we ---- something yesterday

Finally, for the first time since I saw him live in Pennsylvania, I saw Garry live in person on my computer yesterday. I also saw our visitor, who was there when we both were gone, who is staying a few more days after helping Jack with a camp for orphans recently (he wanted to finish working on the little Kubota tractor) , several of the girls who dropped by the house (who were very excited to talk to me), and Maria/Masha to say hello and goodbye. Garry got to see me, our daughter and new granddaughter, who's now three weeks old.

I have had only one note from him since he was in the process of flying back to Ukraine, so I haven't had much to write about until now. He was off to breed a cow for someone in the village the first day he was home, according to Maria, who had sent me a message that he had arrived in the village, after spending a night in Kiev, because his plane was late (Garry prefers traveling on the fast train, and can never resist the cheaper flight into Kiev, and the seven hours on the train, rather than flying straight into DNK, a half hour from home).

I found out he was away at the sea for a few days with some of the grads who did not go for the week of church camp, but worked that week. He also said they had four new students coming, guys or girls, I do not know... or if that includes the ones who visited earlier in the summer, more info on that to come.

So yesterday we had a conversation of sorts, although sometimes words just disappear from the conversation online, so understanding can be tricky sometimes. He said he had just got the grads settled in the apartments, so I guess he found beds and maybe bought couches, which we had not done yet. I had put some stuff aside on the bunks at our house for them, pans and stuff, hoping that he remembered, but we had talked about using those bunk beds anyway. He said the new higher rated (but not as high as we wanted) electric line is supposed to be hooked up in a --- days, when I asked; so hoping that is soon, since they are using a minimal line coming in on an extension cord from the neighbors, just like when we were building in March.

Garry went to the dentist and then saw a doctor yesterday about his earache, that has been bothering him since he flew to Canada three weeks ago, and he is on antibiotics since the dentist said it was a hole in his jaw, I think he said. Hopefully he remembers to take all of them.

All the group home parents are going to be going to Dnepro everyday next week for --- (I assume some kind of conference, since we have paid for them to attend several they considered good training opportunities for working with orphans) so classes will start ---- (I really can't guess, maybe the week after). That was when we decided to hang up, since we both were having problems with hearing and understanding, due to the skips in the conversation.

Garry looked tired and it was after nine pm there and I had a 1:30 in the afternoon appointment in minutes to replace a tire on the car before I drive back to the farm to today so I can take Max Boradin to college on Thursday and get him set for the new semester of studying academic English.

Here, there and everywhere...

We are back.. well, online anyway. Garry is back in Ukraine, and I am in Morden after his family reunion and a couple days with my father in NJ, since I get a couple weeks of fun helping out with the new baby (and taking Max to college next weekend, too).
If you are wondering, there were about 30 Verhoogs missing from the Reunion, and that's just his parents, kids, grandkids and great grandkids ...

(and spouses, of course).

Garry has been spending a few days at the sea with the three students who dd not go to church camp for a week mid-August, they volunteered to stay in the village and work then.

In Canada

We are here in Canada, but the internet service at the farm is poor, so I have not blogged since last week. Garry arrived Sunday night, and on Monday after his doctor appointment in Winnipeg (ankle surgery is set for December 20th, hurrah) we headed to Morden to meet Abigail Ethel Cook who arrived the day before.

Monday we head to Pennsylvania for Garry's family Reunion  and the following Monday he'll be flying back to Ukraine, while I spend some family time before heading back.

Weddings, babies, and airplane flights

We went to Victor's son Denis'  wedding on Saturday, what a lovely day, with a church ceremony followed by many traditional customs, a wonderful banquet and hearing both the bride and groom sing at the reception. We were privileged to be invited to both parts of the day.

 I finished packing my suitcase and Sunday after church Garry dropped me and three of the SEI teachers off at the Dnepro airport to catch flights heading back to North America. After a long day/night/day (I overnighted in a chair in the pre security section of Heathrow 2  with a lady from Pennsylvania until 5 am when it re-opened since our Vienna flight was delayed) I was happy to be on the ground in Winnipeg, even if it took 35 minutes to deplane because of a thunderstorm!

Now I am here and ready to see our new grand baby arrive! Meanwhile I have been cleaning house- nothing like four 20 something guys living in your house for six months and only Max Boradin cleans... he is looking forward to the start of classes in a month. I had fun Tuesday morning with almost one year old Isaac and then babysat the girls while their parents celebrated their anniversary by going out to dinner.

Wednesday morning I drove to Morden to hang out with our very pregnant daughter, and got to experience a big thunderstorm/ monsoon event just as we finished eating dinner; with high winds (111 km/hour officially) and torrential driving rain which changed direction mid-storm and found its way into the house around the picture window and onto the new hardwood floors. We were all running around with towels trying to sop up water in the dark as the power went out around the time we realized the water was streaming down the inside of the window... and then checked the basement with a flashlight (leaving James trying to stem the flooding down the window with a towel) and had a puddle forming down there too, in the room with the sump pump. Mopping by flashlight followed. Afterwards, we discovered there had been a tornado warning while we were doing all this. James went outside as the rain slowed and the sun came back out before setting. There were branches down outside and while our power came back on pretty soon, across the street they were out long after it was fully dark. Some people still had no electricity the next day, and a few unlucky people had trees go throught their roof in town, Morden had the highest winds in the storm, it really looked like a hurricane.

Meanwhile Garry and our friend Clay went on their post SEI trip to the sea. It is disappointing that they can't visit Alupka in Crimea, like in  years past, but it was a shorter drive to the Sea of Azov. They found one of our student friends and her husband at the sea, and had lunch together.
 Sounds like they are enjoying swimming, sunning, reading and relaxing and took a fast boat ride. They will be heading back to the farm today, and then to Kiev on Saturday so Garry can catch his flight Sunday morning and Clay's on Monday.

In Nikoliapolia on the farm they have finished third cut hay and are started to make corn silage. Max Rudei's family and some of the group home parents and students will be going to church camp for a week by the sea for a week while Garry is gone. He will have a busy time Friday getting everything ready for his departure for a couple weeks. He arrives here Sunday evening with a doctor's  appointment to look at his bad ankle Monday afternoon, a week later we are on our way to his family reunion in Pennsylvania. Then he plans to fly back to Ukraine, unless by some miracle he can get that ankle operated on immediately.