Substitutions

Some things I have learned to substitute for in the kitchen. But how do I find a good substitution for grahm crackers? Sorry, I just don't think it's going to happen. I don't care for boxed cookies which I guess could be a substitute if I were to find anything remotely grahm crackerish, such as vanilla wafers which could be crushed, but haven't seen anything like it.  I only have 1 complete box of grahm crackers left. OH NO!!! I guess you can tell that I use grahm crackers a lot, for pie crusts for my homemade puddings that I make (and the missionaries love) and they are pretty good for snacking as well. I'm really going to have to stretch these out.

Winter is here.

Winter arrived a couple of days ago. In fact, it's snowing out now. We can look forward to this for the next 5 months. I have heard that snow plows arn't used very much so I am wondering about the condition of the roads. I hear that snow gets packed down on sidewalks and doesn't get shoveled which could mean icy walking on the way to and from the office or anywhere else we need to go. SIGH.

Russian tradition

Deeona, our Russian visa clerk who works in our office had a birthday yesterday. Several us brought gifts and left them on her desk (she didn't come in as she took Slava, her 4 year old son for a doctor's appointment.) She came in today and said she had baked a cake and would bring it in tomorrow. Sister Naegle and I said WE should be bringing a cake for HER. But she said no. This is Russian tradition that on their birthday they supply the birthday cake. In fact she had baked 4 cakes. One for her family, one for the Service Center where she works parttime (connected with the mission office), one for us and I can't remember who the 4th one was for. It is fun learning about traditions in this great land that we are currently living in.

Ivan (Eevon) is back

I am pleased to say that even though the vegetable stand is gone, Ivan is back with a truck from which he will sell his fruits and vegetables throughout the winter months. That is very good news in deed! It would be incredibly inconvenient for me to have to go across the highway (Piatnitksy Highway) to go to the renock to buy fruits and veggies there which would take about 25 minutes total as opposed to going right outside my apartment building door and getting what I need. Especially with winter weather already upon us.

Sometimes it just takes a smile

When I was at the productee, there was a man there and I smiled at him. We carried on a very limited conversation, but he learned I was from Massachusetts and had 1 brother and 3 sons ( couldn't remember the word for daughter) and a husband. My grocery bag was very heavy by the end of my shopping excursion, that he offered to carry the bag all the way to the apartment for me. Very nice. On the way, I learned that he is from Kubikstan. People are pretty much the same wherever you go. If you are friendly and show an interest in them, they respond. A nice way to start my morning.
(I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't through with my grocery shopping.) I had planned on stopping at the vegetable truck, which wonderfully showed up in place of the stand where Ivan had been two days ago.) So, anyway, I brought up my groceries and am now ready to go back down and get the fruits and veggies I still need.

Peanut butter

This morning I walked over to the productee to do some shopping. I am amazed that this little store allows me to get almost everything edible that I would get at the little white store across the street and about 7 minutes walk away. Today there was peanut butter!! Iwas So psyched! It cost the equivalent of $7 for a small jar, but it is peanut butter and I bought both jars. I want to give our 3 sets of missionaries a jar each  for Christmas. One of them loves peanut butter so much. He was lamenting yesterday when he was in the office how much he wanted some peanut butter. I took him into the kitchen with me where I had brought about the equivalent of 3 tablespoons of the yummy peanut butter and gave it to him with the instructions to return the container to me it was in. (( We'll see if that happens. ) had taken it to fix myself a sandwich for lunch). Since peanut butter is hard to find it is a real treat for our American mishies.

Gone Without A Trace!!

I have loved having the productee and the vegetable/fruit stand practically right outside our apartment door. I stopped by to see Ivan (eevon) last night to buy some mushrooms and strawberries. Everything seemed just as it always is.

SO, imagine my great surprise when we met the Naegle's outside this morning at 7:15 at "the Lions", in front of our apartment building and the vegetable stand was gone!!! There was no sign that it had ever been there. It had been a metal 3-sided building w/ an open front. It was filled with all kinds of delectable fruits and veggies. Strawberries, watermelon, zuchinni, onions, apples, grapefruit, etc. NOTHING was out of the ordinary., nothing to suggest that they were "going out of business."

There is also a smaller veggie stand in front of the building that is totally gone as well.

It is a mystery! Where did it go? I counted heavily on that little stand and now it is gone. I will ask Margo and Zarina who work in the productee where it went. (the question is will I be able to understand them?)