Category: Russia

Really it is not, but that is what everyone wants to hear. I get e-mails wishing that I would die and or freeze to death. Sad really…

I am so happy; Sveta is coming the 14th and it looks like she will have to take a taxi to the bus stop out on the main road, just a couple of kilometers away and I will walk to meet her. I have to blaze a trail there and then she can follow me back and that will make it easier for her. We talked last night and she will stop in town in the taxi, after she gets off the train and pick up some food items. I have lots of food, but there are things she likes to have and such… (Besides, I would love some Tvorg!)

Boza is having the  hardest time. He is still struggling with how to do his doggy duties. We finally found a clear area by the bell tower. The wind had swept the ground clear and Boza immediately took full advantage of the situation. We will go back this morning and allow him to do the same again. Snow higher than your butt, kinda makes things different…

I had to pull Boza from a snow drift. He leaped and landed in the middle of a drift. All I saw was his nose and he froze in place. Boza knows to allow me to help him, if he is unsure of what to do. He trusts me that way. I pushed my way to him and picked the guy up and carried him to safety. Then he was off and hopping across the snow again…

It got cold last night, but not as cold as it will be tonight. We got lucky last night and the weather changed. But it is still threatening and now they are calling for at least three days of warmer weather. Right around -2 and that is when Sveta will come. See, Sveta brings joyful weather with her. She is such a sweetie. Old Man Winter likes Sveta…

Well it is getting light outside and Boza and I need to walk. Then I will get my paths cleared again to the well and other areas and I have in mind to cut a path all around the fence line. Boza then can run and check on things as they catch his interest during the day. The more paths the better…

WtR

It is going to get brutally cold by tonight, looks like it might hit -30 out here in the wilderness. I have to stack wood and shovel two feet of snow that fell last night. Boza decided that it was not fit for man or beast this morning and after taking a pee at the nearest fence post, hightailed it back to the front door and waited for me to catch up. Boza is now sound asleep on my side of the bed and has decided that this Sunday is a day for rest… 😉

The reason it is going to get really bad is that we have a southern warm front moving in and it is building all the north frigid air up in a ball right above our heads. In fact I feel that it might actually get colder than -30 tonight (my body tells me -35 C (-31 F) at least,) so I have to have lots of wood inside, to keep the fire going all night. Then after tonight is done, tomorrow will slowly warm up and it will actually hit 0 degrees on Tuesday, before flopping back to -18 on Wednesday. Damn roller coaster…

Therefore, when the daylight hits, I will be busy until dark comes again. That is quick here in the Tiny Russian Village and I need to get it all done. I have learned to rely upon my internal feelings and tonight is going to be a bad night for man or beast. With the wind blowing as hard as it does, it may just test the abilities of the home tonight. This is good, for I need to know what to fix for next year and Sveta has sent me some ideas and they are the same as we use to do on the farm. Build a barrier around the home. We use to use bales of hay to insulate the homes in the Midwest as I grew up…

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I am going to break out a package of chicken breasts today. I decided it is time to make real chicken soup and try to stave off a nagging cold I seem to be trying to develop. I think one whole chicken breast, two small onions diced up, a diced garlic toe and lots of salt and black pepper. I also have two big fat oranges and I may eat one tonight. I was trying to save them for Sveta, because she loves oranges and such…

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Well need to go. I still have to walk the dog, before I start all my work and I bet Boza will decided that sleeping while I work is the best option today… 🙂

WtR

Just a typical day at the Tiny Russian Village… Just -5c and I can take pictures today…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia (WtR)

The comments from the western world about this video are disgusting. But what do you expect from a bunch of heathens in the western world. I posted it, because I like it, also to get it away from the scum commentator trolls and and it shows Putin doing what Putin does to keep in shape. Except this time he meets a girl who kicked his butt. She is having way to much fun in the video and who wouldn’t; she gets to toss Putin around, maybe she likes him… Hmm…

Putin is a leader and seriously she whooped him at the end…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia (WtR)

Woke this morning and it was a blizzard. Boza and I took a walk and found ourselves deep in snow. Boza when standing had snow half way up his body and drifts swallowed him whole. I had on my medium boots and if it goes much longer, those boots will not do the job. I will then progress to the tall boots…

We have plenty of food and water, so that is not an issue and wood is still in abundance. The issue I am worrying about is that Sveta wants to come for my birthday and if this snow keeps up, I doubt I will be able to drive to get her. I will start the Volga today and try to move it to higher ground, but unless the snow stops, nothing will help, but a 4X4 and that, Sammy the Volga is not!

Still five days for Sveta to come and a bunch happens between now and then. Got to make a decision about her coming, but it is getting deep out there…

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I was finally able to take some pictures with the bigger camera, it still froze a couple of times, so I had to keep it close to my body as I walked. That makes it difficult to take quick images, but I do not want to destroy the camera. Today is only going to be -2, sounds good huh? But tomorrow it will be something like -19 during the day. I call that roller coaster weather. -2 brought tons of snow with it and I prefer super cold than snow…

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I have to say something; Sveta bought me two kilos of dehydrated banana chips for the village. I waited until I was out of fresh bananas and now that I am snowed in, I am eating the banana chips. I need potassium because of my medicine that I take daily. It leeches it out constantly and I exercise a lot. Sveta also brought me two jars of peanut butter. Now this morning, I dip a banana chip into the peanut butter and wallah, I have a perfect winter pick me up and or meal! Full of everything good for me…

I take potassium pills, but they do not work the same as natural potassium…

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I received an e-mail and the guy gave me some prices that he was paying in America. The perfect example of price difference and this seems to hold solid across everything he told me about is a single egg. He is paying 18 cents an egg…

It is easy to compare, for in Russia they sell eggs most of the time; per each! The most expensive egg I saw the other day was Magnet store and it was 3.9 rubles per egg. That is 5 cents each for you Americans. And that price is way too high. I complain constantly about the egg price in Russia and I do not buy eggs…

Why are you paying that much?

Yes we have inflation in Russia, but seriously, it is nothing like the inflation in America and you can hide it all you want, but in the 10 years that I have been in Russia. The food costs in America are up 50% + in many cases. That is true inflation, not gas price, not TV prices, not alcohol prices, but the price of food is where it counts and where it hurts the most, in the year around picture of life…

Yes illegal sanctions by the west hurt, but things look a whole lot better on this side than your side does. Seems dumb to hang yourself just to try to destroy a country like Russia…

I will give you a hint; stop buying the crap and eat less. Once they see that you will not pay for the exorbitantly ridiculous price, the price will drop. Russians walk away from high price and walk kilometers if need be, to get a better price. Last year the egg producers tried to gouge the people for Easter egg prices. I noticed that the tune changed quick, when no one bought the eggs. The big store had a huge stock pile of left over eggs and the price dropped to sell them. People have to give a little to get a little and if you always take the abuse, you will always be abused…

Try walking a little farther and buy from someone who gives you the price that is fair for the prevailing market…

Kyle and Boza at the Tiny Russian Village…
Windows to Russia (WtR)

My buddy Vova! New Year celebration, he loves to perform and I told him I would put it on the internet. He was happy…

Go Vova! He is playing his spoons…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

A year ago in December of 2014, I posted food prices in Moscow. Someone has asked by e-mail what they are now. “Now,” is pricing from a Tiny Russian Village and prices are better in Moscow. But I will compare what I have…

Last year…

Loaf white of bread, uncut – 4.5 rubles… (down 50% – to 8 cents a loaf)

100 grams coffee – 89 rubles… (down from 106 rubles to $1.57 a can)

Red beets – 5 rubles a kilo… (9 cents a kilo)

Whole Russian chicken – 78 rubles per kilo… ($1.38 a kilo)

1 big fat yellow onion – 3 rubles…

Boza’s Pedigree dog food in a pack – 100 grams, 13.9 rubles…”

I just went to the store a week ago still in 2015… (Thus Dec. to Dec.)

This Year…

Loaf of white bread, uncut – 7 rubles… (Bought from local bakery!)

100 grams of coffee – 79 rubles… (Different brand! But hundreds to choose from!)

Beets – 7 rubles a kilo… (Winter prices are higher!)

Whole Russian chicken – 82 rubles a kilo… (I do not buy whole in the village in winter. Too cold to cut up outside! I now buy chicken breasts at 128 rubles a kilo!)

Yellow onions – 10 rubles a kilo…

Boza’s Pedigree dog food in a pack – 100 grams, 15 rubles per pack… (I buy lots at this price and Boza eats 15 + a day! Expensive dog! But Happy and healthy!)

I want to add: 100 tea bags – 48 rubles, Navel Oranges large – 48 rubles a kilo. Bananas – 47 rubles a kilo. Milk liter – 32 rubles. Kielbasa – 148 rubles for 250 grams. Cottage Cheese – 48 rubles half kilo per bulk. Black Bread – 15 rubles per 2 kilo loaf (just bought two loaves of black (plus two loaves of white) for my buddy Vova,)  soup noodle packs – 5.59 rubles each, frozen cheese burgers and frozen roll wraps – each 49 rubles, can of beef meat stew – 69 rubles… (I buy at times for Vova; cigarettes – 40 rubles a pack, vodka – 185 rubles a liter!)

I could go on and on, but prices are good and not much worse than in Moscow a year ago. Now if I desire to spend lots of money; there is much more expensive items of each above that I can buy to waste money. Yes people do buy and waste money, but I shop and go to several stores to buy what is priced good…

Example; carrots from Israel – 100 rubles a kilo compared to 20 rubles a kilo for Russian. Beets from Belarus 30 rubles a kilo and such as that. Why buy when higher? But people do, so do not complain of high prices…

No shortages, no excessive prices and only too many people in lines, because the Big Village is so crowded. That is with three large chain type stores trying to keep up with all the people shopping. No lack of money around this area… (The poor one is me!)

Glad I have a Tiny Russian Village to go to when I am done shopping! 😉

Kyle and Boza at the Tiny Russian Village! Soon to see Sveta on the 14th…
Windows to Russia (WtR)

Boza and I walked for an hour and a half this morning. It was Christmas in Russia and the snow was falling. A very magical snow and Boza and I walked to the river. We crossed the river and walked all over the surface, being very careful to watch for ice near the current and deep channel….

What a Christmas; The air was charged with energy this morning and Boza and I had a wonderful walk. Now we have eaten and will take a nap…

Kyle and Boza in the Tiny Russian Village…
Windows to Russia (WtR)

PS: In a week Sveta will be here! Yippy…

It is Christmas Eve for the Orthodox Church and Boza and I were walking in the fields, Father Pavel came by on the road and stomped through a foot of snow to greet us, just to say, “Hi” and he wanted to make sure that I was doing okay! I told him I feel wonderful and life in the village is perfect. He kinda looked at me like, “Crazy American!” Then he hugged me and told me if I need anything to call. He was cold and had been up at the bell tower ringing the bell and having a service at their tiny church and three other vehicles were stopped behind him to leave also…

Russians have yet to figure out this strange American, I am not the normal American they have seen or know about and someone like him (Father Pavel) has dealt with youth from America and Britain and they definitely are not like me. I am coming to understand that how I grew up and how I think and how I was raised is becoming a lost way in the states of America. I guess that is how you convert society, allow the collapse of standing on your own two feet. I was raised to get up no matter how many times I am knocked down and then get up one more time on top of that. Forget someone helping you, get the hell up and keep going…

I was raised to contemplate bad things before I leap; like a broken bone, think about it, how bad is it, is it a break or fracture, is it worth freaking out over should I adjust and adapt to what has happened. Now a compound break is bad news and lets hope you do not have to deal with that. Then you might want to panic peacefully to get it out of your system and then figure out what to do about it. Panic never helps and I have had several compound fractures and or breaks in my life. I have a huge knot below my left knee from a bad break many years ago. I was deep in a jungle and a ratter tunnel collapsed and snapped my leg. It had healed way to much to worry about after we finally crawled out two weeks later, to have it reset properly. I was lucky that a friend knew what to do to pull it and set it close enough. Damn that hurt. Those kind of things remind you of the fun past…

Thus no matter what happens in life, stop and think about what just happened to you. Just like the other day when I fell on the lake bed. I was hurt and hurt bad, but I laid there for a long time trying to understand what shape I was in. I did not wish for help, I wished to do the right thing instead of making it worse.I knew that if I was hurt really bad, I could make it much worse by over reacting. I figured out what to do and how to deal with it…

I also know that you have to react at times to keep from being killed or hurt (once again panic does not help) and you also must be able to think on your feet. That takes instinct and learning. We have to be able to see, sense, feel and hear what needs to be done and allow ourselves to take care of us. People do not have the ability anymore to adapt quickly and or think properly about what is needed for the given situation. At one time, man in America was weeded out if weak. You died early or never was born in the first place. But that has changed and the weak have taken over…

Is that good or bad?

Side thought: People attribute meek to weak; For God says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” and I seriously do not consider the meek weak. Try being meek for a week…

I consider meek a strength that has its place in a proper world…

I see a whole world of people from my country, who simple spend life waiting until someone tells them what to do, gives them food and or a cell phone and computer. I see people in America that have more money than I have and they have never worked a day in their life. Unless you call fill out paper work for government assistance work. I suspect if we really had a Zombie Attack, 90% of the people would simply die from inaction, waiting for the governmental services to tell them what to do. Sorry, but there would be no government… 😉 That is not meek, but weak…

Russians are not this way. The Russians are in my eyes meek; meekness meaning restraining one’s own power, so as to allow room for others to flourish and or righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering, long suffering; Russians do not understand a life with a governmental nipple feeding them and or tell them what to do. The government may try at times, but the people simply ignore what is told to them. They do not fear the government, they support the government to a fault, but they do what they want in the end. For a government is a basic necessity and your life is up to you. A Russian gets up from the ground when knocked down and will do what it takes to survive. They will feed someone in need and not worry if they ever get paid back, for one day, someone will feed them and they will be paid back…

Darn that is why I love Russia. The independence and freedom is so plentiful…

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Time to go! I have rattled enough and Boza and I have things to do. I must bring in firewood and I want to work on dual booting Linux and Windows. Besides Boza and I walked two plus hours, so maybe we need a nap! 🙂

Kyle and Boza in the Tiny Russian Village…
Windows to Russia

At the time that I took these images above it was -22 and getting colder. But, tomorrow it will warm up to -8 and that will make a huge difference. Believe you me, -10 and warmer is a whole other world compared to -10 and colder. At -20, wood becomes brittle and you have to be careful how much you stress it. I am watching fence posts actually curve from the cold. The colder it gets the more certain grains contract and since grain is uneven in most wood, the post contracts different from one side to the other. I have a walking stick that has gone from almost straight to a very noticeable curve. It has lost the complete feel that made it such a good walking stick…

I have changed how I move around and I find that I can double step it and be safer. I now walk faster, but with tiny short steps. I get a pattern going and we cross the lakes with a steady short marching stride, with an added bounce. It really works and it allows me to get in better shape, plus warms me up at the same time. I could not have done this double-time a year ago and I really feel good; except when I have a bad fall like last week…

Boza amazed me yesterday. I said go for a walk and he looked at me as if I was crazy. Instead of getting up to run to the door, he jumped on the bed and stuck his head under my pillow. Earlier, I was taking him outside and when I opened the door, he stopped, sniffed the air, looked outside and turned and stood by the inner door. He did not want to go. Smart dog…

Therefore, I have to go and walk the poor dog. Actually poor me also, I just want to hibernate, like any good bear should do. But things have to be done…

I have a light to put up outside. I wired it yesterday to check if it works and now I will decide where to put it. We have a side yard that has no light at night and it is the side I park the cart on. We need to be able to see better, when I come in late from the Big Village. I need to move another wheel barrel of wood inside and that will give me three wheel barrels worth within easy reach. The falling incident made me realize that I need a few day supply inside, in case I can’t get around well. I have a market website that needs my attention online and I am still trying to fix a Windows 8 Tablet that was destroyed by Windows 10 update…

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I want to make it clear on record; Sveta and I bought a Prestigio Visconte Quad 3g, it had Windows 8.1 with Bing and worked very good. It was a great tablet and I was very happy with it. Somehow, it got in the mind to update to Windows 10. I never touched anything and did not ask it to, but after it set over night in Moscow (I discovered that on WiFi it will download updates without permission,) the thing had installed Windows 10. The tablet has stopped working properly and no longer has a touch screen. many other things are wrong, but the worst part is…

Neither Windows nor Prestigio will accept blame. Prestigio says (After sending it to them!), “Hardware is fine, software is not our problem!” and……….

Windows says after several e-mails, “There is nothing wrong with the drivers and software and the tablet should be checked for hardware issues, it is not the software! Windows software is proven to be perfect in all aspects for the Prestigio line of tablets…….”

Thus I have a tiny tablet that has no touchscreen, but works great when I attach a keyboard and mouse to work on it. So far it makes a great tiny screened Windows desktop, but I really do not need one of those… 🙁

The bottom line is that I am the stupid one as the end user and should have screwed down the system and not allowed it to install anything period. I messed up and have lost a good tablet, but I am not alone in this. Windows update destroyed my tablet and Prestigio refuses to fix it and the tablet was only a week old in my possession when it happened. Prestigio is the one I blame the most and they refused to care for the customer…

Windows as I have always said, “Just plain sucks!”

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Well the Boza is looking at me and I feel the need to walk. We will walk about twenty minutes and then get warm again. Thus, adios and have a nice day…

Kyle and Boza in the Tiny Russian Village…
Windows to Russia (WtR)