Windows to Russia

Redneck Truck…

I knew there had to be a redneck somewhere in Russia. Russia has a bunch of wannabe rednecks, but to be an official redneck, certain items have to be used and driven in…

This means that you have to import an official redneck truck from America. Russians trucks are very badass, but redneck they are not… 😉

Even has the roll bar and exhaust out of the truck bed….plus multi colored paint scheme, rust and grind marks from attempts at body repair…

I had one just like it, except I would never live with the lime green, well unless I had to…

Russian Life…

Lets look at some images that Svetochka has taken…

Americans lost yesterday…

I walked Svetochka to the train station. It was early morning and it was the first time for a week since I was able to even do such a walk. I have just been very sick and was collapsed in bed. All good…

As I walked home…

I spied two black gals and tried to change direction, but they spied me and decided that I was a kindly soul and would help them, yet in reality, my desire to help anyone was at a low point of priorities for me right then…

Now understand that these gals stood out like a sore thumb in our area of town (Actually they stand out like two sore thumbs in 99% of Russia!) To boot, they were obviously, (to me,) from America. Not Britain and or Africa direct, but America…

They had a piece of paper with words written on it in Russian and they were trying to express what they needed to me as they asked for directions. I kinda studied their faces and they looked at me expectantly for help, but knowing that they have been going in circles and are lost, they had a downtrodden look about them…

And they also had that, “Deer in the headlights look…” in their eyes…

Here stood in front of me an interesting situation for me. Do I be a Good Bear or do I be a Bad Bear?

So I stayed neutral and just said, “What are you two doing here?” as I waved my arms around, showing that we were in the middle of a pure white, honky and cracker type group of humans. Hundreds of thousands to be exact and they were lost in the middle of it….but to be honest, they are safer right here than they are back home in, as I found out, Chicago, Illinois, USA…

After we picked up their lower jaws off the ground…

I said as I pointed at myself, “Amerikanski” and they said in unison, “Huh?”

I guess we don’t use that word in the USA?

I told them how to find the bus station, for a Russian had sent them to the train station and they had simply asked for the station and everyone knows that the station is that way! 😉

Want to know something?

I never did find out, “What are you two doing here?”

I just hope they stay safe, they seemed like nice girls and to be honest with you, more Americans need to get out in the world and see, “What the Hell is going on!” For that I am proud of them….getting lost in a city of 15,000,000 people and at the outskirts of that city, I worry a bit, but not much. Russia is safe…

Oh and treat people how you would hope to be treated if you were having issues, always, even if you are a grouchy bear…

Svetochka and I have to now reschedule our trip to the Tiny Russian Village. It was a good thing that Sveta had taken vacation, because I was very sick and needed help. I was that sick and when I literally cannot post, I am more than sick…

Therefore as I get stronger and back in the swing of things, I will start post more again…

WtR

My nose got so sore….and of course my brain stopped working!

I got sick!

Summer Flu Sucks and I got it. I am so weak right now, could not drive to the village, but I am alive….of course I would never be grouchy!

Maybe I will post tomorrow?

Svetochka has been tending to a sick bear. She is happy I am alive again…

Svetochka is the best nurse in the world…

WtR

Today Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians honour the 1,030th anniversary of the Baptism of Kiev Rus – the mass baptism of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, his sons and boyars that Christians celebrate as the start of the faith in 🇷🇺🇺🇦🇧🇾 pic.twitter.com/KbsjPSidmP

— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) July 28, 2018

1030th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia…

WtR

Old post reposted: “Originally posted on July 23, 2007” – Finally found one of the old posts that has been destroyed. This post was attacked when it was on Blogger Blogspot and now I was able to repost…

Hello,

I sat and drank my famous cup of coffee, then I started thinking. Why did I come to Russia? The most obvious reason is that I have fallen in Love with the most beautiful Woman in the World, but at my age, is there more to life than just blind love? No! (There is Not!)

I had made up my mind many years ago to never fall in love again. I had been through enough. So I had a life that was comfortable and safe.

Then I met Svet, by pure luck and my life changed for ever. Svet was the catalyst to bring me to Russia. Now the question is, Will I stay in Russia? Yes!

For you see Russia is more than just a place, Russia has become my home. The saying, “Home is were the heart is.” is very true.

I look at the sky in Russia and it feels good. I buy vegetables from the local market and they taste good. I see strange homes and buildings, but they do not feel strange. They seem normal! I look at huge high rise flats and I enjoy looking out over the city at 20 stories up.

Then I look at my wife and my dog Boza! I call them my two Turkeys!!
Posted on July 23, 2007
That’s when I realize that I would live anywhere in the world with them. All the other items are just icing on the cake as we say!

So, “Home is where the heart is!”

WtR

PS: Wish Boza was still here…

Stavropol is ready to settle up to 50 Boer families, according to the region’s Deputy Commissioner for human rights Vladimir Poluboyarenko. He told RT exclusively there is already a plan for settlement of roughly 500 families with their own cattle near Stavropol. The official also said that out of the four million Boers, representing eight percent of South Africa’s population, fifteen thousand Boers want to move to Russia. A Russian delegation is due to come to South Africa to work out a more detailed…

Source: First 50 families of farmers from South Africa may soon resettle in Russia — RT Business News

I have been watching this progress. It is interesting to me and I think it can be a win win for all. The situation in South Africa has gotten very bad for white farmers and it looks to get much worse. Russia has to weigh and measure the situation and we will see what happens…

New South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa communicated in an address to the South African nation’s parliament in Cape Town and made it clear that his priority is to heal the divisions and injustice of the past, going all the way back to the original European colonists in the 1600s taking land from the indigenous tribes…

Lets see what happens…. Russia is talking with them right now…

Boers are good people, yes they are farmers… 😉

WtR

The document was adopted at the session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on 14 July 2018 (Journal No 42).

Today the plenitude of our Church is commemorating the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and recalling with gratitude how 1030 years ago, thanks to this chosen man, mighty in spirit, a watershed event in the history of the Slavic peoples took place. By the action of the Omnibenevolent Holy Spirit, the Prince freed himself from pagan delusions, embraced in faith the Only-Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ and, having received the holy Baptism with his brothers-in-arms, brought the salvific light of the Gospel to Rus’.

Why do we call the Baptism of Russia the watershed in the history of our peoples? We do so because it changed forever the entire Slavic civilization and predestined the further course of its development. It was indeed the decisive turn from darkness to light, from wandering in the dark of false ideas to finding the divinely revealed truth and salvation.

Source: Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Archpastors, Clergy, Monastics and Laypeople on the 1030th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia / Official documents / Patriarchate.ru

Therefore, this Saturday 28th of July, 2018…

Moscow. July 24. INTERFAX – This Saturday in Moscow and Moscow suburbs a wave of bell-ringing will take place, which will mark the celebrations on the occasion of the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.

“At 12:15 the bells will ring in all the churches in Moscow and the Moscow region, where it is possible, starting from the bell tower of Ivan the Great. The general sound of the bells will add joy to all of us on this anniversary day,” said Press Secretary of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill, Priest Alexander Volkov, on Tuesday at a briefing in Moscow.

Interesting and another tidbit for you to know…

WtR

I have put together this recipe before, but this is just too simple and too wonderful not to give another recipe for these Russian taste treats. This is a better recipe that I have altered. I am just not into major kitchen work anymore and the easier the better…

Who does not love pancakes?

I intentionally cut the sugar way back. We eat too much sugar in stuff and life is better without being too sweet… 😉

Ingredients: For the pancakes

250 g flour
500 g milk
10 g sugar
pinch of salt
3 eggs

Ingredients: For the cottage cheese filling

400 grams cottage cheese
2 eggs
(If you have a sweet tooth, added about 20 grams of sugar and or what ever you desire.)

Grab a big bowl: Mix eggs, salt and sugar in the bowl. Then add the milk and flour and continue to hand mix. (Wire whip helps.) Then after a few minutes, add the oil and mix aggressively and you will see it smooth out from the addition of the oil. (No! You need to whip it more! Okay that is better…. Is it thin like water? No! Add tiny bit more milk!)

Now: Heat (medium temp.) up a oiled frying pan, before adding the pancake batter, also add a little bit of oil between every pancake. (Simply, pour the mixture thinly into the hot frying pan.) Turn the pancakes over and fry until brown on both sides. These are thin like crepes…

Once you have fried all the thin pancakes, stack and set aside…

Strain the cottage cheese (if it contains liquid.) Better yet use a dry curd cottage cheese. Mix with eggs, (you can add sugar if desired.) Mix it well…

Place one table spoon of cottage cheese mixture in the middle of the pancake and fold around it to wrap it up. Fry in the already hot frying pan, with oil, on the sealed side first. Fry for a few minutes, then turn over and fry until slightly crispy. I flip them three or four times and even set them on edge if needed. You want to make them crispy, not burnt…

Serve with sour cream and or caviar…

WtR

PS: Yes you can pour honey, jam, syrup and all that good stuff on top of them. But do not blame me if you grow outwards instead of upwards…

I have personally seen tables set up like this. Russians love their food…

Zakuski (from the Russian plural закуски [zɐˈkuskʲɪ]; singular закуска, zakuska) is a Russian term for warm, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, entrées and snacks, “supposed to be used with every [shot] of vodka or any other alcoholic drink.” The word literally approaches a meaning of, “Something to bite after.”

These appetizers are typically served at banquets, dinners, events and receptions in Russia and other typical styled Soviet countries. A extensive choice of zakuski constitutes a general beginning to eating and drinking. usually, zakuski are already laid on the table while guests are referred to what is the dining room…

Standard zakuski consist of cold cuts, cured fishes, combined salads, kholodets (meat jelly), pirogs or pirozhki, various pickled greens which include tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, sauerkraut, pickled mushrooms, deviled eggs, tough cheeses, caviar, canapés, open sandwiches, and breads…

But; raw garlic, raw onions, raw fish and raw just about anything fits the bill when drinking vodka. A simple wrapped sweet or confectionery is appropriate and a simple cracker will allow the drinking to continue. Drinking with out zakuski is considered rude and bad manners…

Have a nice day. You learned something new today…

WtR

“Putin orders construction of world’s longest bridge

The question of building a bridge between Sakhalin and the mainland has long been discussed, for decades. It has long been a dream of the people living on the island,” Putin said at a meeting with Sakhalin Governor Oleg Kozhemyako on Tuesday. Putin said he instructed the Russian government to work on the feasibility of the project. The Russian president noted that this would make life easier for people: “You can come, leave at any time of the year, in any weather.” Sakhalin is the only remaining region…

Source: Putin orders construction of world’s longest bridge — RT Business News

Holy Smokers dilly…

You think they may just get started on this?

I hope so, what a bridge…

WtR