final days of summer

trying to savor these days we've been having where the temperature is still in the low 80's... the seasons out here tend to 'snap' into place instead of gradually filling in, and i'm finding myself mourning the summer's nearing departure.
october's just around the corner, and with it (and actually probably before it) will come perma-jeans and jacket time for the next 5 months or so. that sounds anything but exciting to me right now.

oh well. we did, indeed, have a great summer: tubing in the local rivers, a camping trip, and swimming in the local pool, among other things, were blessings shared and enjoyed. fall and winter have their own advantages which i actually really enjoy (the briskness, the 'halloween' time of year that reminds me of when i was in grade school), i just have to pay tribute to my close friend summer first, and make sure he knows i'll be waiting for his next visit...

impending reality.

our country is having a major energy crisis; the black/brownouts all summer long have been to try and make sure we have enough electricity to last throughout this winter. and recently, strict restrictions have been placed on businesses and individuals during the winter months – no longer are we allowed to heat our homes with electricity ( we must use gas or coal ), the bath houses in the capital city are to be shut down all winter (there are a LOT of those in this part of the world), and we’ve also heard they will cancel school for 2 months (classrooms will be too cold).

that means one thing: some serious preparation. because most of us expats don’t think there will be enough gas for everyone to both cook and heat their homes, coal is the way to go. so, two days ago i ordered some of the black rocks with another expat and soon saw it being dumped in my garage.


one and a half metric tons of the highest quality coal we could find. (i didn’t even know that coal had ‘grades’...) not the greatest picture, but just wanted to give you an idea. this winter won’t be as bad as last (the worst in 30 years, and a large reason for the lack of energy reserves), but it will be cold outside. i still have much to learn (ie. how to construct a fire in our heating stove so that it will last all through the night), but with the help of some locals and enduring a lot of black soot on my hands, we should be alright...