Last thoughts

A few years ago, one of our visitors asked: If you want to strike up a conversation with a stranger here in Ukr, how do you do it and what do you talk about?I hardly knew what to say (in my defense: we rarely have to be the ones to start the conversation! Strangers take one look at us and get all curious...and aren't generally shy). I answered: Hmm, I guess the price of bread...
That is always an issue here. And food in general is a hot topic. Every time we travel 'platz kartniy' on the train (otherwise known as 3rd class) we hear at least one conversation about food, gardens, recipes, pickles and sausage. These conversations know no gender nor age barriers.


Tonight we walked A part way home after our time together and the whole entire way she was quizzing Trude about the carrot cake T had just made and let her taste (and sent home pieces for the whole family). And, get this: T has been here so long that she could tell her out in the dark in the drizzle while walking and dodging potholes, muck and who knows what all all about that cake and what went into it. Now, I'm impressed.


In case you're dying to know, supper tonight was French Fries! FF's and CARROT CAKE! haha! yum yum! The grocery store a block from the apt has open stock frozen pre-cut fries! I was in there... stumbled by them and they begged and pleaded with me... Well, what could I do? Baked in the oven with just a touch of oil and rock salt, Folks, McDonald's can do no better!Now, this must come to a close since tomorrow we go to see our students in T'l and then on to spend the weekend in a mostly empty apt we stay in when we see T. The pix below depict the water heating set up in that apt.


The above pic is actually of someone else's water heater but is clearer since the next ones were taken with a cell phone. Similar set-up though. Basic principle: tank is full of water; you build a fire in the bottom and wait 30 min or so... pretty nice hot water! And at the top, you can see the shadow of the shower head. An interesting aside about this particular shower head. I'd been dying to take a shower but couldn't figure out HOW to get the H2O to come out at the TOP and not the BOTTOM.... esp this summer when it was about 110 in the shade. (Yes, there's a handle right on the faucet but it was completely rusted open- or shut, whichever you like.) Asked Trude. She said: You stick a rag in somewhere to plug up a hole and then wedge a stick in somewhere else to uhh do something.