New Years eve and we meet the boyfriend

Well I worked today and Teri and the girls took care of a few things.
Last night Monday the 29th of December 2019 we lost Leo the cat. He was all of about two years old. He was a very friendly cat. Everytime I'd go up stairs he'd run to the top of the stairs and wait to be petted. If you didn't he'd smack you with his paw. He was a very sweet cat and everyone misses him so. He left us about twelve years or so too soon.
       Elena was very sad and we invited her to sleep with us. She declined until about 12:30 when she joined us. The bed gets very crowded with three people and Athena in it. The room gets hot with three dogs and three people in it. I turned on the over head fan around two and it helped.
      So New Years eve Teri and the girls arranged for Leo to be cremated. The quoted fee was $300. When they saw him they lowered their price to under a hundred. Afterwards they went to IHOP for breakfast. I got home at five and took a nap. Elena asked to invite her new boyfriend. Teri and I had talked about it so it was ok for him to come if he had a ride there and back. Elena was not allowed to drive on New Years morning with the possibility of there being extra drunks on the road.
    Elena went to work at four and asked to leave a little earlier than nine. She was allowed to leave at eight.
     When I leave work I read a group of texts from Elena and Teri. It seems Elena locked her car keys in the car. I offer to bring a second set. I pick up keys at home and head to Pearl River. When I get there, I find the car and park next to it. I get out and I can swear I hear the low hum of her car. Yes the car is still running. I then to to the driver's door and insert the key. The door lock doesn't move. I then notice the door is open. I open it and turn off the car. I imagine that Elena left the car running, locked the door for the inside and shut it then thinking she had locked the keys in the car called for help, not trying the door. I can understand. I got a laugh and when I told her about it she at first didn't believe the car was running and the door was unlocked.
     Teri, Nastia, Nancy and I get to Eric and Lynn's a little after eight. Elena show up at eight thirty or

so and announces her boyfriend, whose name is Keene, not Cool (see what I mean about the possibility of it being a hippie name) shows up about nine. He is a bit of a surprise and Elena's attitude brightens.
      Around the same time former not to serious ex-boyfriend (he is about two years younger then Elena), Alex shows up. So all evening she is flanked by Alex on one side and Keene on the other. Nastia in the unfamiliar position of not being the center of attention. (She doesn't handle it well.Probably not even aware of it either. She takes her hair out of it's ponytail and tries to get more attention) The Twilight Zone marathon is on the TV. People are talking and I start to get tired. Nastia has some starch, then a little more and finishes later in the night eating Doritos. Later she get tire, (some relationship between the starch and getting tired?) She crawls into her mother's lap and tries to sleep. Later she goes and lies down

on the hearth of the fireplace, jumping up every time someone puts a log on the fire. New Years comes everyone kisses and wishes for a better New Year. Last year I didn't and I thought it would be best if I did this year, maybe it would be better. We stay until about 1:15, then head home. Elena sleeps with Teri and I go to sleep in Elena's bed. I'm up at 7:15 for some reason and Teri follows soon after. It's now 9:45 and I don't expect to see the girls until closer to noon.
Last night Nastia gets a text saying her final project for make up class was never handed in. Having junked all of her school papers she texts back reminding the teacher she saw the almost finished project and telling her she's thrown everything away. Well see where it goes.

So this Christmas and what have you done...*

So this is Christmas. I remember when John Lennon was murdered. I was in my bedroom with my girlfriend, it was 1980 just before Christmas and I turn on the radio. The newscaster reported John Lennon had been shot and killed by Mark David Chapman. It was so unreal I couldn't believe it. I had to hear the report several time. Now all these years later it has passed without a note. It's become a part of history just like Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Few talk about either any more. I remember working the milk route with my dad and he'd buy the Daily News. The Daily New in the 70's would put pictures in the centerfold of the paper when big events happened, or to commemorate events. On December 7th in the early 70's the centerfold of the paper was filled with pictures of  ships bombed in 1941. I'd looked at them the same way people now look at pictures of John Lennon on the night he was murdered. Wow an interesting historical event.
    Well it is Christmas eve 2019. Our bank accounts are emptied and most of what we wanted to buy has been bought. Teri again has been a champ. She will say things about how there is not a lot , but when you look at the mess of gifts and who they are for it is overwhelming. I always feel like I never giver her enough. She is always so very generous. And she is always so tough to buy for too. Years ago I ran out of jewelry to give her. Wrist, ears, I think I missed her neck and nose, damn it.
       Speaking of noses,Nastia and Elena got piercings. That is all that needs to be said.

Let the pictures say the rest. And yes I think they are unnecessary.
It is now Christmas morning. in a home with older children. I remember when it first happened to me. I was like sixteen or so and Eric comes into my room and says it's Christmas in a slightly desperate tone, get up. He was twelve, still of that age. It seems the girls both left that special age too quickly. One year I'd go up to their room and say 'Good morning,it Christmas and I'd get a great video of them racing down stairs. Then one year completely out of left field they wanted to sleep more. That is the day the magic of Christmas started to disappear. It's seven-thirty Christmas morning, I'm stuck in my bedroom with Mesha because she'd physically tear Nevel Nancy's dog who is down stairs apart if she could. Nevel is getting a little freedom with Teri and Nancy as the girls sleep away. Nastia might get up around

No sugar plums dancing here

nine,but if left to her own Elena would sleep until two in the afternoon.
     We are having a small gathering at our house this year of anywhere from five to eight. Donald, Amanda's father is working for Rockland Bakery and there is a chance of overtime and with Christmas on a Wednesday, he has to get up early tomorrow. Also the same with Amanda and Tony. They are working or at least one is and they both might not make it and have to get up tomorrow, so who knows.
      We are having a Rib roast for a two o'clock dinner. If you want melt in your mouth beef, this is
your baby. It costly, but has supplanted  turkey as the Christmas dinner of choice.
       It is now the day after Christmas. All the presents are opened and the wrapping paper has been hauled away by the trash men and spirits of sugar plums no long dance in our wee little children's heads. Elena went out with her new boyfriend tonight, Spectacular or is it Cool. I know it is a name a hippie would give to their child, I honestly don't remember it. I know you're thinking, 'Is he a nice boy?' (say it like a jewish mother) I don't know, haven't met him. I do know Elena came home tonight with  a rash on her neck, I hope she isn't coming down with something. If it was summer, I'd thought she'd gone fishing for ... let's all say it together, 'Sucker Fish!' and when she reads this years later she gonna hid my false teeth.
I hope she is happy. I'm told s-e-x (I'm spelling it out incase small children are reading this) is not in the cards any time soon, She has told her mother she is not ready.
      Now Nastia on the other hand is having David issues. He is acting distant and he has really pissed Nastia off to the point that she is/was considering dumping the love of her life. Is/was because they went to the movies tonight and were together yesterday for a while after he ignored her for, I don't know a week or so? And everytime I think of that I remember the dumb ass thing he said when he first started going out with her. "I don't break up with girls, they break up with me." Why doesn't he finally grow the fuck up!! I've gone into all of his shortcomings before and how he has no great roll models except for his grandparents and even though I am tempted to rehash his faults again, I will resist. He is not a bad kid. He's kind and funny and my daughter loves him, but he has all these demons running around in his head causing all this dumbass behavior to come out. I'm real tired of damaged people. I got into therapy years ago, one of my daughter's is in therapy, the other should be and all the two of them ever do is bring home people who are more damaged than themselves. Their mother has pushed them to do better, to get jobs, pay their own bills and car costs. To earn pocket money and get an education. They have been given the opportunities America can give and their future is theirs. They just don't have coat tails that lessers can hold onto as they try to soar. David will most likely fly high. He is focused on a possibly bright future, but he needs to make a little room for my daughter if he doesn't want to lose her.

Like Santa Claus I too do exist.

*Lyrics

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red one
Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now

la, la, ah, ah
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon /

Well it's Christmas, almost.*

* God it still feels like it should be a week before Halloween!!
It is the twentieth of December. Right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. Promised myself I would be very much in the holiday spirit this year. The Christmas season is also the shortest it can be this year. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just about a month. I am working and don't get home until six, then I make diner and suddenly it is today. Thank God for Teri. Again like all the years in the past she is the one who shops for the presents for the girls. If it was up to me they would be getting stuff from the local convenience store run by the Indians and is open on Christmas day. So much for the Christmas spirit. I used to be real big into Christmas. I'd put lights up on the house. I'd go out Christmas shopping and maybe not enjoy it, but at least I'd do it in a timely manner so I could enjoy some of the month. For the past few years the only people I have had to buy for are Teri and my mother. Sorry for all the same gifts mom.
       The plan this year was for us to get a real tree. I was going to go out and get one one night. Back in 2012 we (the girls and I) went to Pearl River to get a tree. That was the last time. I wanted this Christmas to be like Christmas of old. A real tree with all the old ornament on it. The ones in the distant past with once new Hallmark ornaments on it, the cheap plastic ornaments my mom purchased when I was a kid, to be put low on the tree so that if the dogs hit them and broke them no big deal  and now are treasured bits of my history and finally the old fashioned screw in lights with the bubble lights. Then outside the huge old style lights. I was going to make it just like old times. Well one day I woke up and Teri says it's ten days before Christmas ans we need to get a tree. The weather says it will rain tonight, then switch to freezing rain and be awful for the next week. I need to go now or never. Teri says after I debate it for a while let's go to the movies and get it after. Okay, not a bad idea. After the movie, the family 'Christmas Vacation' (Well maybe not exactly like it) family going to get their real Christmas tree has devolved into 'You go get the tree and I'll take Nancy home.' Maybe I should have said something, it just gets discouraging when no one is on the same wavelength. I knew a family adventure like from a Christmas Story (Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out.) would never happen. (If you don't know what I'm talking about with all theses movies, your education is sorely lacking) No one goes out like in A Christmas Story any more to get a tree. Heck, my parents maybe did it occasionally when I was about five or so. In later years my dad would just bring the tree home in his truck and it would either be in the 60's up against the fence in the old driveway or on the deck in the 70's. I even got a real tree when I had my first apartment in the 90's and that was why I started collecting Hallmark ornaments.
       When the girls first came over they were easy to buy for. When asked to make out a Christmas list it consisted of things like, gum, beef jerky and the like. It was sweet and made you want to cry a little. Their wishes were small and easy to fulfill. We'd go out and buy them these wonderful gifts and they would be happy and excited on Christmas morning. Later they would eat the beef jerky and gum. The other expensive gifts would end up sometimes not being used. Things haven't changed much in ten years, except now it is difficult to find them gifts. I can hear you, you're thinking so loud. If Teri does all the Christmas shopping how do I know these things. Well I do occasionally listen to her when she talks and she does love to talk about the girls. This year the girls are impossible to buy for. They both have jobs and they have started to buy clothes for themselves. So if you see them and wonder who the hell dressed them, it wasn't us. There wants are still simple and since they are older they don't make out Christmas lists like in the past. If they did I'm sure gum and beef jerky would head the list.
       Nastia's new 'friend' Taj and I went into other possible titles for him in my last post, is very much in some respects just like Nastia's other friend Veronica. I got a flat tire the other day when it was raining and turning to freezing ice. I'm at the age that if it isn't around 70, with low humidity and it's not a crisis, I'm not going to change a tire. So I asked Nastia to borrow her car for the day. She and Elena would drive together to RCC. I get in her car and it is a mess. There are open cheerios on the floor and the car is covered in trash, just like when Vanessa used to drive with her. It really ticks me off that these kids with no car and maybe no license are such pigs in her car. It shows what kind of person they really are. If you can't treat it like you own it....wait maybe that is the problem. They are treating it like they own it and they are disrespectful pigs.
       I remember when my friend Mike got his first car, a 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. It was a tank and I helped Mike clean it up and together we got the car ready to be repainted (We ruined it). The one thing I don't remember doing it throwing crap around the car so it was a mess.
        Okay, now Elena, it seems she has a boyfriend again, not that anyone has told me, wait, Nastia did tell me Elena had a boyfriend. His name is Cain. She met him at work and last night for the first time they went, in a group to a party. She was told to be home at 11 and she was home at ten minutes to 11.
       On Thursday, she and Nastia had their final class together for Multi-cultural something or other and it was the last night to present your project. Elena hadn't as far as Nastia knew. Nastia was home at the usual time. Elena was home almost 45 minutes late. When asked why, she said she took her time going home. I hope she stayed after class and did her presentation to an empty class with just the teacher there. I remember being as shy as Elena and how God awful it was to present to the class. Elena and I are alot alike. 
























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Another talent show

Last year and through most of this semester Nasti has had to go to plays and talent shows. Last year David went to some in the fall. In the spring and so far this semester I have been Nastia's date. Some of the events have been fun, like the play August Osage County. It was enjoyable for the first hour or two. But by 11 PM, I just wanted to go home. I got my wish about 11:15.
       For the latest show Nastia's latest flame (?) interest of the month, flavor of the week, (as far as I know) non sexual replacement, fill in boyfriend Taj was going to go to this month's show with her. When she told me she thought I might be sad about not going, I wasn't. I immensely enjoy our time together, but after working all day and then going to the show, I was OK missing it. She did say I could go with them. I said no, thank you.
       Later that day Taj backed out. So yet again it was Nastia and I going to the show. The show is a talent show. Hopeful artists were going to premier their original works. I was not looking forward to it. I appreciate all the work that goes into creating something from nothing. I myself am a frustrated writer. They were successful that night, they got up before an audience, some for the first time and performed a song they had labored over for who knows how long. I just didn't want to be there. The program was short on this night, maybe as a way of saying hey August Osage County was a little on the long side, so to even things out this will be only an hour and a half.
      We leave without eating intending to eat after the show at the Airmont Diner. The food there is head and shoulders above any other diner I've been to lately. And it doesn't seem so expensive. We get there a little early. We go in and sit down in the back instead of the front like usual. As soon as I sit down I am reminded of another reason I don't like going to this theatre. The seating is made for someone who is most likely about 5 foot five and one hundred twenty pounds and who also has good knees. I am not a huge person. I am six foot 220 these days, a little on the pudgy side, but usually I'm fine. These seats make airline seats look spacious. I sit down and my knees bump against the seats in front. My left knee tells me it is not happy and needs to stretch out. I am getting comfortable when the house lights go down. And as if on cue a family sits in the seats directly in front. I didn't care I was only going to pay attention a little. I did find it very funny that they bought a toddler with them. I started taking mental bets how long it would be before one of the parents had to leave because the baby was crying. They got through one and a half songs before. I think the father got up and left with the baby. He came back and the baby remained quit for half a song before he got up again. I was impressed the father got up both times. The family gave up less then half way through the show and left. Maybe they saw who they came to see. On the way out after the show, Nastia said she could smell a dirty diaper. Maybe they ran out of supplies. The show ended around eight-thirty and Nastia and I headed out to the Airmont Diner. I went down College Road and didn't take the right turn to bring me up by the Thruway entrance. I went straight and made a left onto Route 59 thinking we were west of the diner. I didn't realize my mistake until we were in Spring Valley. We ended up at the diner in Nanuet. The food is very slow coming out. Nastia orders fish. It comes with two sides and she gets home fries and at my urging vegetables. She eats the home fries, some of the fish. Grabs a stalk of broccoli to taste. Sniffs the fish cake that comes with her meal. She tries it and decides it's not to her liking. She will wrap the fish, the fish cake, but not the vegetables. Saying she will eat it for dinner tomorrow. The starch girl finishes the home fries. If everything were potatoes Nastia would be one hundred and ninety pounds instead of ninety-five pounds. I had breakfast for dinner. It is almost a tradition with me. If I'm going to a diner at night, I'm ordering a spinach and feta cheese omelet, with french fries, sausages and an english muffin. I was tempted to order French Toast. The prices at this diner are very expensive and the food is only ok.We got home at almost eleven. It was an interesting night and I guess sometime in February or March will be the next one. 













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Nastia's birthday. Can she really be twenty-one already??!!

Nastia slept in our bed last night so she could wake up on her birthday with us. To someone on the outside it must seem strange for a girl of twenty years and 364 days to be sleeping with her parents. I didn't mind even though she took up more room then Athena in the bed. And it was sweet to hear her say she wanted to wake up with us on her birthday. It wasn't like in Ferris Bueller's day off when he acts like a little kid to get something he wants ( you better have seen it. It's one of the best movies from the 80's *) She genuinely wanted to be with us. She told me back in the dark days (my words) in Russia, after some bad things happened which I really don't know what they are and can only guess, she decided to be happy, Elena didn't. I wouldn't have either.
       I wake up around seven, kissed Nastia and wish her a 'happy twenty-first birthday.' Teri echos it. I go off to work after cleaning the fresh snow fall of about five inches off Elena's and my cars.Elena goes off to school leaving Nastia and Teri to spend the day together. They get her nails done and have a nice time together. The plan is for us all to meet up at home around six to have dinner at Mt. Fuji. Mt Fuji is a japanese steak and hibachi restaurant. It is a very successful restaurant and there are others that have popped up and tried to match it. Cho Cho San in Nanuet at the old Triangle Steak Pub location is one I have gone to and enjoyed. It was pricey, but it was for Elena's birthday. The other time we went it might have been Nastia's birthday.
       So on December 3, 2019 we all gather at the house. It is just going to be the four of us. Money is a little tight and Nastia was only allowed to invite David. But David has school in Albany and there was that snow storm that dropped six inches on us and dropped 22 on him. Plus David can be a little odd sometimes, I don't know him well enough to decide what is going on with him. Sometimes he ignores Nastia, is it because he is laser focused on school or he doesn't know how to be in a relationship with someone who obviously adores him. From what I've seen and heard and some of it might be wrong he doesn't have many good role models in his life. I won't go into to them now.
      We drive up the Thruway north toward Suffern, Teri is driving. We get off at exit 15A and swing around onto Route 17. About a mile or so up on the left is the entrance to Mt. Fuji. The huge red
entrance can't be missed. Like I've said I've never been there and I didn't expect the long drive up the mountain. Well it used to be the Motel on the Mountain all those years ago. The drive up the mountain is tense because Teri is petrified of anything that might be ice. If there is an ice cube in the road it feels like she is afraid that if she hits it the car will go careening off the road and crash down the side of the mountain. After a few minute drive up the intensely curvy road Mt. Fuji appears at the top. It is cold and there is only valet parking. Once inside we walk to the desk and announce that Muller party of four is here. We wait in the bar Nastia and Elena engage in some intense conversation. After watching them some I too want to look at my phone.
 We are seated near a window. Out of habit I try to take a seat that will be good for a left handed person. I hostess motions me over to the exact opposite side near the windows and all night long I try to not elbow Nastia as she unaware occasionally elbows me. We order drinks after getting an eye opening look at the prices of the food. Cho Cho San had Sam Adams, Mt. Fuji doesn't. If you are starting to get a vibe here you're not wrong. I order a Corona, Nastia wants a Pina Colada, Elena gets a virgin, Teri water. Nastia sips her drink and goes, "oh, this is nice you don't even taste the alcohol." wait it's coming. I

drink mr beer, Elena, who I am concerned about turning twenty-one sneaks a sip of Nastia's drink along with Teri. Nastia then takes another sip and realizes the alcohol hadn't mixed completely and now she is tasting it. I take a sip, the drink has a pleasant taste with a slight bit to it, an excellent drink. Nastia gives the drink to Teri to finish, so ends Nastia's night drinking. The Chef arrives and the usual enjoyable entertainment and good food. The night ends around 10 pm. We settle up for about what I thought the bill would be.

       We head out to get our car. Now this is the part I hate the most about valet parking. It seems that every time we go to a place with valet parking it is like minus seven degrees. Tonight was no exception. The cold air on top of the mountain hits us as we pass through the door to the snow covered walkway. The restaurant was empty, so I thought the valet would be, but no everyone who was in the restaurant decided to leave five minutes before we did. It didn't take to long to get our car, the valets did work hard to bring the cars up, but the time we spent there made me think of the Donner party. (They got stuck in the mountains on their way to California in the 1800's and had to eat dead members of their party to survive, lucky we'd just eaten)After what seemed like forever, it was just five, six minutes our car arrives and we take the treacherous trip down the mountain. Teri fearing that every dark spot on the road was ice. I was driving because of that. We survive the trip down the
mountain and make it back to Congers.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Wikipedia

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes, and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, a high-school slacker who spends a day off from school in Chicago, with Mia Sara and Alan Ruck.

Produced by‎: ‎John Hughes‎; Tom Jacobson

Box office‎: ‎$70.1 million

Music by‎: ‎Ira Newborn

Edited by‎: ‎Paul Hirsch

‎Ferris Bueller · ‎Category:Ferris Bueller's Day Off · ‎Von Steuben Day · ‎Mia S

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Thanksgiving 2019

Start of Teri's family stuffing

It's been several year since we all got together in one house to celebrate Thanksgiving. The original reason,  reasons we started doing separate Thanksgivings was there were too many people and Teri
 wanted to have a holiday at our house.
Over the last few years the separate Thanksgivings have gotten smaller. People have left us but we still kept them separate. That was until Karen, Lynn's sister unexpectedly died last spring. She was only in her fifties and it was very unexpected. Lynn kept up a strong front over the last months, but when it came time for Thanksgiving and we got the usual do you want to come over for Thanksgiving, this year it

Butter, sausage, onions and celery cooking away

seemed the right time. Eric and Lynn this year were down to five, maybe six or seven. We were just going to be five. Amanda and Tony were both working. Which left just Nancy, Teri, the girls and I. We, Teri was making a turkey. She started it at a reasonable hour this year because Eric and Lynn were eating at about four. We always ate at two. Teri took her time because she had lots of time and no she didn't run short of time for the turkey, she ran short of time for the sweet potato casserole. Everyone left for Eric and Lynns with Teri's voice in their ears "I'll be right behind you as soon as the sweet potatoes are done." About forty-five minutes later Teri and the potatoes both arrive. The sweet potatoes were well worth the wait. Teri hit the sweet spot on them and even thought I was full I went back for more.

Nastia and Elena help on Thanksgiving

       Now I don't want you to think the girls didn't help make thanksgiving dinner. I have several pictures of the girls staying out of the way in bed and one of Nastia thinking about helping, then stretching and decided she'd be more help going back to sleep. When she did get up she offered advice on canned pumpkin.
 I wanted to bring a dessert. I thought about a black bottom pie, but that was as far as I got with it. At the last moment I decided to make pumpkin cake. I like pumpkin and we had a can of pumpkin in the cellar. It was of course 16 months out of date. Does 16 months or a year and 4 months sound longer? I was going to use it. I remember before all this sell by date crap things in your freezer and things in cans were good for just about ever. I got the can out and I checked to see if it was bulging, it wasn't. Nastia with all of her soon to be twenty-one years was saying I don't know if you should use it, it's out of date! Around her offering her knowledge of canned pumpkin she did help me make the pumpkin cake.
     Now I don't really like cake and I don't really like cupcakes and each for a different reason. I don't like boxed cake even though they are usually very tasty. I feel it is a cheat. I like doing things from scratch, getting in over my head and then stopping doing the project. Wait how did I get on projects I'm doing around the house. I don't like cupcakes because of their bland flavor, overly sweet icing and this is coming from a guy who complained that cakes in Russia weren't sweet enough. And lastly I despise cupcake wrappers and I really don't know why. Maybe it has to do with overly sweet icing over the bland cake. Well all this is leading up to I decided to make  pumpkin cupcakes. It was a major pain. I started with the regular sized muffins remembering in the past I cooked some cake, maybe Sour Cream Coffee Cake (should have done that) in cupcake form and it went over big. But these cupcakes need to have a pan that was buttered and floured. I start with the regular dozen size cupcakes, I had one tray. I then use the four trays of minis I have spraying oil and tapping flour into each one. Oh and making a big mess. When the cupcakes come out they are too hot to remove from the pan and I say I'm going to take them in the tins. Well lets just say the next day when Amanda comes over to dinner she is given a bag of pumpkin cupcakes. The few I had were good, but too much work.
At Lynn and Eric's we are a group of about ten. Eric and Lynn's group fluctuated. Timmy came late, Billy was without his girlfriend, then she is there. Denis wasn't there then he was. It was a good time. Only once did Lynn let her armour slip, in the kitchen with a tear in her eye she thanked Teri for coming over while they were both cleaning up. I was glad we went.








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Wednesday night, post mortem on the car and whatever else

Wednesday night is therapy for Elena. A couple of weeks ago afterwards I saw her and thought it must have been a rough one. Her eyes seemed ... tired I guess is the best way to describe them. Tonight she was on a bit of a high and in a real great mood. It was a lot like this past weekend after the movie. She was bouncing around being silly and having a great time. Tonight she was fake punching everyone and her sister was fake punching her back. Life seemed to be good for once. It may have been just a moment and Teri was telling Elena to stop, but really it was a time when everybody seemed to be happy, or at least content. Teri was happy once Elena stopped fake punching because Elena could put someone's eye out you know ( hey Christmas is coming and so is Christmas Story). Nancy joined us and we had a late dinner at Harry's Burritos. It was good.
       Afterwards I drove Nastia and Elena over to Alexander Brother to pick up her car, yes that car. The cost of repairs on the car could have topped three grand, if things had gone wrong. We did luck out on the cost of the repairs. It was a little over 18 hundred and as I went down the list there seemed to be nothing else left that could go bad.
       I'm now writing this on Saturday night and Elena came in after driving her car home from work saying it smelled weird. I went out and looked in the engine. There is a large fan belt that drives several things. Something at the bottom is only occasionally turning. It might be the alternator and that is going to be 300 dollars. Of course I'm pulling that number out of thin air. I see on Monday what it will cost.
      Since I'm writing this on Saturday night I have to tell you about the play Nastia and I went to. Thursday was a long day at work for me and I didn't want to go out afterwards but Nastia reminded me I had said I'd go with her to the RCC events she must attend. She stayed at school and I bought her some dinner. We walk into the theater and it turns out the play they are putting on is August Osage County. Several years ago Teri and I took the girls to see the movie of it. It was R rated for language and the language was very colorful. Julia Roberts had the lead and she swore a blue streak up and down. The girls couldn't get over the cursing. Now all these years later when I tell Nastia she's seen the play as a movie, she doesn't remember. She doesn't remember until the lead goes on stage and starts swearing. The play is over three hours and it doesn't start until 8pm. We get home and into bed after midnight. It was an interesting play that dragged at some points and as it approached 10 pm I just wanted it to end.






















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That damn car, what have we done?

A few weeks ago, I may have written about it, I got into Elena's car and heard a thunking sound. I told her she could not drive it to school, it needed to be looked at. One thousand three hundred dollars later the car is all better. The sound was a strap in the rear of the car, I don't remember exactly. While they were back there they did rear brakes. I told Elena I was sorry, but it happens on old cars. Her Taurus is a sixteen year old 2003. I thought it was all over for the time being. I mean the car was well cared for at least that is the way it looks, it's in beautiful condition.
     

My TR 6, I loved this car.

 Well on Thursday I'm at my mom's just before I am heading to work when I get a call from Nastia. It seems Elena's car, the Taurus is smoking from the passenger side of the engine compartment. Back in the good old days that meant you had a hole in your radiator hose. So I grabbed some black tape and head to ShopRite in New City. I picked up two gallons of radiator fluid. Now I haven't needed radiator fluid in a good twenty, thirty years ever since I parked my Triumph, but I still buy two gallons and not that watered down shit either. I get two gallons full strength of ethyl glycol.
      I race up New Hempstead road. I know they noticed the steam coming from the car at a stop light. So I have a good idea where they'll be. I'm pushing my car and I know they are not danger, but I need to get there as soon as possible. And don't you know it grandma moses and her whole family pull out in front of me. One of them is even driving a smelly old dump truck up New Hempstead hill. 

     I get to the girls, they are pulled off into the grassy area of the entrance ramp to the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway. I pull over and they get out. I'm wearing a jacket and a vest, it is after all the middle of November. Elena, the snow queen is in a short sleeve T shirt. I ask her if she is cold as I go to get a sweater from my car.I throw it at her, the big dummy. She says she thought she had a jacket in the car. I don't take the bait because we all know she knew she didn't have a jacket in the car. She for some reason wants to freeze to death this winter.
      I pop the hook and look for the radiator hoses. It's not 1975, so I can't find them. I check the

overflow tank and it is not low. We decide to drive the car back home, I'm following her because I still think it is 1975 and the car will overheat. The car smokes the whole way home. She pulls it up on the grass on the north side of the house where we will sometime in the future build a driveway. They both get out and start Nastia's car and off they go.
       Later that night Teri and I drive the car over to Alexander Brother's Auto Repair. The next morning I get a call from them. It seems that the leak is coming from the timing chain cover. And if you're going to fix it you might as well do the timing chain. To do that you need to drop the oil pan and to do that you need to remove the exhaust. Anything can go wrong when your removing a sixteen year old exhaust system. The repairs could run anywhere from thirteen hundred to over three thousand. Teri and I feel so bad that we are going to take care of it. Hopefully we'll get lucky. The people who sold it to us are not to blame for all of this, it's just an old car. Alexander Brother's will have the car from last Thursday to at least until Wednesday. It takes time to get the parts and you're dealing with Ford so it the parts will be expensive I'm told. oh, boy!




















/

A snapshot of what's happening*

* And again not like that TV show, but I guess since we are doing it again we do have a rerun in it.

I like doing these because I like to re read the posts and these give me a feeling of how things were back in the deep dark past. Recently I reread a post about the time early on when I looked out the window and saw Elena swinging a big stick and I didn't stop her. A little while later Nastia comes in with a big cut on her head. I was very hard on myself. Now I'd give that person a little break, but still think he should have done something because what could have happened did.
        It's sort of like what my younger brother and sister did with croquet mallets back in the late 60's early 70's. I think, if I recall this correctly and I will ask Ruth and Eric later, Eric was swinging a croquet mallet and hit Ruth in the head. But no worry, kids were made stronger and less breakable back then, at least that's the way it seemed.
        Elena is still working like a fool She recently got promoted to be her manager's assistant. And as we all know titles are cheap. She gets to work all over the store and before her manager went on vacation, she was working in the bakery and liked it. She works every day except when she is going to therapy it seems. I asked her how things were going and let's say this all together, she said "fine" and how is school going, again all together, "Fine". She is such a closed book that other closed books are jealous. She surprisingly announced a few weeks ago that she was dating a kid named Andrew. Teri and I didn't like him, we also didn't know much about him. I met him once when he joined Nastia at the bowling alley. He had tinted his hair green and just looked dopy. Later Nastia tells that he is getting money from the government for some reason or another. He has issues, I guess. I always hoped that the girls would associate with, and you must excuse me, people above them in the world. People whose parents had made something of themselves so that they would be exposed to it and maybe strive for more. But like exposing China to the democratic west was supposed to make it more democratic as opposed to making the US (it's the Trump years) less democratic, the girls continually bring home friends who are mostly more damaged than them.
       One day when I was saying how I didn't like Andrew and Elena had enough problems without adding someone with more Nastia says that we should just leave them alone. Elena doesn't like to be bossed around and he is doing that so she will break up with him. Recently I heard Nastia talking on the phone to someone and he was complaining about breaking up with someone, I think it was Andrew talking about Elena. And if true in typical Elena fashion we heard nothing about it. He just quit being talked about or she has quit saying she is going to hang out with him.
       I asked Nastia  how Elena was doing in school. Unlike when I went they don't test like they used to. Now there are papers projects and the like. Stuff that you prepare on Google Docs and submit online. It's a new world and every so often I feel irrelevant. Nastia says she doesn't know.
      Nastia and David are still together. There was a time earlier in the year when they hit a rocky patch. Most nights I can hear them talking and in the morning I see a 'Hello Babe' or 'Good Morning Babe' text. Ah, to be young and in love. I miss it. David is supposed to come down from Albany for Thanksgiving and Nastia wants to spend part of Thanksgiving with him at his grandparents. This is the first Thanksgiving without Karen and we were planning on having the whole family together, so I don't know.
       Now Teri and I are doing OK. We don't see each other much. We wake up together in the morning. I distract Mesha so Athena can go out and pee. After that Teri gives the dogs treats and I go back to bed and get up at 7:30 which still gives me time to write in the morning. Teri showers, has breakfast sort of and leaves at eight to go to work.
       Lately I have been getting home from work around six. I work to hard and care too much about a job that is paying me peanuts compared to what I used to make. But when a new client say god bless you for sending them food and someone who starts off really cranky on a phone call and at the end is calling you sweetie. I know I'm making a difference and it is tough to quit. I just wish my owner cared about me as much as I care about his business.
       Teri is still in Mahwah. And yes I really don't know the name of the company she works for. It's something like Jamatech. She doesn't like it still, but has resigned herself to bare her burden until she can change it. I wish something would come around for her to make her happy. She gets home around seven or so. If it is their busy time it is later. Her and I eat in the kitchen if the girls are at work, which is often these days. We move into the living room and start to watch TV where Teri will fall asleep. Around ten she goes up. I follow around eleven or so.
       Life isn't perfect, but many times you'll look back on a time, like I have been lately thinking about the nineties when we were first married and think that time was special, good and I miss it. Maybe in the future I'll read this and marvel at what a special time it was or maybe I'll remember it as it is.























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Another year of RCC talent shows

Last night was bowling and Nastia had to go to a show at RCC for school. Our bowling team is in next to last place because I am not yet bowling well. Nastia has been in the league for three maybe four years now. She averaged about 66 or so her first year. This year, I believe she is something like 117, almost double from her start. I couldn't be happier. Elena, if she stuck with it and didn't get so angry about doing poor she could be good. She is so like me sometimes it hurts.
        Teri bought Elena to therapy around 6:45. Teri said she could hear Elena yelling about something so maybe she is engaging more with her therapist. Afterwards they went to eat and pick up Halloween candy for this rainy Halloween.
       Nastia and I went to RCC for the talent show about seven, just after getting some McDonalds. It consisted of interpretive dance, poetry and music. Some of it was good and other parts were not. Afterwards Nastia asked me why she had to go to these things. I told her the truth that if students and their dates or parents were not there there would be not audience. Even with the required attendance there were plenty of good seats open. The show was a little too long for the seats. The show ran two and a half hours. Starting at 7:30 and going to just a little after 10. One of the highlights of the show was one of the stage crew who had to moving the piano. He exaggerated the moving of it and was just generally a light hearted surprise.
Nastia wanted to get candy after the show, but I was tired and asked her to just go home. On the way out of RCC, Nastia reminds me to take the short cut she showed me on the way in. I guess it was a short cut. On New Hempstead Rd you take a right onto Brick Church Rd. going up to the second light and making a left, then straight to RCC. It was a short cut because there was not traffic. Taking Brick Church Rd. bought me back to my time at RCC when I went and investigated the area between classes. I also did a lot of deliveries in the  area. 

Nyack Halloween Parade

Well it's that time of year again for the Nyack Halloween parade. And times are changing like they always do. In years past the four of us would drive down to meet Nancy in Nyack and we would all hang out and watch the parade. Some years the girls would dress up. For two years in a row they were lions, for two years they were vampires. We'd hang out over near the old movie theatre and other times we'd hang out at the corner of Main and Franklin. But during all the times all four of us would be there together.
This year Elena had to work. It was alright, I've really had my fill of the people at the parade and wasn't looking forward to any of it. Teri wanted to go, so since we don't do much together these days I went. Nastia was home and went with us.
     
 Earlier in the day I was working on Elena's room (it's mostly insulated, mostly wired, about half sheet rocked) and my feet hurt, so I bought a chair. In past years a felt a little strange bringing a chair to the parade because people would move in front of me after I set up my chair and I wasn't old. Well I've started to embrace being 'older' , but not old yet. I'm started to accept that I might be getting a little grey, just like I might be going a little bald.
       We left a little late for the fair, parked on Catherine street and tried to leave room for Karl who was going to go to the parade too. We walked down Catherine, down the street Teri calls lower Catherine all like usual. We join Nancy who has been down at the parade for several hours. She and some friends had set themselves up behind the barricade and had saved us some room. I wasn't going to set up my chair because I'd gone in front of some people and felt it was what I always complained about. Teri and Nancy insisted, so I did and was very glad for it. I was comfortable and had a great view toward South



Broadway. Nastia was on my right and Teri stood to her right. We were late so we didn't have to wait long.
The parade was about forty-five minutes long and it was one of the best in the last few years. Maybe it was the comfortable seat or maybe it was the costumes I don't know. Floats were generally absent this year. In the past there were always several excellent ones, not this year. The parade started off with several old cars, then some fire trucks. It then graduated to kid in costumes, they then got a little older and older until the adults. The parade ended with a Santa Claus type person in a motorized wheelchair bringing up the rear. He was not in costume, but it was awful early for him too.

Dog Fights and something else I don't remember*

* Don't worry, I'll just make something up.

I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday early morning. I'd had some trouble sleeping that night and I was in bed awake about 3:30 when Athena starts to throw up. The way we usually handle it was we push the choking dog off the bed and onto the floor where they throw up, we clean up and no dirty sheets that need to be cleaned. Well this generation of dogs are different from our first. The first generation Mosha and Kodi were friends and companions. Our current group, Athena, Bandi and Mesha aren't.
We got Athena the first summer the girls were with us in 2010. We went to some place in New Jersey about an hour away because Teri had never had a white dog.(When Teri wants something she always uses the 'I never had...)  and Teri had never

had a white dog, plus it was a rescue. The four of us head down there and when we get there Athena is going to someone else. So we are looking at another dog who is less white, more brown, still the same mix. I took a picture of the dog figuring we are going to get that one. Looking at the picture, I guess the dog was black. We are walking around because the people who picked Athena are having second thoughts. Finally they decide against adopting her. We swoop in and take Athena. I think that was her name from the adoption agency. I sometimes wonder what happened to that other dog. Well we own Athena and we go out to the car. I am taking pictures of the dog and the girls. We start debating her name. I liked Athena because it reminded me of the song by The Who, Athena. For months every time Athena is called I hear in my head, "She's a bomb." *
Now Bandi was a dog adopted by June, Teri's mom in the last couple of years of her life. He was always a very cranky dog. You couldn't pick him up and he'd only accept attention on his own terms. Now over ten years later when I yell at him or

something happens like he wants to sit next to me on the foot stool and I push him off I get hurt eyes from him like how could I . He's decided that I am his buddy.
Now our last dog Mesha, not Mosha was adopted in 2014 just after I lost my job with Cream-O-Land. I didn't want to adopt her and spend $500.00. But Teri said Elena wanted a German Shefford (her accent made it come out that way or maybe she just did know it was a shepherd, I don't remember.). We debated names around. Since I was home most of the time and she looked like a little teddy bear I began calling her Bear. No one liked the name and Nancy looks up on the internet what Bear was in Russian. We didn't like that either, but in all the Russian fairy tales, bears were called Mesha. We thought Mesha, Mosha, maybe the spirit of Mosha would  guide her to follow in her footsteps, didn't happen.

Well we rescue her. She is a cute dog who starts to grow and as she grows she starts to develop an attitude. Bandi never one to be intimidated never lets her dominate him. Even now when she is a hundred pounds and Bandi is about fifteen years old and fifteen pounds she cowers around him. It can be comical. When Mesha gets bigger than Athena she starts to to try to dominate her, Athena is a bit of a wimp so there has been a constant back and forth between them. In other words dog fights. The first one was a bloody affair. I was downstairs in the basement shower and I hear Teri yelling and the sounds of dogs. When I get upstairs there's blood smeared it seems everywhere. Teri's agitated voice saying I don't know who's hurt, but there's blood everywhere. It turns out no one was hurt, Mesha had bitten her own tongue.
I'm not going to talk about every fight, because there have been too many. One I want to talk about is the shock collar fight. After a while we'd gotten tired of the fights and Teri goes out and buys a shock collar. I hated it and refused to use it for a long time. Sometime after I started using it the girls were instructed to use it when the dogs get into a fight. They do and Mesha interrupts the shock as Athena fighting back and when the fight was over Athena was covered in small nicks and scratches. It was the worst fight.
Most of the time I was always the one who seemed to come out the worst. I've had cuts on my arms, my leg and one of my hands. I am always getting in the middle of the fights to grab a collar and pull one dog off the other (Mesha off Athen, Mesha always wins) One time I missed a collar and I saw one of the dogs mouths coming towards my hand (the hand injury). That was an award winning move on my part.
Well back to the fight. It's three-thirty in the morning Teri and I are both trying to push a gagging Athena off the bed. Mesha gets up to see what is going on and we push Athena right into Mesha's face and a fight breaks out. I have learned over the years to use Teri's advise. She said to grab hind legs and pull. So over the last few years I grab Mesha's hind legs and pull or throw her away from the fight. Of course Athena follows and stupid me puts out a leg to stop her (the leg injury) it hasn't stopped me from still doing it In this fight I seperate them and I think they start up again and end up in the hallway. I throw Mesha into the bedroom and Teri slams the door. Things calm down and now it is time for the weird part. Mesha always has to go back over to Athena and check her out. And Athena then proceeds to energetically lick Mesha's face. The longer we keep them apart the more insistent and agitated Mesha become.
The fight is over and now try going back to sleep. Mesha is on the bed with Athena, Teri and I. Finally Mesha leaves and thing calm down and sleep starts to come just as the alarm goes off.



* Athena

The Who

I had no idea how much I need her
In peaceful times I hold her close and I feed her
My heart starts palpitating
When I think my guess was wrong
But I think I'll get alone
She's just a girl
She's a bomb

Athena
All I ever want to do is please her
My life has been so settled
And she's the reason
Just one word from her
And my troubles are long gone
But I think I'll get along
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's a bomb
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
She's just a girl

Athena
My heart felt like a shattered glass in an acid bath
I felt like one of those flattened ants
You find on a crazy path
I'd have stopped myself to give her time
She didn't need to ask
Was I a suicidal psychopath
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's just…

I guess I didn't remember that other thing.

Nastia and Elena's great adventure*

* yeah, like the movie, Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, well it sorta is.

A few weeks ago Nastia and Elena separately tell Teri and I that they are going to Great Adventure on Yom Kippur.I thought it was an odd way to celebrate the jewish holiday (that's a joke, I'm told you don't celebrate Yom Kippur, you atone for your sins and I can't think of a better way to atone for your sins then to go to the poor man's Disney World. Another joke.). They were going with Jessica and her mom and they were going to try to use passes Jessica's family had for the place. If it didn't work out it would have cost $80.00 per person to get in. Remember this is the poor man's Disney, except they, Great Adventure don't know it and try to charge like you're in Florida. It's October, so fright fest is going on there, except it is a jewish holiday and they weren't having it. I guess all the ghosts and goblins are jewish. I don't remember giving it much thought because it was several weeks away. This suddenly it wasn't. For a brief moment I considered telling them I didn't want them to go. It is still difficult to let them go and do things. Everytime they walk out the door I hope it is not the last time I see them or they don't get into an accident. I just don't know how my parents did it. There were four of us and three of us were in too many car accidents and my sister got divorced from an abusive man. I don't know too much about that. Anyway, it is tough watching your kids go out into the world and know you can't protect them and you really shouldn't try to stop them too much. Keep a good hazy line so when your fright is up you can say, "Well the weather is bad or it's too cold out to go." they have a tough time arguing about it.
At some point I just put it in God's hands (it's funny how easy it is to believe in God at times like this) and give the girls the best advice I have, bring a jacket it is going to rain and get windy, which I did. Teri taught me to say be careful everytime they go out the door. My fears of what will happen out there are all mind from when I was out there and all the stupid things I did out there.
The morning of their trip,they had slept over Jessica's the night before after seeing the movie 'IT part 2' I saw it the night before and it was good. So Teri and I are sending all the texts any parent would send, you know, have a good time, be safe, bring a sweater, don't take any wooden nickels, yeah, that last one doesn't really apply any more, at least since the 1800's. Any how again they head out at some time in the morning. I was going to say early, but these are my daughters.
Sometime around three in the afternoon I ask them to take a picture. I really wanted several, but I didn't want to be a pain about it. So a little while later I got a really great picture.
We don't hear from them again until they step in the door around seven or eight that night. I was a little surprised they were home that early. The park didn't close until eight and it is a two hour drive about to get home. Nastia comes in and sits down, Elena stands at the doorway to the family room. They are asked how was it and we get a it was fun. We push for a little more information and get, it was fun, it rained, we got wet. I ask if they went on that roller coaster that goes up and down like a zipper. They go, "oh, King da kah, no it was closed." While writing this I find out the roller coaster in the  background of the picture is the Batman roller coaster. So I guess they had a good time, it rained and they got wet.





















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Elena's Room pt3

I bet you thought I had forgotten that I was going to add more about Elena's room, well I haven't. I work on it as much as I can. Getting home after 5:30 at night during the week does limit the amount of work I can do during the week. And on the weekends if we go out I can only work on the room for a few hours. With all that said here is where I've gotten to.
       In the last post about her bedroom I'd gotten the wall all down and most of the wiring done. I left the wire for the outlet on the wall of the closet hanging. I still had the wiring for the light and the heater to redo.
       Elena and I started to do the insulation on the eastern wall where the closet is to go. I felt I should do as much as possible in that area so I could build out the closet before I finished the rest of the

room, Don't ask me why, it just felt like that was the right thing to do, so I did it. The whole eastern wall is insulated, like I said and one Saturday morning I finish all the little odds and ends that are overlooked like areas around the window where the weights used to hang needed insulation. A wire for the outside lights that years ago I ran poorly was rerun. I moved a joist in the ceiling that was around the old chimney to against the eastern wall. I moved it three times because it was crooked or not level with something. Finally I just nailed it to the wall so it was level with the ceiling. It wasn't pretty, most likely not the way it is supposed to go, but when I do the floor above Elena's room with plywood, I'll make it better. Now for the sheetrock.

I put a two by four high up on the wall near the ceiling leaving enough space to slide a piece of sheet rock in, I then get my extension bar. The one I used to use on my truck to stop goods from sliding off the shelves and lastly I measure and cut the piece of sheet rock. I put my pole near me and lift the piece of sheet rock toward the ceiling. The sheetrock is surprisingly light. I pulled two pieces from the garage the other day and carried them in one by one in the front and they didn't seem so light, but this one is. It slides into the gap I created with the scrap piece of two by four. I hold the sheetrock in place with one hand, I'm feeling like I'm young again. I got this all by myself, no problem. I reach for the extension bar to support the sheetrock against the ceiling when it expands and gets caught. I can't get the bar loose, I'm jiggling it, trying all the tricks in the book, but it is not coming loose. The sheetrock is starting to get heavy. Teri walks by and casually asks if I need help. For a moment I think nah, I got this, then I remember I'm not that thirty-five year old kid any more and I invite her in. She grabs the bar from me and unsticks it. I take it back and start to push the sheetrock toward the ceiling. Teri points toward something behind me and on the ceiling, I don't care victory is in sight. I set the bar in place and look where she is pointing. The ceiling fan which I always intended to take down, one of the blades are stuck under the sheetrock. I'm wasn't going to let victory go, so I manage to slide the blade out without any damage. Teri says I should have taken the ceiling light down. I tell her it was on my

list, but it gives off so much light. And yes before any more ceiling is done it is coming down.

Is college good for the girls?

I don't mean in the sense that it gives them more time to grow up and it gives them more independence and eventually a degree, no I mean in the sense of how much closer they have become since the start of the school year. They have two classes together at RCC and they spend time hanging out together at school, I think.
When they came over in 2009 they were best friends. They did everything together. They'd sleep together, sometimes in the same bed, they'd hang out all the time together. At night you'd get that noisy happy chatter from their room and you just knew they were happy spending time together.
     Then something changed. I didn't recognise it when it started, I only noticed it when it was pointed out. It was like seeing someone who's got new glasses, but you really don't know what the change is until it is pointed out to you. Then it is the only thing you can look at the rest of the day and wonder how did I miss that.
       One morning Elena is sleeping in her bed in her room, she has moved out of the room they share and into her room. She'd been given the room a while ago. She kept her clothes there, but one morning you wake up and you find her sleeping in her room. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. Eventually she moved back into her sister's room. Then she'd move back out when her aunt Nancy would stay over on Saturdays.
During the back bedroom construction, which is still going on slowly, but going on, full update soon. Elena has been in her sister's room. Just recently I noticed Elena was sleeping in the big bed from the back bedroom with Nastia. And last night I heard the two of them talking and laughing from down stairs. It was like old times. I went to bed late, around midnight and they were still going on. I said good night and they got quiet and went to sleep, again in the same bed. Elena still will be short tempered with Nastia and tell her to shut up, but right now they are acting like best friends again. I know if I ask Teri she'll say they are just being girls and not to worry they will go back to acting like they hate each other real soon.