Windows to Russia

This whole issue is just a side show that all of a sudden has been thrust to the forefront as if it is all that matters…

The real issue is never going to be fixed by any trade war. The real issue that is killing America and destroying her future is D-E-B-T. Debt destroys those that find themselves needing it and it enriches those that don’t need it but can wield it like a weapon to suck up the assets of the world…

There is no amount of trade on the planet that is going to fix that. The debt load is killing us…..it, not China, is sucking the life out if us. What’s the deficit going to be this year, another trillion dollars? The interest this year, 800 billion dollars?

Debt has created a world of haves and have nots in what was formerly the “land of opportunity”. Our society and economy runs on debt. That means we have to run to stay ahead of the debt and the juice. The bigger the debt the faster we have to run. The debt is catching us. A trade war will help it catch us. When it does, there is going to be major pain as we de-lever. Whether we implode by default or hyper inflation, the resulting pain will be the same. Those are the only two options at this point. A trade war with China will hasten our default or hyper inflation. I foresee a rate cut in the near future and another form of QE being implemented…

The world economy is rolling down hill faster each week. They will stimulate (OE) at some point with more debt…..which will exacerbate the problem…….requiring more stimulus…….and so forth…

The iceberg was hit long ago. The true issue is a “big damn hole” in the side of the ship…

WtR

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They are getting ready to paint our building inside. I see the sample colors downstairs on the walls…

I am trying to imagine which color the busybody gossiping babushkas who think they run our building will pick for a color?

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My 29 ruble cup of coffee is back…

It is really good coffee and they had issues with waste and cup size, which is what caused the huge waste issue and also non-profit for the coffee company. They fixed all that and while I am glad the coffee is back, I am grouchy because I cannot rip them off anymore…

In the past, for 29 rubles they had a cup so big that I could push the button twice and fill the cup to the top. No waste and I was able to get two 29 ruble coffees in one cup….then they realized the issue and shut the machines down. Down for six months at least…

Now the coffee is back…

Just as good and just as cheap, but a smaller cup that holds one push of the button and it fills to the top…

They also have a huge sign that says, “Do not push the button twice and or you will die a horrible death!”

Well okay they did not go that drastic and I did not see any dead bodies around, but I imagine that they are thinking such thoughts…;)

It did give us as warning about the usage of the coffee machine…

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Svetochka and I walked to the new Decathlon.Ru near Globus. I needed to get new grips for my bike and they had what I needed. My my my, it was a busy place. People buying everything from nunchucks to bicycle trailers. As with all businesses in Russia, they have opened the doors and are not ready. It amazes me about a world that opens a business and the places are only half done. This is after taking years to get a place opened in the first place…

I have talked about this before and it will always amaze me. No one is ever in a hurry in Russia, for there is always (завтра – zavtra) tomorrow…

I do like the word Zavtra…

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I knew there was some form of American upstairs above us…

She is always singing at the top of her lungs, in English, did I say at the top of her lungs?

I met her on the elevator and knew immediately that she was no Russia. She also spieled off a huge sentence in broken Russian with a perfect Amerikansky accent to tell me to push the button for the third floor. See we live on the second floor and she is right above us in a single room that is rented. She also sings constantly at the top of her lungs…

I said, “You could have just said (три – tri) three and I would push the button!” (Simple tidbit of info; you want to blend in in Russia, say as few words as you can, for Russians when they do not know each other, speak very low and very little.)

I decided that as she stuttered and stammered about the fact that an English speaker was right below her on the second floor, that the best thing to do is not continue with any conversation and I stepped off the elevator on floor two and said, “adieu” and left her standing there with her mouth hanging open….I had no desire to answer questions about who, what, where and why…

As my grandma would have said, “Shut your trap or the flies will get in!”

An issue I have is unobservant people….this gal has lived here for over a year and she never one time realized that there is an American living below her. I knew long ago that she was there, but I am not desiring to meet people like her. Her and her room mates act like they are the only ones in the building and it gets really bad when it is two to three a.m. and they are partying….the people living with her are hillbillies from the Russian villages and they are classic as the hillbillies in America…

But to give the gal a break; I do not act and look like an American in Russia…

If you did not gather, the people above us, which are two separate rented units within one flat, definitely irritate Svetochka and I. Constant noise, constant banging, constant blasting music and did I say singing at the top of their lungs…

And one of them just has to be a loud noisy American…

WtR

PS: Told you I am grouchy at times… 😉

HARBIN, May 31 (Xinhua) — Two sides of a highway bridge connecting China and Russia across the Heilongjiang River were joined together on Friday.The 1,284-meter-long bridge across the Heilongjiang River, known in Russia as the Amur River, will link Heihe in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province with Blagoveshchensk in Russia.

Source: Two sides of China-Russia highway bridge connected – People’s Daily Online

The expansion of the east goes on…

WtR

Tokyo, May 30 meeting between the Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers on Thursday…

“We see security problems piling up in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world as a whole due to the fact that Western countries are trying to slow down or even reverse the objective process of shaping the polycentric world order.” – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

and

“Just like the overwhelming majority of other countries, we are in favor of solving any international problems by exclusively political and diplomatic means. I hope that today we will discuss the pressing regional and global issues that concern both Russia and Japan keeping in mind the need to resolve any conflicts peacefully,” – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

and

“Particular risks are borne by the dismantling of arms control mechanisms that Washington began in order to remove obstacles to its absolute military dominance anywhere in the world,” – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

It is nice to see Russia is able to see the bad apples that are causing issues…

WtR

Made my day…

I just love this guy (Saakashvili and or “Sassy” as I call him.) I follow what ever happens to him. For he is indubitably one of the most devoted and best western puppets that we are witness of. (Granted) There are more successful western puppets, but no one should give rise to a doubt about this guys loyalty to the cartels within the walls of the governments…

KIEV, May 28. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has restored Ukrainian citizenship of former Georgian President and ex-governor of the Odessa Region Mikhail Saakashvili, a decree published on the presidential website said on Tuesday. Saakashvili was stripped of the Ukrainian citizenship by a decree of former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko in July 2017. The former Georgian leader expressed gratitude to Zelensky for restoring his Ukrainian citizenship. “Thank you, President Zelensky! Glory to Ukraine,” he wrote on his Facebook page, posting an online link to the decree…

Source: TASS: World – Zelensky reinstates Ukrainian citizenship of former Georgian president Saakashvili

Welcome back to Ukraine Sassy!

Made my day…

WtR

The Tiny Russian Village has its moments of excitement. Today (actually Saturday) was one of those days and lots and lots of people ended up wandering up our mountain (Big Hill) and paying respect to Saint Nicolas…

Happy Saint Nicolas Day…

Then my favorite camera person (Svetochka the Sweetpea) made a good video…

They bring the special icon for the monastery back from its winter storage in the Big Village. Not sure why they remove it? But they do and they make a big deal about it both ways in and out of TRV…

That my friend is life in the Tiny Russian Village…

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Trying to find a gasoline leak….Found it… 🙁

Gonna have to repair the benzine tank on top if we are able to? (New? Not sure we can find a new tank anymore!)

I installed a new radiator, new clutch master cylinder, new temperature control switch and several other things to keep Sammy the Volga happy. She is running perfect right now…

That is more life from the Tiny Russian Village…

WtR

PS: Thanks to Svetochka for taking pictures and a good video…

Remember George?

Remember George?

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George is at our new place and getting ready to have little Georges and Georgettes….same George and he is very tolerant of us humans, but his wife is not very happy about us. She did not grow up in the other yard and has reservations about these huge ugly monsters that cut trees and grass…

Nevertheless, we found their nest and have cleaned as close as we want to and will go no farther this year. Babies come first and if you follow my blog, you know I love little babies, as I call them, my little birdies…

Mrs. George sits on the nest. George brings food and guards the nest from bad monsters. Sometimes George gets in trouble, like when he wanders away to party and when we come over. He does not see us as a threat and he gets in trouble for not telling us off… Oh Well…

Hard to see mom bird, but she is there and I count four eggs, and the furry remains was a full size mouse impaled upon a tree spike like thorn. That is the way of the Shrike… (I also find it interesting that he brings her food and sets up a buffet for her.)

Remember Shrikes are predators and hunt big game like mice, snakes and huge beetles… 😉

We cleaned out several dead trees and got scolded for getting to close to the nest. But she is happy now and after a few upsetting images, we have left her alone…

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Today, Saturday in the Monastery is Nickolas day and the Icon is brought from storage for the winter to the church up top. It is a big deal and already at 4 a.m. people are working around the monastery and getting ready…

Our Village Monastery in Russia – The St. Nicholas Monastery…

Well gotta go…

I have too much to do and I do want to goof off between working times…

WtR

If it was not so serious, it would be comical…

The USA is now focused on China and they have much less time to irritate and tell lies about Russia. Now the US is too busy telling lies about China…

Now I realize that sooner or later the US will be back to Russia, but China is getting a taste of the modern day Empire collapsing and its ignorance of existence…

It is sad to watch the rotation of aggression at certain countries…. Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea and many more, including so called allies…

But now Russia is gathering its wits and waiting for the next, “Stupid Attack” from the US…

WtR

We have been very busy. Between mowing two yards and cutting up dead limbs and trees from the winter times. It has been nonstop work…

We finally got all the locks changed on all the buildings at the new place and the new home is good and dry inside. That is the main thing…

We will be putting up plums this year. we are going to have a whole bunch of yellow plums…

Just when I was running out of fruit…

I will let the images speak for themselves…

This is what becomes of befriending someone and treating them with respect. Nikolai was almost old enough to be my dad and I treated him as such. Always treat your elders with respect…

It was a hard thing to get the paperwork done and I realize that many people just throw their hands in the air and say, “Who Cares!”

I am glad we cared and Sveta says the same…

The Tiny Russian Village…

WtR

The Tiny Russian Village is so wonderful and we have so much to do. But first I want to talk about our new addition to Sammy the Volga and it really works perfect…

Speed trap on our way to the village. There are signs that go from 90 kph to 70 kph to 50 kph all in a row and just about two meters apart. It is a real speed trap and the radar gun is hidden behind the 50 kph sign area. Thu the gun is hidden behind all the signs as they are one after another and each sign is hidden by the first sign…

Then this escapade prompted us to get a radar detector from AliExpress…

Oh boy it works and when we reached the area of the crime, almost two kilometers before we got there, our detector was screaming bloody murder…

One thing we found out, there are about two trillion cameras with radar in the huge Moscow area. Okay so I over exaggerated a tiny bit. Maybe just two billion….Okay there is a bunch of cameras until we cross the the Moscow region border area. Then it gets sane again and we could travel in bliss and quiet…

The farther from Moscow we got, the less cameras and finally even in small towns, no cameras. What we did find was cops with speed guns, but that is a different thing to being caught by a camera hiding in the bushes and under a bridge….just look for the cops hiding in the bushes and under the bridges…

Svetochka and I played with the radar detector and really had a blast with it…

We also have a new camera recording both the front and rear of our car as we drive and that is a good safety feature on the roads of crazy Russian drivers. We even got to test out the emergency video system, when I slammed on the brakes to keep away from a crazy Russian driver, the device started in special mode to record a possible accident. Nice device and a necessity in Russia…

Russians really suck at driving…

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Okay…

The pear trees bloomed, the white lilacs are growing, the pine tree is happy, the chestnut is alive, the homes are still standing, but the rose has died. I kinda thought it would if I was not around to care and love it…

We have tons to do and that includes, mow two yards of grass, repair two yards of fences, repair two yards of trees and plants with winter damage and check the two homes for winter damage…

We just spent the night in Sveta’s village home (original) and we will stay there when together in the village. I will stay at our new place and work on it when I am alone…

Rules of the sweet pea!

And that is just right…

WtR