Catching up

Correction, they did not mow the hay last week as I thought, Vlad actually started mowing today. The amount of rain in the forecast and not as many blooms in the alfalfa was the deciding factor. We had several rainstorms- mostly quick thundershowers- dropping about a quarter inch of rain -each time- this week, so it's probably a good thing they waited. Hopefully tomorrow's chance of rain passes us by as they are making dry hay bales for second cut. Garry says he was worried that it was getting old  because near the road it was looking blue with flowers, but he was happy to report that in the majority of the field there are few flowers and the alfalfa is nearly to his shoulder.

Max spent a good deal of the day in Dnepro paying the taxes on 48 shares that aren't rented in the business name. These are the taxes paid to the village office, in Ukraine farmers pay most of the property tax, not homeowners. So Max had to go to the bank and pay and get receipts for 48 separate pieces of land we rent times three. That's the regular land tax, plus the army tax (since the war in the East started), and an additional one percent tax for something else.

The van is back and hopefully fixed, we drove into Dnepro with it this morning, to pick up the the hydraulic oil Garry forgot to stop for yesterday for the New Holland tractor, the part is finally in to fix it. The air conditioner works in the van now, but it still isn't running quite right up hill, Max thinks its the turbo maybe.

Monday Garry drove the two boys who came out on Thursday back to their orphanage/trade school. They came Thursday morning with three of the teachers from there. Many of our students came from the same place, Julia had them in for coffee at her and Dima's apartment, and on Monday she and Dima were excited to ride along in the little car with Garry.

Dima and Julia moved into the group home parent's part of the "new House" (reno-ed five years ago now) when Kolya and Oksana moved out. Or I should say a week later, because they painted rooms first. They also have fixed floor tiles, the bathroom shower drain, and have been cleaning up the yard and painting the fence. They even planted flowers, it looks great.

The two guys stayed with us during their trial period (they will live at Vova's since they have decided to return it sounds like, after graduation this week) and got to help milk the cows a lot. It was a little busy here with Valentina and the baby and the two guys. I learned to check the toilet seat before sitting down, but it mostly went well. They enjoyed pizza I made Friday night, along with a couple other students who had a slice when they dropped in.

I stayed home Monday, hoping to get a lot done, but was suddenly feeling sick and very dizzy after they left, so today I got some of the things I planned done. I did get the laundry I had started in the morning hung out before the second thunderstorm of the day hit Monday. Extra rainwater rinse for my clothes. Today I made cherry jam, and froze more peas,  I think we'll be eating stir fry a lot next winter.

The guys moved nine newly weaned calves over to this farm and took three big ones back to live in the heifer shed at the new farm today. That's two Sashas and Misha on the trailer with the heifers. Guess what the new guys are named? That's right, we really need another Sasha! and the other is Andrey, another popular guys name.

Garry hopes to get more done on his sheds so he can get the crane out to put up the trusses for the roof on them, two weeks ago they got the poles up  for the expansion of the hay/straw shed before they baled that wheat, and straightened the original part of the shed.