A Snowy Saturday at home.

The prediction of up to two feet of snow anywhere from Virginia to New York was known for most of the week before and everybody did their preparations for it. Of course the supermarkets were still packed the day before the storm and I was wandering around doing last minute things either I forgot to do or didn't make time to do. The most upsetting last minute surprise was finding the snow blower that I worked on last summer only sort of worked when I started it up. At full choke it would run at low RPMs and if I took the choke off the motor would stop. I shut it off and hoped it would not snow too much.

   It was supposed to hit starting at about 9 pm. I went to bed around 11 pm and it hadn't started, I was glad and when I woke up around 7:30 with about an inch or two I thought god had taken pity on me and We would get only a little snow. Well the winds picked up and the snow picked up and it kept coming down all day long. I went out to sweep around 11am, then again around 1pm and a third time around 3pm when I spent some time playing with the dog.
     Mesha loves the cool weather and wants to go out in it every time someone goes toward the back door. 

  I have spent the fall working on the mud room and finished putting down the new wood floor the day before the snow started. I feel I have to wait until the weather changes to put a finish on the floor. Hopefully it won't get damaged.

   No One was going out anywhere today, the governor declared a state of emergency and Nastia was sick and her work called anyway to tell her they were closing so don't come in.

 n Everyone sat around and watched movies under blankets in separate rooms. I went outside when the weather let up a little bit and played ball with the dog. Teri declared it a perfect day when we gathered in front of the living room TV to watch The Martin. It was enjoyed by the four of Us.

  Now it is two minutes to 11pm, the wind is howling outside and the snow every so often blows up against the window and it has gotten quiet. It might not be a perfect life, but the day was damn close to a perfect day. God has blessed my unusual family. I hope they feel the same.

From Nastia's birthday to Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and everyone except me has gone out to visit Aunt Sue. The House is quiet, which is rare these days. The Girls get up for school at six am, Teri a little while later and I'm up by 6;30.

  The Girls go off to school by 6;50 and I leave for my part time job about 8am. I stop off at my Mom's until 9'30 and get to work around 10 am.
 I leave work at about 2 pm and always get home to a noisy house, so this is rare.
   Nastia's birthday was simple this year, we went to the Hard Wok in Nanuet on Route 304. She invited David and everyone had a good meal and some fun. We were going to go for Ice Cream,but it was cheaper to stay at the Hard Wok and eat it there.
  That was Thursday, On Sunday we had Cake and Ice Cream. Only Nancy showed up. David couldn't make it, my Mom was very tired and I forgot to invite everyone else, oops.
   This hollow day (no I spelled it correctly, Forced spending, fake cheer, stress, some day I'll get into it) season has had it's share of firsts. This year, Nastia and Elena were told to buy their own Christmas gifts. For the proceeding few weeks I would get them talking about items they might get for their Mom. Hoping they would get something original for her that I hadn't thought of.The Three of Us went to the Palisades Center about ten days before Christmas. At the door I told them to go and buy their gifts. They could go on the own to together. As they walked away I asked if everyone had their money?  Elena answered, "No", she left it home. So I gave her 60 dollars, yes a mistake in hind sight and off they went. I walked around the Mall figuring I had awhile. About twenty minutes in Teri gives me a call and asks how is it going? When I tell her the girls are off on their own she tells me that was a very bad idea and I shouldn't of done that. I tell her they have to start growing up and this is how it needs to be done. She says they are to irresponsible, She is right, but if We wait for them to become responsible they will be ready for nursing homes. The only problem with my way is if something happens once it's all going to come down on my head and be my fault. Bad position to be in. Sometimes I feel she wants them put in bubble wrap. She won't let them touch sharp object, feels real real bad when they get a cut. I want them out there and safe. She wants them safe, then out there.
  After about an hour after they started, they called and said they were done. We met and on the way out Elena goes, "This is why I hate shopping,it takes too long. They're really not real girls I guess.

Boyfriend,boyfriends, and boyfriends!!

Nastia is dating David, a nice kid. After some of the losers she bought home before, David should be a relief, and mostly he is. He does dumb things like driving his car when it is not ready to drive. He's had an accident and will not drive my daughter any time soon. He's invited her over and then told her she can't come over because he has to do work for his aunt. Most all his transgressions are because he is a young kid and will get smarter.
  Elena, she is not dating, I think. Reason I say that is, she wasn't dating anyone, then she says she's dating a guy who lives long distance and met through a friend. Teri and I got angry because she is not allowed to give out her number to people she meets on Xbox. She insisted she knew the kid from Congers Elementary. I didn't want it after the loser Nastia met on Xbox and wanted to invite over for a weekend. The Kid would tell her he didn't go to school today because his parents don't care. True or false I didn't want to find out.
  The next night, she says her and Mathew might get back together, I let it go and Teri handled it. She dated Mathew for a while and broke up in the Spring, no reason given from Elena. Some time last month he began sniffing around again asking if she was dating any one and Teri and her made jokes about what she should say. Elena seemed interested and it went on for a while. He just recently said he is not ready to get back together with her. Is she really that tough on guys or are they just that weak? Kids, I don't miss being single, it SUCKED.

An unpleasent surprise

Late night, Teri, Elena and I were having a quiet dinner. Nastia was at work at the movies. Teri left the table and went up stairs, it was just Elena and I.
  Elena starts scratching her face and rubbing her eyes. I think she is suffering from allergies, so I tell her the more you scratch, the more it will itch. She gets up and goes to the bathroom down stairs. She comes back, then so does Teri.
  Teri looks at her and asks her if something is wrong, Elena says, no, she continues to scratch her face. Again Teri asks her if something is wrong. I get up to clear my plate and I want Teri to quit bugging Elena.
  When I sit back down she is still pushing Elena. I lift up her glasses and look at her face. I see some red cheeks and they are slightly puffy. Teri is still pushing Elena to tell her what is wrong, I still don't see anything really wrong.
  The next thing I hear is Teri, her voice starting to raise a little and a touch of frantic entering it say to her what did you take. I'm thinking, take, our daughter doesn't take anything!
  It turns out Elena had a bad headache, so she goes upstairs to take some aspirin. The problem is She doesn't know what to take, so she guesses and since it is a bad headache, she takes three. When she tells Teri what the bottle looks like and I read oxycodone, I get scared. At that point Elena decides it is time to throw up again and She hustles down stairs, Teri follows, I am asked to call and find out about the medicine she took.
  I call CVS and talk to the pharmacist, a pleasant lady who reassures me that Elena took Percocet and being it was out dated, it was less potent. She also gives me poison control's number, which I call and get another pleasant women who reassures me again that it was not endangering. She says the same things that CVS said and also said her throwing up was good too, it getting some of the drugs out of her system.
Poison Control also said she would feel bad for several hours, head, stomach would hurt, she would feel a little dizzy and keep her hydrated. Give her something to eat.
  Now a day later, she is mostly good, but is complaining her stomach bothers her. Teri say she's like the comment about Barney Rubble in the movie Night Shift, that Barney Rubble, what an actor.
She's acting a little if you don't get the reference.
The thing that bothers me most about this, is I didn't notice the three trips to the bathroom in a short time and the change in Elena's behavior.
The one thing we stressed beside never take medicine you can't read is never take more then two pills, unless told to.

Everyone goes to High School, Dutchess County Fair and water gun cuts

It has been a busy last few days.
    The Danger Girls made an appearance at the Dutchess County Fair for most of ten rides.

They hit the Zipper, which made me sick just looking at it. For those not in the know, two cylinders rotate around an oblong tube, the long way, while the tube spins occasionally flinging these same cylinders over its long end. They went on it three times. They then went on 'Fire Ball' A line of cars sit in a large loop and it spins around the loop. They went on it three times. Then the scariest one, I think was called Khaos. They sit in a group at the bottom of a long metal beam sitting straight up and proceed to be flung around in large loops. I was invited to join the Danger girls, but my danger days, Lighting loops and the Great America Coaster at Great Adventure are far in the distant past. So I sat and imagined ways the rides would break and fling people to their death and pray it would not happen (Really Dad!!).

  WE left for the almost two hour trip there after some fun (Really Dad!!) at home about 9:30, picked Nancy up and got there at about 11:00. We had our advance entrance tickets and the Girls had their advance ride tickets, so We entered with no hassle. We had lunch soon after, I had a poor Philly cheese steak and later found a stand that sliced the meat there, gave you onions and peppers and might of not used cheese sauce. Of course this stand charged a dollar more.
  We walked the Barns and Teri talked to one of the women who had cows there, who described the fair as a spa day for the cows. They get washed and special care every day of the fair. Teri, Nastia and Elena all petted every Animal at the fair it seemed.
  We finished the day at The Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, one of Teri's favorite places to eat. Fun was had by all.
    The next day the temperature went from a comfortable mid 80 to the low 90's, with humidity. No One did much.

   Monday was the last day of Summer vacation before school so with the weather still hot Jessica and David came over to swim. I got home from work at 2:30, I know I have to find full time

employment, but I'm enjoying it while I can. I was asked to cook up some hot dogs for three of the four swimmers.\I called them to eat, when Elena gets out of the pool she is in a little pain and holding her left hand in her right. Some Blood is pooling in her palm and a few drops of red are running over the edge and dripping down spotting the ground, leaving a red trail, reminding me of the red wedding on Game of Thrones. (Ask someone who's seen it)
  No it wasn't that bad. She was rough housing with David and she grabbed for the water gun and he pulled it away and her hand caught on the plastic sight on the barrel and ripped a two inch, maybe a little more gash,in her palm. It looked real bad, but it didn't really bleed. I flashed back to when they were first ours and Elena hit Nastia with the branch, I did better this time. I got her a rag, yes it was out of the pile of clean rages and it was a former towel
 torn into a strip for her hand. She went with Jessica and got dressed. I took her over to Immediate Medical care in New City , where this Polish doctor with a gay assistant (not that there is anything wrong with being Polish. It's a joke, grow a thicker skin.)
  We had insurance issues over the Summer and the Girls insurance was cancelled. Even though We got it taken care of in a few days their coverage didn't take effect until... anybody want to take a guess? That's right, not until tomorrow, the first of September. The cost wasn't too bad. It was $100.00 for the visit and $130.00 for the stitches. Do You know they charge by the inch for cuts.Elena, got six stitches. I asked if it was cheaper by the dozen, Elena didn't like that. She was a good patient. She just didn't like the needle in the cut for the pain killer.
  Lastly today is the first day of School. I didn't sleep very well. I guess I was suffering P.T.S. from my days going to school.
This might be Teri's first back to school day. She was always going to her job. Wait last year she did take Nastia to the bus stop. This year they both walked to the bus. It's gonna be fun this year, NOT!!

Elenapalosa part 2

When We celebrated Elena's birthday and I wrote about it I said it was going to be hot out on Saturday. Well it was, I looked at the clock on the garage wall and it looked like it was bumping up against 100.
   I helped Karl mow his neighbor lawn. While doing that the pool turns green and the pump for the kitchen and downstairs bathroom quits working. It's the pump that pumps stuff out of the house. When I got back Teri had everything humming along.There is nothing to do about the pool on short notice and the pump downstairs quit working because the GFCI outlet got old (more Home Depot Crap) and quit working. Tomorrow I'll fix it.
 She bugged me to eat lunch. After that she bugged me to shower. After that I sat down and was watching the Yankee game and falling asleep, she tells me to heat up the grill to start cooking the chicken. AHH...married life.
  The Chicken cooked on some foil letting it cook in the juices. I added barbecue sauce and let it cook some more on the foil. The barbecue sauce didn't seem to stick to the chicken, so I took it off and put it on the grill. I have to work on that a little.
  I picked up, with Elena her friend Jessica and Justin's family dropped him off. All four kids hit the pool and would of stayed there all day and night if we didn't make them get out.

   Everyone ate hot dogs, burgers and chicken. There were salads and we ate outside. It was after 5:30 so I guess it had started to cool.
  Everyone had Ice Cream cake and Elena opened gifts
  About eight Justin's parents come by to pick him up, a little while later I get out the bug coils as everyone starts to say good night. It was a night day.

Elenapalousa 2015 part 1

My youngest turned 15.
I know one day I will look back at this day and think she was so young then and I will wonder where all the time went, because I am doing that now.

  Moscow, is a dream I went to in a drug induced  cold I had one day and I'm not sure I was ever there, it seems so far away. The Girls on the other hand seem to be growing up so quickly I can't imagine where the time went and how I got so old and fatter ( I was never skinny).
  When You start to go gray, it seem like you start to fade and when you look at old pictures it seems there is too much color in them and You look all bright and alive. Just ignore this last statement, I don't want to be a total downer.
  Yes, My Youngest turned fifteen the other day, We are so proud of the young women she is becoming. She is no longer the skinny little Russian girl, who was afraid to speak up. She is a noisy teenager, with more opinions, then knowledge, you know the type, a typical American teenager, yep that's the one. A special aside to Masha, the Russian who I stumbled across in 2008 when We first bought the kids over. She said only Russians could raise Russian children. I guess She was right, their no longer Russian kids. Their free thinking Americans and if they were to go back to Russia, they would be looked at like a virus, a free thinking virus, what this world needs more of.

Our plan for Elena's birthday was to go to Nanuet Restaurant. About twenty seconds away Teri says "I think they are closed." Oops, I forgot on Mondays they are closed. We went to Nanuet Hotel and the pie was as good as Nanuet Restaurants. We had our fill and a little to bring home to snack on the next day. It was nice.
   Saturday, will be the day for a little party, by the pool, starting around 4pm. It is supposed to be hot.

She's driving my car AGAIN!!!

I knew it would happen, so like William Shakespeare said if it is inevitable lie back and enjoy it. If You don't know what I'm talking about, ask Ted Antwan, the weatherman on channel 7 from the 1970's, that quote got him fired and Bill Beutell frowned at him.
  Any way out of the politically incorrect to who the hell is driving my car. Yes it is that young lady you saw screaming by you at fifteen miles an hour the other day. The same young lady who jumped when the door locks finally engaged when she got the car over twenty miles an hour, yes that young lady and lets sing it together...I don't know wither to use little old lady from Pasadena by Jan and Dean or The Beach Boy's classic 'Fun, Fun, Fun' . Since I put it in quotation marks,I'll use 'Fun,Fun,Fun'...
        Well, she got her daddy's car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand, now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man, now
And with the radio blastin' goes
Cruisin' just as fast as she can, now

Chorus 1:
And she'll have fun, fun, fun
'Til her daddy takes HIS MUSTANG BACK!!

I like the sound of that last line.Daddy gets his car back, 

I just listened to that great classic. 

Yes, my daughter is driving my mustang and it is not like she is forcing me to let her and yes, she will not drive it when she gets her license... Get off the floor and laugh standing up, it's not polite to laugh rolling around on your neighbors floor.

  She has been out several times driving and she is doing pretty good, She has driven on a road, going stright. She has driven on someone's lawn because I guess driving on the road was boring. She makes wide turns and sometimes she cuts them real tight to see if I;m still awake. It all fun and games until someone scratches my car.

  

She's driving my Car, I won't let her turn on the radio.*

*Sing it to Bruce Springsteen's song 'Fire'

Nastia finally got her permit to drive. It was the way the world will end, and may just of.  It was quiet and quick, almost painless.
  The World ended, I mean Nastia got her permit back in June. She asked me if we could make another try at it, So We went up on a Wednesday afternoon about two-thirty or so. Ive learned that if you can get to DMV before 4pm go any day but Thursday when they have the late hour because it will be crowded.

First time driving

  We get there,Our quick pass has expired and all our paperwork needs to be redone. While I'm doing it our number is called. We walk over to the same window as all the other times and there is another person there. I wonder if that is a good thing or not. It starts to go bad right away. I'm filling out paperwork and they try to give Nastia an eye test. I stop them and shove the eye form, with the eye doctors real signature on it under the glass. I divide up the paperwork from what they want and what is extra. They tell her to get her picture taken and to wait for her number to be called again.
  A few minutes later, it is called and she goes in. I go in for a minutes, because she is having a problem with something, then I leave.
   I wait and wait and wait. I see her get up and go to the counter. She walks through the door and smiles and says "I got it."

It's quiet time, time to say God bless America

This was written back on June 29th 2012 when we were adopting Leonid and Annya

I was a little kid in the sixties, yes it was a long time ago and god yes I'm too old to have all the birthday candles put on my cake.
  When I was a little kid, patroitism was a dirty word. Malikey McCourt, whose brother wrote Angela's ashes was on WMCA radio and would rile up everybody by saying he would wear the American flag for his underwear with no problem at all. What all this is getting at is this country is an amazing place. Iv'e only been to two other countries, but I look at the kids who come over here and are put on display. They put up with us taking their picture, speaking in a laungage they don't understand, eat food different from theirs all in the hope to become part of a family. I'd like to tell both of them their is nothing to worry about, they are going to stay, but I can't. What if something happens and we find we can't adopt them. That would be cruel. They would think it was their fault. We still don't know where the money is coming from for this adoption. We are still working on refinancing the house which will give us some of the money, then we will try for a second and have faith in god that it will happen. Their are other options like taking a loan from 401k monies and closing my e-trade account so if worse comes to worse we'll make it. I just feel this is meant to be.
  All of these problems are nothing compared to what these kids have been through. We bought them home and on the ride home they got to use Teri's Ipad and my smart phone and when I got home I went and read from my ereader. I got nothing to complain about.

Elena gets out of Felex Festa Middle School

Yes, Elena graduated from Felex Festa Middle school. She ended the school year with just under a b average, which I must say is pretty impressive for someone who didn't speak English five years ago and went almost catatonic when yelled at and who had behavioral issues for most of her time at Felex Festa. At the ceremony I was going to talk to Mr. Clemente, the dean of student behavior because I hadn't talked to him in several month and I'd been used to talking to him and Dr. Benjamin on a regular basis. I got to see Dr. Benjamin more often because her office is located in E-wing where Elena was and Teri and I would always run into her.
 The ceremony was a tight one hour affair. The
The kids walked in and sat in the first three rows of the auditorium. The School principle, made a speech, a student made a speech, a teacher described the awards some kids were getting and all of that was fifteen minutes. There were about five classes and each class lined up, half the class would be introduced, everyone would get a moment to clap , they would leave, then the second half would come up. This went on through five classes. Elena's was the second class to be introduced. Awards were given out with the certificate commemorating the day. Like I said a tight ceremony.
   Afterwards we went to Dave and Buster's for

The ultimate eye roll

some poor food. The girls had hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough and looked good, I didn't try it. Teri had soup and some potato bits covered in bacon and some dipping sauce that was OK. I had a chicken Caesar salad and it was mushy like it had been sitting around for several hours. The chicken was not hot and over cooked. Won't go there again soon. Ten years ago I used to go there just for that salad, I remember it being really good. About three quarters of the way through lunch it was time for Nastia to go to work for training. Of course Teri walked Nastia to the theatres. Would You expect less? Teri, Elena and I went into the game room, which was why Elena wanted to go there. She was having some fun, but it didn't look like alot. So Teri said I should start playing some games with her, so I did and I think that was what she needed, someone to play with.
 

ALL HER TEACHERS LOVE HER!!

 The last game we played, Air Hockey, I left my card on the game. When I went back to get it,I start looking around. This young kid comes up and hands it to me. I buy them a game of air hockey and run off. It was a little cheap, but at the time made me feel good. The card has 25,000 points on it.

Nastia at the prom and her first job

Nastia was invited to the Prom by her boyfriend, David. The tickets were $90.00 each, a lot for a kid who works at Burger King when he is not at school. Nastia was asked to buy the flowers, a little odd, but again the price to go to the prom was a little steep. The plan was for Nastia and David to take a limo to the prom with some friends. There would be no after prom stuff. When I went to my girlfriends prom, I was twenty-one, she was eighteen, we went to the Jersey shore after the prom. I'd never let Nastia go to the shore at 16.
 David, driven by his Aunt picks up Nastia and the two are dropped off where the Limo is going to pick everyone up.  They go to the Prom, where Nastia dances and David dances a little, they have a great time and Nastia gets home around midnight.
    We were at the movie one night when Teri sees some help wanted signs. Teri was the one against Nastia getting a job until she could make change tells her to put in an application. There was a lot of not getting back to Nastia and her going to the theatres asking if a decision had been made and being told it was too busy to talk.

 We were at the movies at the Palisades Center and they were doing a major overhaul and they had help wanted signs up. Teri, who was against
  Finally, she is told to come in for an interview and again she is finally hired. Eventually she is told to come in on Sunday at 6pm for training. She stays until 10pm. The whole time they are training her. They go over the dos and don'ts, about what to do if there is a robbery, and I pick her up at 10. Her schedule says she will work on Sunday and Tuesday from 6:30 until 10:30. When I see this We go back into the theatre

At Amanda's graduation

and I ask for her manager. My understanding of child-labor laws and my desire not to get back home after 11pm motivates me to ask why she is working until 10:30, when the law says 10pm, I even ask it nicely. The women, I have forgotten her name says if it is during school, she can't work past 10, but during the summer 11 is legal, She might of said 10:30, either way, she said they follow labor laws closely. Not sure of that part of the law, I thank her and we go.
 Sunday, her first offical day of work Nastia gets to work the concession stand, (Oh no the change monster)  When I pick her up She says most people paid with debit or credit cards. She learned to make pop-corn and it was fun, Tomorrow she gets to clean theatres, she's not anxious to do that, she says it will be boring. After tomorrow, I am sure she will never forget to clean up her garbage after a movie.

A sweet apology.

This morning, a went into Elena's room where the remains of the office are. Most of it has been dismantled to be reassembled upstairs when I get it finished. The remaining piece there is the printer and a desk. I was faxing out some papers when I noticed a not folded up on the desk.

I thought it was from, Anna Lisa,a girl in school that Elena knows. It was from her teacher, Ms Sullivan. The not talked about how Elena came into the class room with her head phones on and to Ms. Sullivan the meaning was don't talk to me. So She wrote Elena a note about how she felt. I showed it to Teri by saying, "I know You don't like me snooping, but..." To my surprise after reading the note she wanted to talk to Elena about it. I thought it was no big deal, Teri thought it was a matter of disrespect.
   We go down stairs and Teri talks to Elena about the note and her actions and how she was to apologize to Ms. Sullivan. I put my two cents worth in and say she didn't have to apologize, but she should. An insincere apology was as bad as not apologizing. Teri gave me the death stare. So when Elena came back I elaborated on what I said and tried to leave it at that.I figured She would do what I would of done at her age, nothing.
  Later I'm mowing the lawn and Teri goes over to me and says"I heard from Ms. Sullivan,She said Elena came up to her, clenching and unclenching her fists. Elena says to Ms. Sullivan, "I've got something to say to You, but its hard."

Ms. Sullivan says"Would it be easier if I looked away?"
  Elena goes on with what I am told was a sweet sincere apology. Ms Sullivan says she looks away, as she is starting to well up with tears a little.
   I didn't think it was a good idea to take it as far as Teri wanted to but it worked out fine.

The Eighth Grade Dance, Elena dresses like a beautiful Young Lady and opening the Pool

 It was a year ago,the end of May when Nastia went to her eighth grade dance. Teri, Nancy and I went to dinner and picked her up around 9;30. She was flying high on the wonderful night she had.
  With Elena, I felt it was not unreasonable to hope she had the same experience. Her Mother went out and got her a very nice outfit. A dress you say? Not this young Lady. A stylish pair of short black pants and a white top, you know girl clothes. I don't know why She doesn't like dresses, maybe it's because everything is all open down there.
  Elena was dropped off by her mother, then she came home to make crab cakes for her and Nastia, I had a steak.
  A little after nine Teri says I should get going to get a good place to park. After a few turns looking for my wallet I'm on the road. I turn onto McCarthy road and go up the hill. At the top just before BOCES, traffic stops. They had moved the dance from the Gym to the Black and White Kitchen. The only problem, someone didn't plan out the traffic nightmare, when parents would pull up and stop and wait for their kids backing up traffic. It was backed up to the corner of Rt 304 and in the oppisite direction past BOCES. I parked in the bus parking lot and walked over to pick up Elena and Jessica. They were both standing with Mrs. Sullivan and I almost walked past them. Elena and Jessica were light as a kite, legally high. They were both talking loud and laughing. They had the great time I wanted them to. They listened to music, danced one dance, had ice cream and hung out with Ms. Sullivan. That was all it took.
   
We opened the pool at the end of May. Opening the pool is never an easy thing. We bought a new cover last fall. It split a seam, so I worked around it and kept the pool covered. Then during the Winter the dogs enjoyed playing Jesus Christ and were walking on the pool. Mesha decided that the pillow under the cover was a toy of hers and she made a hole in the cover to play with the pillow, which she ripped in half.

 To top it off the dogs started using it as their bathroom. They would leave it and we would remove it. It went fine until a sudden warm spell that lead to Spring. No one wanted to swim in that water. I drained the pool at the end of May
and let the water run down the side of the pool that we buried figuring that the water would push the dirt away from the pool like it did a few years ago and it would make it easier to fix the pushed in side. WRONG! What can go wrong will go wrong and it did. The Water ran under the liner and up the sides. The liner was floating. I emptied the rest of the water to confirm this, then dug a hole at the low point around the pool and put a pump in the hole until the water quit filling it up. We then tried to reset the liner, but you push the left and the right gets all out of place. We did the best we could and now the pool is clean and full of water. There was only one hole in the liner and it was again over near the ladder, which makes me think the ladder is putting the holes in the liner.

About a week ago, Nastia and I went back to the belly of the beast, the lair of the Dragon, the ... well you know DMV

About a week ago, Nastia and I went back to the belly of the beast, the lair of the Dragon, the ... well you understand, we went back to the DMV and she failed the test.
  It went so easy this time that I knew the only thing that could, would go wrong was she would fail the test.

GET ME OUT OF THIS SIT-COM!!!!!

It was a lovely spring afternoon, I pick her up at school, we dart over to the DMV, there is only a few people there on a Wednesday and we have our go to the head of the line pass still. And it was all over before I knew it. You know like...when... you know... great expectations... something you've been waiting for... anticipating... you know... getting your license. The anticipation was... hey she still hasn't gotten her license. She got sixteen of twenty right and had to get eighteen of twenty right.
  Watch, next time we go they'll just deport her.

Elena joined the track team and has been enjoying herself doing it. She has been getting good grades on her circle sheet and Dr.Benjamin and I have disconnected the hot line between our house and the school. Things could not be going better for her.She will go on to High School with about a B average or a little less. Very impressive from a year ago. Nastia will go onto tenth with an average around B+,also very impressive.
   Nastia's Spring concert was tonight and it was a joy to sit through.I'm used to going to the elementary school show that drag on forever and you don't want to be there and the kids don't want to be there and it drags on forever. This was a tight one hour show, with music I mostly knew and it was well done. There was So it goes, a Billy Joel song, Somebody to love, a Queen song and a medley of Beach Boy hit among others.I could of sat for an other hour. Very well done.

Let's do it again...and again...and again...anddd again...and yet again, do you get paid by the customer?

I have lost count of the number of times I have been to the DMV with Nastia to get her permit and have yet to give her the opportunity to pass or fail the test.
  This adventure started a few days after her sixteenth birthday. We gathered together the papers we needed and went up to the  DMV only to be told that most of her identification was not useable. I had copies of her adoption papers and her passport had just expired, and you get the picture.
  One time we did make it to the eye test which she failed miserably. She couldn't even read one letter on the chart.
   It took Us time and over $500.00 to get her hard contacts that improved her sight and were comfortable for her to wear.
  Sometime in late February or early March we tried again. This time the identification papers were no good. We needed originals, not copies. The originals had been misplaced. Teri thought she had given them to me and in the packet she gave me they weren't there, so I figured she changed her mind and so we looked and looked and looked some more. We knew they were in the house, they hadn't left, had never been taken outside since we brought them home. THEY WERE HERE!! Just hiding.
  A few weeks went by and we had exhausted all the places we thought they were in and several places we knew they weren't. We were at the point of looking in places we'd looked in two and three times before.
   Teri had a job interview scheduled with Orange and Rockland for a Friday and she went up stairs to a small rack of clothes I'd moved several times while insulating the attic. The rack started in the front eastern portion towards the road, then was moved to the north corner and then it was lowered, then it was moved to the western section of the attic, north side, then finally it was moved to deep into the north end to get it out of the way. On it was Teri's wedding dress, and a bunch of plastic bags and purses of her's. She was looking for a good purse to go  with the outfit she was wearing to the interview when she came across the papers. She called me and gave me the good news. Now if O&R would only call.
  DMV is open late on Thursdays, so Nastia and I decided to go on Thursday. I gather together the papers she will need. The adoption decree, her birthday certificate (in Russian), her out dated passport, I'm still hoping they will accept it. She still is who she is, that didn't change. I added her school ID, with a report card and her social security card. With all these papers I added the eye test paper. signed by Dr. Blumenthel and myself. Take note and see where this goes...
   Where it goes...where it goes...This is the DMV, where do you think it goes??
   I go straight from work to pick Nastia up from school. We get up to Haverstraw about 2:45 or so. We stroll in and present our paper to the person who gives out numbers. He gives us a number that starts with G instead od one that starts with A and we are feeling the love and feeling real special. We sit down confidently sure in our knowledge and our paperwork that this is the day we will succeed. We will over come!!
   Our wait is short and sweet. When we are called we are even sent to the same women as yesterday. We pleasantly say "Good Afternoon" and spill out our pile of perfect paperwork, sorted into two piles of useful and useless. Still carrying around that passport.
   I sort through the paperwork and hand over all the proper identification papers. Then as if I am placing a cherry on top of a pile of whip cream I slide the eye test out. It's a beautiful thing. It sits there shining in its new inkiness. Our overworked attendant separates the papers to her liking, asks for my drivers license. She then stops, I think she is dazzled by the beauty of the eye test paper, filled out in its ORIGINAL perfectness. She then asks me why I signed it and not my daughter.
I grab my anger in my fists choking it's purple foulness and sticking it in my front pocket, the one that holds my car keys the ones I want to use to gouge out her eyes with. I think the only sign of my anger is my smile that has gone to a smirk. I answer her, "I signed it because my daughter is a minor and all contracts are unenforceable in a court of law." My anger in my pocket turns blood red and screams 'what the fuck do you care bitch!' I always like my temper, it cuts to the chase very quickly.
  Our attendant reacts as if she has been slapped. "Really, I'm not trying to cause you trouble, but this form should of been signed by your daughter."
   My Anger makes a run for it, gaining a foot hold on my mouth and my smirk turns down to a frown. My Anger in full control of my mouth shoots out towards my fists and in an all out bid for control starts its crawl up my cheeks towards my eyes. In a moment the lower lids set in a cold contemptuous glare. The eyes begin to narrow and my hands are curling into fists.
  A moment before my anger has gained full control she say, "Let me get a supervisor." I know its a lost cause, just like yesterday, but I have a plan. The Supervisor explains there is no cutting breaks and the rules are the rules, are the rules, ARE THE RULES . Anger added the capitals, I didn't.
   You say I have a plan, well yes I do. Early this morning I jack assed to Engelwood NJ to have someone forge Dr. Blumenthels name, so I decide to go have some lunch and fill out another eye test paper and sign Dr. Blumenthels name to it, brilliant wouldn't you say? Why didn't I do it this morning you ask? None of your business.
  We go over to McDonalds about two minutes away. I figured if we had something to eat and filled out the form taking about half an hour no one would question that we went to get a new form.
 We get some food and sit down. After a few quiet moments Nasta looks at me and asks, "Dad, what if you get caught doing this will you go to jail?"
  I smile at the thought if everyone who did something like this went to jail and how naive my daughter at sixteen still is. I explain to her how the DMV is being unreasonable in not accepting the eye form and if I am caught they will just say the form is no good and needs to be done again.
 Satisfied, We eat until the floor show begins. Neither of us know what started it, but a woman starts yelling about something. I continue eating, while Nastia cringes like she will need to duck under the table to avoid flying debris or even bullets. I know there is no way I'll get under that table before being riddled with several high velocity bullets. Of course the teacher in me can't pass over a teachable moment and I explain to her why and how to handle an irate customer.
  The times has come, we go back to the DMV. There's electricity in the air, we are going to put one over on the man, the DMV for all their petty rules is goin to get fooled. We're gonna get them!! We park the car and stroll towards the doors. I laugh and tell Nastia, "It's a good thing we didn't wait too much longer, they close in fifteen minutes." We walk in like royalty, our fast pass guaranteed to get us fast service. We get pointed to the front counter, the Indian gentleman gives us a 'G' ticket, saying something about not understanding. I in all my confidence agree, "I don't understand either", Nastia quietly follows like the respectful peasant. We sit down and relax. Our new Indian friend comes up to Us and in one sentence shatters our master plan.
  He says, "I am sorry sir, as it is too late in the day to take permit test, You have to come back on Monday."
  Curses foiled again!!  Nobody beats the DMV!!

Twenty minutes in a microwave, still smells after three hours

Teri and I took a Friday night to have a date night. It was the first one in almost a year.
  We told the girls, we were going out and they were going to eat alone. They we're thrill to death. Getting to eat and watch TV alone.
  We left around five-thirty, the girls told us what they were going to eat. Nastia, soup and Elena, pizza.
  We ate dinner at 'The Yard House'. It was a little pricy. Teri had a drink and a crab cakes. I had a soda and jambalaya. The total bill with tax and tip $45.00. It was so reasonable,We debated selling the girls and eating out more often.
  We saw the movie Kingsman, with Colin Forth. I wasn't expecting much and was surprised. It was a nice way to spend an evening.
  When We got home, the smell hung heavy in the air. First words out of my mouth were '' Something smells.'' It was a brunt smell. Like something made burned. Like the handle of a pot, a chemical smell almost.
  Teri calls out for the girls and Elena answers. Teri yells to her ''What's that smell?
  Elena answers in that matter of fact way she has ''I burned the pizza. I put it in for twenty minutes in the micro-wave and it burned.''
  Well, their first night alone, they survived it and only killed one pizza. Well done, girls.      

Nastia went to the Movies and acted like an Ass and got it handed to her.

We went to see American Sniper the other day. Nastia asked if David could come along and I said OK.
  We picked David up a little late and went over to McDonald's to eat. David works at Burger King and didn't eat. We all had a little to eat. Elena met Jessica at McDonald's and I felt bad taking her away from Jessica, but We were on a tight schedule and we're running late.
  On the way to the Movie, Nastia picks the time to act like a teenager. Teri says something to her and Nastia says "I don't have to do that,I'm sixteen"
   Teri glares at me and I say "Just let it go and beat the crap out of her at home later."
David tells the story how he opened his mouth like she did and his Aunt put him in his place with the back of her hand, with his friends watching.
   Nastia then proceeds to open her mouth again and there is no holding Teri back. She rips into Nastia about being disrespectful and tells her to stay in the car when We get to the Movies.
  When they come in later Nastia is in tears and I try to tell her she picked the wrong time to act like a teenager.
  She gets over it and She goes off and sits with David and Elena. Teri, Nancy and I sit together and I enjoyed the movie very much. Best Movie in a long time.

Wandering the Mall and Cell phone repair

Nastia's phone quit working a week or so ago. You would swipe the screen and nothing. I had replaced the screen from a vendor in the Mall when she had cracked it several months ago. When It was taken to Apple they said it was the screen and We should take it back to the Vendor who sold it to Us.
  Nastia and I take it to the Mall and the guy asks if it was dropped, of course it was. He looks at it and says the screen is broken and needs to be replaced. He was willing to give me a brake on the price and I told him to go ahead, we'll wait.
  Nastia has always wanted to go to the Mall, with her friends, I didn't want her to go. Today while we were waiting, I went to the bathroom and left her alone for a little while. When I got back and she was still alive,I figured it was OK tolet her go wander around the Mall by herself..
  I played on my phone and off she went. About twenty minutes later, when the phone was ready and she hadn't returned, I became concerned. I started walking the lower level looking for her. I found her in Sharper Image, I think that is what it is called, listening to music and dancing a little bit to it. OH, the mischief she got into!!

Almost killing my Daughter in NYC

With the Girls off from school Teri gets the idea to go into the City to see the tree. We decide to go on a Monday, with nice weather expected and it being after Christmas. We set off about three-thirty and take my car. We head down the Henry Hudson and the GPS wants me to take the exit at the Boat basin, which I miss. We take the left at fifty-sixth street and head for FAO Schwarz. We cross the island to the east side. I drive past the intersection,  I think it was 5th ave. and 58th St. I find a parking garage two blocks away, turn in and as I read a sign that says  no SUVs, I hear my antenna tip scrap the roof. I'm about to turn around when Teri says there are SUVs down there. The attendant punches us in and off we go on our adventure. I'd been there twenty, thirty years ago the last time. This day it was packed.  We waited on a quick line and wandered around the store.  We went to the key board famous in the movie, Big. We were there about half an hour. We didn't buy anything. I saw few bags.
  We walked down town toward Rockefeller Center.  It was cold and I'm looking down at the sidewalk. Then I remember the best part of walking in the city is enjoying the show on the streets. I pick up my head and start looking around, just enjoying all the people,  the the buildings and the cars trying to go some where. I try to get Nastia to understand the fun, but she just kept saying she was cold.
  Teri asks to stop into a church and I tell her, OK without thinking. It was St. Patrick's.  They are doing work on it and I was there thirty years ago the last time. I walk in and I feel like I'm still outside. I don't remember it being such an amazing place The Girls were a little disrespectful and I told them they are going to Church. They didn't like that. I really want to get them there.
   After St. Patrick's We went a block West to Rockefeller Center. It was wall to wall people. It made Disney World look empty from several years ago. We managed to get up near the tree and get a few picture,
  We were going to eat in the City.  It was about 6;30 . I called Carmine's, a restaurant we lucked out at several years ago and got to eat at with Tony. This time there was a two hour wait. We decided to eat back in Rockland. So We started back up town. We stopped in the Lindt chocolate Shoppe and spent twenty-six dollars on real good chocolate.
   After We left the store. We stopped at an intersection, for a red light. I was not watching and the guy in front of me started walking. I had Nastias hand and we went too. The light was still red. I looked up as We crossed and noticed the don't walk sign and the cars coming at Nastia and I from our right. So I hurried Us up. I didn't understand why the guy in the first car was leaning on his horn until I looked behind me and saw that was Elena crossing too. Thank God, the car missed her. As the rest of the crowd crossed, I heard my wife cursing me as she crossed. It put a big damper on the night for me.
 IT WAS A FUCKIN MISTAKE!!! I WASN'T TRYING TO KILL ONE OF OUR CHILDREN!!!
      We ate at a Barbecue place on Erie St. in Blauvelt. It was a Monday night and it was busy. It is always busy. The food was pretty good.