Last Saturday was the apple festival in Sorocă the larger village south of us that has the fortress. Our community walked in the parade and I was invited to go to join in the celebration...  I have never been to Bayfield,  Wisc. but I think this one would have put it to shame...

This was our parade entry... Most of the villages in the Rayon (County) had a showing with either dancers or school children in costume marching.There was one band and a few accordion and drums..
                                                                 The Ukraine is across the river and they came in their customs and danced during the exhibitions. Moldovan women do not wear the flowers wreathed in their hair.  The dances were beautiful and very lively with a different lilt to the music. Interesting for the differences in custom, culture and dress that are only separated by a river.

Again the food was amazing.  Different parts of the N have traditional foods that are judged and if you are from the village you come after the judging and share in the feast.. Some of the bakery's here who still grind flour had some wonderful pastries that were less then a quarter.  I ate enough for each of you!

Can you see how they decorated the pig?  The last photo I think took a lot of patience.  Watermelons are grown here and eaten everyday while in the 2 month season. Moldovan people don't like drinking water like we Americans do. So they eat the melon to replace the fluids and electrolytes .  I ate my share so I wouldn't get dehydrated either..... 

Love from this side of the globe, Marcy

Long time since I have opened this to write.  It has been grape harvest and every home has grapes as well as every field hill and valley. This harvest is rich and wine making has begun.
Bunica and Ala collected there grapes and said they weren't very big but they had enough to make 3 barrels. They drink very little of the wine themselves (which is unusual for Moldovan s who on average consume 28.8% pure alcohol/year, but they are sales people and know everyone n the community who does consume.

 So this is the preparation of the barrel and now the wine is fermenting and we are onto another gathering.
I asked Bunica what she was doing a few Saturdays ago and she said collecta porumb (picking corn) I asked if I could help she questioned me that I really wanted to help and I said sure it would e a cultural experience so Saturday is cold  50s cloudy she has gathered food for lunch 2 axes, gloves a neice and me.  Ala is working and Marianna is in the capital. Up the hill we go becuse they have a field of grapes, sunflowers, and corn on top of the hill.  The hill is straight up for 29 minutes and when at the top you can see Ukraine just over the river.

I am thinking we pick corn for a while and then put it in bags and go home. NOPE  First the field is pretty big and we start picking and peeling by hand and throwing corn in a pile. Natasha and Bunica are doing 2 rows to my one and talking 25 miles an hour so I wasnțt really getting a language lesson but I was getting exercise and fresh air...                                        

Now that the corn is picked off you take the axe and chop the corn off at the bottom and then pile the stalks in heaps, and the field is pretty big...Bunica and Natasha again are working circles around me and I am trying to keep up. Natasha's ax broke so I let her use mine while I went and bagged corn

But first we had lunch.  You can see the Ukraine behind us. Lunch didn't last long enough and were back at it....

After the corn is bagged you call someone to haul it down the hill for you and here came Stella and ? 

So we pile these 50lb bags of corn on the wagon until it is ready to tip over and off they go to bring it to the house and we walk down the hill. Its about 4pm.  Did I mention that Bunica is 76 years young.

We get to the bottom and Bunica gets the stove going and makes some supper as we wait. When Stella and the driver show up we unload and start filling the corn crib. By 7 we were eating and by 8 I was in bed... 

Tom was in Chisinau and missed all the fun... He was there because he has neck pain with numbness in his R arm and thumb.  He has 2 bulging discs and was getting 3 weeks of treatment. The treatment was helpful but he continues to have the lingering pain so is coming back to the states (PA) for evaluation and opinion.  It is thought by us that it will be sometime this week. I will be staying here working and waiting. Right now we are together for the week.  

Here is a God story! One of the girls in my Health training sector is from Pittsburgh and her mom is a Dr. Ingrid called me when she heard of Toms dilemma. She gave us contact info and Tom has been in contact so he shouldn't need to go get a whole new set of everything that has been done here before he sees a specialist there.  Toms sisters and Kate will be around to help him out too if he needs special care.  So that is a bit of life here in Moldova. I miss you all and send Love from here to there!  Marcy.