It rained again* this morning. Not much, just enough to keep everything damp, cold and clammy. The ground is covered with leaves too wet to rake. We have a pile of well rotted manure to spread on our garden waiting for the ground to be either dry enough or frozen enough to spread it. Kuchma has to have his feet cleaned off before he is allowed in the house, though occassionally he gets muddy cat tracks halfway across the living room before he is caught.
Today I took two sacks of sunflower seed to the local crusher for Lena and Roman. 40 kg of seed got them 12 kg of sunflower oil for cooking. The crusher makes his money on any oil over 30% plus the value of the meal. Ukrainians have been doing this for generations. Tanya will only cook with sunflower oil and says our Canola oil is only good for making bio-diesel. Phooey to her, too. Canola oil is very healthy and great for cooking, if you ask me.
Our friends, Volodya Fychak and his partner Oksana, from Krimenchug are coming for supper and the night. We haven't had a good visit with them for a few months now as they have both been busy with their cattle genetics company. Tanya is roasting chicken as I write and it smells so wonderful.
We are back on Standard Time now so it gets dark by 5:30. Ah, well, every day is a day closer to spring.
*A few years back, in one of my classes, I asked the students when the most rain fell in Ukraine. I was told FALL. Not true, it just seems like it. They do get rain in the fall - Oct, Nov, Dec are wetter than eg Saskatchewan by more than double but most rain is in spring and summer.
If anyone doubts the rain in spring thing, tell them to ask me.
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