Green Thumbs in Russia

I think my mother-in-law is a distant relative of the Jolly Green Giant.

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled with my family to my in-law's house.  We spent the day at their  datcha where my mother-in-law has the most beautiful garden I have ever seen in my life.  I would swear  - in a court of law if forced - both of my mother-in-laws hands have no fingers and are only composed of green thumbs. 

A dacha (да́ча) is a Russian summer cottage.   If you are not familiar with this term, click here to read a previous post about my in-law's dacha.  This link also contains pictures of the dacha's interior and spring planting season. 

My mother-in-law only practices organic gardening since my children were born.  She takes a short bus ride out to the dacha 2 - 3 times a week to work in the garden.  This is her passion, her hobby, and the only way of life she really knows.  

Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union and introduction of imported fruit and vegetables in the mega chain grocery stores, a summer garden was planted by most families to help supplement their dinner table.  The fresh fruit and vegetables grown would be eaten in the summer and canned for winter.  This was the only source of produce available to a lot of families.   

My mother-in-law's garden contains two green houses, open planting spaces, flowers, berry bushes, and fruit trees.  This year she planted potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, beets, peas, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and dill.  In addition, there are four apple trees, one pear tree, and several raspberry, strawberry, and sour grapes bushes.    

I will admit I do not know a lot about gardening; however, I do not have to be an expert to tell you the produce and fruits from her garden taste amazing!  Everything is fresh and crisp.  I have never had a bad vegetable from her garden.  

The only problem with my mother-in-law's garden is her yield:  she grows way to much for everyone in our family to consume!  

 My mother-in-law still does can a fair amount of vegetables; however, there is no way our family can eat every thing she grow.  She gives vegetables to extended family members, friends, neighbors, and a few elderly couples who are no longer able to tend their own gardens.  

My children absolutely love spending time at the dacha.  My son says it is the best part about being in Russia during the summer.  He and his sister run in the garden, help water plants, play in the sprinkler, and play with other grandchildren visiting their grandparent's dacha.   

My son has even learned how to pick and wash fresh carrots.  I had to laugh when he schooled me on the which carrots were the best ones to pick when we were there.

Of course, the best part of the day is when we sat down and ate the "veggies" of my mother-in-law's labor.  They were absolutely delicious!   

Only in Russia: A Parasailing Donkey

My friends and I in Moscow will often say "only in Russia" or "This is Russia" to describe situations or experiences that are so counter to the Western way of thinking that we are often left speechless.  In the past, these situations have included:

1. Seeing 3 monkeys in fur coats riding in the back seat of a Lada
2. A tour guide canceling a tour she agreed to give for twenty people 30 minutes after the agreed upon start time as she did not feel like doing it after she woke up 
3. A waiter bringing you the wrong meal only to tell you "This dish is better.  You should have ordered it anyway."  And, the restaurant manager agreeing with the waiter.   
4. Spending two hours in a car to go less than a mile
5. Waiting all day for a refrigerator repair man to come to your house only to show up at 6:00 PM and tell you he is not the service man.  His job is only to verify "What kind of refrigerator you own?"

I could give you a list of 100 more of these "only in Russia".  In fact, I will do this in a future blog post.  However, for now I think you understand what I am trying to say.

So, I logged onto my customized yahoo page earlier this evening and noticed the following quote in a section titled Time's Quote of the Day:

"The donkey screamed and the children cried.  No one had the brains to call the police."

I often ignore this customized section on my yahoo page as most of the quotes do not grab my attention.  However, today's quote made me raise my eyebrows as I did not know a donkey could scream, why children would be watching, and how anyone could not think to call the police under those circumstances.

Click here to see the picture and details related to quote.

As it turns out, some guy in Russia thought it would be a brilliant marketing idea to attach a donkey to parasail and take animal for a ride.

This is where my saying "only in Russia" come into play.  Only in Russia would some guy think this is a brilliant idea. 

Seriously, what was this man thinking!  Did he really think this was going to make people buy is product or service?   I can say with quite certainty a parasailing donkey, or any animal for this matter of fact, would not create a positive brand imagine in my mind.

Thanks to the world outcry on the parasailing donkey publicity stunt, Russian officials are now looking into pressing charges against the people responsible.  See, sometimes You Tube can be used for the greater good. 

"Only in Russia" would a bunch of guys sitting around a table think this is a good idea....and drinking vodka is no excuse!     

Presents for the Family

I feel as if Christmas has come early again this year.  Not only is sun not rising until 4:55 AM (see previous post), but The Lieutenant returned from a business trip this weekend with several gifts for me and the children.  

Here is a picture of the gifts: 

I know many of you were expecting to see a picture of me with some bling on around my neck. You may not see or understand the excitement or value of the man of your dreams buying you brown sugar, cream of tartar, fat free salad dressing, and barbecue sauce instead of jewels, but I do.    

All of these items in the picture are things you cannot buy in Moscow.  Or, on the rare occasion you are able to find them, you have to consider if buying this particular food product is more important than funding your child’s university education fund this month.  (I paid $8.25 for Shop-n-Save macaroni a couple of weeks ago.  It was really bad; nothing like the blue box.  The kids and I ate in silence as we were all a bit sad that this slice of American powder cheese did not taste very good.)

  

In addition to our favorite food products, the Lieutenant also bought some new clothes for the kids.  My daughter received two new sun dresses and my son received a new a business coat and tie.  He has been wanting one for a long time.  He wants to dress-up like his Papa does for work and, perhaps, go to dinner with us next time we go out.  (There goes my excuse of "I am sorry.  You can not go to dinner with us as you do not have a tie.")   I received a pair of rain shoes.  I am excited as the shoes I wear when it rains are falling apart and, well let’s just say, it has been suggested I leave them out by the door and not bring them into the apartment due to a strange aroma.

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My son grabbed the coat and tie out of the suitcase, put them on, and took off skipping into the dining.  Upon entering the dining room, he stops and straightens his tie.  His sister is twirling around in a circle and singing at the top of her lungs.   She does not miss a note or step when he starts to speak.   

  

“How do I look in my new business coat?” he asked her.   You could tell by the tilt of his head, the look on his face, he wanted her approval.

 

“Good!” she sings back to him, drawing out the double oo sound. 

He smiles and nods at her with his head still titled.  He is pleased to have her approval.   “What did Papa buy you?  I did not see” he asked with the sound of curiosity in his voice.

 

She stopped twirling and stumbled to left, losing her balance for a few seconds.   All of the twirling had made her dizzy.  She quickly regained her footing, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and yelled at the top of her lungs “My Papa bought me Raisin Bran!”

 

My son run over to my daughter shouting “Let me see.  Let me see.”

She proudly held the box out to him and said “This mean we do not have to eat the yucky Russian Raisin Bran Mommy makes!”  They both start jumping up and down, yelling with excitement. 

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I am sure you are wondering why in the world my daughter was excited about receiving a box of cereal as a gift.    The cereal aisle, or rather I should say section, at our local grocery is rather lacking in choice.   This is what it looks like:

My son and I counted 27 different types of cereal at our local grocery store.  (Yes, this is picture of the entire cereal selection.)   The only types of cereal my kids like are Wheatbix and cornflakes.  They will not eat Honey Nut Cheerios and I do will not buy chocolate cereals for them.  (Do not ask me why they sale Honey Nut Cheerios, but not plain Cheerios in Russia.) 

As my daughter loves Raisin Bran, I had been making some for her.  My recipe is: 

       +  1 cup of cornflakes 

       +  Large handful of Russian raisins 

        Mix together.  Add milk and serve.  

What did you expect?  This is not a cooking blog!

I did not realize my daughter thought my raisin bran was yucky!  She always ate it without complaining.  However, I just learned – thanks to another expat blogging mom in Moscow – I was using Cape Gooseberries and not raisins in my recipe.  I should have paid more attention to the label.

I have found Raisin Bran and Rice Krispies at an upscale grocery store located in a department store about an hour from our house.   They get a shipment of American food products in a couple of times a year.  Of course, the cereal cost $15 a box and you have to get there the day the shipment arrives or it will be gone.

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I am happy to report dinner at our house last night was a formal occasion.   My son wore his business coat and my daughter, at his request, put on one of her new dresses.  I agreed to wear my new rain shoes.    

I prepared a meal fit for a king.    There was not a morsel of food wasted or drop of milk spilled.   Everyone was smiling.

   

I was so overcome with joy at seeing my children happy.  Before I knew it, I picked my bowl up off the table and asked the children to break one of my cardinal rules of good manners. 

“Pick up your bowls and let’s have toast!  To Papa, for buying us the ingredients for this fine meal.”  We lifted our bowls, put them to our lips, and drank the remaining milk in our cereal bowls. 

Gulp!  

Happy Summer Solstice

I think the title of my blog post says it all! Happy Summer Solstice!!!

Please note I am purposely violating all the rules of how to write a good blog post by including six exclamation points in a two sentence paragraph. I want to convey my excitement for this event to you because I am excited. I am really excited!

Why is the day important to me? What does this mean for me? It means the white nights that occur in the most northern parts of the northern hemisphere will start to turn black.

In case you did not know, the summer solstice is when the earth shifts the way it leans toward the sun. A section of the earth (hemisphere) leans towards the sun during the summer and away from the sun in the winter.  When the direction the earth tilts start to change, the seasons start the slow process of changing. Summer slips into fall; winter melts into spring. The days get longer or shorter - depending on which hemisphere of the globe you reside. This explains why the seasons between the earth’s hemispheres are opposite and, more importantly, explains why Santa Clause wears a warm, red coat in America and a swim suit in Australia at Christmas time.

The summer solstice actually occurs sometime between June 21 and 22. The exact date and time varies slightly year to year. This is a minor detail to me. The importance of the event for me and millions of other parents in the upper region of the northern hemisphere is the earth will start to lean away from the sun. This means the sun will set start to set earlier each and every night.

Okay, please do not bombard my e-mail with questions and comments regarding the pagan nature of this holiday. I am not a pagan. I am not celebrating the event at Stonehenge. Instead, I am just a mom who is tired and has dark circles under her eyes because her two children wake-up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:00 AM every morning because the sun is shining outside their window in Moscow like it is noon in the Arabian Desert.

Come on people! I actually have aluminum foil taped to my windows! You would be excited too if the shift in the earth’s tilt was directly proportional to the amount of sleep you were getting.

Yippee! The earth is starting to move away from the sun. This is exciting! I feel like I could sing and dance in a Broadway musical. I feel like I could run a marathon. I feel like it is Christmas. I feel like a good night’s sleep is just around the corner!

Yes, dear readers, there really is a Santa Clause Ded Moros! I wish a Happy Summer Solstice to all and to all a good, dark night.

New Additions

In case you are tired of reading about my life, I have added a few new blogs to my blog roll for you to check out.   

For those of you technically challenged (you know who you are), this is the list of blogs located to the right of the post you are reading.    The titles of these sections are "Other Expat Blogs" and "Adoption Blogs". 

The two new expat blogs I have added are "Soviet City" and "Russian American Observations".  Both of these blogs are written by males, living in Russian, and not located in Moscow. 

The three adoption blogs I have added are "From Russia, With Love", "The Accidental Mommy", and "One Mother's Day".  All of these women have adopted children from Russia or the former Soviet Bloc and are sharing their experiences of raising adopted children.  

I do receive a fair number of private e-mails from couples researching adoption or in the process of adopting from Russia.  Most of the time these families are wanting to know about my adoption experience and / or have questions about Russia.  My children are biologically mine; thus, I am not able to give advice on adopting.  However, I am always willing to answer any questions about Russia.

Families adopting from Russia have a special place in my heart.  I have been to a few orphanages in Russia and understand the difficult life these children will face if they remain institutionalized.  I follow a few blogs of people in the process of adopting (not listed here) and it thrills me each I read about a child finding a home.

I also have a few other blogs I read.  Most of them I came across as they were either listed on a blog roll of some other blog or by wanting to know who left that intelligent comment on another blog.  No  I will also admit I read Dooce and Smitten Kitchen.  These are my guilty pleasures.  ( And, no I have never made a recipe listed on Smitten Kitchen.  I just like looking.)      

One last thing, I do not actually know the people I have added to my blog roll.  I feel like I do sometimes as I have read a lot about their life.  On the other hand, I do know the authors of "Winds of Change" and "An American Girls in Moscow".  They are both based in Moscow and are just as amazing in person as they appear to be on their blog.

I have followed all of the blogs listed in my blog roll for awhile.  If you are interested in Russia, you might check them out as I think you might enjoy them too.   Happy Reading!