Down on the farm in Jeloboc

 

Well it's been a quiet week here in Jeloboc.  Not much to report except the everyday miracles of life.  As you can see we have mother nature's own natural beverage flowing through our valley.  BTW that's the meaning of the name Jeloboc, a place for animals to come and drink.  Cows of course are big time here in the village.  As you can see my host brother Sergiu is guiding them home in the evening from their day up in the pastures.  Back at the home, we have my bedroom, the kitchen, and the bathroom.  If you see a wondering calf, that's becuase it was just born a few weeks ago and is still trying to find its way around.  The balcony is definitely not a place for cows.  The valley is an ever present land mark in Jeloboc.  You can see my house at the end of the street.  And here's brother and sister sitting together at the bus stop.  That's Sergiu and Lilliana.  The other side of the Raut River is the neighboring town of Pohorceni.  Potatoes are an important part of the Moldovan diet.  And here's the farm trailer that does a variety of tasks pulled by a jeep type vehicle.  Of course there's the farm dogs.  Pica is the family favorite, she's the short hair tan dog.  The other dog is really the neighbor's but he lives here all the time because he's in love with Pica.  The importance of the horse and wagon cannot be dismissed in our village.  People transport a great deal of items daily by these enviornmental friendly conveyances.  Of course living on the farm does require a bit of fork lifting from time to time, if not every day at supper.  The ducks (ratșa) of course are free range, aren't they cute.  And here are my hosts, the Leca's, Iulea and Ilea.  Did you know that most Moldovan wine (acasă) homemade, is served from recycled  liter size bottles of water?  Enjoying a glass with the family is customary with many meals.  Hey here's my favorite relative, Marius, playing his own unique style of banana grams with me.  And this week we went to neighboring Susleni to celebrate hram.  Hram is the day a village celebrates it's special patron saint and everyone in that village has family over for a big meal to celebrate.  It's a little like Thanksgiving.  Ilea's brother Andre lives in Susleni, so we went to his house for their Hram.  Here's a picture of Ilea and Andre and one of their nephews.  Well that's about the end of another perfect day in Moldova where all the women are strong, and all the men are brave, and all the children are a little above average.