Year: 2016

Today I am thinking about the trip to the Big Village yesterday. I was given a couple of donations to by things at the village. They specified that I use them for everyday living and I did just that. I had 4000 rubles to spend and I decided to keep track of what I bought for 4000 rubles. 4000 rubles is about $60…

First thing I bought was a new water heater pitcher, 450 rubles… Made  by IRIT in Russia… Actually China for Russia! 🙂 450 rubles is less than $7… Holds 1.8 liters of water… Need to buy another for backup… This device, or like it, is the most used device in a Russian home…

Then I went to the cheese store and bought a kilo of Russian cheese for 300 rubles. That will last two weeks at least…

I went to the local market and bought four pairs of 100% thin white cotton socks, at 35 rubles a pair… 140 rubles…

I then bought near the socks at another babushka sitting in the sun, a pack of zip lock bags, for the dehydrated foods I am doing. They cost 30 rubles for 25 bags…

I just spent 920 rubles and I took the rest of that 1000 rubles and bought two pig in the blankets. Thus I spent in my greediness, a 1000 rubles…

At this point I went to the big grocery store and spent less than 2000 rubles and or $30. I bought two packs of 12 each flour tortillas, 5 sticks of kielbasa, two sticks of real ham, one two and half liter bottle of Diet Pepsi, three cartons of 10 each eggs, four liters of milk, three cans of bug spray, six 300 gram packs of cottage cheese, two boxes of fruit tea 50 count each, two cans of sweet corn, tub of salt cucumbers, four huge cucumbers, two packs of 10 each chicken legs, one pack of ground meat (half kilo,) ten packs of goose liver pate, two squeeze mushroom sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, big big big bag of cookies (my weakness,) two kilos of bananas, a sandwich pre-made out of salmon,  lids for canning jars, one pack of chicken breasts 6 each of halves, one deodorant – old spice, razors to shave with (Bic,) two yogurt drinks, Olivier salad pre-made and several other items…

Lots of things are long term; milk is sterilized in a pack and it lasts up to a year. Therefore, things like can goods, freezer goods and such are used months down the road. I also included items that are not food. And my big big big bag of cookies, will last for months…

Of course this is all supplemented with turnips, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots and tomatoes from the garden. I also have tons of apples to eat and have eaten strawberries daily. So much of this food that was bought will not be eaten for awhile. I like to have stock when I can afford it…

Oh and now I hear you saying, “But that is only around 3000 rubles!”

Never fear! Boza has to have food and it takes a 1000 rubles to buy three boxes of his food. Well I get change back…

I then still had about 500 rubles left over and it sits on my desk for this Friday. The truck comes to the village every Friday and we can buy more food then. I always try to have enough money to buy something from the truck. They come a long ways to serve us and we need to make it worth their while. I will spend the last 500 rubles at the truck. They have great sour cream and other goodies… 😉

Thanks to all who have donated, it makes life much better in the village and I was able to splurge on a salmon sandwich, now that is something Russians know how to make and Russians love salmon. I enjoyed the sandwich this morning with coffee, after I walked the dog, pulled the turnips and weeded the strawberries… Yummy sandwich…

I am one well fed and happy bear! Yes and Boza also….

WtR

Bonus…

Filling the wells, weeding the garden and cutting apples for the dehydrator. Kinda busy today and will try to post later. Some mornings I need to get up at 2 a.m. but just not able to. It will get warm again today, so I have to get everything done early, then I can goof off…

I have a dehydrator for food and will most likely use it daily now. I have found that drying fruit and veggies is the very long term way and I will dry turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, apples and what ever else I have time for. I will pick up more zip lock bags at the Big Village and will fill the cupboard with goodies… 😉

The first batch of apples will be done when I get back from the Big Village and then I will start the second batch. I need another dehydrator, but money is tight so I will work 24 hours a day for the next month and dehydrate everything. That way I have a winter supply of food ready to go. One thing that I have never found here in Russia is powdered eggs. If I could find them, I would be able to not leave for the winter, I could stay for at least three months holed up, when the snow got deep to my chin and temperatures dropped to -30 degrees…

Next on the agenda is too start splitting wood. When the heat breaks, I will start that job…

I see the days are getting shorter, nights cooler and I also see winter starting to wake up. Fall is about a month long and then Old Man Winter comes riding in and plays for half a year…

I just love Russia and her seasons (? What seasons? Except Winter!…

Talk to you later!

WtR

We live in a broken criminal justice system by wanting, desiring and trying to elect someone, as president of the USA, who would be in jail, if not for a broken criminal justice system… – Kyle Keeton

The herons posed nicely last night and Boza got to chase a kitty. Boza can not figure out how cats can just disappear in thin air. Well Boza does not know that cats are magical! Will be hot this week, so the fish guys have a water aerator to help with the fish. Hawk or Eagle?

Life is really special and even when the pain is terrible, the demons seem to be abundant, life is very special and I remind myself of that…

We should treasure all life and walk around it, step over it and embrace it! But never squash it….Maybe we should classify horseflies and mosquitoes as non-life… 😉

WtR

Four a.m. and Boza and I walked to check the wells. They are fine until tomorrow and then we will fill them. Then we walked another hour and went to the lake. On my walk I noticed something…

It was foggy, but just clear enough to see to the woods and at the edge of the woods was about six foxes. I see them a lot and they watched Boza and I. Boza smelled them and he let out a low growl, I shook my stick at them and they yelped and slunk back into the woods, deep into the fog. Friends in a sort of way! We keep them at a distance. Then…

Ralph the Raven was sitting on a telephone pole and watching us. He says nothing as we pass, that is how we know it is Ralph. Next we come upon the Coot pond. I call it the Coot pond, because they do not allow anyone else to stay there. They no longer run, or at least run when I ping at them. I call out, “Stupid Coots” and ping, ping and ping at them. They stop running and laugh at me. Ralph and the coots are friends and we meet everyday to say hi and how are you…

We got to the end of the dam and found George the Birdbrain. George, I suspected had found a girl and he left for better waters. He did, but he remembered us. He sat in a pine tree and stared. At first you could see the gears turning within his head, as to who are these guys. We saw him last night as we walked, so we checked on him this morning. George then came over to a tree near us and sang such beautiful songs to us, as we stood there. But alas, George is a daddy and sooner than later his wife came to get him back on track in life. Out of the pine trees came a pretty little girl George (lets call her Georgette) and scolded us and George. George looked at us and shrugged his shoulders, then off he went to gather worms and bugs to eat, for the babies, that I could hear screaming for food…

George is no longer a bachelor….But a friend still…

I then noticed two hawks, they sat quietly in the pines near us. We see these hawks all the time and they sat there just looking at us. If and that is always an if, I had my camera, I had a beautiful shot. They sat less than 20 meters away and did not move. New friends? They are!

Then Ralph the Raven, flew into the pines. He sat staring at the hawks and cawed loudly at them. Not at us, but at them. The hawks took offense to that and flew away. Ralph sat in their spot and gloated over what he had done. Ralph is jealous it seems and George came back quickly to see what happened. I laughed and laughed, it made my morning wonderful to see these birds interchanging…

The hawks went fishing and stayed on our side of the lake. Not because of us, but because Mamma Eagle was fishing on the far side of the lake and she was screeching up a killer storm, let me tell you. Mamma Eagle is not a friend… 🙁

Soon she left with a big fat fish in her talons and disappeared to her nest. Did not see Papa Eagle. She probably ate him for lunch or something? 😉

We then walked back home and saw the foxes again peeking out of the forest and Boza found his kitty friend in the field. The chase was on and as always, kitty wins the chase and watches Boza look for him from a roof or fence top. Boza is still in his mind the great hunter, so as long as Boza is happy, I am happy. Too Boza as long as the kitty is gone, he has successfully done his job…

The foxes watched Boza running and then slunk away again as I shook my stick at them. Once again, I keep they at arms length…

Then as the fog started to lift off the lake, I had been listening too them, but hardly could see them, swallows by the thousands. Swooping down and hitting the water surface. They did this time and time again and my first reaction was, they were eating something. Then as I watched them, I realized that they were bathing…

They hit the water surface and splash water on themselves and as they lift back up, they shake and the water showers off them. It was a perfectly timed event. Thousands of swallows intermingling and no one ran into the other. The swallows are our friends and I am thankful for them. For they are mosquito eating machines…

The humans in the village were still sleeping and we quietly walked back home. Boza ate his food, I drank a cup of coffee and I wrote this article…

That my friend, was our morning walk!

WtR

Over 9 pounds and born yesterday, good and healthy. A bouncing baby boy has been delivered in Moscow to Sveta’s son and his wife. Not sure of the name and they are discussing what to name him right now. Everyone has an opinion, including me! 😉

Hope to have images soon, but I am not high on the list. But Sveta is and I hope she remembers to send me a picture…

They have a month to name him. We will post…

WtR

They have a slight case of Botrytis fungus and it is caused by cool and wet weather. Its okay and it will disappear this week as the weather goes hot. They appeared when it kept raining and raining. The blooms this round are almost done. I have two more buds developing and they should do better. Oh so beautiful is the lone T-Rose…

If I am successful, I will plan a T-Rose garden….Lots of different colors…

WtR

I am not old, just my body says so:

Some would say that I am not old! But most of you reading this would say I was older than you are. In fact much older than my core readership and that is a good thing. Age is a mental thing 90% of the time. I do not think I am old, but my body betrays me and it is the little ways that it does, that gets too me…

I have to carry a walking stick. It is a sign of my age and it is a sign of stability. I try to walk many times without the stick and I weave, like a drunk. The stick is not even used, but as a tightrope walker, it stays in my hand and creates balance to my body. Without that extra weight and length, my system wobbles…

At first it really bothered me, but I have learned to keep my favorite walking stick right by the front door. I use it when I walk. I do not need it as I work the yard, but walking with Boza, it is necessary and it is protection, from myself and other things in life…

Age and its effects does not mean you stop doing things, it means you look for ways to compensate for what use to be accepted as normal! – Kyle Keeton

Life is how you see it:

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu

Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu was a very wise man and I have studied his writings in the past. Considered the father of Taoism, even though he did not write the bases for Taoism, he is credited with creating what is now Taoism and its means in life. Thus, he is the father of Taoism, as he gave it birth as a meaning within life as we know it…

From a solitary contemplation of nature, far removed from the affairs of men, can emerge a philosophy that has, both in a critical as well a constructive sense — a direct and practical political message. Lao Tzu writes:

Why are people starving?
Because the rulers eat up the money in taxes.
Therefore the people are starving.

Why are the people rebellious?
Because the rulers interfere too much.
Therefore they are rebellious.

Why do people think so little of death?
Because the rulers demand too much of life.
Therefore the people take life lightly.

Having to live on, one knows better than to value life too much.

WtR

Russia and more to the point, Putin is at fault for everything wrong with the world/Universe! Really? I have to say America is making herself look really small and ineffective and if we really feel this way, then we have found a serious flaw…

In the aftermath of the fallout from the DNC server hack, the Democrats have been scrambling how to redirect public anger (especially among Bernie Sanders supporters) from the revelations that not only did the Democratic party try everything in its power to sabotage Bernie Sanders presidential bid, but also colluded with various “impartial” media outlets as well as breach fundraising rules in the process.And, as of this morning, it appears that the solution they have decided upon is not to explain or even justify the scandalous actions, but to simply blame Russia for the hack.Moments ago Hillary’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, appeared on CNN and as David Axelrod pointed out, suggested that Russians are behind the DNC hacking.

and

The Hillary Clinton campaign went there today by connecting the dots and letting voters know that the Russian government is working to get Donald Trump elected president.

and

To put this all into perspective, if Vladimir Putin were simply the CEO of a major American corporation and there was this much money flowing in Trump’s direction, combined with this much solicitousness of Putin’s policy agenda, it would set off alarm bells galore. That is not hyperbole or exaggeration. And yet Putin is not the CEO of an American corporation. He’s the autocrat who rules a foreign state, with an increasingly hostile posture towards the United States and a substantial stockpile of nuclear weapons. The stakes involved in finding out ‘what’s going on’ as Trump might put it are quite a bit higher.

and

Philadelphia (CNN)Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager is alleging that Russian hackers are leaking Democratic National Committee emails critical of Bernie Sanders in an effort to help Donald Trump win the election in November.

Well, of course it was Mr. Putin and the demon laden entity called Russia. He is, after all responsible for everything in the world and since Russians are under his thumb, they bend to his will daily. This is because the US has recognized that he is really Superman, Captain Russia and god. He can be everywhere all at once, he mind controls the entire Universe, he can defy the laws of physics and life… OMG helps U.S. (USA)

Really, they do admire and adore him, don’t they? But? They fear him at the same time? They loath him! They need him! They want him! They wish him dead! They wish and wish and wish…

Then again as always, we use Putin and Russia as a scapegoat for everything. I mean everything and soon when your car breaks down, as you drive to work, just call in and say, “Putin caused me to miss work!” and that will be totally acceptable, kinda like, “The dog ate my homework!”

The Buck does not stop in America anymore, just another wonderful ideology that has been instilled by our government of the USA!

The attacks are full stupid…

The most remarkable words Wednesday were not uttered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). (Really, is telling people to vote their conscience such a wacky idea?) They came from Donald Trump, who in an interview with the New York Times simultaneously denigrated the United States in terms far harsher than President Obama has ever used, demonstrated his jaw-dropping ignorance and fueled concerns that there is some fishy connection between the Trump team and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Grab the popcorn and lets watch the stupidity roll across America! Yes, there is room in America for more stupidity and we now have proof of that! And people say I am mean for calling Americans stupid! Well it takes one to know one and I am an American and I do know about stupid…

WtR

PS: Links are basically western press links, for I realize that only the western press is news! Right?

Just some photos all taken this morning as I walked around the yard…

Have a nice day, we will get more rain today and the plants are loving it…

WtR