As you can see in the photo, the squash (light green are the Ukrainian type- those plants grew even better than the zuchinni when it was dry) have multiplied in size and number with the recent rain- I braved the mud to pick these Tuesday morning and even picked a pepper (a few tomatoes are turning red and the first sweet corn is in tassel- about two/three weeks until corn on the cob for dinner!
Rain fell a few times yesterday morning, but I was able to get the almost dry clothes off the line late in the afternoon as the clouds were building up (missed that one) and hung out Seth's and Jonah's bionicle sheets. They are getting a workout with all the company we have had since they left! I told Garry I would enjoy a day or two of an empty house on Monday (even though all our company have been so charming that they wash the dishes and clean floors and bathrooms!)
Lo and behold, suddenly Tuesday afternoon I got my wish. We drove out around noon to take Julia back to Dneproetreosk to catch a marshuchka back to her village (the VBS is still up in the air- someone else may be organizing one now, but she may come help and bring one or two of her students with her.) Garry is a little disappointed but hopes that there will be one for the children in the village.
Anyway Garry and I went bowling (10 pin) at Most City Centre (big mall downtown) for and hour and got some McDonalds for lunch- I tried the new chicken roll (think wrap but it is a little bland with all that mayo stuff could use some hot sauce!) Bowled another hour and like two weeks ago I managed to bowl decently and get around 120 while Garry was having a bad streak, although he about doubled my score in one game. Good way to get in shape, trying to get as many games in as you can in an hour with just the two of us. Maybe we have finally found a sport we can do together after all these years (I told him he is sinking to my level.)
While we were gone, Maxim, who is still limping (Garry ended up doing all the feeding yesterday morning and missed the cows going out to the field- he was 30 minutes late with the heifers and had to chase them out to the the pond- a long ways)had gotten a neighbor to drive in to Zaporosia to meet his friend who was coming by train from Moscow. We got a phone call on the way home from Max to say he was at home and when would we be back. We drove through a 5 mile downpour a little ways from the village (felt sorry for the guy getting drenched that we passed on the motorcycle) but the sun was shining in the village (I did take the clothes down right away- while Garry went into the house to talk to Maxim.)
We had been surprised by the pile of luggage next to the house, and there were two guys and two girls (looked like they had tea and washed up while they were waiting) and the door was open when we drove in -Box the cat was catching flies all night. Turned out when Maxim had asked Garry about changing our day to drive down to Crimea from Thursday to Friday he meant he would left with his friend(s?) Tuesday after they came and be back on Thursday. Garry is a little busy but I got my empty house wish- we don't even have a car for two days! Like a little anniversary honeymoon (Friday is the big day as facebook keeps reminding me- for a week must be a male feature for reminders- that's why we picked a holiday, Garry always knows it's Canada Day.)
I made omlets for dinner- using the pepper I picked in the morning, now I am going to slice the squash today, dip it in egg and flour and fry it so I can freeze some squash parmesan casseroles to eat next winter (or for Garry and Maxim when I fly home to see the kids in August.)
Victor will be out sometime today- the vacuum pump for the milking system went bad Tuesday at noon while Yana tried it out herself (with Max) Garry didn't have to milk last night. He was out there until eight anyway, since the brewers grain had been delivered a little after seven pm, right when the heifers came home.
He was a little upset after Maxim and friends left, when he went out to feed the cows and discovered that young Andrei, while we were gone had sold all but two wheelbarrow of brewers grain (Garry had halted sales Monday evening so he'd have enough to feed until more came Wednesday before the afternoon sale time. Even though we now have hours for buying it it seems like someone is always showing up at other times who just couldn't get here then. Poor Andrei thought selling it was a good thing, Garry was feeding the cows extra barley silage when I went out to tell him his phone call to Victor (to see if it could come first thing in the morning) had been a success- in fact the truck would be here by six (well more like seven- but he had fresh stuff to feed!)
Right now Garry is feeding the barley silage that was chopped the second day after the repairs to the chopper and it was drier since it sat until afternoon, so it did not ferment well- it is hot and had a bit of white mold on it. The nicer stuff is at the back of the pile from day one. Since there are only half the knives left in the machine (chopper) it makes a longer cut, fine for hay, but he needs to somehow get a new set of knives for it before he does the corn silage in August.
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