Windows to Russia

I decided that I will walk to Sysoi and get supplies. Vova is out of cigarettes and such and I need to walk and think and maybe take pictures. The temperature has warmed up to -2 or so and I will leave Boza home. The snow is too deep for Boza and getting deeper as I write this. The road is plowed up to a kilometer away and after that it will be easy to transverse. So until I am back, I will not be doing anything (writing and such) but getting ready for the trip. It is a long ways and I was reminded by Sveta about using a sled to pull the food and supplies behind me with. Sveta is such a smart girl… 😉

My decision has been made because they broke the plow and will not finish plowing our road. I must then get supplies before we become totally snowed in. I see a forecast of most likely six to eight feet of snow within the next month and it will be literally impossible to walk anywhere at that point, for it just does not melt away. I could really use the snowshoes, but they are with Sveta in Moscow… 🙁

I spent today cutting the paths back open around the yard and Boza straw bossed and made sure I got all his paths opened. I was going to not do one and he stood there and stared at me until I gave in and opened his path up. He is a good straw boss…

Therefore, I am going to rig the sled up to be pulled behind me and I am going to see about some bungee straps I have to tie the stuff to the sled. Then I am going to rest and gather my energy for tomorrow, I need to leave around 9 a.m. to make sure I get some bread. The truck delivers around 10 a.m. and by noon the bread will be gone. Big town, lots of people and only so much room for bread. They get a daily bread delivery everyday except Sunday…

I will let everyone know what is going on tomorrow after I get back from the deep snow walk. I am not sure I can even make it, but I will try, for in a week I definitely will not be able to walk out, tons of snow coming according to the weather reports…

WtR

The snow is winning…

The Fish Village is trying to plow the road. The snow is too deep and too heavy at this point. Though from the picture they have the small bulldozer up and running and that can make it without issues. The problem is the bulldozer does not push snow to one side, it just piles up deeper and deeper in front of it…

The tractor plow seems to have broken something and they have their dully 4X4 pickup there and a bulldozer. The bulldozer pulled the pickup there. The pickup is a mechanic truck and the Fish Village uses it to work on all their equipment in the field…

Yesterday the plow was buried in a drift as high as a house, but the wind blew the drift away and moved it farther down the road. I know Father Pavel of the Monastery really wanted to be able to drive up here, but that is life and Vova and I really want to go to town to stock up on more groceries, but that is life…

WtR

I suspect that I weigh under 115 kilos by now. I can’t prove it yet, but I can see it and Vova has noticed it. I think for the first time in a whole bunch of years, I am below 250 lbs. My goal is 225 (actually 100 kilos) and then level out to stabilize. Then I will see how I feel and if I want to take the weight down farther?

Actually at 100 kilos I will be very thin and most likely stay at that size. I have a very large bone structure, thanks to my grandpa the German and other grandpa the Englishman. They both were 6’3″ and big boned men. My dad and mom were small framed…

Therefore, I have around 15 kilos to go (33 pounds) and will fell better all the way around at that weight…

Gotta go walk the dog, see you later…

WtR

Grumble…

Wednesday, Jan 27 – 2016: Spirituality Day / St Sava’s Day…

Father Pavel was found by us as he struggled up the hill to his church. He said hello as he stopped to get his breath and he asked how I was doing. I told him fine and happy, he said something like, he had to open the church and today he would meditate from 27th to 29th of January. I asked about ringing the bell and he looked kinda like he wished I would not care about that. So I said something like, if you do, be careful, dangerous. He agreed…

Boza and I watched as he started walking up the steep hill again and I wondered would anyone else walk up?

Yes is the answer! Boza and I have watched at least 12 babushkas work their way up the hill. Darn these babushkas are tough and religious, religious to the point of letting nothing get in their way of their beliefs. I find that good…

They all have skis… 😉

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It is -12 this morning (snowing like crazy) and by this afternoon it will be -7 and by tomorrow it will be -3. Now that is a blessing and Boza and I celebrated with an hour and a half walk this morning. We chased rabbits, lions and tigers, as Boza enjoyed being able to get around without frozen paws…

We watched babushkas wander up the hill as we walked. Pitch dark and all these people going to the church. We then walked up to the church and Father Pavel waved as he was cleaning the porch steps of the little church. The ladies were all standing out side in a gaggle and talking. Then I watched as each lady went inside and as they did they kissed the back of Father Pavel’s hand. This is normal and I see it all the time. The men never do that, but all women of the Orthodox, kiss his hand…

Interesting…

Tidbit for you: We have exceeded by a longways any Snowmageddon and or Snowzilla and these babushkas are out in this snow…

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The Fish Village tried to drive/plow out to our village yesterday, but no such luck. They made it to our lake edge, the far edge and became buried. Our lake area is perfect to make the biggest drifts. I finally saw them get a tractor this morning and pull the plow out of the drift as big as a house. They tried it seems to get the road open for Father Pavel, but it was not to be… 😉 Father Pavel walked instead, he is young and can do that…

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Looks like I will be able to get some pictures in the next few days as the temperature rises and gets softer around here. That is a blessing…

WtR

I try!

In America, what ever happens is the worst, the best, the happiest, the terriblest, the baddest and or the anything’est on this planet Earth. So it proved my point of what I say about the “Empire of Chaos.” We have a snow fall and we call it, “Snowmageddon and or Snowzilla!”

The people in Canada and Northern USA, like North Dakota, are seriously wondering if the brunt of America has lost their minds and a government acting like rabbits in terror, does not help anything. Lets not even talk about Russia and what they have to put up with…

I guess that is the point…

The Empire of Chaos strikes again and now we can slice that GDP and say, “It is not our fault!” and we pass some sneaky legislation and look the other way as we use it to make the rich richer and politicians more powerful as the Chaoszilla snowstorm ravages the East Coast and wipes out huge swaths of humanity in a single swoop of death…

Lies and more lies and we eat it up like a kid in a candy store…

WtR

“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings!”

This is not just political claptrap when I say this: We are at war, this will escalate in the Middle East into a larger regional war. We may have a pause for a year, or maybe two years, then war in Korea, Sea of Japan, then Europe, then nukes…

That Fat Lady is finishing her song as you read this and how long she is able to keep that last musical note going is up to her…

We have analyzed to death the corruption leading up to this ignorance of existence. Yes, all wars are banker wars. So very few, truly deserve death in wars, but the majority like us, take those casualties. Get those dried and or canned beans, weapons and bullets, a way to purify water (bleach works,) to live off the land if need be. Make an effort to get to know your neighbors. If they have guns, remember such basic information for the future…

Vova has a double barrel shotgun; I know where he keeps it and I know where he keeps his shells for it. I must know and always know…

The nukes are going to fly within a few short years and then there will no time to prepare. Chance favors the prepared, nothing is guaranteed. Except a chance of redemption if we en-mass crush the stupidity we elect to office, and remove them. But since we elected that stupidity, we get what we deserve…

These new proposed war powers (WAR) means the politicians know a very large escalation is inevitable. Will it be used domestically for martial law? Probably; Will it be used to round up people? Yes, many if need be; There is a time to speak out against war, who causes it and why and then there is a time to merely make sure your family survives…

We all must start fighting; One can still fight for freedom locally in war, but one doesn’t have to be expressive with their mouth, one must be wise, knowledgeable and alert. You can be scared and still fight…

Governments will take no chances when the casualties start to mount after they beat back the resistance. No attempt to minimize casualties will be made. No attempt to defend the innocent will matter. Rule of law will finally be buried. The government has billions of rounds of ammunition for this very purpose. Most here have enough brains to know what that means…

Mankind will survive and come out the other side, rebuilding a republic, learning from the pain. It is worth for me and the ones close to me to attempt to survive.

Go for long walks, clear your mind and get your body in shape. Be prepared to fight if you must, for what and who you love. I want a safe and free world, but we have used the word freedom and perverted it to evil means and ways, but right now I have no real say in the outcome, but after the dust clears, that will change. My conscious is clear, I did what I could when I could and I am now going to take care of my family and friends here in Russia…

Having lived war, seen war and held men dying in my arms; I hate war with a passion, but people seem to be obsessed with war and killing…

WtR

Chaos…

The Empire of Chaos is my new name for what I have been calling The Western Empire; The Western Empire name is actually taken as it is also known as the Western Roman Empire, or the western part of the Roman Empire. The name is also too mild for the Empire of death and evil and since Chaos was the beginning in mythology and Chaos means: “Complete disorder and confusion!”

The above statement goes perfect with a country like America; whom thinks they are the beginning of all righteousness and rules with totally unadulterated CHAOS…

Therefore, I shall adjust my thoughts and we have now been given the best name for the latest empire to terrorize the world as we know it. The name I have accepted for the west as they call themselves on the planet we call Earth is…

The Empire of Chaos…

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Yesterday I made Tuna Casserole…

I took a can of water based tuna, a pack of cheese crackers, a small pack of mayo, a small chunk of Colby cheese and salt, pepper, garlic and mixed all together in a bowl, using the moisture from the tuna can only. Once stirred thoroughly, I put in a throwaway bake pan and baked it on the bottom 25 minutes and top and bottom another 5 minutes…

I used what I had and when it was done, I ate every last bit of what you see in the image…

Oh My! It was so good and then I moaned about being stuffed the rest of the day… 😉

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Tonight Boza and I watched the sunset. It was cold and it was windy and it was wonderful…

The air is softer and the wind is from the south. This is important for we will now get warmer, like -5 C. instead of -35 C. The frost has actually been blown out of the trees and it just feels warm to me. Boza liked it and we just walked 20 minutes and felt no repercussions, like we do at -30 C. or so. It is strange to look at -20 C. as a good temperature and -10 C. as a heat wave. I am starting to understand Siberian people and how they look at the weather…

Heat is easier to cool down from than cold is to heat up from. The energy required to heat a home at -30 C. is unbelievable, but even at +38 C. a fan will allow you to survive. But the energy required to run a fan is a far cry from the energy to heat with…

Just a thought of mine! And could you image the energy required to stay warm at -80 C. ?

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Vova and I are waiting to get our roads plowed, but it looks like more snow is coming and thus, no plowing of the roads. They refuse to plow if it snows. They will only plow if no snow is in the forecast for at least a week. Not going to happen too often…

The 80 year old babushka in the White House does not care if they ever get plowed. She puts on her skis as she did today and walks to the nearest village. Today she went to get her 10 liters of weekly milk and she goes to get it, no matter what is happening in the world. She is one tough old bird… 😉

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Vova has his lights on tonight; and that means he is feeling better. I have been worried and today after he got his nitro yesterday and slept soundly for a day. He seems to be doing good. I just hope he does not over do it and keeps things cool for a few more days. He went rabbit hunting and got cold. That is what got him and I remember that he had pneumonia a few years ago and I worry. We are a long way from civilization…

But I know that Vova feels like I do. If you die out here in the Russian Village; You die free, happy and on your own terms!

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I thanked Sveta last night and I told her to thank her mother. They allow me to live in this village. The home was bought by Sveta’s mother many years ago and the family faded from using the home after Misha Sveta’s son grew up. I came along and found heaven in a Tiny Russian Village. I realized today with a fervor, that if I died tomorrow, I have lived a full life and ended up in a village that loves me as much as I love it…

Sveta’s family accepts me somewhat; I know that the only member of Sveta’s family that I care to accept me is Sveta’s mother. That I care about and it looks like she does, but she is better if I do not become present to much. She is a nervous type intellect, extremely intelligent and a very kind person. She looks at all the images I post and has been amazed and astounded at what the winter looks like here in the Tiny Russian Village…

They never dreamed that someone could live here all winter. It never crossed their minds and they only looked at the place as a summer only situation. So they are watching and learning that winter is a dream come true in the village. Sveta has experienced it personally for the first time this year. She loved it and never comprehended that winter was feasible here in the village…

I worry about the situation with Russia and America. I do not want to leave Russia under any circumstances. It is getting nasty from the USA side and sooner or later, Russia will react. Sad and more sad…

Oh and I want to thank all the people who donated. I will easily keep the blog online with our host and did not have to take from the budget money to eat and live on…

Have a nice day…

WtR

I am just going to let the images talk for themselves. The trees are covered in a super frost…

This morning after a clear as a bell sky! The moon was big and bright and it got cold, damn cold…

Boza and I walked and I could not keep my eyes from freezing shut. My eyes watered and eyelashes froze together, needless to say after about an half hour of fighting that kind of cold, we both decided that life was better inside where the fireplace was going…

It is so wonderful and so beautiful and so exhilarating. It is heaven to me…

The images talk for themselves…

WtR

All but one taken this morning as Boza and I attempted to walk…

Stunningly beautiful, if not brutal at the same time…

WtR

I spent two hours this morning with Vova. He called Sveta last night and told her that his family had misplaced his nitro spray when they visited before the New Year. He had very old pills of nitro and they were not doing the job. I had given him a nitro spray a few months back, but it seems to be gone. I have extra, for nitro is my life saver and this morning I grabbed an extra I keep, some food (kielbasa, salo, chicken and such) and two packs of cigarettes that I store aside for Vova. He is out of cigarettes and that is most likely part of his issues…

So with a care package in hand, I staggered up the hill through what had to be 10 foot drifts. I had to crawl and scoot myself over much of the way and finally made it to the top of the hill. No snowshoes or skies is rough. skis and snowshoes just float on top. Vova was asleep, but I made him get up. I had to make sure he was okay…

He used the spay immediately and in about 15 minutes he started to come to life. I then gave him everything else after he was doing good. We checked his blood pressure and his sugar levels and everything was messed up and high. He saw the cigarettes and I thought he would cry, he hugged me ten times and then got down to business of sending me home with supplies of his own, that he has extra of. He had a sack already to go before I got there…

cabbage

I was given a cabbage and that is a part of this story that I will tell more of…

There is a woman who loves Vova very much; she would do anything for him and as in most cases of life, Vova likes her, but love is not the issue with him. Vova loves the summer fling he had with the rich girl…

Last night Boza and I were woke up with Boza starting to bark. We looked out and saw a person walking up the hill on skis. Moon is full and the sky is clear so seeing was no issue…

I thought, “Oh, someone to drink with Vova! Crazy person!” Drunks feel no cold…

This morning I find out that the person was the girl from Marjara (spelled like it sounds) and she had brought bread, cabbage and special jams to Vova. All from her garden or stock. She did not have access to something like nitro (no pharmacy in her village) and most people do not keep enough for themselves, much less extra…

She came and went and did not stay all night and the issue here is that when she walked several kilometers it was -27 Celsius or -16.6 Fahrenheit. She tried to help Vova, for he was calling out for help and she did help him. He was fed and tucked away for the night, warm and safe…

Then it struck me about how this woman came all the way from a village across the river and many kilometers away. It seems that the term love is not strong enough in this case and then I thought about many Russians I know and they seem to all be willing to go that extra mile for friends…

I wish Vova could feel about this girl, the same as she does about him…

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Vova is doing good and Boza and I ate a good meal, now we are going to stay warm. It is still -24 and brutally windy and fridged. Smart animals stay hidden and warm. Boza and I are going to be smart animals today. Tonight will be colder, Vova says that it will be -33 and get ready. He has a thermometer that reads down to -50 C. and at the time I was there, it was almost -30 then…

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I got a big cabbage, more potatoes, small thing of jam and two loaves of bread to take home. So this woman carried food for both Vova and I to be exact. I realized that Vova had this food in another sack waiting to get it to me…

Want to know something? (As a tear runs down my face!)

I have a sweetie who would walk through all this snow for me and back. I realize that and while I would do the same for her, I have never had anyone care about me that much before. I also have a friend who cares if I live or die. In fact several friends now and that is something, I never had in America…

I am a rich man with friends and loved ones in Russia!

WtR