Windows to Russia

Today I plan on getting pictures taken as Sveta slides down our huge hill by our village home, on a round plastic sled with two handles to hold on for dear life. Sveta wanted to sled and we bought her a disc at the Globus in Moscow. What a ride this disc is…

I help Sveta get on the disc and then push her to get her going and at that point gravity takes over and after about 10 meters of smooth sailing, the disc starts to spin and whips back and forth in the ruts that the tires have left by our car and Sveta, plus a barking crazy Boza, disappear two hundred meters to the valley floor.

Boza is trying to get Sveta to stop, for it seems to upset him that his nice momma is doing crazy things and he tries to pull on her coat to stop her, but he just ends up being dragged to the bottom with her and I am laughing so hard all the time watching. Sveta is hollering a the dog to stop, the dog is barking at Sveta to get off that deadly thing and quit acting like a fool and I fell on the ground in a fit of laughter, from pushing too hard.

The last run of five runs yesterday, found me watching Sveta hit the field in the bottoms and roll upside down, feet straight up in the air, a barking dog, leaping as high as he can to avoid flailing legs from Sveta. I could not stop laughing. Though I found later that I had skinned my knees… 😉

I went down and found a smiling red faced girl and a grouchy barking Boza.

That is Heaven people and the Tiny Russian Village is such a heaven.

I will try to get pictures today… 🙂 (Maybe of an upside down Sveta!)

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia (WtR)

When Sveta comes back in January, I want here to bring her ice skates and we have the perfect pond to skate on. It is frozen solid already and I will scrape the snow off for her to enjoy life. The big lake at the Fish Village, has guys fishing in the bitter cold. Some guys just love to sit on the ice and fish. I see these kind of guys sitting out on the lakes, even at -30 below, they have fire pots for heat and drill lots of holes in the ice to set out as many poles as possible…

Boza is in heaven, as am I and Sveta even is, as she dances with joy at the wonderment of the village in winter. She will be back and Boza and I will look forward to that trip. We went yesterday and will go today to stock lots of food supplies. This weekend is the last weekend to work on the car easily. The temperatures will reach +4 and I have to take advantage of that. For in a few days, it will go back to -10 and lower…

Boza and I got up at 6:30 a.m. and walked for an hour. It was crisp and cold and we followed cat and fox tracks all over the fields. Boza loves chasing up a kitty and taking off on a wild chase. Thus it is time to lay back down and let Sveta sleep her beauty sleep some more and Boza and I will gather our energy for another long walk later in the morning…

Have a nice day…

Kyle, Sveta and Boza…
Windows to Russia (WTR)

A reporter had a driver in a “3110 Volga” brave the weather and they came out to the Tiny Russian Village, all the way from the Big Village. They got their interview and got out just in time before the huge snow hit and darkness enveloped the countryside. They were worried and left on the run…

Sveta and I did the interview, mainly I allowed Sveta to translate, because this lady talked real fast, like a reporter in a hurry. I could not grasp anything she was saying, at all…

We went to Vova’s home, since he set this all up! Vova is so excited that I am going to be in the village and it looks like his love life has settled down and he has no love life again! 🙁

Thus, he is glad that his bestest friend from America is here, but actually I am his only friend from America and the only American in the whole damn area for hundreds and hundreds of miles in any direction…

We are going to wait to see what is printed, before I say things like, “Cool!” or “All Right!” or “How good!”; for I do not trust reporters nor politicians… 😉

The region is excited about the fact that an American would desire and want to stay all winter in a Tiny Russian Village. But, how could you not want to when the TRV is so beautiful and just plain perfect in all aspects?

Have a nice day…

Kyle Keeton with WTR…

Today, after the wild snow last night, we will attempt to get to the Big Village. Looks good outside this morning and Sveta and I moved the car to the top of the village to allow us to sit on level ground. Nothing else, we can sled down the hill with the car and hope for the best… 😉

Sveta picked the best time to come to the Russian Village, for it will actually warm up a few days, then it will scream, cold at us for the next month or two. Sveta will be back in Moscow before the screaming chill starts. We have to get to the Big Village and stock up on supplies. For I most likely will be snowed in for at least two months. We are hoping that Sveta can come down at my birthday time in January and stay a week. I can walk to the bus stop and meet her if that is what needs be…

When Sveta leaves on Sunday, it will be plus 6 or 7 degrees, now how is that for perfect timing?

Have a nice day and the next article is about a reporter who came from the regional newspaper and did an interview with me. I have Vova to blame and thank for that… 🙂

Cup of coffee time…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia

Fake gates on the bell tower!

That is what we found yesterday as we walked in the rain. They had someone with a huge printer print plastic sheets with an image of a gate from another monastery somewhere. I could see them from the road and thought at first, “They are putting up gates; yippy!”

But alas, not to be true and they are fake… 🙂

They also are putting concrete floors in the complete lower section of the bell tower and decent stairs all the way to the top of the tower. Looks like there will be lots of school field trips this next summer.

It also looks as if there will be soon a full time person living at the bell tower, it really is needed, because kids/young adults like to damage the tower in pranks as they are drunk and such. Sad, it seems that you cannot get away from kids that do that stuff…

Kyle Keeton at WtR

We bought Sveta a pair of valenki with rubber soles and a pair of pants, super well insulated. Those, with her fur coat and two sweaters allowed her to be comfortable all the way to the village. Sammy the Volga has an issue with heat production in really cold weather. I guess I need to fix that issue? For Russia gets really cold.

The village home was frozen and it took several hours of burning wood to get the home warmed up. The lakes are frozen and we saw guys ice fishing as we came in yesterday. Then as we pulled into the village, life became a better place to visit. The air is crisp and clean, the monastery radiated life and you could just feel the re-energizing of your soul. God is truly in this place and it is very obvious…

December will be warm enough in general, that I will be able to get the chainsaw out and at least cut up all those trees brought for firewood. The wood is seasoned oak and I must get a splitting maul this week to start splitting wood with. Looks like enough wood for two years easily. Plenty more where that came from…

Gotta go, Sveta is getting up and I have to cook breakfast. I already took my pills, drank two cups of coffee and time to sit down to eat. Have a nice day and I will be back tomorrow…

Windows to Russia
Kyle Keeton

I am going to go outside again and try to finalize the car. I still have a few things to do and I am crossing my fingers that all is working good. Deep inside of me something in my gut feelings; there is something else wrong with the car and I can not pin point the issue.

Therefore, I will check it once and check it twice to see what I find…

It looks like Monday morning bight and early, like 4 a.m. is when we will leave. The weather all week will be above freezing during the day and Sveta has taken off all week to enjoy life in the village.

Vova called and asked us to bring him a carton of cigarettes and 10 liters of benzine. He has been cutting firewood up for us since the wood was dropped off and he is about out of benzine for the chainsaw. Bless his heart, he is really waiting for me to get there. Sveta sees that now.

We bought a belated birthday gift for Vova. A huge bottle of cognac to give to him. That will keep him warm a few days and make him a happy villager. He is sad for he is all alone in the village! Not true; a woman is there who lives in what I call the white house, but they do not get along and thus, they ignore the fact that they are not alone in the village. 😉

Vova said it has been snowing like crazy and he is waiting for me to get there. Lets hope that we make it…

Have a nice day and see you in the village;  if the Lord is willing and the creeks don’t rise…

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Today I go outside and freeze! -7 right now and a car awaits to be repaired…

I have been sick and not able to repair the car, we also are trying to leave this weekend to the village, but I am not getting things done. So lets get it done today.

New ignition coil? Check.. New fuel pump? Check.. New carburetor? Check.. Old warm clothes to ruin working on the car? Check.. Two cups of hot coffee to prime the system? Check……

Good lets go!

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Does anyone actually believe the Turks? Even the western Twinkies induced comatose people, should have a real hard issue believing what Turkey did was correct and moral.

Turkish military aircraft have pretty well violated the airspace of all of its neighbors.

Why Greece as an example: Data recorded by the Greek military has shown that Turkish aircraft violated its claimed airspace 2,244 times in 2014. By October of this year, Turkish aircraft had made 1,443 intrusions with the financially-weakened Greek military struggling to respond.

If all these countries being violated by Turkey shot down their planes for going where they have no right to be, there would no longer be a Turkish air force!

Turkey did not shoot down the Russian aircraft for violating its airspace, that was a excuse to cover its real reason. It wants to punish Russia for attacking its proxies (ISIS) in Syria.. and it uses NATO as a shield.

A shield the NATO countries are stupid to let Turkey use.. but then again most NATO countries and NATO itself is not exactly led by geniuses these days.

Time to wake up!

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I will be honest with you!

We have a lot to be thankful for and we better wake up. In the last few weeks we (western) tried to start World War Three, not once, but several times. Almost all actions against Russia, but a few pokes at China to spice up the pot. Are we stupid?

So this Thanksgiving lets be thankful…

Lets be thankful that Russia has patience, because if we had done to us what has been done to Russia by us, we would be bombing some countries with unrelinquished desires and pillaging.

So I am thankful that we are not bombing the hell out of each other, just because we prodded the Russian Bear for the hundredth time in the last year.

That Russian Bear has the patience of Job…

I am thankful this Thanksgiving and am going to make a pumpkin pie for Sveta. I also have turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and carrots this holiday…

Yes we have a world to be thankful for, lets hope we keep that world in one piece…

Stop the warmongers!

Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…