We went to our friend Galina’s church today for Easter. We didn’t understand anything, but it brought back lots of memories of going to church, southern Baptist, when I was a kid, with a new outfit on for easter, finally bright colors and the change of shoes from black to white — unless memorial day was too far away, in which case white shoes only for Sunday. But some new starched, bright springy dress, new white shoes, white socks with ruffles. My mother had the three of us wear the same hairdo — length just below the ears, top hair parted on side and pulled over into a ponytail like thing on the side of our head, with the rest of our hair hanging down. Then a bow tied around the rubber band. You can all imagine how cute we were! Carol and Sandy got out of that style much earlier than me — it always seemed to pay to be the older rather than the baby. After church, there would be easter egg hunts on the church grounds. Galina, with her magic purse, pulled out easter presents for us,along with a colored egg. After church today, we went downstairs and had a small meal in their kitchen, with ham that Galina had brought, special easter cake, a birthday cake for Laird, and from her magic purse, two more easter eggs to go with the ham, because one must have eggs for easter. And then, the magic purse held yet another present for another American who was visiting also. At the university, Galina’s purse holds tea bags, snacks and other assorted necessary items for gracious living. That purse is amazing!
The party last night was as I suspected, pretty lame. As I said, most people were busy, but we did get to see Laird’s old friend Boris (pronounced more like Borees) Shulgin,a very famous Russian scientist in physics; our friends Sergei and Lilia; and Laird’s old student Elena (pronounced Yeelana). Lilia is an engineer and teaches French and is the head of the French something institute somewhere; Sergei is also an engineer and has several jobs as faculty, department head or vice rector of a couple of schools and also consults with a private firm. Elena is a medical doctor who is a medical translator instead of practicing. Her husband is a former surgeon who now practices as a radiological oncologist, and is the only doctor in Yekaterinburg to do some specialized treatment regimen that means the patient only spends three days in the hospital instead of a month and a half. We didn’t understand perfectly what it is he does. But as you can see, we are surrounded by a very select group of folks. Laird got some great gifts, too: a beautiful pen and pencil set and a yassma stone card case; some haclama — of course, none of these words are really how you spell them, just phonetic — a beautiful bowl and spoon and a covered jar. Boris brought two stone candlesticks, a box of candy, a bottle of cognac, chocolate bars to eat with the cognac, chanel perfume for me, and a couple of books. Sergei and Lilia also brought me a stone figurine of flowers in a vase, sunstone they call it. Our guacamole and salsa worked out well and we had salads and cheeses, also. And a cake. I mostly just sat back and listened — though I have to say, towards the end, I was ready to just lie back on my bed and go to sleep; I was already sitting on it. Next Sunday we agreed to go talk to one of Elana’s groups and then have dinner at her house. I will try to remember to get him to take his camera, Daniel, so you will have pictures of another Russian dinner. Yes, you haven’t seen pictures of the others, but I think Laird has them; he just has to give them to me and I’ll post them. Also need to take pictures of our apartment to post.
For some reason, Laird is not carrying his camera and/or not taking pictures. Weird. I think carrying his camera on his belt hurts his hip; I don’t know why, like in Istanbul when he did carry it he didn’t use it. Our smart phones don’t work here, but I wonder if we can still take pictures? I could do it then. We need to show you Urals Federal university and our students.
OK, naptime before going out to dinner with Leonid and Natasha, Igor and Yekaterina.
p.s., Sergei and I drank vodka and tonic, Lilia and Elena had wine and Boris drank the cognac he brought. Nobody had Big Doctor, but Sergei said it was popular a few years ago, mixed with vodka. Maybe I will try it before we leave. Arisenly yours, jm
lairdandjonelle 
Russian Easter Sunday – Paskha Voskreseine.
When I reminisce about Russian Easter Sundays past I think back to 15 April 2001 when I was seated at table next to you Jonelle for a Russian Easter Sunday Feast. One of the dishes on the table was Mimosa Salad, that wonderful salad that you and I both LOVE soooo much, made with canned tuna fish, potatoes, mozzarella cheese, H-B eggs, and lots of mayonnaise to hold it all together.
Unbeknownst to you or I Jonelle, our hostess had substituted canned salmon for the customary canned tuna fish that day when she made her Mimosa Salad, I assume because she though that made the dish more “special” for this special occasion. You took a helping of the Mimosa Salad and passed the dish to me, and I also took a helping before passing it along. Jonelle, I remember watching you take a bite of the salad, as the first thing you tasted on your plate, and I followed suit. Oh YUM…..I DO love Mimosa Salad! And I was just savoring my second bite of that wonderful salad when you leaned towards me, and whispered into my ear, “This tastes like cat food!” That little five-word-comment suddenly over powered all my taste-bud-sensors, and all I could think of is that I was eating cat food! I DID (politely) finish the helping I had taken of the Mimosa Salad, even though every bite tasted like CAT FOOD! I declined taking a second helping.
This so strange to me now, as I think back on it, because I actually LIKE canned salmon, and it never had, and does not now, ever taste like cat food…..but it sure did back on that Easter Sunday back in 2001. Thank God that was just a momentary “change of taste,” because I still LOVE Mimosa Salad to this day. Well, That’s MY Easter Sunday memory.
HAPPY EASTER!