Visits to the US usually involve more than a bit of decadent indulgence for me- foods I can’t get in Kyiv, driving around everywhere, shopping shopping shopping. This trip started off pretty much like usual! Tuesday started with a trip to Target, I think I was the first person in the store when they opened at 8:00 am! (thanks in large part to jetlag that got me up at 5:00 am) A leisurely stroll around the store is always fun, marvelling at the stuff you can buy for just about anything. Then a stop at the grocery store to get my beloved Morningstar farms Veggie Sausage Patties, Thomas’ English muffins and a big block of Vermont cheddar cheese – yuuummm!
This trip I have noticed that there is hand sanitizer absolutely everywhere, dispensers on walls in stores, the doctor’s office, even next to the pump at the gas station. I’m all for cleanliness, but this obsession seems a bit out of control, if you ask me.
Julee invited me to their Girl Scout meeting Tuesday afternoon and talking with the girls and answering their questions about life in Ukraine was fun and boosted my lagging energy. Dinner with Julee and the girls was also a blast – as always, Julee’s memory for details can’t be beat and we had awesome tacos and burritos! So many cravings indulged in one day… 🙂
And one really delightful discovery at my dad’s house. Despite my vow to myself to not spend my vacation cleaning, I did have to make at least one room livable for me for the week. I vacuumed the carpet and changed the sheets – and found in the linen closet the beautiful quilt my grandma made nearly 30 years ago! The last time I had seen it was in her house, after she died. Shortly after my brother moved in there, I asked him if he had the quilt, but he couldn’t remember seeing it. We thought it may have accidentally been sold at a garage sale. I was heartbroken that Grandma’s beautiful handiwork was lost to us. So the highlight of this entire trip will certainly be finding the lovely pink and white quilt in the linen closet, a treasure long thought lost! She always sewed by hand, and her delicate and even stitching is just amazing to me.
Anka in Kyiv 