Sveta taking pictures again, Sammy thoughts and coffee to boot…

Svetochka has found her new love of life in the Tiny Russian Village. I have been transforming the old village home into something that is cozy and almost modern by village standards. I have a bunch of work left to do, but the work I have been doing for two years is showing. Svetochka has found that living here is comfortable and more than acceptable for a good life. In a few years Svetochka will be able to draw pension and then she can live here full time. I need to get pictures of Sveta, but she is the one running around taking all the pictures and Boza and I are the objects many times of those snap shots…

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Svetochka helped me and after the stairs were put on the outside of the shower house, we put the roof on the building. We double layered tar paper and this morning it is raining. The inside is dry and comfortable. I built a bench seat in the shower house and now it will sit until spring. Winter is here and no shower out there right now… 😉

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Coffee time; We went yesterday to see Sammy the Volga and she is getting done, slowly, but getting done. There is a wonderful group of young energetic guys, if not a little bit hungover at times from the party nights, working on her. They are a entrepreneur driven group, one of them is even a local cop in the Big Village. I call times like this, growing our roots deeper into the community, through spending your money locally. I could have got Sammy back to Moscow and spent the money there, but that would mean nothing to Moscow, for Moscow to me is just another western style city. Money spent in the Big Village grows exponentially and fruitfully within the community…

The boys (all in mid twenties,) all make money, the parts stores all sell parts, the local grapevine is buzzing with gossip about the American, the pie store sells pies to the five guys working on the car and many other places are involved in the money working its way around the community…

Speaking of money! We have received several donations for getting Sammy fixed and I just got a special repeat donation this morning. It was from the very first person who donated on January 18th, 2016. They did not specify for what and I want them to know that their donation, just bought Sammy her new electric fuel pump. Several other specific to spend only on the car donations, have also (big oops here,) installed complete new exhaust on Sammy. Oops, The exhaust is on the opposite side of the engine now and we got enough money to go from engine, all the way out the back with new pipes. Thank you all for the donations. For any extra money that we have personally saved will be spent on Boza and most likely eye surgery to try to save some of his vision…

We will be able to either save some vision or he will have to have his eyes removed. Then prostheses eyes will be put in. We are praying for saving some vision and will hold to that thought as mandatory to thinking…

I always say, when it rains it pours and Boza has had a rough summer all the way around and Sammy has been struggling to keep going. Lucky for Sveta and I, we are doing good….Knock on wood!

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Looks like during October after we get Boza settled with his verdict on his eyes, I will leave Russia for a week or so. I do not have a choice and this is when I take a train to another country and stay out of Russia. Russia does not always make it easy to survive for us expats at times and this is one of those, does not make a damn bit of sense, moments. My Russian friends get all upset that I have to leave Russia. They do not see the reason and I am glad, for I thought I was the only one who thought that having to leave, even with a three year visa, is stupid….Did I say, “Stupid!”

Border crossing is always the most stressful times. You never know what rules have changed and what is going to happen. Russia is good about changing the rules and ignoring the fact that they tell no one about it…

Keeps me on my toes…

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Sveta leaves tonight and the guys working on Sammy the Volga will pick her up and take her to the train station. Sad face time… 🙁

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I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time. – Charles M. Schulz

Have nice day and I will be back tomorrow. Have to fill the wells tomorrow and hopefully finish weatherizing the village home. Boza and I should be back in Moscow by next weekend…

WtR