What a week

Our hamster died.

We've been sick.

Our internet has been off. (I did get that last blog post scheduled before it went out, so that posted, even without me.)

We were cold.

New Slavik

But there has been a lot of good, too:
Fun and fellowship with many people last weekend.

The new baby hamster is awfully cute.

Bogdan is really sweet and snuggly when he doesn't feel good.

We've had a lot of good family time, inside while it's been cool and rainy outside.

A committee of neighbors turned our heat on.*


And next week should be better.

*I have mentioned before that our landlady lives in Italy, but she has a family here help take care of everything related to this house. They do a wonderful job of it, too! Thursday night the landlady’s helper came by to check on us, and she was shocked and horrified to see me in a hat and sweatshirt indoors. (After 12 years in city-heated apartments, we're rather used to waiting for the heat.) I reminded her that she had told us to wait for her husband before trying to turn the heat on... more shock and horror, because apparently they had forgotten, and he had left for Kiev that morning. She didn't know how to start it up herself, but she said that she'd go for Babushka O,† since Babushka O. "doesn't have any men in her family. She knows how to do everything." And a few minutes later they came bustling back, with another woman along, too. This was late on a cold, rainy night! They got the heat all started up, showed Will how it works, and we've been warm ever since. So nice! (And so strange to be able to actually adjust the heat!)


†(Footnotes on footnotes: yes, I have been reading Terry Pratchett. Thank you very much.) This is the same babushka who did the bicycle trick I mentioned on Facebook a few days ago: