A new country. Finally.

Yes, I still check my stats. Regularly.

Looking for old friends, and perhaps new ones. And new countries.

Like Russia. Seems a little odd I've never had a reader from Russia stop by here before. I mean, I've got a small collection of flags here, now. Even including Bulgaria and Iran.

But no Russian Federation. Until today.

Too bad they didn't stay. But check out Тюмень on Google maps. They've got some pretty spots in their city along the Tura River.

And in other news...

Hil, I kind of expected a response after putting the phrase "if she is lucky" in there. Perhaps I am unusual in seeing things this way but...

Looking at any person you love (Well, this is also true about any person you hate, or anybody you don't even know, for that matter. But I digress...), there are only three possibilities:

One, they will die before you do.

Two, they will die at the same time as you do.

Or Three, they will die after you do.

Looking as a loving parent at any of your children, and you know immediately possibilities One and Two are just too horrible to dwell upon. Yet, we know parents for whom that horrible nightmare has come true.

So yes, we all hope for possibility Three.

Our Mom was lucky enough to have it come true.

And yes, Lorinda, those are fruit stickers up there on the dash. I mean, what else are you gonna do with the friggin' things?

I was pleased to jump into my newest warden's truck a few months back to see that she was saving them the same way. Although, oddly, hers were all laid out in neat ranks and files, sorted by fruit species.

Me, I get kinda artsy with them, blending colors as I see fit. And trying hard not to cover any dinosaurs from the "dinosaur eggs" (otherwise know as "pluots", a plum-apricot hybrid).

And speaking of Russia...

Did I mention I nostalgically checked on images from Saratov on Flickr recently, and found a new photographer with some wonderful images?

And that she is using the same model of Canon digital camera that youngest son had stolen in that city? A model he could not find in any store in that city when looking for a replacement?

One always has to wonder where she got hers...

But she has posted absolutely gorgeous moonlight shots of the Volga.