Letters from Nikolaevsk

Annitta

12-15-98 -- quackers and pigeons

Hi from the clouds are upon us village..

Fred found Carol Channing today hiding out in our shed. She is really a neat little white duck who happens to like it here on the other side of the road. Now, don't get worried about her little webbed feet crossing the road. I wouldn't say the road is narrow or anything, but two cars and a cow and it's a traffific jam for an hour. The cow usually wanders home, it's the Russians that have to be led.

Well, Carol C. is a survivor. Her entire family went into Fred's freezer this fall time. Carol C. was hiding in our shed and got missed. Fred, of course, had thought the visiting tourist Mennonites had eaten her. Some dimwit had told Fred that Mennonites LOVED quacker soup. Fred built this HUGE fenced-in yard around an old VW bus. Actually, it was quite tasteful.

He made a ramp that went into the back and the quackers and hens and geese could march up the ramp and into the bus. Of course, the fence had become a roosting place for birds of prey and for Ivan's pigeons. Someone suggested giving prozac to the chickens, ducks and geese, but voted that out and gave them to Fred.

Ivan's pigeons, when they found that they could roost on Fred's fence, they arrived in groups. I could just hear the conversation now:

"Oh Myrtle. Look down there will ya."

"By gosh George, a new place to rest my weary and sore toes. All three of them."

"My goodness Myrtle. is that cracked corn I see down there?"

"I believe you're right George. Hey, I have an idea. Let's go back and get the kids and in-laws. What do you say George? You game?"

By the end of summer, Fred and Ivan weren't speaking except through their wives who were sisters, and on at least one occasion when Fred held a BBQ, he offered a few mighty little chickens. In fact they were sooo small that two fit on a spit. Ivan began to count his pigeons.

The real mystery of all this, is why does Ivan keep city pigeons? And, where do they go when winter hits?

But, Carol C. is fine. Her long life is guaranteed this winter. After all it is fast time and all sorts of holidays are coming up and we hear by rumor, from Jacob who is Fred's brother-in-law, that they both have LOTS of goat meat.

Then, there is the story about the disappearance of Photini's goat and how some of it may be in my freezer.

Bless,

annitta
from downtown with the only christmas lights on a house to prove we really are pagans Nikolaevsk