Odds and Ends

Cloud cover was patchy and there was actually sunshine yesterday and today. Must be getting close to spring. A song bird yesterday entertained us with his "tink-a, tink-a, tinka, tink-a" and today Tanya saw a woodpecker busy on our apple tree. A welcome relief from the flocks of crows who kept us company all winter.

Kuchma was not very clever today. He came in this morning, mud to the hocks and was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and held in the sink under the tap until his feet were clean. He proceeded to eat his KitEKat, drink a bowl of milk, sleep for an hour and then went outside again. Two hours later he is home , mud to the hocks and got another bath. Slow learner.

The walk light on Heros of Stalingrad Street in Dnipro is a death trap for the old and slow. When it turns red, the traffic light turns green. You have no grace period to clear the street. Good to know in advance.

Another sign of spring - the roads are full of potholes again. Highway driving is like working cattle at high speed, your car better neck rein and turn on a dime if you are to miss all the holes. Some are new, others are the same ones that were patched last year but the patches were pounded loose with the help of the frost.

The Dafi shopping mall in Dnipro has rubber spatulas now but still no measuring spoons. A cup of coffee in the lounge is $2.00, no refills. But the City of Dnipro provides free wireless internet in the food court that works well. No complaints.

Zhovti Vody has 50,000 people and one stop light, which works only very sporadically. P'yatikhatki has 4,000 people and three working stop lights. Go figure.

Katya stayed at our house while we were away and we came home to it all clean and shiny. Her husband Yuri is here just now fixing our bed. I hate footboards anyhow and the attachment to the frame broke when Tanya stubbed her foot against it. He is also finishing some plumbing work on our outside taps for easier use in gardening season.