No matter what the internet says . . . .

Maybe it's my fault - I didn't search long enough, hard enough, I didn't use the right term. I failed to find a recipe for peanut brittle that didn't call for corn syrup* - correction - I found one, read the reviews and decided I could use the corn syrup substitution I found here in a regular recipe.

I was so confident, I even doubled the batch.

I never got above 250. This is the temperature where my sugar spontaneously metamorphosed into a bubbling mass of crystals. quickly I added water and brought the temp up again. Poof. Two-hundred and fifty degrees and I have a hardening ball of grainy sugar and nuts. Maybe adding the butter and baking powder would help? Alas, no. This didn't help.

Any ideas of what to do with roughly 5 cups of super sugary peanut clumps. appreciated. My one hopeless thought is to give them as gifts anyways since Ukrainians don't know what peanut brittle is, won't know what I'm giving them anyway and will just accept it as odd clumpy sugary peanuts.

*Corn syrup is similar to golden syrup. Neither has been spotted here.

Observations on Babies in Kiev

I just remembered a story as I was reading this article and it triggered a bunch of observations on being a parent in Kiev that have been rattling around - so here goes.

I've mentioned before that baby wearing isn't really the thing to do in Ukraine, I've yet to really connect with baby wearers - but from the on-line forums we have similar stories.

On our way to church one

day- I'm wearing Saphira and makeup, and a skirt. I'm standing under the arches at Metro Teatralno, waiting for Alister, who went to talk to a babushka. A woman walks up to me and tries to hand me money (she thinks i'm a beggar because I am carrying my baby in a sling). I didn't take it, obviously - but its interesting all the same.

Now that Saphira is bigger, and its winter and icy, we are using the stroller and not relying on the carrier - for safety and also its not comfortable to carry her on my back over a coat and its cold carrying her in front with my coat open.

A stroller in Kiev is not an easy thing. There are stairs everywhere. We specifically got a lighter stroller so I can, for the most part, heft the stroller (with her in in it) under an arm and plough up the steps or down. Sometimes the stairs have these narrow tracks laid over them for pushing the stroller up. This is also awkward - if you are pushing the stroller increases in weight with the force of gravity and you are at a very steep and awkward angle - I find it much easier to pull it up backwards - but this is still not really "easy".

Most Ukrainian mothers go walking in groups of two. Two women with babies, or sometimes one woman with and a friend without. In this way they take turns helping each other with the stroller or standing outside the grocery store while one goes in and does the shopping and then waits with the babies while the other does the same thing.

When you have a baby - people are more polite and friendly. A Ukrainian friend who just visited the states for the first time observed that one of the strongest contrasts between here and America is that in the US the store clerks talk to you and have whole conversations with you as easy as you please and here - well, lets just say words are at a minimum.

When you have a baby, the clerks talk to you - or at least talk to the child. Clicking and cooing and telling the baby how lovely she is. People in line around you do the same thing. BUT for the most part, the conversation is directed to the baby.

One woman, with another baby who spotted my baby,came over and showed her baby my baby and told her baby how nice my baby was because she wasn't fussing or crying and she should do the same. I smiled and asked the woman how old her child was and the woman acted like I had descended from outer space. Now, i have reviewed the conversation in my mind, and I am convinced that i made no odd grammatical errors - I must have just crossed the politically correct border of conversation because I talked to the mother directly instead of addressing my question through the infant.

Yesterday too, I was standing in line (carrying Saphira) and a man hurried past and bumped into me. This was rather rude, but not unheard of. What was unheard of is that when I finished paying and was getting my stuff together and all balanced, he was standing there waiting and actually apologized and said he had been in a hurry and he was sorry (why he was waiting when he said he was in a hurry??) and then he went off. To get an apology - a real apology - is a rarity - but to have someone wait and give you an apology - that's a regular miracle.

Now that its cold, everyone is asking me (via Saphira) if she has frozen. (ты замерзла?) Obviously, I wouldn't take her out if she was going to freeze - and I'm never quite sure how to respond or what to say. I normally stick with - no she's warm.

Is it worth it?

So in the States - I wouldn't normally buy organic- it is just way too expensive. Here, it's easy - you just walk up to a babushka in the market and buy whatever she has. Sometimes it is about 10 cents more per kilo but way more attractive than the grocery store produce- plus you are supporting a local granny and its organic - right?

But now in the supermarket they are selling bulk frozen veggies. And they are the same price, even a bit cheaper than the same fresh produce I can buy at the market. They are already clean, already blanched, already frozen . . . is it worth stocking up on the veggies in season and buying guaranteed organic?

These thoughts came to me as I sorted and cleaned a kilo of brussel sprouts. 1st wash them, then you cut off the bottoms, peel of the outer leaves and sort them by size. Then you blanch them for a few minutes, drain them, and pop them in the freezer. It was much more time than I actually had to give to the project so we ended up eating generous helpings of brussel sprouts the next few days as I only got 1/2 a kilo processed and frozen.

While I imagine a time of people leisurely husking corn, snapping beans, and cleaning brussel sprouts, I wonder if what people really did was just eat their food with a lot more "impurities" than what we insist on today (obviously the corn still had to be husked). Even without freezers, they would have had to dry or can or pickle the produce - that is much more time consuming than freezing. And obviously people survived, though admittedly the life expectancy was shorter - but was it due to an improperly cleaned brussel sprout? For this year at least, I'm afraid the grannies will have to find another customer for their sprouts - I just don't have the time or patience for it this year when I can buy them cleaned, blanched and frozen for the same price at the supermarket.

Santa got . . .

Eaten by our cat - and it wasn't a fight over the milk and cookies.

I stopped by Nova Linia yesterday - I love hardware stores and I was surprisingly able to take care of a lot of Christmas shopping! One thing I found was some gel window clings - I was very excited. okay maybe clings are a bit tacky - but they were a part of my childhood and these ones were cute. Really.

Unfortunately the cat decided to eat it. So all I have to show for it is this picture. In the time it took to take the picture and go into the kitchen to complain to Alister, the cat had finished off the rest of the mustache and was licking his lips in anticipation for more. I had to throw it away except for the snowflakes and a Christmas tree, which I put on the kitchen balcony door. The cat looks up at it longingly, but so far he hasn't found a way to eat them.

It turns out Alister didn't like the cling either - My theory is he coated it in Chicken broth - but so far I have no proof.

Tally of what he ate: 1 christmas tree, 3 snowflakes, entire mustache, 1 eyebrow, the ball from Santa's hat.

Memory Lane

Every year after Thanksgiving, the PA system in our grade school would crackle with the sound of the Cinnamon Bear. Not only was it a break from school and the normal routine (though older classes didn't always listen or it was part of a "studyhall") but it was a fun story and a fun tradition.

Amazing what you can rediscover over the internet -

The Christmas story of the Cinnamon Bear in MP3

Ukrainian minimum wage

The Kyiv Post ran an interesting article today on the minimum wage in Ukraine - that covered an experiment run by the Ukrainian National trade Unions forum despite the fact that the "experiment" was flawed - costs vary across Ukraine and so 1 person from 5 different regions doesn't reveal much - it is still interesting. When one considers that the average pension is even lower than the official minimum wage - around $95 a month you can see that the situation can be very desperate for some.

However, one thing the article failed to mention is how people with this money normally "survive"

1) Most students or young adults live with their parents - minimum wage but no rent or utilities. If they have left home, having gone to the city to work often their parents are often sending them products - potatoes, cottage cheese, etc.

2) most people would try to pick up extra jobs and work.

3) for the pensioners - they have their own apartments normally and they don't have to pay for public transportation. They still must pay for utilities and these prices continue to go up as the government can't afford to subsidize them. The costs are still far from the real value.

If you are unlucky enough to not have an apartment and to not have family who can send food or help out -- you do have a very dismal life indeed.

The article was very accurate on the quality of food - the average shopping bag would be cheap meat - like hot dogs, probably some buttermilk (kefir) which would be a meal replacement, and bread. Potatoes and oil are a must.

What I'm bringing to Thanksgiving Dinner

Here in Kiev, a group of us get together for Thanksgiving dinner. This year is extra special as it will be Saphira's 1st Thanksgiving - she won't remember it, but the glow will engulf her I'm sure.

In addition to some other sides - I'm bringing this delectable pie. I did a test run when apples first came into season in September. It was gone in two days. Just Alister and I. And that was with self-control. This pie is like having pie a la mode without having to buy a pint of ice cream.

I made some variations the first time and this time stuck with them with a few others - mainly lowering the sugar and adding cinnamon and other spices. Also - I use a pat-in-the-pan oil crust instead of a traditional pate brisee. Its faster and fool proof. Still, I recommend you make it first and put it in the freezer as you chop apples as it will help stop the custard from being absorbed.

So here is the recipe with my variations.

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 pie crust - http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens/lrccookb/PATINPAN.htm (leave out the sugar - this crust can be made in the pie crust)

Filling
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
3 cups peeled, sliced tart apples (about 1 1/4 pounds of slices)

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Mix together all ingredients (except nuts) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in nuts. Chill until needed in the recipe.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Beat together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, spices and egg (can beat by hand). Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.

3 Put filling into a pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.

4 Remove from oven and sprinkle with Cinnamon Crumb Topping. Bake for and additional 20 more minutes.

Let cool for a hour before serving. Serves 8.

In search of . . .

I was writing directions on Saphira's Schedule in Russian for my Russian class when I was stymied by the word sleepsuit / footed pajamas. Wikipedia was no help - no one has posted a Russian entry for sleepsuits. However - I discovered this link in the English post.

And the idle curiosity question popped into my head - how many adults actually wear footed pajamas? I may have to write the company to find out. I mean, even in the really cold months I'd rather wear socks and longjons rather than footed pajamas.

In the meantime - I thought I would ask here - are you a footed pajama wearing adult? Why? comments welcome.

Me Too!

We have a very badly behaved cat - and its entirely our fault. He is the most enchanting beggar. It starts with his purr - on full blast, then its the rub up against your legs as you fry the eggs, the gentle head butt to your elbow as you eat or the resigned paw pat to your knee half way through dinner. Yes - he can be pesky, but overall he was just too cute in all of his antics and so we fed him from the table and that is how we got our badly behaved cat who knows the wrath of the spray bottle only exists when it is in our hands and when we are in the room.

Occasionally he has stolen things from the table - once it was a baked potato (plain - Alister put it in his dinner bowl to finish it off after he stole it), occasionally it is the stray brussle sprout or broccoli that we leave on the table as we go off to watch a tv episode after dinner before going back to the work and chores (so cats crave green things sometimes), and of course we always had to guard any defrosting meat and never leave a plate of chicken or beef unattended.

Now that Saphira has started solids - Haggai has expanded his pallet - we made such a big deal of her eating - all the mmmms, yummies, and isn't that good? - got to him as well. He has now decided he eats beets and pumpkin (he continues to enjoy broccoli). When food hits the ground - he's there in a flash and the food is gone. Just wait till we get to meat, then he'll really be in heaven.

Just checking!

Soviet Cartoons

Just found this on YouTube while I was trying to find some Russian Lullabies. It was in a collection of favorite songs from Soviet Era cartoons. The title is "We are bandits" I think you can figure out the rest yourselves.

Superbly Simple Sweets - part 4

Last, but not least, we have arrived at the Ukrainian chocolate sausage - I know - the name is not really appealing - but WAIT TILL YOU TRY IT - not only is the recipe delicious as is - there are about a billion differnt variations that you could add.

Julia's Chocolate Sausage (шоколадная колбаса)

200 grams cookie crumbs

100 grams finely chopped walnuts

150 grams melted butter (less than 1 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3 Tbsp cocoa

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and cocoa on stove rapidly till frothy and until mixture is hot and steamy (NOT BOILING) keep it like this for about 3 minutes, mixture will thicken slightly. Add cookie crumbs and walnuts. Mix well. Pat into a log (sausage) shape and allow to cool. Slice and serve when solidified.

VARIATIONS

Add a liquor or alcohol to the stove mixture

Press flat in a pan or tupperware + frost with chocolate or mint frosting

Dried fruits - (like cherries) can also be added

Sky is the limit for other variations - enjoy!

Solids!!

I know you are all waiting for the wonderfully delicous and final saga of Sinfully Simple Sweets with its culmination in Chocolate sausages . . . but you'll just have to wait. I've been busy with highchairs. Can you believe we're almost at the sixth month mark??? Saphira has been interested in what we are eating and drinking for awhile and when we are all at the table - her favorite toys are a spoon and a sippy cup. No food yet, that will come this month - but she so loves playing with the means for food that food itself is going to be fun by my reckoning.

The problem - How to give her a space to eat? Our kitchen is small. Not as small as some - but small enough for something extra to be in the way. Second, not only is our kitchen small, but our table is small, so I wouldn't trust those clip on chairs to support her weight without the whole table tipping over. Third - we don't have chairs with backs, only stools and a bench - neither of which can accomodate a strap on booster.

The contenders:

So, originally I was all sold on the amazingly small Concord Spin. Marketed as the smallest highchair in the world, it has positive reviews with the main complaint being that the tray had no lip to stop items from falling to the floor as easily. We were all sold on it and about to buy it - but fortunately I actually found a physical store and was able to go check it out - small and compact though it is, the Concord is a PAIN in the B to fold up. What is the point of being small if you can't make it small? Not only did I need two hands to collapse it - I could have used a third! The store assistant had to help me at each step because I just couldn't get the darn thing to collapse.

#2 The next smallest item we found in the store and on the internet was the Graco TeaTime it also had positive reviews and the next smallest footprint that we found. It was also handier as the tray had a lip and 3 adjustment settings, where as the concord was basically an airplane tray with a big gap between it and the baby. Most important, I could collapse the Graco one-handed and though it was only a vertical collaps - at 18 cm it was still small and we decided we would just have to store it on the balcony. I was all set to buy it - BUT the store didn't take creditcards, there were no change kiosks AND all the nearby banks were on there lunch break. And I just didn't get around to ordering it from the internet.

#3 - Enter "Accidental" choice number 3 - I had to go meet up with the registration Lawyer to get my passport back and we happened to to meet at the Metro near a place called "children's world" where not only is there a huge children's department store - but tons of other stores and kiosks selling nothing but children's things. It was saturday morning (9am) and most places didn't open till 10, and I had Saphira so I wasn't going to wait around, but there was one Kiosk nearby and I thought - might as well ask . . . At first I only saw the ones that are chairs that stack on top of a table - which theoretically is also great - multifunctional and all that - but it CAN'T fit in our kitchen (at least not if you want to USE the kitchen)- Then she showed it to me - the Geoby Y 280 it is absolutely amazing!!!! not only can you unfold and fold it up with one hand, but it is basically the same dimensions as the concord and only 1 kilo heavier. Not only that, it was cheaper than both of the other options. The only downside is that the tray is fixed, but we'll cope.

So now for some fun - can you spot the highchair?

There it is!


Saphira trys out a spoon - and her new highchair!


Here it is collapsed from a front-on view - at only 6 kilos - we can even take it with us for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

Superbly Simple Sweets - part 3

Part three of my no-bake dessert series

I've never thought it was quite honest to have no-bake cookies and then have a lot of on the stove work. For some reason I think no-bake should be no-cook. So I'm going to be honest with you these Costa Rican Galletas are totally created on the stove top - and you handle them while they are hot - so while they are a no bake cookie, they aren't the coolest option.

I also struggled over what to call these - I first tasted them actually when our Brazilian exchange student made them in 1995 - but it wasn't till I went to Costa Rica in 2000, saw a variation of them made and read a recipe that I remembered them and added them to my own repertoire. Secondly - they aren't really a cookie - they are more of a caramel - but this is what they were called in the Costa Rican cookbook and so this is how I pass it on to you.

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 2 cups coconut (if you don't like coconut - leave it out! The Brazilian version uses cocoa powder)

butter - as needed

ice water

In a large saucepan - add 100 grams - or about 1/2 a cup of butter, add the sweetened condensed milk and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. KEEP STIRRING. If you have a candy thermometer - you are basically going to bring the temperature of the mixture up to soft ball stage. If you can't be bothered - have a cup of ice water handy and occasionally drop portions of the mixture into it and see how it reacts - you want a ball that is still soft and malleable - but not sticky and stingy. Add coconut or cocoa powder and stir. remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. put butter on your hands and quickly form small balls out of the mixture and place it on a parchment lined tray to cool. If you use cocoa instead of coconut - you will need to roll the ball in cocoa powder, ground nuts, or caster sugar, to help it have a bit more substance and retain it's shape. Refrigerate when done and enjoy.

Superbly Simple Sweets - part 2

And so continues my no-bake recipes. The eastern part of Croatia is well known for its desserts. One, the madgarica, is a small "cake" bar cookie that if made domestically and totally from scratch consists of 7 thin layers of white biscuit and 6 layers of chocolate filling, topped with a dark chocolate "glaze". When made completely from scratch - it is a bit more time consuming but very yummy. This shortcut version was taught to me by one of my grannies. It tastes and looks just as good but is made in a quarter of the time.

Easy Croatian Madgarica

1 or 2 boxes of graham crackers or tea biscuits - preferably square

Chocolate pudding or custard filling - the more chocolaty the better. When you prepare the custard, make it more liquidy than normal (for an extra zip and to add that more homemade touch - try adding a tablespoon of liquor to the mix-works best if you have the stove top pudding mix so the alcohol cooks out).

2 bars (200 grams) dark chocolate

Butter

milk

Prepare the pudding as directed on the box. Take a 9x12 pan and line the bottom with the cookies. Apply a generous portion of the custard and smooth evenly over the cookie layer. repeat this process 4 - 5 times till you reach the top of the pan - you should have at least 4 and maybe 5 layers of cookie and your very last layer will be a cookie layer. If your pudding mix was a stove top mix, put it the pan in the fridge to cool. Take the chocolate bars and melt on the stove in a double boiler, adding a small bit of milk and butter to make the mixture more spreadable. Remove the pan from the fridge and spread the chocolate glaze over the top. To finish- try to spread the chocolate as smooth as possible - or take a fork and make straight lines down the length of the pan. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into thin, finger length pieces and serve.

Superbly Simple Sweets - part 1

With the heat - and no air conditioning - I decided to make a no-bake lemon cookie recipe that a friend gave me while in Northern Ireland (Thanks M!). I served them with this and the whole meal was easy and a hit. ( I really wanted to make this but Alister said it was too strange for Ukrainian guests - I'm making it tonight for us ;->)

So I decided to share my collection of four super delicious no-bake desserts that I've picked up on my travels. To come: Costa Rican Galletas de Coco, Easy Croatian Madjarica, and Ukrainian Chocolate Sausage.

No-Bake Frosted Lemon Bars - via Northern Ireland

For a 9x12 pan
1/2 cup (100 grams) butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 lemon, juiced and zested (may add more juice and zest if more zip is desired)
1 1/2 cups (250 grams) crushed cookies (Graham crackers, tea biscuits, or animal cookies)
1 cup flaked coconut ** optional - but add more cookies if you leave out

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and sweetened condensed milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Stir in crushed biscuits, lemon juice and zest, and coconut (if desired); mix well. Press evenly into pan and refrigerate overnight.

Frosting:
1/2 cup (100 grams) butter (softened)
250 grams powdered sugar
lemon juice

Mix powdered sugar and butter together - add lemon juice to make it into a smooth, spreadable consistency - spread on top of cookie bars. Slice and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

Books

Currently listening to Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. You know you're enjoying a book when it sends you to look up the author or some info about the story. (A Golden Age - interestingly another debute book - also sent me seeking info).

Hotel was a very pleasant surprise - some books with a lot of hype are just here today gone tomorrow - I haven't finished this yet - but it seems to surpass that. But - maybe I'm just biased because the story is set in Seattle :- )

Weather Update

The weather here continues to be hot and awful. We also have smog and smoke - but nothing like what you might be reading about for Moscow. Still, today I woke at 4:30 to a sky that should have been dawning but was instead dense with smoke. We closed all the windows and sweated through the rest of the morning - we learned later that it was from fires in the exclusion zone. Great. The sky still looks gray - but I don't smell smoke anymore and my nose is has stopped sneezing and running - so we opened the windows. i don't know what it will do to any crops - but i'm personally praying for rain just to break the heat and clean all this noxious stuff out of the air.

Pistachio Ice Cream

During my pregnancy - I didn't really have a lot of cravings. On a normal day I have cravings, so I'm not sure that pregnancy really affected me much in that way. As with most cravings that I have, there actually isn't much I can do about it - as we live in Ukraine - except put it on my list of things to have in back in the states. Currently this includes eating a Reuben sandwich, having a regular roast beef sandwich with Arby's sauce from Arby's and consuming a pint of Ben& Jerry's "Pistachio Pistachio" Ice Cream.

Even during our trip to the UK, i stayed alert and checked out each and every freezer section and Ben & Jerry's ice cream machine we passed in the airport - hoping that Pistachio might be among its number. Alas, it was not to be.

BUT . . . The Ukrainian frozen food company, The 3 Bears, must have cued in

on my craving as they have just released a new flavor - Pistachio. While the flavor is not as richly intense and zingy as the Ben& Jerry's - the ie cream is incredibly creamy and delicious. Three bears was already a winner for their tasty "royal sherbert" (vanilla ice cream with chocolate flakes and your choice of dried cherry or apricot bits) - but adding pistachio makes them a definite winner for pint ice cream. Rud still wins on individual cones - especially their Empire Series featuring the Tortufo and Apricot yogurt cones.

While there aren't really ice cream parlors here - (and the ones that are here feature Italian style ice cream) the prefabricated cones are delicious (always advertising that they are made with real milk (what other type of milk is there???? they never fail to be extra creamy), accessible (every street corner in the summer) - and affordable (less than a dollar for the Empire cones - but a plain vanilla or Chocolate will only put you out 25 cents) Summer in Ukraine is HOT but yummy.

The battle of 95

The phrase "fighting the heat" has always been one that I've said without thinking. It has just meant that its hot, slightly uncomfortable, that I would of course be happy if it was a bit cooler. I never thought of it as an actual action, of physically "fighting" . . . until this year.

Unlike Alister, I grew up with heat. We had hot summers but they were also dry and dry heat is always more bearable than humidity. We also lived in a house, surrounded by trees and a big swamp cooler that rumbled away on the top floor in summer months and cooled the whole house.

Philadelphia was hot, but in America there are so many places you can go to get out of the heat even if you don't have air conditioning in your home. I was also working the summer I was in Philly - and there was air conditioning at work.

In Kiev, living in an apartment with a baby, there is only so much you can do and you begin to realize that people do die from the heat, especially babies. Suddenly it hits home that you really are fighting the heat. There is no offensive plan in the battle, it is purely defense, and this in and of itself makes you feel a bit hunted.

A warm front has come up from Africa and covered Northern Europe. And the heat is staying. There is no wind, not even a breeze. At night, running a fan in front of the window all night, the temperature in the room didn't even go down a degree. So far we are losing the battle. On Sunday, the lowest temperature in our apartment was 31 degrees (88F) today it has risen to 33 (91F). We have all retreated to the bedroom. Kiev is not a young child friendly place. I can't pack the baby up and go sit in an air conditioned cafe or mall. There are no baby changing stations, no real acceptance of public nursing - at least you never see it. I did nurse publicly once when my mother-in-law was here and we went for coffee, but we got some looks. But even if we did leave the house -how to get from point A to B in the least and coolest amount of time is also a challenge that needs strategic thought.

And so we sit in the bedroom, the ceiling fan running, another fan blowing on high over frozen water bottles, and the cat panting under the bed.

Saphira is miserable. Her activity time now consists of a cold bath, or sponging her with cool water. The heat has succeeded where tiredness and a string of visitors in Northern Ireland didn't - it has made a very unhappy, crying baby. And such a mournful cry. The heat has also put us back on a 2.5 hour routine where as we were almost up to 3.5 hours before. This is normal, apparently, as breastfed babies drink less, but more often, to cope with the heat and get the high water content that they need to manage the heat.

Today we left the house at 7 am and just sat under the trees until 8:30. Already it was getting hot and so we came back to our closed, dark, hot apartment.

The sidewalk in front of our home - normally a busy thoroughfare of activity throughout the day was empty yesterday - not a soul from 9am until after 6:30 pm. The market is only open from 9am until 7 - and so the question is also how to take care of the shopping - fresh veggies and meat - with a small baby in the heat? How to do the shopping in the supermarkets in the evening with a baby who knows it is time to sleep for the night at 7:30? And how to put a baby to bed in the heat when she likes to be swaddled and wakes herself up without it, when the temperatures mean that any added layer of fabric is a torture?

So we sit and strategize our next line of defense in the battle over our apartment.

Traveling with infants

Well we did it and are none the worse the wear after a day of getting caught up on naps. Saphira now has her first stamps in her passport and can, after completing 4 flight segments, be considered a seasoned flyer.

She did very well - the only time she cried was when she hit her head on a seatbelt while we were trying to get into the seat.

Even Airport security was a breeze as GATWICK had a special line for handicapped people and those traveling with children - so it was 1) shorter, 2) everyone in it had tons of stuff too so we weren't holding anyone up.

The only pain was we were carrying a car seat and they are a bit awkward -especially when juggling luggage! But it was much cheaper to rent the car seat for 1 month ($10) than get it from the car rental company for a week ($45). Ironically, to carry it over on Ryan Air cost $15 - more than the rental, but the combined cost was still less than getting through the car company - so worth the hassle. However, Ryan Air has sunk to least favorite discount airline.

I was very pleased to discover that I didn't pack unnecessarily for Saphira - we used everything!

England and Northern Ireland were blissfully cool and mostly sunny - so it was almost tragic to leave that and return to 35C temps and scorching sun here in Kiev.

So far - a one time occurance.

Heat Wave

Alister's Parents have been here the last week and it has been a scorcher - up to 35 C. While they like escaping to sunny spots from NI - this, I think, was a bit much. Our apartment wasn't really the cool sanctuary either as indoor temperatures crested at 30C. There are drawbacks to a 14th floor apartment.

With the Heat bearing down - we took advantage of their presence to install a ceiling fan in a our bedroom. Alister's Dad was invaluable in the installation process and he got a peek at Soviet wiring - no multi-colored wires and a bit of guess work.

The fan - even on its lowest setting - makes a huge difference and will be wonderful through July and August - our typically hottest months.

Our cat, meanwhile, had a close encounter of the "whack" kind. He has been jumping up (to our dismay) on the bedroom wardrobes. We didn't see it, but we heard sounds similar to his jumping followed by a very upset cat running into the hallway and arching his back at our bedroom - his eyes fixed on the fan and his whiskers quivering. None the worse for wear as far as we can tell - it has made him more cautious - he tested the bed gingerly with one paw before jumping up on it and spent the next half hour staring up at the blades going round and round before he decided it was safe enough to stop watching it and at least lay down on the bed. We'll see how long it takes him to try jumping on the wardrobe again - but I hope its taught him his lesson.

Chamomile and other "herbs"

Its amazing the things you find in your local Apteka (aka drugstore). Sage, for instance, and fennel and many other herbs that we in the States would expect to find in the seasoning aisle of the supermarket are here not used for cooking, but rather for healing. While you can sometimes find the rare small seasoning pack of a more obscure (for here) herb - the vendor has no idea of the tasty meals that await its addition - they know it only for its medicinal properties when used as a tea, gargle, or bath additive. (When asked what I used rosemary for, I told the vendor how tasty it was with scrambled eggs and onion - she looked at me warily).

After returning from Isida, I have been discovering the magical properties of Chamomile. It was actually "prescribed" on the list of things to buy for the baby, right there under fingernail clippers. Needless to say - we didn't buy the chamomile, but a few days passed and the Saphira began to get "spotty" and so we added some tea bags to her bath water as recommended. The redness went away. It has worked on heat rash and infant acne. And, as I looked for home recipes for diaper rash ointment that could be used in cloth diapers, I discovered that chamomile was again high on the ingredient list. At saphira's first pediatrician appointment, she was prescribed Viburcol herbal suppositories which supposedly replicate the effect of infant aspirin as a fever reducer and tranquilizer without any other side effects. (It was supposed to counter any effects of the Hep B shot and I started using it before I found out what it did - she was extra calm - but she is pretty mellow anyway and as there was no fever i discontinued use when I learned what it did exactly).

Today, I've just been prescribed two different anti inflammatory - one a rinse that is apparently commonly used by dentists and the other a cream - both with chamomile extract. Ukrainians commonly know and rely on these home remedies. When Alister was sick with a very sore throat, a friend from church stopped by with a big box of Sage and told him to gargle with it - another woman told us to put it in boiling water and inhale for congestion. You can poo-poo these things as much as you want - but they seem to work and are a heck of a lot cheaper than standard western prescriptions.

Baby Wearing outside the PNW

Baby wearing is a relatively new phenomenon here in Ukraine. And even that is limited to - mostly around the home and primarily in commercial carriers - such as a baby bjorn or an ergo or something similar. Walking around my neighborhood - you will see strollers. Lots and lots of strollers and prams - but for some things they are just bulky - it is much faster to put the kid in a carrier to run to the store for a quick purchase than have to deal with a stroller. Don't get me wrong - we have a stroller, and will be using it - but especially now while she is small- I'm using a sling.

Slings are sold in Ukraine -but I have never seen one in use. In fact, there is a Ukrainian company that is making them (they sell other "eco" and granola-y products as well that you can't find anywhere else - like organic wood chew toys and diaper liners) and on their website they specifically say that "Our store is quite unusual and the list of our merchandise for young mothers is very unique" -In other words - the baby wearing revolution is far from here.

As I walk around with my sling - I get a lot of stares. As far as I can tell, Ukrainians are in shock that 1) I am carrying a baby out and about so young, and 2) that she is in a sling and not flat on her back in a pram. Aside from the general stares -Ive received 3 polite inquiries from strangers into what I am doing and if it is safe and 1 out right lecture which I walked away from after politely explaining that her back was straight, that she could hear my heart, and that it was comfortable for her.

But, obviously, as a new, conscientious parent, after the 1st inquiry I did do a search and found that most doctors recommend baby wearing - if done correctly. Wikipedia raves about it. In fact, I couldn't find a single site saying pediatricians were against it. On the contrary - I found sites that said it helped head development, hip development, and reduced crying. Sounds like a winner to me. Moreover, the position she takes in the sling is exactly the same position she goes into naturally when I lay her on her stomach or place her on my shoulder.

Here are a few more reasons why we like slings:

1) They are the most affordable way to transport a child from 0 - 2 years (or more if your back holds up!). I made my ring sling for $8. Even on the Ukrainian site - slings cost a fraction of the price of a more "traditional" carrier"

2) Slings are easier to learn how to use than wraps and "carries" are more versitile than "traditional" carriers.

3) Slings can easily be adjusted for mommy and daddy without a headache

4) In Ukraine - w/o carseat laws (and we don't have a car) we feel that having the baby tightly in a sling around mommy or daddy adds a bit of security in a taxi or on a bumpy metro. (Safer than a mother's arms?)

5) The excess fabric on a sling works as a nursing cover

6) The sling is the most lightweight carrier (unless you have a super bulky fabric)

7) The excess fabric works as a sun cover - or a germ cover on the metro - or a cover for sitting on the ground or bench (note - wash sling frequently).

Queen of Spades

In the week before Saphira arrived, we were on a rush against the clock to do as much as possible with my mom in the city so that her trip wouldn't just be a view from our apartment and the hospital window. We did ok - we got to the Andrew's descent, took her to the village to see the mud hut (she thinks we're crazy), had a quick walk down Kreshatik to Independence square while getting documents translated - and even fit in a trip to the opera.

We went to see Queen of Spades - appropriate in that not only was it a fun trip to the opera - but it was a Russian opera by Tchaikovsky at that.

One thing that strikes you when you go to the opera - even in a language that you can understand - is that you really can't catch too many of the words anyway. I wonder if back in the day when Opera was the main source of entertainment if people were accustomed to catching the words- or if the melody and performance was the main attraction.

The story was great - a typical opera tragedy - but an interesting plot and theme that came from a short story originally written by Pushkin- why it hasn't been drawn on for a Hollywood version is probably only due to the fact that it is Russian.

The only downside to the performance is that the piece is apparently very challenging for the main character as he appears and sings in every scene. Therefore, the only scene that he sang in full voice was the last (apparently the most famous song and scene in the opera)- and that was wonderful - but for most of the opera you could barely make him out. Other than that we had a great time and mom got to see the opera house and attend her first ever opera.

Debute

Saphira made her public debut into the world at 12 days old when she attended church with us. This may seem a little late by US standards - I made an appearance at 6days old myself - but in Ukraine Babies in public before a month old (except for the daily 2 hour stroll) is unheard of. The risk of germs etc - is too great. On the one hand, its nice, it is one less thing that the mother needs to worry about - on the other hand - how long do they expect me to sit at home? Another side note, people wondered why I wasn't in the hospital a week before my due date waiting for the bay to arrive. It was enough torture waiting at home for the baby to arrive - what am I going to do in the hospital all that time?? Esp if she had been past her due date?

Anyway - everyone loved seeing the baby - but no one asked to hold her (she is too small and germs etc). Everyone was aghast that she had bare legs (she was very warm in the onesie, dress, sweater, and socks - believe me - her legs were not suffering and there WAS a blanket) and the most common comment was - oh she is so small how many "months" is she? once again demonstrating that it is uncommon for a baby to appear in public earlier than 1 month - 40 days after its birth. One woman - when I responded that she was 12 days - took a GIANT step back from us and said we were very brave.

Saphira took it all very well - slept through the entire service and only proceeded to fuss once we got home. We don't know how we managed to get such a nice, mellow baby- but are very thankful for her.

Changes

Well, as of April 13th, we are a family of three :- )

For anyone considering giving birth in Ukraine, I highly recommend ISIDA. We found the care top notch, cheaper than the equivalent in the US and really above and beyond the call of duty. Most importantly - they were willing to listen to pretty much all of our requests and were slow to do interventions despite the fact that I had a not so normal delivery since my water broke before contractions started. (When we came into the clinic at 1:30am - the doctor looked at me with this "how could you do such a thing" look and said - so are you the one whose water broke?- Which I found humorous, like I can control when my water broke?!) Anyway - we are thrilled and very pleased with the entirety of care we received at ISIDA and recommend them 100%.

My mom has been here to help out - which is a God-send as I don't know what the house would have looked like or what we would have eaten the first 2 weeks. Now, I am slowly able to do things - a load of laundry on my own and dinner were my achievements of yesterday - though I missed having a nap.

1st impressions of parenthood? Well - we were given lots of baby clothes and blankets- and I didn't see how we could possibly use them all. However - over the last three days we have soiled 7 blankets, 1 crib sheet, and 10 baby shirts/onesies etc. I had no idea. I mean 7 blankets!!

The next observation is swaddling. Somehow - in all our blankets - we didn't have one that was really acceptable for an American style swaddle - they were either too small to be effective or too heavy to be comfortable. However- in the hospital - they showed us a different swaddle - a Russian swaddle. After finally obtaining a decent sized swaddle blanket (Thanks Dawn!) I have decided that still the Russian swaddle is not only easier - but more effective. It can be used with both square and rectangular blankets (and a smaller size as well - even the receiving blankets worked for the first two weeks until she started stretching her legs out more) and so can be used as the baby gets bigger if you use a long piece of rectangular fabric. It is easier in that you don't have all this holding of the arms down as you fold fabrics and make little tucks and pleats. The main key is pulling the arms tight and making sure that when you wrap and "tie" the legs, that the arm fabric is trapped underneath the leg wrap.

Unfortunately - I have only found this one video demonstrating the "Russian Swaddle" method - but as I don't have a lot of time right now - and in the interest of spreading the ease of a tightly wrapped swaddle - I am including it.

Wear'n o the green

So it's not St. Patrick's day - in fact it is 10 days late - But Alister was gone for St. Patrick's Day and though he isn't Irish, he does like St. Patrick (who doesn't) so today we are having green cake.

The cake isn't Irish either - in fact its Japanese, but it is delicious. Even if you do something wrong and it doesn't turn out lovely and fluffy, it will still be delicious - it is just that type of cake.

Sorry - you'll have to use a scale because I haven't converted the measurements from the recipe my Japanese friend gave me.

Green Tea and White Chocolate Cake - or Green Tea Gateau Chocolat

Ingredients

180 - 200 grams white chocolate (about 2 large bars)

100 grams butter (about 1 stick)

2 Tbsp rum (optional - and have never added it)

1/4 cup heavy cream (have substituted skim milk with no ill-effect - but you do lose slightly on richness)

30 grams flour

1 tsp baking powder

30 grams (may add extra) green tea powder (you can grind your own using a coffee grinder - but you want an extra fine grind so that it looks like flour)

3 eggs, separated

30 grams sugar

30 grams sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 F

2) Grease and flour a single round cake pan

3) Separate eggs and set whites aside

4) In a Medium saucepan add: Cream, white chocolate, butter, and 30 grams of sugar. Add rum if desired.

5) Cook on low heat while stirring with a whisk until everything is melted and well blended.

6) Temper egg yolks and add to chocolate mixture

7) Add flour, green tea powder, and Baking powder to chocolate mixture and mix well (tip - you can ensure the dry ingredients are more thoroughly mixed by mixing them together separately before adding them to the chocolate mixture)

8) Set mixture aside.

9) Beat egg whites to make meringue, gradually adding remaining 30 grams of sugar. Beat till stiff peaks firm. You may add a dash of salt or cream of tartar to aid in the meringue process.

10) Gently fold half of the meringue into the chocolate mixture

11) Fold in the remaining meringue (doing it in parts helps keep the meringue fluffy while ensuring a thorough mix)

12) Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes - if you don't get the meringue right - your cake will be slightly more compact and more brownie than cake like - Alister actually like it better that way. If you have leftovers - you should store them in the fridge.

The cake is served without icing - but to make it fancier - try drizzling white chocolate on top or serve with ice cream:- )

Spring at last

Finally - the snow has melted and some days - the sky is even sunny. Even though for now the scenery is still dull and grey (and now a bit muddy!) the thrill of no snow is exhilerating. I no longer cringe with dread with the thought of going outside. Soon the grass will begin to come in and the trees will begin to bloom. I planted basil and rosemarry on the balcony and we'll see if the mint comes back or not - I bout a package of catnip but am debating about planting it - I wonder if Haggai doesn't have enough energy :-)

Yes, spring is finally here - The only thing missing is a box full of baby chics or ducklings :-)

O'Henry

Alister is in Wales and so I am taking the opportunity to clean, cook and listen to books on tape. Today, I listened to some O'Henry short stories. I loved O'Henry when I was younger -I remember that the stories were engaing and often full of the ironic. Today, listening to them read, I realized for the first time that O'Henry wrote with Rythm and Rhyme. - his stories are definately prose, but his writing has a natural, conversant flavor with enough description and cadence that you can actually hear a rythm and a rhyme as the text is read - I specifically noticed this in the Elsie in Manhattan story - in fact the ending was quite disspointing because the final lines broke the cadence.

It's interesting the things you notice when you hear a text vs. just reading it.

Pet Peeve with a capital B

In my general writing, I have to admit that I am not a grammar, spelling, or punctuation queen. I know the rules - but when I am just typing something off I fall into the pitfalls of the over-computerized, text message and e-mail generation in which we live - no caps, no spell check, no complete sentences. Still - there is a time and a place for properly punctuated and extrapolated thought.

One of those places should be online articles. I write occasionally for Helium, when I have time and either feel strongly about a particular subject, know enough about it to write a decent article in a short amount of time, or think I know enough about the subject to earn money for it.

In this way, I've ended up with quite a few articles in the Religion and Spirituality Channel. Helium is like a writers co-op - you provide feedback on articles rating them good or bad and the more you rate the more profit share you get. It's in their interest to have you rate articles and so they refer you to articles in channels you have written for - so I see a wide breadth of "Religion and Spirituality"

Which brings me to my Pet Peeve with a capital B

A growing number of people are failing to capitalize Bible.

While it is true that the Bible, when used adjectivally (such as biblical or Julia Child's cookbook is the bible of for French cooking in America) whenever it is used as a noun referring to the Word of God - it should under ALL circumstances be capitalized.

Says who?

Any style guide you refer to

http://www.libraryonline.com/default.asp?pID=48

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/1/

More disturbingly, I have also been seeing this trend in some online magazines and newspapers.

I believe this directly reflects society's opinion that the Bible is not the Word of God - in fact, in some feminist theological writing I was recently reviewing to help Alister with his paper - the Author deliberately began using the term Bible as a lowercase word in her later writings, reflecting her own progression in view the Bible as a non-sacred text.

But guess what - no matter what your opinion of the Bible is - to not capitalize it is wrong because it refers to the name of a book, thus making it a proper noun. It would be just as wrong to talk about reading the catcher in the rye, war and peace, or horton hears a who (which, by the way is doubly wrong because not only is it the title of a book, but also contains a 1st name which must be capitalized as well).

So it's Bible - with a capital B

Our winter

The snow is slowly starting to melt and this is bringing new hazards - falling icicles:
Excerpt from the Kyiv Post :

It’s the season of falling ice, a perilous time in Kyiv - Yuliya Popova

. . . The snowfalls have been more than brief flurries this winter. And the layers of packed snow and ice have brought their own hardship: One person has been killed and thousands have been injured on Kyiv’s slippery streets.

Until the spring thaw, Kyivans are warned to walk as far from buildings as they can and to look up so as to get out of the way of falling icicles and ice blocks.

Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, long thought to be on vacation somewhere warm, even snapped into action. He asked citizens to alert him about dangerous ice-block formations on the city’s roofs and promised to remove them – pronto. . . ." I appeal to all Kyivans not to be indifferent and to call me personally 1551 and report icicles,” he said on Feb 19. . . . ..

For some people, however, this wake-up call came too late. Pensioner Galyna Zinyuk, 78, was one of them. She went out for a walk with her husband on Feb 21 to the Park of Glory in the Pechersk district and was hit by a brick of ice. It dropped from the roof of the National State Transport University and landed right on Zinyuk’s head. According to witness reports, she died on the spot. . . . .City authorities called a few emergency meetings to respond to the icy crisis. “All the dangerous places near buildings should be sealed off with warning tapes, and I particularly request that Kyiv residents walk around such zones,” Chernovetsky said.

Municipal workers followed the orders, cordoning off many pavements with red-and-white tape. Cars parked along curbs took a good share of the remaining walking space, leaving people the choice of venturing under roofs or dodging speeding traffic.

“We receive 30 to 35 people daily,” said Yevhen Kasyan, a doctor in the Shevchenko accident clinic. It’s twice more than last year, he said, and "there are more fractures than before.”

There are still many icicles in the city and, with the weather getting warmer, they would be showering down in the blink of an eye. “If a five-kilo ice block falls from the fourth floor, it hits the ground with the power of more than 75 kilos,” said Nikolayev.

Anxious citizens say it is time for business owners and city officials to do their math and remove the dangerous ice clusters before it is too late.

Proactivity

Just thought that you should know that the Department of State has reviewed their fees for many of the services – passports, visas, services while abroad – etc. You can review the fees by looking at the PDF here http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a8ffe8

In a nutshell, some fees – such as getting a passport are increasing slightly (27% + $20 increase for the security surcharge) while other fees are increasing whole lot (adding pages to your passport because you filled it up with stamps during the 10 years validity period – going from free to $80 – just $30 short of applying for a whole new passport!!)

You can comment on the fees up until March 8^th, 2010!!!!

If you think these fees might affect you, you might review the document above and read their reasoning for changing the fees and comment on areas where you approve or disapprove.

And – if you’re not interested in doing any of that – then you might at least want to consider renewing, refilling, or applying for a passport before the fees increase to save yourself a few bucks.

If you do decide to send comments – they can be submitted by e-mail to fees@state.gov RIN (1400–AC58) should be included in the subject line of the e-mail.

Wishing

I'm wishing very very hard on the first star to make it through the foggy night that i'll wake up tomorrow and there will be no snow.

I'm wishing vainly, but I'm wishing all the same.

Sunday was beautiful. It was the first day I hadn't worn 2 layers of long-johns. In fact, i was a real rebel and didn't wear any long-johns though i still had two cardigans on over my sweater. We walked out to the metro to church and the sun was shining, the birds were singing and despite the muck and lakes of melting snow - I felt that spring was definitely in the air.
By 6 o'clock the sky was gray and great big snow flakes were falling. The big fluffy kind that don't fall individually, but fall in colonies. Fluffy colonies of snowflakes falling gently to the ground. It could have been pretty - if it had come in December or November and if it hadn't turned into a full fledged exodus of snowflake colonies storming from the sky in uncountable numbers. But just that morning it had smelled like spring - and so the snow, no matter how fluffy just didn't seem pretty.

Our cat enjoyed it tremendously. Big snowflake colonies must look like small birds or bugs to him because he meowed his hunting meow and swished his tail. We even opened the window for him and he managed to catch a few of them - probably wondered how the disappeared so fast and thinking they tasted extra delicious and water flavored.

Today again the sky was bright and sunny - but the temperature had dropped and air didn't quite have the essence of spring - but all the same I am wishing.

Joy

You might remember my post from December 2008 that described the ignoble process of paying ones bills here in Ukraine.
Well - after a very long shuffle of head honchos within our apartment building, (due to the summer no water fiasco and the revelation that 14 apartments hadn't been paying bills for like 10 years) we have apparently signed on with a larger company that is in charge of tracking payments for utilities and apartment services - AKA Komunalni Service.
At the same time - an online company, Portmone , has been steadily expanding its corporate clients and allowing individuals to pay their bills online.

This month marked the first month where we could pay EVERYTHING - internet, phone, electric, water, and apartment services - online - all for the meager fee of $1.05 for using the service. Well worth it to NOT stand in line for over an hour and having people cut and yell at you or tell you you can't pay because you wrote in the wrong color of ink or didn't do such and such (after standing line for more than an hour).

I was so happy, I literally danced a jig.

A view on homemaking

Lots of studies have been coming out recently on the actual value of a second income - most saying that the costs incurred by having two people working outside of the home actually exceed the benefits. Interesting - but what about the money spent on the degree and the boredom experienced by many in doing the same thing day in and day out? While I'm not technically a full-fledged homemaker - having plenty of other things that keep me busy and no children (yet) - i still get tired of how a freshly cleaned living room is no longer clean, or a tidy kitchen has suddenly sprouted a mountain of dishes. (How can two people make so many dishes???)

This article from OpenDemocracy is a very different take on homemaking - promoting it as a radical life choice that does a better job of saving the planet, building peace, and creating economic balance than a UN commission. In the article she presents a brief historical overview of the household, showing a transition from a unit of production to a unit of consumption.

More election news

So the 2nd round of the Presidential elections happened Sunday and true to Ukrainian tradition it won't be the last as it looks like Tymoshenko is going to dispute the elections - despite the fact that the OSCE said that this was a model example of free and fair elections.

As you can see the election split the country in half - with the west voting for Tymoshenko and the East voting for Yanokovych. This is the sharpest election divide yet. Even the Kiev Oblast, which has traditionally been more balanced - had a 70% turnout for Tymoshenko. This doesn't bode well and it will take some delicate politics not to isolate half the country and promote extremism and separatism.

Perks of Eastern Europe

In 2005, I bought a pair of black boots with heels. My feet are wide, and I've had foot surgery - so I am very picky about the shoes I wear. These looked great and they were super comfortable and so they were winners. Since that time, I've worn them well - so well that I've actually had the heel replaced on them 6 times - which brings me to perk #1 - shoe repair places. Whereas shoe repair in America is hard to come-by and almost the price you paid for your shoe, here your shoe can be good as new for just a few dollars. In the states, my boots would have ended up in a landfill by now and I would have had to buy another pair (true - I probably wouldn't have walked through 6 heels in the states - but that is another issue)

Perk # 2 - Watch repair. Also on virtually every street corner, are watch kiosks. New batteries, an oil job, links, fine tuning, they'll fix it for a few dollars and if he is really good - will even give a you a month or two guarantee on the work.

Perk#3 - Tailors. In every dry cleaner and at least in every neighborhood - you can have your cloths repaired - jeans shortened, zippers replaced, a new variation sewn into those pants to transform them into the latest trend - all for a few dollars. In fact, last year i made a ring sling for a girl in our church who had just had a baby - and I decided to put in different rings - I didn't want to go back and borrow my friends sewing machine again - so i just popped into a tailor - and she replaced the rings for me - in fact - it looked WAY nicer than when I had done it originally.

And then there are the electronic markets where you can take your Tvs, your mobile phones, your lights - anything - and have it fixed. Notice a trend? The perks are that you don't have to go, rush out and buy something new. Yes, sometimes you do - we couldn't find a coffee pot replacement to save our life - but for the most part, you can repair what you have for a reasonable amount. Half the problem in the states is that if you do want to repair something - it costs almost as much as buying it new - so why not buy it new?
But I like my old shoes, and my old watch, and my just the right length jeans perfectly well.

Enterprise

When I was little, I was a salesman. It started when my sister, 5 years older than me, took me around the neighborhood to help her sell her school chocolates - who can refuse a cute grade-schooler and a lisping toddler? As I got older, not only was I one of the top newspaper sellers for our little corner of the world, but I was also the kid out with a lemonade stand - only it wasn't lemon aid - it had to be something bigger, better, and more unique. So I would persuade my friends to sell marigold seeds, or rocks, or snow-cones.

If I spoke Russian - really spoke Russian - had $1000 free dollars and no job, I would be selling ledoxods - Ice Walkers.

Soon, after writing the post about our icy weather - my unobservant husband spotted an add for these miraculous inventions while reading about the Ukrainian elections. Like yak traks or a similar product they were cheaper than their American counterparts and for just 3 dollars extra, would deliver.

If I spoke Russian - really spoke Russian - I would be doing jumping jacks on the ice in front of the metro entrances and I would sell at least 50 ice walkers a day. You can run on the ice. I can stroll past young men in their prime as they shuffle along like grannies - In heels, in boots, there is no other word but amazing to describe them.

If I were running for Ukrainian president, I would had them out to all the babushka's - the target group that needs them most but would be hardest put to afford them - even though for a working Ukrainian they are quite reasonable - I would consider it a social help investment that's cheaper than buying plows and salt - and definitely less labor intensive than sending out the men with pick axes (really) to chop through the 6 in layer of ice that lies on top of the roads (really - little men out with pick axes chopping at the ice and slowly the market places and the sidewalks in front of the stores that employ them are cleared - the municipal property - bus stops, metros and the like - are still veritable ice rinks.)

Easy to slip on and off, I've found that while i can walk in them in the metro, It's better to slip them off - esp. if I have to transfer. Even if the snow melts tomorrow - This has definitely been the best $13 dollars I've spent in Ukraine.

Another year another election

Yesterday was the 1st round of the presidential election in Ukraine.
No surprises, the two candidates to emerge for the vote were Yanukovich (widely seen as pro-russian and less democratic) and Tymoshenko (populist and pro-west)

What was a surprise was the election itself - maybe it was the crisis - maybe the candidates had other tricks up their sleeves - but their wasn't the flurry of tents and gimmicks that normally abound. However, I did learn, that the majority of excess canidates who were running without a hope - were actually being sponsored by one of the main candidates - The idea being to steal votes from the other candidate and then collect them again in the 2nd round? Anyway - in order to get your name on the list of candidates you need millions of grivnen - so maybe there wasn't the overload of campaign posters and flags - but there was still a lot of money being wasted.
One guy - reportedly sponsored by Yanukovich - officially changed his name to "Protiv Vse" - Or our equivalent of none of the above - clever write in strategy if I do say so myself.

Frightful

Well - winter seems to be awful all over. This year I guess we have our first "real" Ukrainian winter - ie - the winter everyone thinks we have all the time.
2 weeks of -16C weather that felt colder with windchill, followed by a slight warming up and snow and snow and snow. The first days of snow was great - nice big fluffy things. Then it got nasty with storms taking down trees and driving hard pellets of icy snow.
Streets and sidewalks don't get clean here. The more people walk on a path, the icier and slushier it becomes. Metros and pedestrian underpasses are perilous because you have flights of outdoor cement steps covered in uncleared snow and ice. I've been lucky enough to only slip once (right in front of the apartment) but Alister has fallen several times and I've seen many another person take a tumble as well - one down the flight of metro steps at Beresteska. Just one of those things that reminds you that we are not in a handicapped accessible or old people friendly city.
After that - we had three days of +1C temperatures. This was great, in that it was incredibly warmer. You think that freezing is cold until you have something really cold to compare it to (Am listening now Shackleton's account of his voyage on the Endurance - South - and he says the same - but living in arctic water for so long - they actually thought melting was uncomfortably warm!!! - i'm not at that level of desensitization yet). Anyway - this turned much of the snow and ice into slush and lakes. The drainage in the parking lots don't work because 1) who's job is it actually to clean them, and 2) the grate covers keep getting stolen and so to save the cars from falling into holes - they get filled up with tires, tree branches - and everything else - this obviously doesn't help the drainage.

Now it has frozen again - and all that water - you guessed it - solid ice. And all that slush? Also solid ice - so between slipping along, you get to also stumble over deeply pitted and rutted icy ground.

The only reliable way to travel in this - and really any weather is by metro (if you can make it down the steps) Above ground - you are hard pressed to get a taxi (and they've raised their rates), the tramvays and trolleybuses are sporadic. And wherever the metro doesn't go you use your feet. Boots here are very important. A good winter boot with treads, inner lining, and fashion sense (we are in the capital city - do you think we can just walk around in moon boots?) A good pair is expensive - but worth it as you stay warm and are less likely to fall. A family I knew put it this way - a good pair of winter boots is an investment - we don't have cars and snow tires - we have winter boots - and boy do we use them!


The icewalk near our home.