involved more than once when it started well before sun-up...partly because by then, IN and WI don't have such early sunrises of course. But Still...) The good thing, of course, is that when you start that early, you're done by Oh, 10.00... Showered and all.

My eye-candy the past few days

Just a few more flower pix. Cause I like them. Cause she's such a good flower-grower. Cause they're there. Trust me, my phone doesn't do them justice.

Know this guy?

He was with us for about 10 days... 10 of the busiest days of the year. There was time for a few visits, enough time for this Big Sister to satisfy hersef that he's surviving and thriving, in fact. Enough time for this Big Sister to wonder if she's going to have to start thinking of him as Big Brother... But for now, we'll cling to the age difference and claim ''Big Sistership".

Oh! And you should hear his Polish! :)

Little Sweetheart

The kid who thought I was nuts for matching 2 of the boys' pillow cases awhile ago. I could tell you all the special little things about her, but we'll wait for now. Suffice it to say she's shy, sweet and just beginning to blossom. She's the Big Sister of 2 little brothers and 6 year old twin sisters.

Travelling

So now we're on a bus headed north. We've been on this bus since 6.20 this morning. I love early mornings. Yup. And next week I'll cont to get up super early just because I like it so much. Yup. (And if you know me better than that, here's a piece of chocolate. Eat it.) ;)

Pix are of me & my little preps kid seat mate. He promises to amount to something sometime fairly soon, I reckon. Took his, so he insisted we do one of him, too. The interesting thing is, this kid was what could only be called an ''unholy terror" when he was little. I love it when kids come along and surprise you and really make you look forward to their future. I wonder if he even knows half of this. Someday, I hope he does.

You want hot?

You want hot? Well here it is. I looked out the train window when we were leaving Odessa a few weeks ago; it was very hot- like, oh, I don't know- 85 degrees, 90. anyway, looked out the window and saw these 2 Orthodox priests strolling by, in all their black-robed splendor (??). The pix were taken hurriedly and aren't the best; their outfits consist of a long-sleeved black robe that goes all the way down to their ankles, a black 'hat' (I'm sure it has a special name but I wouldn't know what it is) plus pants and a shirt underneath. I'm just glad they weren't in with us because they proly didn't, ummmm shall we say, smell too fresh, what with the heat and the long black robes and all that.

Random pix

Here's the resident turkey mom.with a chick peeping out from between some of her feathers. She was sitting there, late evening and I stuck my head out the door. How funny to suddenly see a chick literally crawl out of her back! The most interesting part about this turkey mom is that her 8 or 9 (or however many) chicks are not turkeys but chickens. They give her the eggs to hatch out since she's the best mom on the place.and she fosters baby chickens every year!

This was taken after most folks had arrived but before things really got rolling. People sitting around chatting, relaxed. This also shows our visitor from Holland getting a back rub from one of the locals. Jurjen was fantastic- he could visit with anyone. One day I spotted him in the middle of a group that included 3 different nationalities with nary a common language between them; so how were they communicating, pray tell.he sure looked happy!

There are heaps more pix from the past 2 weeks- I'll try to get them posted later, but likely won't be for another couple weeks or so. We had good preps and then a fantastic past 4 days. Now we're on the train heading south; arriving into Odessa soon. We go on from there by bus. Have some last minute shopping to do and then out to the village. Uncle D arrives with the rest tomorrow. Won't be time for anything for a few weeks.

Happy (belated) 4th of July! Happy summer! We're having good days; hope you are, too.

Looking out...and up

It's always fun trying to settle down and get your head (and heart) together for your turn at a gathering when you're busy running around worrying about blankets, pillows, garbage bags and tp, cleaning bathrooms and answering a thousand and one questions. so this year, I took a plastic stool down the drive, through the pasture and into a quiet nook of trees. (This was during supper.don't tell anyone, but I knew the menu didn't appeal to me so I just skipped it and ate cereal and granola later.) The setting was perfect. Here's a few pix taken by my tree trunk with my phone.

Hollyhocks are from beside the driveway on the way back to the house. They were perfect the 2 weeks we were there.

Baby Cutie Pie

Here's Baby Cutie Pie with one of his many nannies; this nanny is Ira. He must be the perfect baby; I didn't know they came like this.seriously. He maybe cried twice during the mtgs; he loves being held by anyone or simply sitting in his stroller; he smiles on command; he hardly ever fusses. I wonder if he dirties his diaper??? Ok, kidding. Anyway, Mr and Mrs Cutie Pie did luck out with Baby #1; good luck if you have another one, folks. This one's been so good you've surely been spoiled!

Oh, and he just happens to be about the cutest thing younger than my sister's twins.
You'll notice he's bundled up- it was blissfully chilly there; perfect weather.

yikes

It's been 2 years since the house here has been all 1 color/texture/whatever...so this is the year that the whole thing gets repainted so that the top matches the bottom. I wish I had a pic of the heart-stopping ladder setup that involves the door and stairs into the girls' dorm... The sign warns about the man you could send to his death if you barrel through the door unmindful of what's on the other side. The 2 pix are of Little A priming the rest of that side of the house. He's like a monkey on that thing. Makes everyone clutch their heart, whisper a prayer and walk away.

Well well well

You know how the craziest things happen at just the right time? Like Wed before McCordsville all the sewage pipes have to be replaced? Stuff like that? Well, they tried to drop a new pump into the well yesterday. This started with Mr Homeowner lowering a ladder into the well- suspended on an iron bar laid across the top of the well. Let me tell you, that well is the deepest thing I've ever looked into. It's heart-stoppingly deep. When he went down there, we all just held our breaths; his family left. Uncle D said You be careful.

Then they tried one thing, then another and another... The huddle pic is interesting because of the different nationalities all discussing why the new pump won't work. Night came and they finally dropped the old malfunctioning pump back into the well; today they will try another new one. We hope we have water soon... (well, we have it, just not good pressure and not enough).

Mynnya again

Well, today was the day! People everywhere, so Mynnya decided to present her baby to the world. A little girl... a heifer, in other words. Here's a pic just after she was born (we arrived on the scene shortly afterwards). They named her... Anita! It was an exclamation point sort of day!

Nothing runs like...

what?

;) Well this am on way to our friend's, I saw a big green Deere...combine... No pic, but it was For Real...

I've seen a few John Deeres over here, but not many. Once at a gas station, I looked out the bus window and saw a huge JD tractor at the next pump. That was memorable. Another time, saw a whole train full of them heading down the tracks. And that's about it.

N

It's been a real pleasure watching this dear girl mature from a sweet shy child to a lovely young lady. We came into town tonight so we'd be able to catch an early bus tomorrow to our friends; N and 1 of her younger sisters and another 'preps kid' came with us... N went with me to buy tickets and we had a nice chat...nothing special, just nice.
Did I mention that she's a superb dessert maker, too? ;)

Rug cleaning and other stuff

Someone was using the scaffolding (that's really what that is...the base anyway) for cleaning rugs. I just liked the look of it.

We've had a really busy week. I'm bed lady here, which, next to laundry, is my favorite job on the planet. So, while everyone else scurries around cooking, picking red currants, making juice, hammering, sawing, washing heaps and heaps of dishes and generally carting heavy objects from Point A to Point B, I get to sort towels, sheets, pillows, blankets (NOT counting them...yet), make beds, AND set up a 'new' visitors' cabin... (can we say 'rustic'...handy, though) and a hundred other things. It's just sort of right down my alley... (or is it 'up my alley'? I never could keep that straight.)

Oh- and something else Little M and I did today (she's a little preps kid and boy is she worth her weight in gold...I'll see if I can get a pic)...anyway, she was helping me make beds this am... She's been grabbing a pillowcase off the stack at each bed and the pillow is her deal. So, at V's bed, she grabs one and I say, Oh wait...take this case, 'K? Well, she is little Miss Practical and I could tell she saw no earthly reason why on earth V had to have that certain red and blue case...but she did it. So then a few beds later, we come to the one where a certain IA lady's son will be sleeping for a few nights when he gets in... (do you know who this is?!?) and his sheets match V's case...so I make this crazy mentality-of-a-10-year-old confession... See, I say- V and (IA lady's son) are good friends...won't it be fun if they have matching pillows? Since they don't get to see each other very often...I finish rather lamely... But I can see that in Miss Practical's 13 year old mind, THAT is completely insane... Siggggghhhhh... I do wonder if they'll notice... I had fun, anyway.

Ah well. We're having good days. Mon, things will start to move at the speed of light; by Tues, I'll be wishing I had some sort of nerve medicine, proly...by Wed, for sure. But, Oh, it is so worth it!

Take care!!

Mynnya

This is Lesya with the cow, Mynnya. She likes little green apples (Mynnya does), which L is good to give to her. The big exciting thing is Mynnya is due to calve any time. Mr and Mrs Cow Owner (L's parents) are away right now, so L is in charge of the cow- but I'm keeping an eye on her, too...becaue, well because I like doing it...in fact I love it. You can tell Dad and Marv (and Uncle Duane...haha-kidding) that I punched the calf. M wouldn't let me close enough to do that till today. I'm just sort of hoping that Baby arrives sometime in the next week... There is nothing to compare to the soft sweetness of a newborn calf...

mousetrap

Someone recently blogged about playing mousetrap with her kids (Neisha maybe?). Yup, we loved that game, too. And coming back from hanging up laundry this afternoon I sort of popped the basket on my head (easier to carry it that way) and, well, I think you can follow that to it's logical pictoral conclusion.

Another cellar

This is the cellar we're currently associated with... I like it a whole lot better than last week's cellar...not that THAT matters...

This cellar is dirt-walled and under the summer kitchen. Running down there during the day is nearly as good as taking a break in your average preps walk-in cooler...which I, of course (OF COURSE) never ever did back in the States...just because it was blistering hot, 200% humidity and not a breath of air moving outside... I wouldn't ever have even considered for a single moment thinking up a reason to visit the cooler just becaue you could walk in and shut the door and sort of hang out with the Mississippi Mud cake that Ryan's mom had made for him (and for us, who are we kidding?)...or Ryan's Peanut Butter pie...oh no, not ME...

Whoops, drooling here. Anyway, this cellar is a pretty great place.

blog fodder

Sharon and I came into town last night- did more shopping and heaps of laundry. Also had a soak in the tub with sea salts... ahhhhhhhhhh.... Today, we're off to Odessa and then on north by train. We finish preps up there while the others are at the first week of special days. Next week, they'll all pile in where we are- will be nice to all be together.

So, one quick post and then I need to run. Here it is... it's a nightmare... and a good one.

What with all the painting going on, we ran out, so Sat am, I made a quick trip into town to get 1 more bucket. Fine. Got it. And got some pillows and blankets and odds and ends (including a toilet seat!) that we needed. Managed to make the 10 am bus, which was jammed to the gills and hot. I was one of the last on, so got to stand. No biggie- I was just glad to be there…until, somehow—don’t ask, I don’t know—that bucket of paint (approx the equivalent of a gallon) gulp got knocked right over…and wouldn’t you know it, the lid popped off. We all just stood there for about 30 seconds watching in shock as this beautiful pearly white lake spread under the seats and into the aisle…and then everyone began yelling at the driver to STOP. We were just pulling out of bus station, so he parked and then quickly came to see what was going on…I guess he could tell it was a big deal. Well, we won’t go into all the details- suffice it to say that, although he’s a pretty decent, low-key sort of man, he yelled and yelled and yelled at me…until I finally started to cry. I was afraid I would- I’m a bit like that- but was trying hard not to. My first thought was that I should get it back into the bucket, quick, so that I could use it. finally, the driver tracked down the bus station cleaning lady who came, took stock of the situation and came back with rags and set to work; someone else ran for a huge stack of newpapers- that’s supposed to be really good for paint they say. I ran to the bazaar for turpentine (of course, folks, this was oil-based paint—nothing so easy as water-based, Oh No). everyone calmed down and the bus left…but I had to go back to the bazaar to buy more turpentine and rags (not to mention paint); got myself somewhat cleaned up and caught the next bus out. Yest, Bill came out on the bus with that driver- and the driver’s calmed down and was laughing at it by this time, thankfully. It was a nightmare…totally.

Suppertime!

I forget what these things are called in English, but in Ukr'n and Rus'n they're called 'shashlykiy' and they are fabulous and plus all that, it's what we had for supper tonight! Cut up large bite-sized pieces of meat (chicken and pork for us tonight), make a marinade of mayonnaise, splash of vinegar (or lemon juice or wine), pepper, salt and some other mysterious herbs from the lady at the market :) V also uses honey, which is delish. Marinade the meat several hours. Skewer, alternating pieces of meat with onions and squash (also peppers and small tomatoes are good). Get your fire going good and hot, then let it die down to good hot coals. Then call in the shashlyk expert (Vassya, in our case) and let him grill them to perfection...then overeat. Oh yeah, give him a rack of veggies drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled in salt and let him grill them, too. We usually do this about once during preps (at least if V is around) and sometimes before con for the visitors. It just screams SUMMER in Ukr'n...

The big bad

Cellar. This is the scariest thing you can hear around here: Oh, you need the paint supplies/empty juice jars/drinking water/whatever? Well, it's down in the cellar. Approach that mysterious trap door with caution, gently lift the door upwards to expose the daunting depths below... Trying not to let your knees knock together too much, very very carefully lower yourself onto the top rung- this is the hardest part for me. I have this awful feeling of impending doom every time...a certainty that I'm going to misjudge something somehow and swing out into nothingness and abruptly meet the cement floor below a short time later. The other awful thing about it all is: You can't tell me there's no mice (or worse) down there. Thankfully, it's clean and not too cluttered- and well-lit...so you can basically see everything BOOM right off. Anyway, I'm always happy to have something ANYTHING else to do if things sound like they're leading up to a trip to the cellar. Like I really need to go scrub out the john with a toothbrush...was just on my way...in fact, I've already started and there's a long line of anxious folks waiting and there's bleach in it right now and I really have to go finish that so those poor souls won't die...yup...right now...so sorry.

Or should that have been?

Dear Amanda: this one's for you. Referring to the first link in previous post. I'll let you tell me since I can't remember.

oh just stuff

Dear Alaina: This one's for you! ;)

Came into town last night for the study and to clean, do laundry and major shopping. I'm taking a break- had a completely badly awesomely delish calzone from a local pizza place for lunch. Now I need to get back to work again.

Can I find 1 more pic to post? Let's see... well sure enough! The prep crew:

Bill... bringing home the ladder. Bikes are pretty versatile here- load 'em up and push 'em...sure saves the back and arms.

V... 'mowing' the yard... not for the weak, that's for sure. Later he pitch-forked it together and hauled it off somewhere.

Ira, Mrs Homemaker. She works- no toils- day and night; I'm not sure what's kept her alive so far but she manages! She's a treasure.

Sharon, ready to pick cherries and make juice...which she did like a mad woman for 4 days straight... the cooking setup is behind her.
Who's this? Just the street sweeper... I'm just glad that not all brooms are this short, that's all I have to say.
And then there are these... when S&I were down in this field, motor scooters became immensely popular; we were wishing we had one to use as a field 'car'... saw a display downtown the other day... and still wish I had one. Hmmmmm.....

Oh yeah- and how cool is this? Not to mention how expensive...

And one more- Karen's back! I have even talked to her very own self on the phone! Yay! Welcome Back, KJE!! (You're welcome as the flowers in May!)