Party Time

We are having a BBQ/Shashlik party today for the whole family from Zhovti Vody.  Tanya and the girls are busy getting the food ready.  The girls are making hamburgers and Tanya shashlik.  Roman will be in charge of cooking, starting about 3:00.  Masha's Baba Natasha and Baba Galya will come too and I hope, Lena's mom.  Bronwyn has not met Roman and Lena yet but Tanya and Masha came with Andrei to pick us up at the station on Saturday night which was really nice. 

The girls have been playing with the dogs.  Ky has trained them both to sit on command.  The other day we were walking them and came across an abandoned two month old puppy who "followed us home".  Lucia's dog is so old, we persuaded her that she needed a new dog and of course her grandson Maxim fell in love with the puppy immediately. I hope when Zhenia gets home from his holiday that he likes the puppy too. (Yes, they take separate holidays.  When you have garden and animals - chickens, pigs, turkeys - someone has to be home.)

Yesterday we went to Dnipropetrovsk to shop.  Bronwyn has her international licence so she could drive most of the way there and back, with Tanya coaching.  Both enjoyed that but I enjoyed it more than they did. The girls bought souvenirs, clothes and handbags.  I "looked" for summer runners and a hat but couldn't find anything that fit.

Right now I am working on two consulting projects - one to finish and a new one in Siberia pending.  We may get to see Tanya's family this year after all.  Good thing Luda is putting in water, sewer and an indoor bathroom because I warned Valerie that if they didn't, the next time I came I was setting fire to their outhouse to force the issue. He is never home (trucking coal 400 km across the mountains to Tuva) and Luda is a good general contractor like her sister, so it is actually getting done.

Now I better get busy so I am finished something when it is time for people to arrive.