(Sean's Post)
I have a great story about yesterday. Maureen was online checking e-mail and catching up on the news back home when someone came to our door and started ringing the doorbell and banging on the door. Since we are not fluent in Russian, we have been instructed not to answer the door for someone we didn't know unless we have our interpreter here. So, we acted like it was a door-to-door salesperson and acted like no one was home. About 20 minutes later, the doorbell rings again and there's banging on the door again, but this time it's Oleg. He was telling us to call Inna. Apparently, Inna tried to call us but we were on the internet. I disconnected the laptop, called Inna, and she told us that the owner of the apartment wanted to get some stuff out of the storage closet on the balcony. When the owner arrived, she and a young man (maybe her son?) went to the balcony and unlocked the door. They then proceeded to fill two large sacks with smoked meat. Being from the Houston area (it's currently in the upper 70s back home right now), we could never fathom storing meat outside. I think that it's pretty cool that everyone here gets a free freezer for a few months every year.
I have a great story about yesterday. Maureen was online checking e-mail and catching up on the news back home when someone came to our door and started ringing the doorbell and banging on the door. Since we are not fluent in Russian, we have been instructed not to answer the door for someone we didn't know unless we have our interpreter here. So, we acted like it was a door-to-door salesperson and acted like no one was home. About 20 minutes later, the doorbell rings again and there's banging on the door again, but this time it's Oleg. He was telling us to call Inna. Apparently, Inna tried to call us but we were on the internet. I disconnected the laptop, called Inna, and she told us that the owner of the apartment wanted to get some stuff out of the storage closet on the balcony. When the owner arrived, she and a young man (maybe her son?) went to the balcony and unlocked the door. They then proceeded to fill two large sacks with smoked meat. Being from the Houston area (it's currently in the upper 70s back home right now), we could never fathom storing meat outside. I think that it's pretty cool that everyone here gets a free freezer for a few months every year.
We did well with James again last night. He slept fairly well. He only stirred a couple of times and didn't fully wake up. Hooray for James. This morning Maureen asks, "Is it foggy outside? It looks like a white mist out there." I go to the window and what a surprise - it's snowing. Hard. And the wind made it look like it was even blowing in sideways. So, we had a small blizzard going right outside our window. It ended at about 10:30 AM so I went with Bob to the pick-up store and to the Viola store. We were creating our own paths on the sidewalks in the fresh, one-foot deep snow. It's like walking in the deep sand on the beach - fun, but a lot more tiring.
A little after 2:00 PM the Mechems came over with Owen for another playdate. It went exactly the opposite of the playdate at their apartment last week. This time James was cranky and Owen was a perfect gentleman. Jodi loved it. The kids even had a shouting contest to see who was loudest. I think it was a tie. We had planned to make dinner: fish sticks for us, chicken nuggets for them, and fries for all. The bad news is that the gas for the oven/stove ran out as the fries were cooking. I hadn't had a chance to cook the meat yet. I called Inna. She called Oleg but we were too late. The gas place closes at 6:00 PM and it was 6:05 PM. So the moral of the story is to feed your guests earlier than 6:00 or have a plan B if you need the stove. We felt bad after they went home with us only feeding them some snacks. Oleg is going to come over in the morning and we'll refill the gas bottle. The Mechems took a raincheck and may be coming by again tomorrow.
So, that's today's post! Paka and love to all!
