ah yes- the hosp!

Called Layna the next morning- woke her up, poor kid. Can you please come over here and help me get to the hospital? (We opted for the Sailors' Hosp- you have to pay for everything there (nothing covered by the State) so there are few lines and little waiting...)

offending foot covered in a bag. It hurt too much to try to put my boot on, so we did this to protect it from the snow...


Wish you could have seen the hosp... it was dark, wires hanging out in unruly mobs... loitering along the tops of the walls... and COLD... I mean, really cold... these were taken in the corridor outside the x-ray room (chamber?). When I got inside, I was quite amused to see the doctor wearing about 5 layers of heavy clothing AND his heavy fur hat. I don't blame him...was wishing I had one. And talk about being grateful that all I had to expose in there was my foot. I had my gloves on and my headband and winter coat... the whole time... very cuddly, let me tell you.

Back to the beginning:
We took a cab to the main entrance and went in. Talked to the Door Monitor. She looked at me (on Sharon's crutches- ha- 2 people living in this apt, both on crutches and hobbling- it was rather pathetically comical)... anyway- the door lady looked all dismayed and informed us we should have gone to a different building. She pointed it out. Out we go, down the steps and set off across a vast snowy plain... so it seemed on crutches. Layna ran ahead to find out exactly where to go. Got there (a lonnnngggg time later). Met the auntie from the night before- she works at the hosp- who looked at me in shock... Didn't I just see you on 2 feet, bouncing along? Well, yes... You see, when I left you all last night.... blah blah blah... She turned on Layna- Why didn't you get a wheelchair?! Poor L just stood there with her mouth open- honestly- neither of us even thought to ask for one. You have to be Really Special to get one of those... Auntie ordered poor L out of there and back to the main entrance to get one. I get settled inside. Auntie is hovering over me. L comes back without a wheelchair. It's broken, she says, Doesn't work. Auntie gets *this look* on her face and whirls out of there. And returns with a wheelchair of sorts... one of those walkers on wheels with a seat between the handles... It pays to know people... it makes all the difference...
anyway, we waited in the frigid corridor for the patient ahead of me and then a long time (30 min) for the film to be developed. Then back across the frozen tundra... plain... whatever. Only I'm sitting and L's pushing... and really, it's too bad not to have that on film. L couldn't see anything except my back so we went from snowdrift to snowdrift... I felt so sorry for her. She's a dear, though. Persevered and we finally got back. Up the steps, through the doors, see another doctor... who informs me: You will still live and still love! (Well that IS a relief, thanks!) He was a nice guy, really. Call a cab... and go home. Yay.
I learned a few things

• even one day on crutches leaves your whole upper body screaming in agony
• and your hands, too
• go slowly and deliberately and don't count steps... just go one at a time... slowly and deliberately
• slowly and deliberately (did I already say that?)
• a friend in need is a friend indeed

And I might be in the market for cleats! ;)

oh baby! again!

We went to see Baby the other day! Just to make sure that he's not just a rumor or something!
But first- Big Brother... (the one that never has let me kiss him...) This time I asked Does your brother sleep at night. He made a wry face and said And not only sleep... He cries, too. One of Big Brother's jobs is to get Mom's attention when Baby cries. So, he knows if the kid's not sleeping!

And now- The Star of the Show!

He has a nice repertoire of 'faces'...

Sharon, Mom, Baby and Big Brother Oh look! I held him, too! ;) He's a doll!

ps- does anyone else go crazy trying to get pix in Blogger to do what they want them to do?

it was all good until......

After visiting Baby and his family, I went on foot through a snowy part of town to see another family...

it was dusk and really quite pretty, even if the going was a bit tough... lots of ice under all this stuff... (it was going home in the dark after this that I fell BANG CRASH... in retrospect, I don't know why I didn't call a cab; I knew how slippery it was, I was feeling fortunate to not have fallen... it just never dawned on me to take a taxi... when I left, it was completely dark, few streetlights and still icy... you get the pic)

But it was great to see this character again!

and his younger sisters (twins)

and the Big Sister... she's shy and often in the shadow of the little squirts...

but she does emerge after awhile! I'm glad I saw them! Saw their mom and auntie, too.... (Dad was at work)

 

edit: How could I forget the little fellow? He was there, too... it's just he fell asleep early on and they carted him off to his bed. He's a fat and happy and mischievous little guy!

but it runs kind of funny

That jeep doesn't really feel all that great right now, though... there are muscles it didn't even know it had that are sore and aching... and some twirly pivoty motions are just not an option for the poor jeep at the moment...

It needs some more ice, some more ibuprofen and a long nap... and a few pillows under its tires, that's all... Poor Jeep

knock knock

I'm nearest the door, so I answer...
a bright-faced bright-eyed wind-blown type...
Yes?
I'm new here...
Yes?
But I'm Ready to Roll and Do Stuff For You! Your Life Will Be Brilliant... as MINE is! *glitter and sparkle*

I see. The room for heroes is just down the hall there- see it? (points to the room with the exploding walls-->)
Just make sure you shut the door tightly behind yourself... and lock the door... we're happy here...

good-bye

re the stove

2 posts down.

This is a typical stove- built of mud/clay. It forms most of the wall between the living room and the hallway. The living room has the niche in the wall that you see the kitten on. This is used for keeping things warm (and for keeping kittens warm!). Often, it is a long flat platform that is not enclosed and can be used as a bed. My first summer here, I slept on one of those things (not lit, mind you) for several weeks- put a mattress on top and there you go! Back in Jan 2008, I wrote about the death of a friend. During her final illness and weeks at home, her bed was on one of these stoves- it was the warmest place in the house and done especially so that she would be as comfortable as possible.

I'll have to see if I have some more pix of these stoves. The other side of the one in this post has the opening for adding wood (or coal) as well as the burners to use for cooking. They're a regular institution and very much a part of traditional village life.

it was a day

Today- glad to put today bed.
Day started at 5 am with alarm clocks. I had a brief (about 5 min) and pleasant chitchat on skype with my sis and bro-in-law and their guests- one of whom is an old and good friend of mine (ok- she's younger than me but an old friend- you got that, right?) ;-) (ahem- and this is where I learn the sad news of the outcome of the Super Bowl... sniff sniff... Go ahead and enjoy that Shaun... I know you are...)

Shortly after 6, Sharon and I head out the door and down the stairs- very slowly and carefully. She's on crutches with a spike sticking out the top of one toe- she had surgery 2 weeks ago and one would not at all want to bump that toe... today was the day for removing the stitches. One of our friends, T, has been very sick- gall bladder problems- and doctors here couldn't really find anything wrong... well, clear that something's wrong but they can't fix it, can't see gall stones on ultrasound (let's talk about the quality of the machine, the resolution... or maybe not- too depressing). Since we have to go to Odessa to S' dr and since S can't go on public transportation, our friend hitched a ride- she had an appt up there with a GI doc.

The roads are terrible. Awful. Icy in spots. Drifted in spots. Drifting in spots. We have a good driver, though. He's very careful. We make it in 4 1/2 hours.

S sees her dr, has her stitches removed, foot re-dressed, re-assessed... all's good, Doctor's pleased.

T gets in to her dr. And then bloodwork, an ultrasound, an Upper GI scope (with Narcoz, thanks- that would be anesthesia- this is a wonderful thing, believe me), more tests. She comes back to the waiting room from time to time to let us know what's going on. Eventually, here she is- flushed, looking somewhat shocked- I have to have surgery right now. Dr comes and says the trip back could be enough to make the thing burst- it's in very bad shape. They're prepping her for surgery. Everyone jolts into a higher gear- phone calls and arrangements to be made, arranging to be off work... in she goes. We're all relieved... but in shock, none-the-less.

Head south. Roads are worse. Heavy snow part of the way. Lots of blowing and drifting all of the way. Some ice. (Not to mention that that road is in terrible condition pothole-wise to start with.) Glad for a cautious and experienced driver. Lots of phone calls and sms'es along the way. Everyone wants to know How's T? Trip takes a lot longer than going up. I get many small naps. :)

Home. Finally.
Supper. T's hubby comes over to collect some things of hers.

Call from K- M&Y just wrote- Y's sis died, fun'l on Wed. (I'll go, that's understood.) M&Y are both deaf (they're the parents, in fact, of that darling baby a few posts back). Get in touch with them via a local webcam program- to have a real 'face-to-face'. The sis- sad story. Found on the street, 3 am- likely was drunk; likely fell/passed out; likely froze to death. 34 years old.

Another call- someone else and hubby have to go Odessa soon. Can't take 2 youngest kids. Had a baby-sitter plan. It fell through. Could Anita do that? Spend the night? (Answer- Probably... maybe... who knows? She'd like to but there are a lot of if's here yet.)

lots of phone calls, sms'es, web cam chats, arrangements. News that T's surgery was difficult but all's well now. More phone calls and etc...
I'm going to bed...

And no one's set an alarm for tomorrow... we may have one somewhat quiet morning...

Murchyk (Мурчик)- Life of a Cat

Got out to Ira's this morning... it's a very cold day... they'd fired up the wood stove this morning... it felt good...

I'm not the only one who thought so... what's this?

Ahhh... This is 'Murchyk' (Мурчик)- his name means he purrs...

understand?

He wasn't very inclined to wake up at first....
but I know how to talk to Ukr'n cats...

:) Monkeyshine

He was about to settle in again... so his 'Mom' hauled him out of there... poor thing...

Here's the other side of that stove. The 'business' side. There's a kettle of water there and burners... they only use it for heat, though, as they have a gas stove in the kitchen...

a little while later, look who came back... we know who's important around here! :)

misc stuff...

heading off for the bus the other day after yet more snow/rain/ice... it was beautiful!

the sun was still managing to shine... but soon disappeared and hasn't been heard from since...

looking out the front door... not too pretty right now... but we have a great caretaker/groundskeeper- always lot of gravel down by the building... you'd have to try to fall here... ;) (speaking of falling- I was rushing home from the grocery in Kyiv a few weeks ago- driving too fast for the conditions... hahaha- on foot, of course, but I like the sound of it... there was a sturdily-built, low-to-the-ground, slow-moving vehicle ahead of me. I zipped into the passing lane and picked up speed. And just as I pulled even with her, whooooop, down I go... right onto my back***, legs waving in the air like a tipped turtle's...(well almost). The other vehicle froze in place instantly and peered down at me... sort of startled-like... I peered up... heh heh... It's slippery she says. Uh huh I say... and cont on (at a slower rate of speed)...)

our neighbor's door has this scrawled on it in pen: Come to the post office to get your pension. 12.06.09

what to do if you don't have post-it's...

and last but not least! Sharon had foot surgery recently. (If all's well, we're going to Odessa Mon to get the stitches removed.) After Stu's timely addition to my life, I recommended finding some cuddly something or other for Sharon and this is what Karen came up with... not sure what his name is, though...

***what I really fell on was my backpack which had a carton of eggs in it... and none of them broke... or even cracked. I went down pretty easily, actually... wasn't even sore afterwards... I give you permission to laugh...

another secret passageway*

*I realize this is a fairly loose interpretation of the term secret passageway

Howdy Hello! I've been quiet awhile again. Karen and I traded places not quite 2 weeks ago... so she's enjoying my cozy corner up in Kyiv and I'm down here in her pleasantly drafty (I like a good draft, thanks!) and very cheery space.

There is a lot of running around down here and, as always, lots of it is under your own steam... the '2 legged transport'. So, coming home today, I did some path documentation. There's a secret way (not all that secret, seeing as how every citizen of the whole city knows about it...but it's unpaved and unmarked and involves wending your way through shady places) to get from the street out in front (this is another loose interpretation) of the apt building to the actual apt. Here we go!

looking back the way we came... (see what I mean about everyone knowing about it? It's well-worn... even in the ice and snow)

turn around, face forward... we're heading this way... (the cement 'fence' may or may not border a school playground...I never can quite figure out where that playground really truly is...)

round the corner of the cement 'fence' and our path splits... we go to the right. The upsidedown V? Used to be a swingset...

aim for the gap... that's someone's unattached garage (like really unattached- it's in a 'garage park') up ahead...

someone scrawled 'child of the moon forever' on that garage...

hmmmm- What does that mean?

so now we're plunging on and marching through the garage park... there are more garages behind the row on the right... and there is often a stray dog with her pups hanging out back here. She's short and bedraggled... but fierce when it comes to her pups....

and emerging from the garage park- the row of dumpsters... these dumpsters serve at least 3 big buildings... nearly always overflowing... it's always amusing to toss a bag of trash in and watch a highly offended, startled and spitting cat fly out... I wouldn't do that on purpose, mind you, but I don't get close enough to check out the status of the dumpster before tossing, either...

so now- the home stretch. Garbage to the left of us (off the pic), one last garage to the right, another fence...and... laundry ahead...

yep... freeze-dries... (as Sharon says- Thank goodness, we don't have to hang ours outside... we have a niftly folding rack. My fingers get cold at the thought of the other...)

our building and our entrance dead ahead now...

ahh yes- and the "Liars' bench" outside the entrance... heavily populated in warm weather by all manner of people who while away the time in that beloved-among-many-peoples manner: ShootingTheBreeze

Empty today though...

oh baby!

We have a new baby here! Can you guess who this is?

see the little blue hat?

Yep- this is a boy baby! He cries!

He opens his eyes!

He's Artem. Born a week ago. I've not actually met him yet but hope to later this week. Momma and Daddy are both deaf; Daddy's is genetic, so they'll be keeping an eye on this little fellow for that. He has a big brother (who can hear perfectly well when he wants to, thanks very much). Alyosha is 7 1/2 already and wasn't all that keen (at first) on the thought of another body in the house. Then he adjusted. When they introduced Big Brother and Little Brother, Big Brother was a study, we hear. He looked and looked... looked at his feet- this kid can't walk... looked at his mouth- he doesn't have any teeth... all he does is CRY... What use is this?! I guess he was quite disappointed! He'd apparently been picturing a ready-made playmate and this just doesn't look too hopeful!

Big Brother is also the kid I asked (when he was 3)- Alyosh- can I kiss you? He looked at me and retorted- It's a bit early! (ещё рано!) Everyone rolled on the floor laughing and wiping their eyes.

3six5 again

The 3six5 project is in the running for grant money from Pepsi; the grant would be used to help defray the costs of eventually publishing the project as a book. Vote here if you feel so inclined.

3six5 refresher
authors' posts so far

The other Daudy B

A year ago exactly my Daudy B was in the hosp and then passed away. My dad is the 2nd child and the oldest son in that family. Last Friday, he had a heart attack. Thankfully, it was not a massive one, thankfully Mom was there, thankfully they got to the doctor and then to the hospital, thankfully the doctors were able to remove a clot without having to do any other procedure. Thankfully he's recovering well... he sounds perky on the phone and ready to get out of the hospital. That may happen soon.
What took my breath away was realizing what the outcome could have been had this happened a week earlier... when Mom had a weekend away with her sisters; her oldest sis turned 70 and the other 5 sisters went to their nephew's in FL to surprise their sister for her birthday. Life, of course, happens many ways and many things happen... but I'm more than thankful that, for now, my own dear dad is safe and sound and fretting (I'm sure) in a hospital bed across the ocean.

Now I need to go... there's this program on my comp called SKYPE... and I'm going to go talk to my dad! xo

ice removal, a la Kyiv

It still looks like this... everywhere.

See what these ladies are doing? Yesterday, I followed them down the street/path/whatever for awhile...

Yes- they are doing their part to help pedestrians stay upright when they're out ummm

pedestrating? Ambulating, for sure...

Nice set up- child's sled with a bucket of gravel. One pulls, one scoops and throws! (I want the scooping and throwing job!)

Then today, this dump truck/snow plow jumps onto the sidewalk in front of me... and proceeds to sand it... (really, I've never seen the sidewalk done with a dump truck... we might be slow around here, but we are creative and unique!

He ditched the sidewalk when he got to the bus stop... then couldn't get back on the sidewalk because of a huge snow bank and a fence... but after about half a block, he got back on the sidewalk and drove all the way to the metro station spreading sand the whole time. Hurray!!

Meanwhile- outside our kitchen window. That street is treacherous, too... yesterday this was spotted out there...
have you ever seen winter streets dealt with by a bulldozer? I hadn't. And, as Phyllis says- It would sure work a lot better if he got that blade into or under the ice... he appeared to be scraping it along the top... I was thinking the tracks on the dozer might at least rough it up a bit...

Happy Winter! ;)