Thinking of Friends and Family

.... this evening and will send a few lines. Greetings to all! Thank you so much for the "lines" you have sent my way.
Friday evening we left on the overnight bus to the city of Cebai, which is "somewhere else". As usual, without a map, I don't really know where we went, but it is somewhat south, closer to Kazakstan. It is 12 hours by bus, possibly 400 miles, or a little more. We visited a lady there, then came back "home" again on the overnight bus last night. Now, if you would like to try out a REALLY uncomfortable night, the overnight bus is one way to do it! If you want to compound the discomfort, just do it two nights in a row. 'Nuff said.
We dragged our weary bodies "home" about 6:00 a.m. this morning, and were thankful that the elevator worked. We slept awhile this morning, and arranged for Ksenia to come this afternoon at 4:00 instead of this morning.
Weather here has people amazed. It is supposed to be COLD and it isn't. There is supposed to be snow, and there isn't. The temperature
stays right around 0 Celcius. One day this past week, the temperature in Moscow was warmer for that calendar day than it has been since records were kept, some 150 years! Thursday night we'll leave again for Siberia, and likely it will be colder there.
One thing I enjoy here is looking out our 7th floor windows at the lights of the city. Being a "country girl", I never expected such novelty. I can tell that the higher your "home" is in these apartment buildings, the better the view and the better the air.

Hello!

Hello from Ekaterinburg. The sand in the "hour glass" is running out, and our time here will soon be over. We have quite a lot on our schedule yet, so we are feeling the time limit now. I keep looking at my calendar and checking the days off...but it is not that I'm really anxious to leave, it is just that it is coming and I like seeing just how much time we have.
It is amazing how paths, bus routes, stores, etc. become familiar. I find my self cooking in a more "Russian" way. My scarf, hat, and warm boots feel "normal" and comfortable, even though it is not very cold yet.
One thing I find interesting and haven't mentioned is the way they pay the driver in the mini-buses. These carry from 11 to 15 passengers, and usually go a lot faster than the big trolleybuses. The fare is 20 rubles per person, and those in the back just pass the money to the next person ahead and it goes from hand to hand up to the driver. The change comes back the same way. This goes on through the whole route as some get off and others get on.
I hope to take my camera with me again on our next trip to Siberia, so may be able to send some more pictures.
Priscilla

Wednesday has come around again....

and looks like another cloudy day here in Ekaterinburg. Luda and I got back from Siberia about 3:00 a.m. this morning, so awhile in bed was good!
Yes - it was colder in Siberia. The snow crunched underfoot, and it felt very much like winter in Nebraska, even though the calendar says it is still fall for a few more weeks. The hours on the train are not unpleasant. It was good to have a little time with Nadezhda again in Omsk. We had time also for a bus trip a few hours out of the city to have a little time with an older lady, Lidia, who moved there some time ago to be with family. The weekend - Saturday evening through early Monday morning - with Olga in Korcina is like being "home"....but the trip there is not so pleasant. The bus sways, swerves, and jounces most of the way to Kolosofke, which is about 200 miles. I don't know how far it is from there to Korcina, maybe 30 miles? But most of that road is not pavement. There are no hills, but the road is narrow and graded up quite high. It would likely be impassible if it wasn't, but I wonder how the bus can stay on it through snow, endless ice, dips, ruts, etc. It is better not to look out the window. We hope to go again the last weekend in November.
We have busy days the rest of this week here in Ekaterinburg, and it is my week to cook so must get around and go to the store.
Greetings to each of you wherever you are! Priscilla