Friday

Once again the day started at 4:30 when someone banged on the window, but I went back to sleep, and Garry came back for a short nap after selling the milk. It all comes out of the refrigerated milk tank now- all the metal cans are being retired and the ladies do not have to spend hours scrubbing them out everyday.













By seven he was out getting ready to make cement- he poured two pieces today- a pad in front of one of the brewers grain pits and a nice little pad in front of the milkhouse (just before lunch he had to retrowel this piece when Mint left footprints in it- Polo was tied up so he couldn't get blamed for that one.)You can see he really likes the loader tractor for moving cement around, he was working all by himself.





The milker ladies with the help of one of Luba's sons spent all their free time today planting their garden. Garry worked up an unplanted piece for them two houses down by the alfalfa planted he last year. So they must plan on staying at least until harvest! Garry tells me that the rye field is now 5-6 inches high, the rain fertilizer and warmer weather really got it growing.

Victor called to say he talked to the office and found out that they want to fine us 102 grivina for having too many cows. Somewhere there is supposed to be a regulation saying that a person can have only 10 cows in a village, but they told Victor when he asked that they could not say where this law is in the books. Or how soon one would have to pay the fine again, so we'll see what happens in maybe May. In case you are wondering Victor owns the house and the land so officially he owns the barn and has to deal with the government inspectors. We also found out that the babushka complained that we all hid from the inspectors (apparently the best way to avoid inspection in Ukraine is to have locked doors and gates and not be there when they show up) of course everyone was gone last week so... she thinks she's right.




I got picture of a firetruck as it came past- apparently a manure pile is on fire behind a house in the village- not sure but someone's spring burning must have spread further than they planned.
Garry came in to get the boys to help feed this afternoon so maybe he is still tired from the early morning- Maxim called to ask how the inspection went and laughed when Garry said 4:30 was too early to sell milk.