Anniversary Waltz

Today, Tanya and I are married three years.  We've been together as a couple three and a half which was June 2006 when she agreed to marry me.  She won't tell me the exact date and I am in some trouble for not knowing it as she counts from then while I count from the wedding.  To her a wedding is "signing some documents", the commitment was made when I asked and she answered.

At any rate we celebrated by going into town for groceries.  Figured it was time.  The fridge was so empty, when we opened the door the vacuum sucked the cat in.  $150 worth of groceries later we are ready for Christmas with at least enough food for triple the number of attendees to dinner.  The turkey came out of the freezer today, too.

At 3:00 Andrei drove us to Krivii Rih (his second trip of the day) to buy Tanya her winter coat.  We had been in last week and nothing fit.  There are lots of Babushka's her size and shape but apparently they have either already attracted the money to buy a leather and fur coat or never will. The shops in the mall had many beautiful expensive fur coats to fit the tall leggy luscious blondes that are attracting new money but nothing for my gorgeous blonde that got a late start.  One shop had called to say that they had a couple of coats in that would fit her so back we went.

Of course she had to try on coasts and dresses in several other shops first.  The two coats did fit and then it was "chocolate or vanilla".  One was a street length black leather suede coat with fur trim around the hood and sleeves, the other was car-length black suede with a fur collar and trim.  She looked like a million in either one.  She finally settled for the longer coat and promised she would buy the short one for next winter.

I had to go to a bankomat to get cash.  When I brought it back, I said to Tanya, "Happy Anniversary, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, Happy..."  The sales lady cracked up as she understood enough English to follow the conversation.

Then Tanya dragged me back to a dress shop where she had found a beautiful classy dress for about $250.  I said you can have it if they take MasterCard.  A safe bet, thank God, as they didn't.  Neither did the store where we bought the coat.  Cash only and no cash register.  This is 2010 and stores that sell clothing in the $250 to $2500 range don't have cash registers or bank card terminals.  And some guy commenting on an article in The Economist complained because they are referred to as "post-communist" countries after 20 years.

Tanya bought my Christmas present today too. Just down corridor from the coat store was a music store with not bad guitars for not bad prices.  Furthermore the store had electronic tuners for guys like me who cannot tune a guitar to save their soul. It has been 35 years. But I will practice.  My fingertips are so sore right now, but not bleeding yet so no complaints. 

Oh, the guitar shop had a credit card terminal.

An Icy World

It rained last night.  At 8:00 pm the temperature was about +2C.  By this morning it was back to normal and tonight it is -17C.  I was out to look after the dogs, take them warm water and make sure they had enough food.  Their yard looked like the pictures below.  The fields are still covered with snow, though the road ruts are solid ice.

Weather or Not

This morning the temperature was  -15C and tonight it is +1C and raining slightly.  The roads will be treacherous until they get salt and sand on them.  Snowstorms the past few days have stalled truck traffic across southern Ukraine.  Yesterday our big grocery supermarket was out of fresh vegetables and chicken.  Odessa stores were running out of bread according to the news.  This thaw and freezing rain won't help matters.

Andrei, Tanya and Masha came for supper tonight. Tanya and Masha built a snowman while Andrei shoveled the walks and driveway.  Bless his heart.  He is now having a sleep on the couch.  Masha is running wild, just glad to have space to move in.  Apartments are not much fun for little kids.

I let the dogs out of their yard to play at noon and of course, they had to get into trouble.  Zhenya's gate was open, they ran into his yard and were attacking the turkeys.  Didn't kill any but were biting at their feathers.  If I let them out at night, they go over to the neighbours behind us and play with her dogs, keeping an old woman next door awake.  The village has a dozen dogs running at large which don't attack chickens and turkeys, don't keep people awake at night (too often) and are generally well behaved.

Five more days until "Catholic" Christmas.  We are having the entire crew for dinner that day.  Roman, Lena, Lena's mom Luda, Andrei, Tanya, Masha, Tanya's mom Natasha and Tanya's grandmother Galina (Galya).  The wives are bringing salads and we are cooking the turkey.  Gift opening will be that day, too, rather than New Year's eve.  We will save the goose for New Year's day, Tanya says.

Christmas Tree Decorations

Some folks decorate trees just to be beautiful.  Tanya has done our trees like that as we started with all new trees and ornaments.  Other trees are decorated with sentiment and tradition.  Last year I blogged about our family Christmas tree when we were kids.  Over the years, when my kids were growing up,  we collected many boxes of ornaments, some bought, some gifts, some hand made.  Our trees were beautiful because each ornament had meaning.

One ornament we got from Auntie Marj, was this wintery looking little house that played a tinkly Christmas carol when you pushed a button.  Now May-B hates tinkly tunes that go on and on.  So of course we took advantage of this over the years to drive her crazy. Once she almost destroyed her birthday cake trying to stop a candle holder from tinkling Happy Birthday.  We would hide this house decoration on the tree, wait till we could hear her coming then push the button and run.  She would tear into the tree looking for it.

As we all went our separate ways, dividing up the Christmas stuff was part of May-B's storage clutter reduction.  She sent some to Tanya and I.  I can go through our house and tell you which  ones.  She took pictures of some for me that she knew I would want.

Crocheted by Auntie Noreen?

 Gift for Grandparents

Not sure who made these.  Noreen?

More hand made ornaments from the kids

 

Ky's Wishes for the World School Project

 

This sleigh held our Christmas cards each year for many years

 

A tiny Nativity reminds us of "the Reason for the Season".

Tiny gifts from Great Aunts when the kids were very young

and Carolers from Mrs Y

Business card

I was looking thorugh some old folders today and ran into this business card.  I stole the idea about 25 odd years ago from a colleague who fitted the description to a T.  I pass it on to others.  Feel free to update, adapt, plagerize or steal.

Saskatchewan Morning

Winter with a vengeance.  Not -20 but -12 with a -30 windchill, snow and blowing snow.  Snowdrifts here and there, not big ones of course but true drifts.  Easier driving as snow packs into pot holes and the roads become smoother for a while again.

Man came to read the gas meter and the dogs didn't even come out of their house to see who it was invading their yard.  The cat meowed to go out, not really meaning it but knowing it was a must.  He was back in 15 minutes.

We spent all day in town running errands.  We went to several home supply stores looking for stuff to remodel our chimney.  Also went to a new plumbing, heating and electrical retail outlet.  I'm always interested to see what new things they have that I might recognize as familiar.  The one home supply store carried Canadian asphalt 25 year shingles.  That was great.  A new kitchen store carried several gadgets we had only seen in Canada before. 

At one home supply I found a glue gun.  Grabbed it quick. How many glue sticks did I want?  I dunno...25.  Turns out they weren't glue sticks but silicone sticks and a foot long to boot.  I will go back to morrow and see if they have glue sticks. Tanya had never seen one before but it took her about 5 seconds to figure all the things she could do with it.  We are going to Krivii Rih tomorrow if it warms up or even if the wind dies down and look for a winter coat for Tanya.  I am going to look for another glue gun and real glue sticks.

Water main broke on Maikovska street when we were going into town and water was roaring down the hill a couple of inches deep. We ducked down a side street to keep from icing up our wheels.  A month of -30 weather would literally destroy all the water and sewer works in this city. Most lines are buried three or four feet deep, not the obligatory 8 feet deep of Saskatchewan. City workers sure earn their pay in winter.

The news tonight says major snow storms in Odessa and Donetsk today.  900 cars stranded in Odessa.  Police are hauling gasoline to stranded cars and villagers are bunking stranded travelers in for the night or hauling tea to others who are sticking with their cars.

When we were kids, the highway ran past our place, built in the 1930's, with two bad cuts a quarter mile east and west of our farm.  We would get stranded motorists every winter that buried their cars in the drifts in those cuts.  Nice to know that this happens other places and that people respond to those in need.

Gas leaks and other winter hazards

Concrete and brick houses don't catch fire easily but they do blow up.  Yesterday we could smell gas in our kitchen.  Tanya immediately phoned the gas company and we set to work clearing out stuff so they could get at the tap and lines to the stove.  They are located behind our kitchen counters (don't ask).  We were being Watched Over from Above, as a call to the two guys who installed the cupboards brought them on the run in 10 minutes.  They were not due to go on shift at the plant where they work until later so were free to help us.  They had the counters out in a few minutes, just as the gas company arrived.

The tap was faulty and was replaced.  Volodya and Dymr put the counters back and headed for work.  All is well. Except today we have to go to the gas company and get a record book for them to record service calls.  We were supposed to have one but no one told us.

We are also extending our chimney today.  it is supposed to be above the ridge of the roof, though it seems to me it is far enough away that it should still draw. But it certainly needs new insulation.  Chimney pipe here does not come in insulated lengths for some reason, and insulation must be done after installation.  This I have to see.

Temps are supposed to go to -30C tonight so Tanya is out adding extra covers to her roses.  It is currently -12C with a strong wind.