It only took a month, but I am sleeping better now. Strangely, Garry and I have switched our body clocks from the norm, with me waking up early and him 'sleeping in' until seven most days.
Last week's mud and warmer weather became below freezing weather on Friday, giving the guys a chance to clean up manure behind the barn. Garry said they couldn't clean the aisles on Thursday because there was no place to push the manure out of the barn. They couldn't get to the pad to move the pile to the field because of the deep mud around it. This year they need to pour more cement to increase space to pile manure in bad weather. There's just more to move since we are milking more cows.
Friday morning we had cooking class. I was wondering what to make and Garry suggested pasta, so I had thawed ground beef the night before. I discovered in facebook that we'd done one pot spagetti a year ago, but it never hurts to make it again. We also made shells in a cheese sauce, and everyone had a plateful to eat. Garry usually pays the students during my class, but no one got paid this time because they hadn't taken their garbage away as requested the week before.
Garry had a dentist appointment to get his teeth cleaned (no cavities!) and one of the students had an appointment at the dentist like the Friday before. Since cooking class was over, I went along this week and picked up a few groceries and walked to the yarn store, which was open (masks required.) I was running low on yarn, since I've been making things for next Christmas already.
Garry was worried that it might snow before the ground froze and make a big muddy mess, but that didn't happen. The students all got paid upon our return, Garry had been getting messages for an hour that everything was cleaned up at the houses.
Garry finished another 1000 piece puzzle, he plans to glue this one onto cardboard to hang up, because it reminds him of snorkling in Sharm El-Shiehk. We also have played a lot of Sequence since he's around the house more when it's cold outside. It will be a few weeks before they can start building that heifer shed. He's planning on putting a small greenhouse on the south side of the house, he's already started some seeds.
Garry thought we'd go to church in the village this week. We haven't been since fall, mostly because the virus had come to the village, but he seems determined to 'get back to normal' . He started teaching English in the city and said he had seen the gate open at the church since our return, and we should connect with the members again. However, this Sunday everything was locked up when we arrived at ten, so he watched a live feed from an English speaking church in Kyiv. Later in the day we watched our son's church from Canada, before Garry's weekly zoom call with his dad and siblings.
It didn't actually snow until Sunday night, Monday morning there was about an inch on the ground, and later in the afternoon the wind picked up and it started snowing again. Luckily I had already fed Bear and Garry brought in two eggs from the chickens. There weren't any when I gave them water in the morning.
It's supposed to warm up to above freezing today (Tuesday) a couple times during the night it sounded like it might be raining or sleeting outside. Still 5 below C at seven am. Nothing like Manitoba where cold and windchills below -40 closed schools yesterday.
Max had stopped in Sunday afternoon, the axle had broken on the bobcat. It had been welded last summer and apparently that made it snap when they were moving straw bales around and hit a frozen rut. The skid steer is the most important piece of equipment that came in the container, since it's used to make feed, and clean the manure from the barn everyday. They really wanted to buy a new axle, but couldn't find one to buy, so it was welded again on Monday and the bobcat was back in action.
Max also had to get cash for a woman in the village we rent land from, she had gotten paid two year's rent for an operation in the fall, I think to repair a stomach ulcer, but is back in the hospital, needing another year's cash advance to pay for treatment (15,000 Grivna).
In other news, the price of a loaf of bread in the village is up to 19 grivna this week. The students are hoping for another raise, they got one in November, but bread is a big part of their diet. It is cheaper in the cities than at the village store.
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