Category: Russia

After several emails and a comment or two. I decided to verify that I have the weather station still and I use it daily. I am working on figuring out how to install a widget that allows me to have the stats on the blog, but as I am not that swift with coding. It takes time to get stuff done…

I know have a large data base of temperatures and other weather related facts. In fact the memory on the control panel is getting full and in a few days, I will need to reset the panel. That is okay, for all data is stored on the computer and it updates regularly…

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More e-mails: Yes, I still drink coffee and yes, I do not mention it as much. But….If you notice the blog still has a header with a coffee cup and even Coffee Thoughts big as day. Thus, coffee is very important and an important drink to read the blog with… 🙂

People get so worried about things like that! I guess I have to weigh and measure better what is important or not. Therefore, read anyway and grab a cup of coffee and or tea, preferably hot and delicious. Cold will do if that is your thing…

I sippa a cuppa as I write this…

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Well it looks like predicting who will run for president in America was really easy and all the hoopla was for the pony show, to appease the kiddies. Hillary and Trump as we all should have known, are running against each other and since I know that Hillary is just one of the gang and will continue the path of destruction that has been implemented and firmly rooted now. As far as Trump is concerned…

If Trump is for real; Then he will grab Sanders as Vice President material and tear the system a new ***hole…

Is he for real? You will soon know, but I suspect he is all part of the plan to get Hillary as president. I really hope that I am very very wrong about this. But there has been too much song and dance going on in politics and if Trump is seriously wanting the job! He will sweep the election with Sanders as a VP. Otherwise it will be another 50/50 election with half the country pissed at the other half of the country. 50/50 the political norm for diversionary tactics of the masses…

Trump was Plan B you know? Jeb Bush was Plan A and that failed miserably. The country could not stomach another Bush, but instead we are staring at another Clinton. So what the hell is the difference? Nothing…

Trump / Sanders – imagine the blowout and utter destruction of the two party system if that happened. Sounds good to me, but we will never see such a good thing happen. It is all a Pony Show for the kiddies… 😉

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Well gotta go! I am going to go to the Big Village today. I have to get a thermostat for the car and other stuff. This is a small grocery run and mainly for parts to get some things done around the village home. I got to figure out how to reset the distributor better on the Volga and finding someone to adjust the valves is hard to do. I am gearing up to doing it myself. I still have reservations about doing that kind of work. The Volga is not what I grew up with. Now a Chevy, Ford or Chrysler. Got it made if from the old days. Seems that the Volga is from the old days and I just need to get it done…

WtR

Yesterday it got to a high of about 7 degrees. We were lucky that it got that high…

The day was very windy, rainy and the wind came out of the north, stocking caps, heavy coats, long underwear and gloves were necessary. Boza of course had his fur coat on, so he was fine as is. Lucky dog…

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But today already it is just as cold, and a small dog came up the hill with his mommy (a grouchy unknown babushka) and he was sporting the latest in June cold weather wear. He had a leopard fur coat, a tiny green hat and pink booties on. He came prepared to look at the monastery in style. Wish I had a camera to get a picture of that… 😉

Today is more of the same weather as yesterday and right now it is raining, windy and Mr. Sunshine is on vacation at the Bahamas. Wish he would come back for a few days and say hi!

But! Coffee with milk, a sweatshirt and boots on. Makes it comfortable and Boza just ate four packs of dog food after our freezing walk. I slept in later than normal, I woke at 3 a.m. and looked at the world outside, then decided that I needed another two hours of sleep and went back to bed. What could I do? Go out in a leopard fur coat, a tiny green hat and pink booties? Well that might have worked, but I do not have such a wonderful assembly. Therefore, I slept, walked Boza later, sipping coffee and writing this post, after the world warmed up a few degrees…

Leopard fur coat, a tiny green hat and pink booties! Now that is style… LOL…

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I was a taxi driver yesterday. I took the neighbors to Rybkhoz (The fish Village,) then I took Vova to Rybkhoz also. It is pension time and everyone is buying goodies for the house to eat. I did not mind and it gives me a chance to see what is going on with the Fish Farm. The lakes are almost all filled and it looks to be a bumper crop again this year. They did a bunch of work on the lakes and have filled them all to the brim…

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Well….I got to thin the plants in the garden. Cold and no fun, but gotta do it…

If I just had a “Leopard fur coat, a tiny green hat and pink booties!” I could be warm, in style and the talk of the village as I weed and thin the garden… Maybe Boza would like the same?

WtR

Mowed the yard yesterday and started to thin the garden. I had a huge wonderful salad. It had spinach, turnip greens, rutabaga greens, carrot greens, onion greens, garlic greens and beet greens. Then I used garlic salad dressing and ate the best salad I have had in a longtime…

So I took some pictures of the garden and of course we have one of Boza waiting at the gate to go for a walk. When he stands there like that patiently, it is a good sign to take him out. He does not like to do his doggy stuff in our yard and we must walk to let him do such things. He really is a good dog. I take him for shorter walks now that he was sick, but we walk six or seven times a day instead. It works for me and him and we enjoy the walks…

Have a nice day…

WtR

Yesterday, hundreds of people came up the hill or mountain as most call it and if you walk it, you think it is a mountain by the time you are done getting to the top. There was a holiday for the monastery. They spent time at the newly found cemetery and it rained cats and dogs, all day…

The image is one of five waves of people walking to the top (the line goes all the way past where you can see.) They have to walk and buses drop them off across the river and they walk from there. No matter how bad the weather, they walk. It seems to be important to make the journey walking, except one thing is missing. The Monk does not walk most of these times. He drives up in a car! Then waits at the top for them. That, I find interesting… (I guess rank has its privileges???)

It rained and rained and rained! I have a new bench at the main gate and babushkas all welcomed being able to sit a few minutes, rain or not. The hill is steep and wears on the old body…

The monk or Father Pavel, rang the bell for over an hour, calling his flock to the top. I mean it rang and rang and rang…

Just another few interesting tidbits about our village…

WtR

Svetochka sent me a link to an ad that is run in a local website. The link on the ad goes to the link farther below. It is a site about our monastery…

Николо-Бавыкинский мужской монастырь
Скопинской епархии Русской Православной Церкви

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St. Nicholas Monastery Bavykinsky
Skopinsky diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church

At website…

http://nikolobavikinsk.cerkov.ru/kontakty-2/

Which is the new official website of our monastery…

History of the monastery from website

Nicholas Monastery Bavykinsky About four years ago on a mountainside in the forest by local people was found the image of St. Nicholas – on a spring day in the Holy Spirit. There’s also the first miracles began to happen. Quickly the news about the amazing discovery went around the surrounding villages, and the people in great numbers began to come to the source of God’s saints to pray to Nicholas. Soon after the miraculous icon was moved to the nearby temple of the village Large Mozhar, and in the holy source since in the Holy Spirit and St. Nicholas celebrations has always been crowded …

The majestic forest on sandy Bavykin mountain at the foot of it flows the river Couple quiet, skirting the mirror ponds. Flowering meadows along the river with a modest complement the beauty picture the mighty pines and birches shy. In 1879, a farmer from the village Belorechye Elena Sazonov decided to settle in this place with the intention to form a women’s monastic community. To do this, she bought from a local owner of AF Hanykova land, built a two-storey building for the sisters and a chapel in honor of Our Lady of Tikhvin. But all the money to pay the contractual term of the community could not and soon closed. About this trouble found pious merchant Alexei Shulgin and trusting in the intercession of St. Nicholas, took care of all contractual obligations. Soon after the decision of the Holy Synod in 1888, approved by the new St. Nicholas Bavykinskaya female community. And there was another life, imbued with the monastic spirit. The first sisters lived very simply, with the total room and board. Work together on obedience, we prayed together in a warm Tikhvin Church.

May 22, 1894 in the community of converted monastery. With the support of Alexei Shulgin and other donors monastery acquired remarkable view of the architectural ensemble. In the center – a large three-altar Cathedral in honor of St. Nicholas, on either side – stone buildings with cells and Refectory Church of St. Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh, and the monastery walls crowned tower with a clock. Nearby is another 15 wooden residential buildings and their monastery cemetery, and behind them was the very first Tikhvin Church. By the beginning of the October Revolution, about two hundred people prayed and labored within the walls of St. Nicholas Monastery Bavykinskogo. Godless authorities are not left without defilement, and this holy place. The arrests, exile, oppression were a sign of attention of the new government. Buildings and structures expropriated. It was a desperate attempt to bury all holy. But the locals have time to hide the main shrine – the icon of St. Nicholas. Able to preserve and pass on to descendants pure faith and a good memory…

Kinda what I have been talking about all along. There also was a clock in the bell tower, as I mentioned also. Now that I would like to see again…

WtR

Sometimes walking has benefits…

Boza found a hedgehog and this hedgehog told us in his hissing voice like growl, “Please leave me alone! I am out looking for a girlfriend and they are hard enough to find, much less if you two are hanging around!”

Boza and I took a picture and left. For life is rough enough without two hooligans like us watching a hedgehog hunt for a girl hedgehog…

Hope he finds who he is looking for…

WtR

Yesterday, a bulldozer came up our hill. The operator circled around the bell tower area and I thought he was going to fix our roads. I heard him shift the tractor into high and he started to take off down the hill. He was leaving and I hollered and ran after him. He saw me and stopped and I negotiated a deal to fix our road…

One bottle of vodka for widening and smoothing the road. No more than two or three passes extra and the vodka would be his. The vodka cost me 200 rubles at the Magnet Market and I keep it for emergencies. Such as getting the road fixed and other things, it is interesting to use vodka as money. In America we use to use moonshine, here it is nothing but vodka…

200 rubles is $3 American. It was worth it to get the road fixed. Our road had huge car eating ruts from all the rains. Yes it was worth it and to pay money would have been 1000 rubles. But to pay with vodka, out in the middle of nowhere, vodka is priceless in some peoples eyes…

I have a saying I made up, “A bottle in hand, worth five in the store!”

WtR

PS: By the way this is the bulldozer that the engine blew up in during the winter! All good now!

Bye bye, Butterfly. RIP the greatest…

Died at 74 and in my eyes, this ended the era of the greatest heavyweight boxing times… Lots of memories in Ali fights and I followed him to the end. He was a great statesman and tried to change life and make things better. His actions and deeds extended beyond the boxing ring and he stayed with us, as illness dragged him down. Year after year he continued and left the world doing more good than bad…

We can not all say that!

RIP Mohammad Ali, Cassius Clay Jr., The Greatest, The People’s Champion, The Louisville Lip…

The Liston fight favorite quote of mine: Following the win, a triumphant Clay proudly walked to the edge of the fight ring and, pointing to the ringside press who attested him at times, and proclaimed loudly: “Eat your words!” (Meaning the press,) he then added just as loud, “I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I’m the prettiest thing that ever lived.”

Yes he was……..

WtR

Boza and I got up at 4 a.m. and after about a half an hour and a cup of coffee, we walked to the bell tower and Boza did his thing. He likes doing doggy functions at the bell tower. Then we walked home and watered the garden. Ten buckets later, everything was watered…

I use rain water to water the plants. I have 200 + liters in big barrels and today, since it will rain in the next few days, I drew out a bunch, to water stuff. I try to rotate the water when rain is coming, I have a well to get water from, but I prefer rain water from storage…

I checked my blood sugar when I got up and it was right dead on 5 mmol/L. That is a great start for the day and means I ate right at dinner. I am taking my pills while I write this article and hope I can continue the same pattern all day. It is hard at times to eat correct and eat at the proper times. I stay so busy that I will forget to eat and then my blood sugar drops to the low side. I have lost more weight and that was the plan. I still am trying to ultimately get to 200 or so pounds. About 20 to 30 pounds to go…

It is harder to do, since my walks have been shortened. Boza is not ready to walk two or three hours and most likely will not be for a month yet…

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I use to think my Grandpa Wayne had a sweet tooth! He would every once in awhile grab a butterscotch candy. He was Type 1 diabetes and at that time in my youth. I did not understand such issues. He loved butterscotch candy. I do also, but can not find such candy in Russia. I use caramels as my source of fast sugar…

I keep a bag of them in stock and when I feel the sugar blues coming from dropping below 5 mmol/L, I grab a candy, sit for a few minutes and then check myself and usually eat. Ninety nine percent of the time, when I drop below 6 mmol/L, I know it within a few minutes. I am here to tell you that if you listen to your body, it will talk to you. I have learned to listen, now I am stubborn and do not always do something about it, but my body tells me what I should do…

Svetochka gets after me for working too hard and she is correct. I work and then forget to listen to myself. Did I just say that Svetochka is correct? Oh my!

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Today I have to mow some more. Yesterday, I mowed all morning and got less than half of the yard done. Our yard is much bigger than it looks and it takes time to get around all the plants and stuff that do not need to be mowed. Our brush cutter does a great job and like our chainsaw, it is Russian made. I have found that Russian made items are some of the best I have ever used. I have used some of the best tools and that says a lot for Russian tools. I had to replace a tool set that was stolen in Moscow and I chose a Russian made set. After working on the car this last few days. I have to say, they are some of the highest quality tools I have ever used. They remind me of the old Craftsman warrantied for life tools. There was a time I used Craftsman and nothing else. I know I will be back to continue the same line of tools as needed from now on in Russia…

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The pain in the butt coo coo birds are everywhere. I am sitting here listening to one just coo coo like nuts. I love them, but I know that they are a brood parasite, but I love their sound. The birds here are pretty smart in most cases. I see eggs of the coo coo smashed to the ground, but, some birds do not care and thus the coo coo population grows. I watched a bird push an egg out of a nest. I looked it over and found the egg they pushed out was huge, compared to their eggs. That was a smart bird and saved her own kids. For soon the coo coo baby will kill the rest and eat just as much food as the rest would have. I feel sorry for tiny birds and the way nature works at times…

Coo Coo’s are the most chased away bird, even over the raven and or crow…

“Coo Coo”, says the smart but stupid coo coo bird…

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Poor George our Shrike! His girl decided to find a doctor or lawyer or something. I guess George is too small village for her and he is alone. Maybe it is his parents who own the yard he lives in, but whatever, he is alone and still looking for a hot babe to nest with. It seems our yard is a yard of bachelors for the most part. We do have three or four nests of various birds, but George, who is one of the gang, is without a girl….I am lucky, my girl comes to say high once in awhile… 😉

Next year George, for now enjoy your freedom. Boza says, “Yes George, you can run with me and stay away from girls! They are just trouble…”

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Speaking of George; he had a snake  and beat its head into the top of a fence post until it was dead. Now that is what a Shrike is good for and he keeps snakes, mice and other big creatures out of our yard. Now if I could just get him to dig up moles? Hmm! Hey George, come here!

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We have a new bird and I can not tell what it is. It has a nest in our yard and looks like babies are here and they are running constantly feeding them. Being a bird is hard work…

Not sure what this bird is, but it is a happy bird and makes a weird hissing crackling noise amongst its beautiful singing…

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Well need to go! That is enough for today and if I sit here any longer, I will get nothing done. Need to mow. I can hear Svetochka…

Sveta would say, “Slow down and relax, it will still be there tomorrow!”

Sveta is always right… 😉

WtR

Finally the ducks are starting to accept us and this morning they decided not to all run away. I have tried for weeks to get images of them and they have done nothing but run. This morning though, they all ignored Boza and I and they played in the duck pond…

The back side of the pond is really full of ducks, but they did not cooperate, they ran. But the ones at the road accepted this paparazzi…

Oh and yes, that is Sammy the Volga. She is a model 310221 Volga GAZ. Best car in the world and she is feeling pretty good right now. New water pump and some other parts. I have to figure out how to run the valves, for they are way too loose and affect the way it runs at low speed. In fact it really only runs on three cylinders at idle. Time to read up on adjusting the valve train on a Volga…

It was +3 this morning and the sun popped up at 4 a.m. and Boza and I were out walking. I have to say that it was a perfect morning. Ralph the Raven greeted us and him and Boza danced their dance for a few minutes. The ducks were agreeable to having their picture taken, the fish were jumping in the lake and Nicolai across the road was cutting grass…

What a perfect morning…

WtR