Month: July 2015

Vova my buddy came down and said, “Give me your phone number!”

I said, “I don’t know it!”

I handed him my phone and said call your number from my phone. He said, “I don’t know it!”

We looked at each other and as our brains tried to figure out how to get our phone numbers to each other, I quickly text Sveta and asked for my phone number, please!

Sveta, who has both our numbers and knows them. She sent me mine, I punched my number into Vova’s phone, called myself and he has my number. Vova called me and I have his number. We then had both our numbers and we felt good about that, but… then, I realized and Vova realized, that without a “woman,” we were not able to do something as simple as trade phone numbers…

Without a woman! Ouch…

I’m just a guy, you know?

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Then the guy in the house across the way came over. His phone was dead, I had a terrible time understanding what he wanted. His Russian is 100 times more mumbler than Vova’s Russian. His phone is dead, he has a face like his favorite puppy just died, he is mumbling at a hundred miles per hour in Russian at me and I had to pick up the phone and call Sveta. Sveta got what he wanted and I finally understood when he handed me a paper with a phone number on it. I called his wife for him and he talked to her and all was happy after he got instructions how to proceed with life. He forgot to charge his phone and it was dead and actually unsurvivable dead. He has another phone now, he showed it too me today…

But then again the point is, sadly, the women straightened everything out, Sveta could understand his mumblings, his wife told him when to get her and what to do at what time and place and once again, us guys were happy to get a issue solved, but it dawned on me as with Vova…

Without a woman! Ouch…

I’m just a guy, you know?

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But, we repair windows, repair roofs, build fences, repair cars and trucks, grumble, cuss, spit, repair roads, clean fish, pluck chickens, skin rabbits, scare foxes away and a million more things we do, whether smart to do them or not. We do a ton of things that most women dislike doing and or dislike us guys doing and we do things that make no sense to women 99% of the time, but we get things done and make it look easy; except when it comes to knowing our own phone number, your phone number, your birthday, our anniversary and just about anything important to a woman…

I’m just a guy, you know?

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I was up early and still behind today, but I did build my bench out in the field yesterday. The bell is ringing right now and Boza is scared of that bell, so I decided to let him hide, while I write a post. The bell is one of the moist beautiful sounds in the world and it makes my heart feel good when I hear it ring, but Boza has different thoughts about that… 🙂

I used parts of the old telephone posts that they cut down, when they put in the concrete ones you see in the images. I am going to paint it, cut the grass around it and first thing is to install a teeter totter near by. After that, I will think about what is next…

This next image is one of our little monster birds and he followed us all the way down the hill, when we built the bench. I had two bosses; the little bird told Boza what to do and Boza passed it on to me, to do it. Needless to say, I am on the low end of the totem pole…

Well the bell is done ringing, Boza has come out from under the bed, two little birds are singing in the window and I guess it is time to go sit on the bench; for I ate too much and am feeling lethargic and bloated…

Grab the camera, grab the walking stick, grab the hat and time to take some birds and Boza for a walk…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Constantly Ukraine, constantly murders and constantly abuses the Donbass area of Ukraine…

Ukraine is sick!

WtR

I was crouched under a limb of a pine tree out in the fields this morning, Boza was rolling in the grass next to me and I was snapping images of swallows, snapping bugs out of the air. It was a ballet of life and death right in front of my eyes and with a true light bulb going off over my head moment. It dawned on me why I went to all the issues and troubles to get a Biology degree. Then Mother Nature iced the cake, with a little unknown to me bird, as it hovered right in front of me in the grass. The bird floated like a silent helicopter and dipped grabbed a bug and flew off to go to its nest…

I felt good trying to catch and record images of nature and birds are high on that desire. Birds, from the tiny hummingbirds to the great eagle in the sky. With all of nature being included; what wonderment nature is and how out of tune we literally all are with nature…

For some reason I went back to school as a late blooming adult, after many years of trying to decide what life was about and gathered up a degree in Biology. It was, as I like to say, “Strong in Genetics!” Then I grabbed an associate degree in History and Psychology, as I progressed toward getting a degree in Biology. My grades sucked, my grade point average was pathetic, but it was high enough to pass. Barely, but passing. I had kids, married, worked full time plus, went to school with a full load and ran 24 hours a day nonstop for years, chasing that degree. Then never used it and I continued on the same path that I was always on and following…

Today; it slapped me in the face and I realized that biology is in my blood and nature is the see all of existence around me. Call things and who you want, but life is important and nature is everything from a microbe to God. It is all under the same umbrella and unless we attach ourselves back to nature and become unified with it; then we are going to become extinct in a world of perfection…

I also realized today, that I want to build a park bench in the fields because, I want to sit and watch, record and absorb nature in its finest. If I build a bench and the bench becomes part of the surroundings and I sit on that bench several times a day; I become part of the surrounds and nature accepts me as part of it. Then I can snap pictures and record data as I see fit…

Now that sounds like a winning proposition…

Have a nice day…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Last night was a full moon. Now here the sky is bright until very late and I tried out my camera; 1st picture no zoom, 2nd picture 63X zoom and last picture 126X zoom. Just wow is all I can say and it is like looking at the moon with a telescope as I use to do when young. Just wow oh wow…

Click at get full size image; warning they are big…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

What do you do with more cherries than even the birds can eat? Why, you eat them right along with the birds, that is what you do…

Next year, I decided to start canning, but this year, I am just going to eat the cherries and allow the little monsters to eat all they can and they do. Mom bird has shown them how and it is helping mother to slow down. I just love my little monster birds and when you have a yard full of the devils, life is perfect. They tell me what to do, where to go and how far. It is so interesting, I will be working away and all of sudden, I feel these eyes on the back of my head. I turn and there is a little bird and as soon as he makes eye contact, he starts screaming and yelling at me, like I am suppose to take care of his wishes, right then and now…

See, little hungry monster baby birds…

I was working on the brush cutter and I heard a squawk almost in my ear. I looked to the right and on the bench next to me is a terrifying monster bird and he was hungry. One more foot and I would be dinner, so I stayed calm and tried to call Boza to save me. 🙂 Boza simply came over and sniffed the bird and then walked away to lay in the grass. Boza left me to my own destiny and to live or die in the hands of that baby bird…

Lucky for me, mother bird called baby bird and after a couple more squawks, he flew away like a wobbly weeble and landed in the lilac trees. I was then safely able to continue my work unhindered and not at all under the fear of monster attack. But I noticed that the little guy kept an evil eye on me, I guess he still wanted to make sure that I was not up to no good or something…

So what do you do?

You enjoy the little tykes and watch then grow, that is what you do… 🙂

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Yesterday was interesting, it must have been a minor holiday for the Orthodox, for there were cars all over the place. Problem was the cars were all Ryazan city people, not village people, thus they had cars that just should not be in a village like ours. We have had tons of rain and the roads are seriously washed out. Serious to foreign made cars with no ground clearance. I watched the chaos for a few minutes and it seemed we had two roads blocked at that point with cars high grounded on the frame. We then had cars backing up and then they started to get stuck and one even backed off into the ditch…

I mumbled something about, “City People!” and found that the Head Monk was here by now. I did my best to communicate with him and basically said, “Ya Volga!” That made my point and in a few minutes with tow cable in hand, Sammy the Volga crawled around all the vehicles stuck and started to pull them back down the hill. Then we were able to push a few out and finally cleared the roads…

Now I have to say something; the Head Monk is a great guy and he worked and worked and worked. I man he dug, pushed, gathered bricks for traction, and took incentive on everything. He really worked at helping and got filthy as he was in his best Monk clothes, with all the bling and even his special hat. He did not care and I was impressed, he did try to be the boss and that is normal from his position, these were his flock you realize, I acted real ignorant, just ignored him and handed him the tow cable and pointed, while I kept the Sammy the Volga pulling cars out. He worked with me perfect and he was very thankful. For his flock, were lame ducks, but they worked at what they were told to do, that showed me that people anywhere are too reliant upon others and or things, are then weak and need more guidance…

I have found working with Russians is a 100 times easier than what I put up with back in the states. America has fallen on its face with the quality of working people…

So what do you do?

You pull cars out with a Volga, for Volga’s are damn tough cars…

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Yesterday, I realized that I understand Russian much better than I can speak it. Vova and I communicate, but he speaks much more than I do and I listen. Then yesterday, I realized that my communication is very basic and even the words I speak, do not relay the message correct, for intonation is everything in the Russian language and while we in the west think we are smart, we say Moscow and in reality is is Москва, (Moskva)! Therefore we westerners say literally everything incorrect…

A term such as vodka said with my accent is unrecognizable to a village Russian. The term voda, means water, and they say it totally different than I pronounce it. Even Vova is pronounced different than what I say, but he likes me calling his name the way I do. It is special for him… (Notice something; voda and vodka – water and alcohol…)

So what do you do?

I must learn to speak Russian better and learn to obtain a better accent and intonations in the correct place…

* * * * * * * * * *

What do you do?

You live life to its fullest, help people, learn everyday, read everyday, ask God for help & guidance, eat carefully, speak kindly, rest enough, work hard, build your dreams, care for nature and most of all allow little monster birds to take over your yard and have a dog to protect them…

That is what you do and a bunch more…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Success is measured in Yumminess…

I eat onions twice a day, beet greens daily and I toss carrot greens in with them now. I ate one carrot and it was three inches long and so sweet, like almost candy. The beets are very sweet on the left side (picture wise) of the garden and on the right so so sweet. They are two different types of beets by the way. I weeded the garden today and made a salad for lunch…

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I figured out what is wrong with me and it simply is; I ate too many cherries and currant…

I am diabetic type 2 and sugar is sugar to me. My body reacts to many and all sugars, I just worked too hard and ate too many cherries yesterday, plus I ate a big bowl of currant with milk last night and that milk was even sweet to the taste. Blood sugar this morning is off the scale and I mean off the scale…

Plus to top off the bad, I ate those sasiska pies yesterday and they were deep fried. I just messed myself up all the way yesterday… 🙂

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I need to mow the grass and I need to watch out for the little monster birds…

The little ones above are in the very top of the cherry trees, They just scream bloody murder and tell mom and dad to hurry up. We are hungry!!

I call them, “See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil!”

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I call this next image, “Bouquet of flowers!”

They are just weeds you know?

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This next one is in the river and it is so white, I mean over powering pure white…

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This next one is called, “Life is a flower garden!”

End it with how our roads look; they are flowers and they are everywhere. The ground is in bloom and it is beautiful…

Have a nice day…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

It is cold out this morning, I suspect that for the next week it will be fairly cool. I am on my second cup of coffee and will most likely work inside today. I am simply worn out, but I feel good and want to stay that way. It has been nothing but work, work and more work. Though, I am having the urge to build my bench at my future park today… 🙂 (Maybe tomorrow?)

See the two cut off telephone pole stubs? Between them from outer edge to outer edge is 335 centimeters and I have a heavy plank that will reach from point A to point B and I am going to make a park bench for me and anyone to sit on. I will paint it and then start on the rest of the little park…

Many people going to the monastery go right by this point and they are on foot and many of them are babushkas, while tougher than I am, they still need a place to stop. There also is tons of kids walking with the parents or babushkas and maybe they could have a place to play and parents to sit awhile…

You can see a path in the grass (I am standing on the road.) and that is where Boza and I go to sit. This is a main stopping point of ours and I have taken many pictures of the hawks and eagles from right here. It was interesting this morning, Boza got after me, because I was waving my stick at some little birds on the power lines. They were doing their normal and bird droppings were just too close, to falling on me. I tried to shoo them away and Boza got really upset with me for bothering the little guys. Boza loves nature; well except cats that is and he tolerates them…

Boza the bird protector…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…