The World According to GAAP

Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary,
System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor 
Longing for the warmth of bedsheets, Still I sat there, doing spreadsheets*;

My friend and colleague, Robert, with whom I have done a number of business plans for clients as varied as oyster farmers, welders, plumbers and roofers, decided it was high time I learned to do the pro-forma financial statements myself.  I had always depended on him since he has years more experience AND a Commerce degree.  I've used spreadsheets for years and done financial statements too but nothing very formal and all agriculture related.  The production models were fairly basic and the financial spreadsheets that I had done were mainly simple partial budget enterprise analysis rather than whole farm and certainly never followed anything close to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). 

So for the past week, I have been wrestling with understanding things like Cost of Goods Sold, Statement of Change in Financial Position (aka Cash Flow) and having Balance Sheets that actually balance.  With all the right information called by the right names and subtotaled under the right category names.  It has been quite interesting for me as I have known for some time that I needed to learn to do proper financial statements. 

I still have the rest of the Business Plan to finish off but that is the easy stuff compared with the financials. And I am learning more about Excel at the same time.


*The Computer Nevermore

Masha Begins Second Class

Today was the first day of school here in Zhovti Vody.  The ceremony was pretty much the same as last year, welcoming the First Class, other than it was cut a few minutes short by rain which is still falling as I write.  There were three rooms of First Class and judging from the Preg-os and the Preschoolers, there will be lots of First Classes in the years ahead.  Masha was with her Second Class group over on one side and not nearly as excited as she was last year.

Somebody just shoot us, please.

"Why should I smile", Masha said.

Dad, Mom and Masha

Proud grandparents

Please, Mom, can I go to school too?  Can I, huh?  Please, can I?

First Class Moms

First Day of School

Today was the First Day of School in Zhovti Vody and Masha's very first day of school. She woke up at 5:00 and again at 6:00 determined that it was time to get ready and go. She and her folks needed to be there by 8:30 and she was NOT going to be late. We got there by 8:45 for a 9:00 am start.

Masha's School - 4 blocks from home

The whole town was out in full force for traditional opening day ceremonies held at every school in town. Everyone is dressed in their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. The girls in black and white "uniforms" and the boys in suits and ties. These are everyday apparel in the schools here. All the kids bring flowers for the teachers and dignitaries. Tanya made two huge bouquets from her garden (almost wrote our garden) for Masha and she also had a store-bought rose.

Masha in her uniform with her new backpack

Maxim's friend Ivan goes to this school but Maxim goes to another

The ceremonies were held outside on the grass (Oh, yes, THESE schools have grass playgounds, not gravel and crusher dust) and the day was warm sunny and calm. The kids gather by class, in a half circle around the outside. Then the new Grade 1's march out to the middle for the speeches and such. Speeches not long, awards handed out to last year's top students, recitations by some little folk and then...

Open this one for a panoramic view of the children.

Off they march

Masha brings up the rear of her group

Masha and another classmate in lineup

The kids from the class that will graduate this year (Grade 10?) each went to a new Grade 1, gave them a school button and took their hand to walk with them into the school. It was a wonderful way to end the ceremonies and make the little kids feel welcome.