It turned out that the farmer who was getting the custom operator to make his silage is still waiting for them to arrive two weeks later, so the guys started getting ready to use the old chopper at the beginning of the week. It took a few days, mostly getting the wagons ready to use. They took the metal side off one this spring over by the barn, and when they went to put it back on a couple weeks later, it was gone. Max had to make(weld) a new one. First they had to buy a long piece of metal to make it, so Garry went to Zaporosia on Monday to get it with the two back seats out of the van. He took Oksana to her prenatal checkup at the hospital at the same time, so it took a couple hours. She's due in about an month now, last week she had to go in twice and Kolya Mazhara was working. Garry took her one day, but the second day she went by marschutcha alone, and got on the wrong bus after leaving the hospital and got lost, walked for miles (she had taken the wrong phone and couldn't call). She found the mall finally and borrowed a phone and Max and Kolya picked her up about dark.
Never a dull moment around here. Monday afternoon our friend Jessica came out and picked up the Harder boys for the last days of their parents trip. We had a big day with them Sunday, after pancakes for breakfast, we went to church in Dnepro, and then to the park.
August told us he's always wanted to go on the trampolines where the guy pulls your legs (to shoot the kids in the air in the harness) so Garry bought him a turn. His big brother did video to record it for mom and dad.
Then we rented a paddleboat. The boys enjoyed peddling (August found it easier to stand than sit) some of the time, chasing after the ducks, a we found a family of three we thought bumping into each other was as funny as the boys did.
Then they went on bumper cars before we went through the McDonald's drive thru on the way home to the village.
We had fun with the boys, but with only a week (now just a couple days) until I fly out home, I got busy freezing stuff from the garden. Peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots and the dried string beans for soup next winter, all have gone in the freezer. There are still lots of carrots and beets to eat, Garry sometimes gives some to the students. However, the cucumbers are pretty much done, and the beans and zucchini too. They've lots of tomatoes and peppers yet, and the popcorn and sweet potatoes will be ready to harvest later in the fall.
They started chopping corn Wednesday and as usual, Garry says it was drier than he thought. I drove into Dnepro that morning to pick up Steve and Jo at the train station so Garry could get to work earlier. They're making slow and steady progress after making some adjustments to the machinery. Some of the corn is down a bit, because of some thunderstorms with high winds this summer. When they finish silage, fourth cut alfalfa is waiting to be cut. Thursday they started the irrigation water on the alfalfa field again, it's hot, humid, and the ground is drying out fast now. The rain we had a week or two ago means that the old field will have more hay to make too.
The sunflowers will be ready to combine before long, we should have some of the earliest to harvest, which might mean a good price right out of the field. Wednesday they sold a (final?) truck of wheat.
Friday I worked on cleaning and organizing in our bedroom and finally sorting through everything from teaching youth institute before I leave for a couple weeks. Garry will be coming back in the middle of September for a couple weeks, he wants to help harvest corn silage in Manitoba this year.
Later in the afternoon, I made pizza for the students, Leila and Valentina helped chop kolbassa and grated cheese. Garry was a little late, he had to go breed a cow.
They ate 8 pizzas, and we were missing a few students, new Kolya went to his town for the weekend. The other new guy, who came on Tuesday, Ivan, or Vanya, did come for pizza. Kolya Mazhara is off for the week, helping Jack and Adam with camp (VBS) in Mishurin Rog. Oksana ate a couple pieces she picked the veggies off. Sasha ran down to Yana's and invited her and her nieces, who are visiting this week. They're in grade 6 and 3 now.
Thursday night at nine, Alona and baby Danil went to the hospital after the village nurse had the doctor come by ambulance to check out his cough/breathing. I'd say he seems like he has the croup. It seems like he'll be in the hospital for his first birthday. Mom has to stay there to take care of him, he's getting antibiotic injections three times a day and some kind of lung treatment. According to Alona, who called later Friday night, they're saying he needs two weeks of treatment. Danil gave me a big smile when I said "hello Danil" on the video chat. I tell the students I'm going to teach him English.
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