Provincial Observances

Preamble: These observances were composed in April/May but before I had a chance to post them, I found that I'd mistakenly deleted most of them and then saved the document. The next time I opened it there were only 3 listed out of the 12. I had an idea today to try and find a shadow doc via Google Desktop and there is was -- a (recovered) doc that was in some hidden cache file. I did numerous searches via my systems (Dell) search tools and I found nothing. If you haven't downloaded Google Desktop, I urge you to try it!! It's most handy!

1. I love that Nathan has become more of the point person when things go awry with the babes. Instead of reproaching me, people go to Nathan and give him an earful ("Will you please get your son to stop playing with those fish heads in here?") Of course, I'll still be intercepted by the occasional babushka concerned for the welfare of my underdressed (or in two cases overdressed!) children. It's a generational thing that spans all time zones.
   
   
2. Luba is something of a horticulturalist. She has plants overpopulating all the window sills and nurses them daily. Last night I caught her in the kitchen lovingly spritzing one of her larger plants in the sink. She had a cup of water in her hand, which she drank from but instead of swallowing, she blasted it back out all over her plant. I couldn't help it and began to laugh uncontrollably. She joined me and explained in pantomime that she hadn't a spray bottle so this was her method. She's a genius.
   
   
3. Mayonnaise. The choice dressing of the Russians. There are about 20 different varieties in the stores – can't find mustard but there is plenty of mayo! I've studiously avoided regular usage of the stuff for most of my life (plain yogurt is best; esp. the Greek kind!) but find I'm being reeducated as Luba makes little hints & helpful suggestions to use mayo on our cucumbers and tomatoes, or drizzle on top of the freshly fried fish she's made, or in the pork cutlet sauté with potatoes and carrots, or on the pelmeni and veriniki (meat and potato dumplings). I'm not saying it wasn't all good, but it just doesn't feel right!
   
   
4. After a fun evening of laundry with Luba, she leaves to spend the rest of it with friends across the street. I shout after her, "Have fun!" and Nathan, who was beside me, remained silent for a minute and then said, "They don't have that expression in Russian. I wouldn't know how to translate that."
   
   
5. Nathan currently works (for free) at the collective farm's brewery here in Podsosnovo. He often has to beg his coworkers to allow him to help out with the work, and while thus engaged, he tries to get them to discuss their lives and families. Last Friday there was a little celebration after lunch, and some of the workers retired into a small, tucked-away room taking frequent shots from several bottles of vodka (and eating sunflower seeds). Nathan sat with them for a couple of hours listening to them talk and occasionally joining in on the conversation (and, it must be said, also partaking of the sunflower seeds). At one point, Nathan's coworker Roman explained: "We Russians never drink vodka at home, because by the time we leave work it's all gone."
   
   
6. It's nice to have a cat on mouse duty (and to find that I am no longer allergic to cats – yes, mom, can you believe it?!) However, on a recent Sunday the cat joined us in the living room as we were in the middle of our sacrament meeting with something suspicious in her mouth. Des announced, "The kitty's got some chocolate!" But upon closer inspection it was not chocolate; it had 4-little feet and a head&tail! Ugh! The presiding priesthood holder expedited a fast removal from the scene but the spirit was decidedly disturbed.
   
   
7. Russian women love their stilettos and general high heeled shoes. Even in winter with multiple inches of snow on the ground, I've witnessed countless numbers of them stylishly navigating the icy surfaces without any problems. I am more at ease in my military reminiscent Earth boots. Clunky but comfortable.
   
   
8. Motorcycles. I cannot understand the appeal. Ever since my mom got into an accident with a neighbor guy on a bike (yeah, she was hot) and hurt her ankle, I've been a combination of terrified and annoyed by them. They are so noisy. And guys who usually have motorcycles have a certain personality (uber- machoism perhaps) which really turns me off (I know, gross generalization) Anyway, Pavel (19-yearold son of Nikolai&Luba) has a bike. He pulled it out of the garage, all rusty and busted, and resurrected it and his social standing in just over 3-weeks. The guys and the girls flock to him. He's outside from noon to last light and his machina posse comes and goes throughout the day. Girls young and old will stand around, eating sunflowers seeds, giggling&ogling him; Guys with their bikes will come roaring up to the house and they'll all convene and straddle up and blast off. Ugh! A bike culture thing, another universal.
   
   
9. I'm so proud! Zoe had fishcakes for breakfast this morning. Luba&Nikolai go fishing a lot and the other night put most of their catch through a hand grinder creating a lot of fish meat (with bone chunks!) Zoe has become more adventurous in her eating since arriving here, which has been a relief to witness. Up to this point she's been a very reluctant eater. Fishcakes!! For breakfast!! YES!
   
   
10. There is this interesting anti-consumerist thing happening in my behavior (it's always been in my mind but I am finding real&necessary utilization and urgency for it). I note with dread all the waste we are generating as it builds up at the back of the dom. We buy lots of 'fizzy water' (carbonated h2o) and yogurt and juice and milk and various packaged things. . . all this creates large amounts of garbage and is starting to affect my usual tendencies to buy more, replace more, keep things new and nice. For instance, my rubber gloves have a hole in the finger, my impulse is to just buy another pair but then I think, what will I do with the old pair? It will just sit out back and contribute to the waste. . . or Luba needs a spray bottle and I entertained thoughts of going to a store and finding her a nice one but then realized my Mr. Proper spray cleaner (spin off of Mr. Clean) is almost out and she could use that instead. She also spends a lot of time watering her plants and I've thought of getting her a fancy watering can until I noted she had begun using our Bon Aqua water bottles and decided that recycling them was certainly more virtuous. Good lessons
    
    
11. Nikolai&Luba dote on Zoe (Des will get an occasional poke, smile or hair ruffle.) Nikolai can't walk past Zoe without making some little baby noise (a favorite is, "Coo Coo!" as in a coocoo clock. It sounds so funny coming from adults and I've heard several people say it to her) and calling out her name, or trying to reach for her or nibble on her. Zoe has tried her usual snubbing tactics with them, which is usually shouting the word, "NO!" But they are undaunted and keep coming back for more abuse. She and Luba will get into shouting matches that will usually end in giggles (Luba calls her "Madame"). One day Zoe was pulling her onsie down and looking curiously at her chest. Luba saw her doing this and began to laugh heartily and has since been poking at Zoe's chest and coaching her to eat more cabbage so that her breasts will grow.
    
    
12. I'm awkwardly noting a lot of split pants and open flies. Mostly in guys. Pavel, for instance, will sit astride his bike in a pair of pants with a huge split right between the legs. All this actually makes me feel a little better about an old pair of linen pants I love and have been sheepishly wearing with the very same problem.