Random Russian Sights on an Autumn Evening

Glory be, tram fares in Rostov-on-Don have gone up from nine rubles to ten. So with the current exchange rate - 31 rubles to the dollar - that's from 29 cents up to 32. See, I leave the country and inflation runs rampant. Which it does, regardless. But anyway, we're on the tram now, so let's enjoy the sights.

The main sight here is. . . folks getting on and some major discussion between the driver and lady about her transport pass.

Grabbed this picture quick like with my new little camera (Thanks dear JTO!) that's rather unobtrusive and easy to whip out in seconds. I was hoping for a quick little shot that nobody much would notice. Shortly thereafter, I spotted a police officer standing just two meters behind me and he was quite aware. I like to think that he was off-duty, anxious to get home to dinner. . .

Oh, here's my tram ticket. With the increased fares, guess they're giving out tickets again. Reminded me of an amusing Russian tradition I'd heard about years ago. I turned to the lady behind me to confirm. She smiled and explained that back during her childhood it was a fad to add up the first three black numbers. And if that sum is equal to that of the last three numbers, you're in for some good luck. But, only if you eat your ticket. That's right. Open wide and down the hatch. See, feels lucky already, doesn't it? Oh, well maybe next time we'll win. . .

Down off the tram and heading toward the Rostov Regional Library. In its shadow is this collection of used books: think Half-Price Books a la Rus. And look what we have here, the magazine, *Америка,* all about America circa 1978. Let's zoom on in.

Well my stars. . . and stripes. Here's our Abraham Lincoln. Never know who you're going to run into here in Rostov. Excuse us Abe, but we've gotta hurry along. Continuing on into the library, we head to the Department of Foreign Language where the English Discussion Club meets. Oh, what an interesting evening. . .

After our meeting, about half the group tromped together down Pyshkinskaya Boulevard and here we are. These young ladies are all quite fluent in English and they want to practice their English. They need to practice their English, but not nearly as much as I need to practice my Russian!

Welcome to McDonald's. It's quite the place to go, brimming with tech-savvy college students using the free WiFi. Besides that, the menu regularly features new menu items. Here McDonald's is introducing two new sandwiches to celebrate Mediterranean Weeks. On the left is Fresh Italian with crab, on the right is your basic Fresh Italian. Hamburger, that is. Which will you be having today? Myself, I went with the crab and it was pretty good.

Thank you dear friends for sharing a glimpse into life in Rostov-on-Don. I'm so grateful for the privilege of being here and serving as your tour guide from time to time.

Just wondering: Have you ever eaten a ticket for good luck? Or for additional dietary fiber? Have you ever run into a US President overseas? How do you plan to celebrate Mediterranean Weeks?

It's a New Hip, Officer, Not a Weapon

Dear Blog-reading Friends,

Glory be ~ it's been waaay too long since I've posted regularly! A blog should be updated weekly, you know, that's the rule of thumb. Unless. . . unless ~ and I'm making this part up ~ unless a person is recovering from hip replacement surgery. Which I AM! And dear reader, you've been waiting oh-so-patiently for the scintillating details (as if) and I thank you a thousand times over because blog-reader stats are as high as ever. Not that I'm into checking on that very often. Certainly no more than hourly. Oh, but I jest. . .

Surgery's nothing to laugh about, but let me tell you, dear friends, that I'm all smiles. Bottom line, five-plus weeks after surgery, I've been walking without a cane for 2 weeks. Even more impressive, I haven't needed a single pain pill since surgery. No pain ~ ever! That's thanks to Dr Mack Lancaster, super-star orthopedic surgeon with Baylor Hospital, Dallas.

Dr Mack, as his fans call him, has a new-fangled approach to hip replacement. His technique makes it almost like a party. Almost.

Here's Dr Mack with a typical replacement joint of titanium and ceramic. Just between the two of us, I'd been hoping for a joint that would cause minimum fuss at airport security. But alas, with these long-lasting replacement parts, I'm looking at a lifetime of being thoroughly frisked at airports. Get used to it, girlfriend.

Dr Mack is legendary: He does 350 to 400 hip replacements a year. His minimally invasive approach separates muscle rather than cutting through it. That approach makes for quick recovery. And quick recovery works for me.

Meet Pamela Gamble, Physician's Assistant:

Twelve days post-op, I had an appointment with Pamela Gamble, PA. She's always right there, in the middle of the action, helping out with surgery too. I liked Ms Gamble just fine until she told me exactly what I did not want to hear.

Okay if I get back to running?

Noooo. Not unless you want to go through all this again in 10 to 12 years. And only if you're being chased by a bear. And no trampolines either.

So that's that. Not that I'm surprised. But still. . .

Then Ms Gamble shared with me this fetching photo, a glamour shot, in a way.

This x-ray, 12 days post-op, is what convinced me that surgery really did happen. That the whole experience was more than Baylor Hospital's throwing me a party with flowers, cards and lots of attention. Not that I'm complaining, you understand. . .

Oh, let's rewind a bit. On the third day after surgery, I got to go home. Actually, I went to Fred and Carol's home. This wonderful family was the core of the Get-Eileen-Well team.

I've known Carol since our undergrad days when we were barely acquaintances. She was a summa-cumma type ~ that's how I like to refer to those academic superstars ~ and 35 years later, her smarts are intact. Carol knew instinctively what I'd need for recovery at home long before I'd even thought of it. But anyway, here we are at Baylor Hospital, Dallas, the evening of surgery.

Carol hired dear Katherine, a nursing student on vacation, who helped several hours a day for the first two weeks. Katherine was a God-send. She read to me while I did those all-important but ho-hum post-op exercises, ran errands - including running hither and yon to get the handicapped parking permit, chauffeured me to church, ironed my clothes and lots more.

Meet Shannon, Physical Therapist:

Shannon and his wife Jill are physical therapists who make house calls. Shannon came three times a week for two weeks, checked on my progress and taught me skills such as how to walk with a walker and then with a cane and later how to manage a flight of steps. But it was Jill, bless her heart, who added two exercises ~ the clam and the bridge ~ to the hospital's list of 15-some exercises to be done at least twice daily. That Jill is merciless, I'm telling you. ;)

But it was worth it. You're a super star, one of the therapists proclaimed, at the end of our two weeks together. Oh yippee, an A+.

Rewinding a bit more, my hospital stay was not without entertainment. Exhibit one: Bob McAffee and George Miller from Prestoncrest Church of Christ, my beloved sponsoring congregation. I'm indebted to Bob and George for bringing me many gifts, in a way. Bob gave me keys to the church van. And then George gave me a 4-footed cane, a walker, a bathtub bench and lots more. All these gifts I've had to give back, of course. But still, how many people get to use their boss's bedside potty? If that doesn't inspire loyalty, what will?

Lucky me, more visitors! There's dear Karen, left, who brought a stack of magazines and books. And then Steve and Stephanie, with son Sergei. This dear family has invited me to stay in their guest bedroom and be Aunt Eileen to Sergei, their bundle-of-energy imported last summer from Ukraine.

Oh and there's Caroline, left. She and Carol smuggled into the hospital a Mint-Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Now that's dedication. And then there's wonderful Robert and D.G., who used to go by Don until he decided to get all fancy and go by his initials. I answer to DG too, he's one of my missions heroes at Prestoncrest.

The walls of Dr Mack's office are adorned with speed skaters, ice skaters and such. And as much as I admire folks who can skate and envy folks who can run ~ even when no bear's involved ~ I'm beyond grateful to be walking without pain. I.Can.Walk! I hope that I'll always be grateful for the gift of mobility and never take it for granted. And the day will come ~ of this I'm quite confident ~ the day will come I will be able to walk f-a-s-t! Not today. Not tomorrow. But someday. Hip, hip, hooray!

Thank you to Dr Mack and his top-notch crew at Orthopedic Associates of Dallas!

How about you, dear blog reader, any experience with hip replacement? Any experience fussing with airport security about embedded metal parts? Expect that I'll have some new stories to share on this topic in the very near future. ;)

Soviets Send Dogs into Space: Fifty Years Ago Today

On this day in 1960, Belka and Strelka ~ that is Whitey and Arrow ~ were sent into orbit as the first Soviet space travelers to return safely to earth. Another story entirely is how one of Strelka's descendants got into the White House as Caroline Kennedy's pet.

Belka and Strelka closely followed in the pawprints of Little Laika, who had made history as the first Soviet space martyr. And then following spring, Yuri Gagarin became the first cosmonaut, in April 1961. Gagarin quipped that he didn't know who he was: the first human or the last dog in space. Thanks to Russia Today for this fascinating video about today's heroes, Belka and Strelka.

A salute to Kyle at Windows to Russia for his great post on the story.

And the Winners Are...!

We have three winners! (Blog in progress. . . ) Last night, Sergei ~ more about him in a minute ~ drew the names of our winners. A piece of this dinnerware will go to each winner. This pottery is made in the Rostov area and it's shipped across Russia, I'd reckon. . .

So here are the prizes: From left, the *Cash Stash* (AKA ash tray), ceramic picture (or spoon rest) and salt dish (or holder of rings and things).

Meet Sergei. He was the right person to draw names. You see, Sergei was born in the Ukraine, immigrated to the U.S. last year and now lives in Dallas. All with some help from his wonderful new mom and dad. ;) Any-who, Sergei announced that Winner #1 is "V!" So, V, you get the little plate with the Orthodox church! (Dear V, please contact me at eileen.emch@gmail.com ASAP with your mailing address!)

Winner #2 is JEANETTE! So you get the *cash stash!* Yeah Jeanette! (Please contact me with mailing information!)

And. . . Winner #3 is Susan and Mark. So you get the salt dish that you wanted! Please contact me ASAP (eileen.emch@gmail.com) with your mailing address!

Here's Sergei as per his refrigerator photo. He loved drawing the winners. But, bless his sweet Slavic soul, he was near tears feeling the pain of those who didn't get a prize! His mom and dad, Steve and Stephanie, wisely explained that the non-winners wouldn't be sad ~ in fact, they would be happy for those whose names were drawn. Right?

Prizes for You: My Favorite Russian Pottery

Dear Blog-reading Friends, Just to thank you for being there, for swinging by and saying preevyet from time to time, brought some little gifts for you back from Russia. Oh, they're just little bitty things, but they're a few of my favorite things. For you. . .and You. . . and YOU!


(Click photo to enlarge.) Here are a few pieces I very seriously considered packing. The tea cups and the sugar bowl got nixed. . .

See, this dinnerware is made in the Rostov area. It's called Semakarakorsk, or something very close, named after the village in which it's made, several hours south of Rostov. I've come to love it and have scads of it. This is just my back-up stash, for when company's comin'. I did consider bringing a few pieces of my stuff to pass along. . .

But, in the end, I packed the usual, a big ol' bunch of these little salt dishes. And one's a prize for a lucky winner. You're not obliged to use it for salt, you know, it works great for jewelry. Or stray buttons. Or salt, especially if you use coarse-grained salt and like to sprinkle it on your food.

And then there's this little thing. With an Orthodox cathedral, a Cossack horseman mounted on his trusty steed. This is made to be hung. But you can use if for a spoon rest. Or for paper clips.

Then there's this that I'm sacrificing from my personal stash. Haha. Actually it's been in a box but it deserves a good home. It appears to have been designed to serve as an ashtray. But who smokes, anyway? Certainly not me, so let's call it. . . a button dish. Or a spare change dish. Hey, we could call it a cash stash. Kinda rhymes.

So, here's the drill to enter the drawing: 1) Leave a comment with your name or nickname. 2) Indicate which prize you would prefer ~ wish I could guarantee that you'd get it. . . but. . . 3) Share something about your interest or connection with things Russian. And that's it.

I'm hoping to draw three winners on Monday. I'll do my best! And dear friends, this is just to say thank you ~ spaceeba ~ спасибо ~ for your faithful support of From Russia with Love through thick and thin! When you come to Russia, you'll see this pottery lots of places, it's quite popular.