With the Russian schools out, the playground outside our window fills with Vietnamese kids and moms/grand moms at around 8 am. There are about twenty-five kids ages one to ten in the morning and then the older ones join them at about two pm. This will give you a sense of what it sounds like.
We had about an hour of rain last night and I was hoping it would clear the pollen from the trees but no such luck. My allergies are really acting up and the air is once again filled with cottonwood seeds. I walked to the store but that was it for walking outside today, just too much pollen for my delicate eyes and nose. I hope things clear up so we can have an outdoor weekend; we still have lots to do on our list.
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| Purple Passion Flower |
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| Purple Passion Stinky Flowers |
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| Plants II |
Yesterday when I started to do the laundry I noticed a smell most foul. It smelled like sour milk or vomit and I checked all the clothes and clothes containers but found nothing. As the laundry cooked I watered my plants and as I bent over the purple passion, I found the cause of the stench. I have taken very good care of that plant and as a result it was filled with blossoms, delicate little yellow blossoms that stank to high heaven. I have never had one flower before and therefore didn’t realize that they smelled so bad. I read up on them on Google and it was suggested that the blossoms be cut so that the plant can fill out, so I cut them, about a hundred of them, and threw them out the window. Everything smells fresh and clean now.
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| Plants I |
I think I mentioned this before but when we arrived I found about eight plants that had been left unwatered and unloved over the summer. Some were in friends’ apartments and several were just sitting near the garbage. I salvaged them all and with some TLC, good watering, and fertilizer, I’ve nursed them all back to health. Now I have to say goodbye to them since people who are staying really want them and of course, we can’t bring them back with us.
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| Curried Vegetables with Butter Poached Cod |
Dinner last night was a lovely fresh vegetable curry served on a bed of spinach and topped with chunks of butter, garlic and dill-poached cod. Cindy did not like the cod I made before so I had to find a way to make it taste better, moister, and fresh*, so I decided on a two part recipe. First I made the vegetable curry by melting some butter and a bit of olive oil in a big pot. I then added my spices, curry, turmeric, nutmeg, ginger, chili flakes, and black pepper and cooked them until they began to release all their lovely flavors. I then added chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and green beans and cooked them until they were just getting soft (NO German Bean Sprouts). I then added a half-cup of chicken stock, stirred, turned off the heat and partially covered the pan. In a smaller pot I placed about a half stick of butter and some sliced garlic and over a low heat got the butter melted and the garlic soft. I placed the pieces of cod in this and cooked covered for about four minutes. I added some fresh dill and turned the pieces and turned off the heat. Just before serving I added a half-cup of sour cream and a quarter cup of yogurt to the curry mixture and slowly heated it while stirring all the time. When it was ready, I placed spoonfuls on the spinach and then topped it with the cod and butter sauce, which I gently had reheated. Cindy did enjoy the cod this time but I will be our last attempt of using frozen cod. From now on, fresh only! (* from CC: I hope it’s clear that the dish I did not like was for good reason; I’m not fussy!)
I realize my time is getting short here in Moscow and as a result I’m certainly not as objective as I might be, but today at the market things just seemed to be even more ‘Russian’ than normal. There was a level of aggression at the vegetable area that I’ve not seen in a long time. One woman was giving her plastic bags of fruits and vegetables to the clerk to be weighed and priced, while at the same time filling new bags with fruits near the clerk. This seemed to be a deadly sin and she was attacked by two women who told her - in no uncertain terms - that you don’t get in line unless you are done shopping. While they were having at it, the clerk was idle so I handed him my four bags and was out of there while the conversation continued.
There seemed to be chaos in the fresh fish area since the fish wasn’t fresh. You could see by the color and odor that this was not fresh fish and sharp words were exchanged with the clerk. I saw this argumentation all over the store today, in meat, dairy and even at the bakery, which is usually a tranquil spot. Everyone was just standing around arguing and blocking the narrow aisles. At the checkout, the two women ahead of me were paying with coins. Don’t know why I think that is charming in France or Germany and I find it bothersome here. Well maybe I do know and it is good that I’m leaving. Perhaps the barometric pressure is affecting everyone, or perhaps it is the pollen, but these are not especially happy people today.
I received lovely notes of thanks yesterday from the folks in charge of the Liberty Store at the Embassy, thanking me for my assistance. It is always nice to be recognized, even if it is only in praise of my ability to unload pallets. Speaking of recognition, Cindy has been getting her fair share as people come to understand all she has done and wish that she could stay and fight for their technology concerns. I’ve told her to be strong and resist.
I had to clean the screens on the windows today since they were clogged with the fluff from the cottonwood trees. I wet down some paper towels and on my first swipe the towels turned black! I keep forgetting that Moscow is a dirty town when it comes to air pollution. I went through a half roll of paper towels just doing three screens. No wonder my allergies are acting up; it is a combination of dirty air that is also filled with pollen. Not the best combination in the world.
That’s it for today; time to get into the weekend. Today was Cindy’s last Friday at work since she’ll be home with me on Thursday and Friday of next week to prepare for the movers and supervise their packing out of our stuff. Nice to be able to count the last of things.
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm.
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