Friday, Saturday

 Garry sent me two photos while I was sleeping Friday morning (he's seven hours ahead in Ukraine, eight Sunday morning) and messaged 25 meters done, 60 to go. He was supposed to go to the dentist Friday, but his "tooth" did not come in, they hope to have it Tuesday.

Today we chatted a number of times, and he sent a bunch of photos. Friday around four pm a thunderstorm came up, didn't even rain on the other side of the village, he said. They had started spreading fertilizer on the winter wheat fields, and didn't get much done. However, they were back at it today. 

Exciting news, they finished the septic tank, so they don't have to go out to the summer kitchen for the bathroom anymore. I had been teasing him that it wouldn't be fixed until he leaves next week.

They got more done on the shed building, they have to put more posts in the ground to continue on Monday. They have used all the old steel, more new roofing is coming Monday. The students were taking down the last old shed today. Not sure what mode Garry had his phone on, there were a couple like this.

He said Max is 4 meters up here. Garry isn't allowed up there.

Even though Easter in Ukraine is in May, the church in the village is celebrating tomorrow. He tells me there's a dinner after the service. It's officially changing next year to the western calendar, but I guess some of the churches are starting this year. I thought Garry would miss Easter, so we're having dinner next Sunday with the family after he gets home.  

Building and other things

 I was away for a few days, but been video chatting with Garry everyday. He said they got a lot of work done in the last two days. Yesterday he was so tired, he fell asleep about 7 pm, still dressed. He said he woke up sometime in the night, changed for bed, put on YouTube and fell back to sleep. He woke up when he heard the girls in the kitchen and thought it was 6 am, but it was 8! He says he tried to take it easier today. 

He hasn't sent any photos from today's work (he says he left his phone at the house) but I think he said they have about 50% to build yet. They took apart the second of the three small dry cow sheds on Wednesday, and started removing steel off the third today. They are reusing the wood and steel off the old sheds in the new building. I do have some photos from Wednesday and earlier in the week. Garry bought a second ladder for the guys, it's too muddy to use the tractor in the barnyard.

The only things they can't use are the posts, they are rotting off. We are unable to get pressure treated lumber, they painted them with something, but it didn't help much. That's why they bought old cement utility poles for the posts, and put them two meters into the ground. They hope to eventually get more for the hay shed, because the posts are having the same problem there. Andrey is welding a framework to the tops of the posts, so they can attach the lumber, he can get five finished in a day. 

Their load of lumber arrived on Wednesday, since the new building will be much bigger than the three old ones combined. The plan is that the water will run off the roof outside the barn yard. They have had a bad problem with mastitis in the fresh cows during the rainy winters and even cows not eating enough when the mud is belly deep in the colder months.  They also plan to pour more concrete in the barnyard between  this new shed and the feed bunk. 

Friday is supposed to be rainy and Garry is going to dentist for his final appointment. He meets up with the guys for the train back to Poland on Wednesday I believe.

 Last Sunday he went into Dnepro for church and afterwards spoke with the students at our friend Lena's English school. Of course he forgot the Canada buttons I sent for them, but he plans to see Lena at church on Sunday and give them to her for the students.

You might notice some green grass under that lumber. While here in Manitoba, I've been shoveling a bit of snow, Garry sent me this video of the bees. Spring will come here, too, never fear. 

Photos!

 Garry is still doing fine in Ukraine, I have gotten a bunch of photos to share. They are working hard on getting the septic done, everyone is getting tired of going out to the toilet and shower in the summer kitchen (also known as Victor's little house).

The weather has turned drier, and they have started working on the cattle shed Max designed. His brother Andrey has been busy welding for it. 

The guys from Kirvoy came out to the village on Wednesday, and took lots of photos.

Garry has complained about dogs barking keeping him awake at night. He says there was frost on the car this morning, but next week the forecast is for nice warm weather.

That is a lot of little dogs hanging out next door.

Tuesday

 Garry had an interesting day. He started the day digging in the new septic pit before anyone else showed up and said it was muddy everywhere with Monday's rain, so he couldn't climb out. Luckily one of the girls came by and found him a ladder. 

He had a dentist appointment in Dnipro in the afternoon, they are sill working on the implant they started last year, since they can only work on it when he comes back to Ukraine. This time it will get finished, in about ten days. 

While he was in the city, he checked out the repaired Apollo Mall, which was hit by a missile a couple months ago and had a fire. He says you'd never know anything had happened to it. Max says it was fixed in about 6 weeks.  

He also discovered that there is still a movie shown in English at the other mall on Tuesdays, and they were showing the Oscar winning 20 days in Mariupol. Unfortunately, they were about halfway through the movie when there was an air raid siren, which closed down the mall. I talked to him after he got back to the village, he says the film was stopped around day 11, and it is very sad.

Well I'm off to babysit for a couple days, so don't worry if there isn't a post until the weekend!

Monday

 Monday was a busy day for Garry, apparently the septic system at our house quit working the day before he arrived, and Monday morning they discovered they needed to dig a new one. 

Around 2 pm the rain started, Garry said it's been dry this spring, so rain is good. Not sure when he'll be able to shower at home. I guess they are using the outhouse. 

Update- I had forgotten the summer kitchen has a separate septic system, they are showering and using the toilet out there! Garry said the girls had trouble opening the door, so the brick is holding it closed, like in the old days.

As you can see lots of help digging.

Garry says it was quite hot, so he let one of the students cut his hair, instead of going into the city. I'm a little disappointed in the look, but he says he doesn't look at it. He sent some photos from Julia's 29th birthday party that took place Monday evening. As you can see, she prepared a feast. 

Here he is with the birthday girl.

He's there!

 

Garry arrived in the village Saturday afternoon. Max picked him up at the train station. His trip went well except for his missing carry-on bag that he checked which did not get on his plane in Toronto. It arrived in Warsaw after he got on the train with our friends, so he will get it in April on the way back. Now that he's in the village he has a change of clothes. Unfortunately, some people will not get presents until next time he goes to Ukraine, as some were packed in there. 

His big suitcase was the first off the plane when he got to Warsaw, because his plane from Winnipeg took off 30 minutes late, which meant he only had a half hour to get on his connecting flight in Toronto. Which caused the missing bag. At least all his replacement parts for the farm equipment made it there.

Anyway, he's there I got a photo this morning of him at church in the village, and Saturday he had already bought some stuff for the building project, moved calves around, and handed out some of the gifts I sent that got there. Apparently he needs to check out the septic system at our house because it was plugged. I'll let you know when I hear how that went. 

He sent me a couple photos yesterday. Looks like my crocuses are blooming at the house. Planted them about 14 years ago. 

Sad news

 This past week we learned of the death of another friend from Ukraine. Andreii Shpak was in the army, he leaves behind his wife and two children- his son is in his early twenties and his daughter must be about 16 or so, we met her when she must have been 3 or 4, not long after going to the village. Andreii felt a calling to ministry and did VBS and ran a youth group program in the village that many of our students attended over the years. 

Garry had discovered that he was mostly serving as a cook last year, but was training to be a chaplain in the army. Before the war, he was a well known builder of outdoor BBQs of brick, and often worked in Israel.

It is so sad to hear of the many losses of life and horrible injuries to those brave people who choose to defend their homeland over the last two years.

Packing and almost ready to Go

 

Garry flies out Wednesday evening to start his trip to Ukraine through Poland, we're busy getting his bag packed with the various things for Max and the farm (like parts for equipment they can't get there) and gifts for people. Which means I am trying to figure out how to pack a grain shovel and handle, some heavy  replacement "knives" for the hay mower, and the presents I'd like to send around them. 

He's planning to head to the lake for a little more fishing before he leaves, so I'm trying to get organized. Hopefully all goes well, he meets the other guys in Warsaw he will be traveling with on the trains. 

The farm's cheesemaking enterprise was featured on the news in Ukraine, here's a link to it on YouTube; although there is no English translation, you can see Oleg and Elena and one of the ladies who help make cheese and the students milking. Click on the headline- Cheesemaking on the News 

Highlight translation- The household is self-sufficient and produces cheese, cream, butter and curd (cottage cheese) from surplus milk. There are dozens of adults working on the household with various deficits. All live in houses owned by the farm. When you hear moloko, that's the word for milk!