25-III-2025.
Twentyfifth. As early as 8:30 I congratulated Raja his birthday, it's 0:30 over there. Still that odd time when they're on daylight saving and we're not, we switch in a few days.
After lunch, a brief nap. Džimi appeared, had kittens. She was three days away. „I was also three days away when I birthed“, said Lena to that.
Chatted with her and Tanja via Telegram on the mac in the evening. She's getting up a lot, climbing the side of the couch, as if the floor is now boring. She almost grabbed the mac, even managed to find, just like any child of spacemaker age does, a keyboard combo that even Lena didn't know about, and of course couldn't repeat.
A summer vacation was discussed too. The eight hour drive may be a bit too much for Tanja, so they thought to split the time by visiting his kin in Varaždin. That would be about halfway, would make it twice four hours, but there's the other problem - Api, where to put him. They don't mean to leave him in any doggy hotel this time, but then where in the car to keep him. Sitting shotgun won't work, he'd at least sniff the driver; they need the rear seat for Tanja, and the trunk, even without the top shelf, would be too small for him... Actually, the only workable combination, the best layout, is if Api is at the wheel.
On twonysixth I drove to Golub's to schedule the inspection for the next day, and swung by detelina to buy hen fodder and a big pack of potting soil for the seedlings. I was suprised to see a 15kg sack of charcoal in the trunk, I completely forgot that we stopped by the Ranč on sunday and bought that.
And passed that inspection on twonyseventh. I thought I'd have a long phone chat with Dragana, or, if it's her catnap time, with I.Z., it ails me that I couldn't get her three weeks ago. But the owner, Golub, was sitting there and in that half an hour we talked at length. About today's workers, how he had to teach them to treat customers with respect, to say good morning. Then about taverns, to which we came when I asked him about the neighbor - the Kabinet is out of business for two or three years already, and wasn't sold, but rather rent out to the Chineses, who pay 5000€ a month for the whole house, and will keep so for the next five years. Which is 300.000, and the guy was offering to sell for 400. This way he gets 300 and keeps the house. We brushed over others - how that husband of Eva's raised the rent to Smilja for the Debela mačka, how Banatska went down...
Congratulated Boba's birthday, with the mandatory „...to all who celebrate“. In unrelated news, Go posted a picture of their house in construction - well, it already has a roof and windows, the terrace slab is missing, the pipes and wires need to be put, the walls need to be covered, and then they can move in. Of course, the picture didn't come from him, this is Dražen, lives in the area. We got one from him this fall already.
Twonyseventh. Nina and Go posted food pictures, mostly steaks, and now there was one with Anita („our middle granddaughter“) looks at something outside the frame, and behind her there's a mirko displaying the time of 20:26. Incredible, after 45 years since our first one, the technology has advanced so far that it's now possible to have one with a clock with a cycle of not 12 hours, but all of 24! I didn't expect to live long enough to see that. Of course, I cropped that part of the picture and posted, with the sentence before this as a comment, to burundi, to „technology - the rest“ topic. And commented on UA as well, when it somehow perfectly fit in the discussion about the death of skype and Icq.
Picked up the registration sticker. It's rainy all week, and in that area around the cops building by the overpass the congestion is undescribblable, even those who'd come on foot or bicycle, use cars today. In the Loznica area flood defence was raised.
At dusk we went to attend the citizens' zbor* in our local community. The community center's meeting hall was supposed to be available 18 to 20, but it turned out that it was so yesterday, not today, there's a rroman wedding on saturday so it's being prepared (yeah, in total darkness, no lights were on inside). Someone let out a rumor that they'll close all these centers around town, there should be code inspection next week, and ours doesn't have the sprinklers, the lack of which was just fine until now.
Mostly this was about one of the two elementary schools in our LC, where the director is a tried and trusted cadre. She keeps stuffing the parents' council with her kind for years, and for the last constructional safety check (ordered to check the sanity of the concrete) she hired the third company which applied in the last hours (so they'd have the time to copy what the first two offered days ago). The municipality doesn't give a dime for the running maintenance of schools for years, that's financed by parents' donations. At least spending that is then under control.
The last janitor composed a lengthy list of all things wrong with the building. The construction inspector visited two years ago, and by just visual check decided to close one wing as unsafe. That wing is barricaded with cupboards and is not used now.
There was more, this much I can remember.
Twonyayth, almost nothing. Some sun peeked out around lunch, this is third rainy week (or only looks so to me), so I shot a few around the yard. The klematis, its third year now, spreads nicely, just started growing leaves, doesn't fill the frame much, so I had to pick an angle from which Aleksa's wall works as a somewhat darker backdrop, to make it stand out to an extent. And, lo, Radoslav's sneakers... The strongest clips I ever saw, hanging on that clothesline for a year and a half already.
Spoke with Go and Stanley on sunday. First she walked us around the house, to show what's blossoming - well, everything is, trees, specially a big magnolia, and literally every bush, a paradise garden. He came in a bit later, from the junkyard, found some needed parts there. Visited his dad few days ago, says the man is getting weaker, his hands are thin (and he was quite muscular, for the little we saw of him), and he's not mentally quite at home. May be on his last legs.
On monday, of course, a frendz parti. We didn't really hurry, bought four of the Bic lighters and I refilled my phone with some 800 dinars. Having left just before seven, we got there when we got there, didn't even check the time. Dragana was already there. I noticed how the noise - the whistles, vuvuzelas - were heard from ruža loud and clear, and Borče's 25. maj was quiet. The subject was summarily glossed over... okaaaay. But at least we recounted the friday zbor. There was again some talk about traveling somewhere together, which we actually talked among ourselves before, to propose when we felt like going, to see finally that Tikveš where the wine we drink grows, but this time we decided, without even talking about it, not to mention it. The two are so stuck in their suppositions and old tales... And there's me thinking how I've said all I had to say, even stopped believing in the Idea (the next one, that it will come to me when I need it), I've run out of material and resorted to just writing down what I remember, I don't have new text... But compared with them, we look like the fountain of all things new.
We split somewhat early, guess amid the second bottle of wine, it just didn't quite flow. The cab was then refreshing - some girl, nice chatting with her, I think I was mildly in love for the last kilometer, when the last of the wine reached the brain, a sweetie, even has a boyfriend in our street. That's because Dragana took the back seat, so I had to sit in front. Her we dropped at her corner, and then this girl drove by ruža instead of doing an u turn like most do - it's maybe 300m longer but this way there's one light less and no maneuvering.
The tuesday went pointlessly, as if I was on autopilot. It being the first of the month, I at least did the photos backlog, made the monthly selection, hung it on Dropbox, everything as usual. She was sulking for me being silent all day, which I also found weird about myself, but nothing kept coming to mind. Hope this doesn't start occurring more often.
Wensday, completely different story, we even mowed, she the backyard and part of lawn, I the rest. The wind was somewhat screwy, but okay, moving warms you up. In the evening we entertained and had a few, hit the hay after three I guess. Of course I tied my hair as I usually do, and also because she said I looked like the mad scientist. Eh, whoever invented that character, must have been some hollywoodlian retard. Stuff they do to distract us...
Thurdsday, a whole day protest (okay, 10 to 21) downtown. We meant to go, but felt chilled, the weather being awful. And I even woke up in the middle of the night because I felt cold, when I sat on the crapper I really shivered. Put the shirt on and lied so, which helped me warm up enough to fall asleep. Oy, youth.
Didn't attend the protest/zbor on friday either, in the local community this time, because they never said the time. Lena asked them on the twitcher, but they didn't say.
This time we visited them on a saturday, because a marathon is run on sunday, which always means some streets in their area will be closed. We planned to go for a lunch, so we went earlier. Sticking to that plan we arrived as early as 12:15. The odd floors elevator is now worked on, faster this time, the guys knowing the ropes and having already procured two of everything they needed. I took a shot of this majstor in the hole, having never peeked into an empty chute, so to memorize the occasion, and he said „throw me the shot on viber, I never had one like this“.
Tanja was in her best mood, and the light was excellent, out of fifty shots I made at least thirty turned out excellent. Milan went to the gym, so we three walked to, roughly, the opposing end of the bloc, to dine in „Walter“. I had to walk to the car to get my jacket; it being quite warm when we arrived but then the buildings there make their own wind, enough to chill through the shirt. Sitting there we spotted Čeda Jovanović, the famous character from The Walk (of 1996/7) and the students' cordon, leaving the car, then kind of smoking then quitting quickly, and then entering Walter - why, it was nicer to sit outside. The very next morning he'll be on Tanjug's channel, where he'll blurt a few insider informations around fifteenth of march, the sound cannon and the 200 armed guys from Astra security which were in the city hall, and how Dačić (police minister) sent another cordon to make sure they don't get out... The video of it vanished by afternoon, but the link was on burundi early enough, so whoever wanted to, saw it.
The lunch was classic, a ragu (ragout? fuck em Frenches) čorba and ćevapčići in a somun, some chickend for Lena. Tanja ate nicely, baba dipped pieces of somun into her čorba, then later she got some sour cream on somun, then finely chopped chicken, even a bit of ćevap, about time to try. Her appetite is nice, she cleaned it up neatly. With the first bites she tried to help with her hands, and when she saw it wasn't quite working, she fisted her palms and kept them aside, just like all babies of that ages do when being mouth fed.
As for the ćevap, when we compared impressions, we came to the same conclusion: the meat was excellent, I exactly remember the taste from 1969, and a few more times after that, at Ejub Mrkva's (Carrot) on Baš-čaršija, proper sarajevo recipe. The somun was so-so, a bit sinewy, it should tear easier, but what they dipped it into was the disgusting 'pretop' ('re-molten' or some such invented word), the concocted grease from everything they roast, which means they do it on a plate, not over coals, so there must be some ed. oil, which destroyed the experience.
Then we returned to the apartment, and Milan returned from his training, we chatted some more, had our road coffee, and got home before half six. In the evening we drank disorderly** (pear, and I washed the hose, because it got lined up inside and it fell out last time, had to strain it), so we wouldn't do that the next day, when we were supposed to talk with Go, because then we'd begin late and stayed until half four. This way we stayed until four, even though we stopped at three and a half shots. We just talked a lot and didn't hurry anywhere. I got up at noon. The sun shone straight into my face, this is the week when it shines under that angle and the cherry's leaves are still not big enough. I fit the sunshine into my dream, and simply told myself, in the dream, to roll to the other side, which I then did in reality. One of those times when I succeed in crossing that barrier.
Sixth. Just before lunch Jasmina called, said Milica's husband died, funeral tomorrow. There we got organized, I called Dragana and Bajlo and didn't reach them, of course - he's buzzing around the village and not carrying his mobile, and she's asleep after lunch. So they called me later, and we made a schedule.
So in the evening we talked with Nina first. She's got fair weather, sitting in a shorts on her deck. We heard from Lena that she now officially (i.e. on the Face) broke with that guy, didn't ask. She said she'll sue those lawyers whom she hired to handle her tax, because they said Virginia can't touch her, unless she sells a house or wins a lottery. Well they will do just that now, because she redirected the tax return to her bank account, which they took as a permission to seize from it at will. The amount is not insurmountable, she can move some from other accounts and still pay them off and at least stop accumulating late fees and interest, but just when she planned to start paying that and be done with it in a year or two, and replace the car, the plan is now scratched and the car will have to wait a few months. Well sue them, getting money out of lawyers as the sweetest earning. The kids are okay, they love us and we love them.
Then with Go. Anita and Neša were in the frame at times, not too much but just enough to catch a shot here and there. Anita just grew into some crocheted dress, moms handwork, a real sweetie. Stanley appeared a bit later, went to see his dad. Says the old man's better, he's aware, recognized both his son and brothers, but speaks unintelligibly, very hard to understand what he said. His appetite is somewhat restored, he now eats some, but he's went far to the thin side, going all the way back to his previous shape seems unlikely. The staff already suggest a move to a 'hospice', which isn't a hospital, it's a sanatorium for the dying.
As I had woken up at noon, I waited until I got sleepy. Played bejewelled2 until I finally made it to top five (which didn't happen in the last two months), lied at half three, and again couldn't sleep until I got up and put on the shirt. The screwy situation when I'm not really cold, it's warm enough but still half a degree short, so it takes longer to warm up. Who knows when I finally slept, maybe around four. She woke me at 11, and I got up immediately and blew out almost whole coffee by noon. Bajlo and Staša arrived around 12:25, we picked Dragana and still arrived at the catholic cemetery by 12:50. I had them disembark by the gate and, fuckit, when we get there so late... I parked at the farthest possible slot, on the corner at the end of the street.
Of the known, Eči with that maam of his, Milica, Jasmina with husband (worn out and seems not quite present), Mima (I dreamt her a bit during a nap two days ago, as if I knew I'd see her), Savka with her husband. She was inseparable from Milica, like a dinar and a half, and not that their husbands have the same surname, the name too (same as mine). This one was bedridden for a long while, but look at him now. Said had a surgery in the left eye, and of the right one he's got peripheral vision, so can't see straight with it, but spots any bicycle coming from the sides, got drivers' [licence] extended for five years.
I didn't enter the chapel because the priests entered it while I was greeting everyone, and my gang was stuck in there because they found it impolite to leave when the priests came... The procession walked to the farthest end, guess there's a family slot there, and then, in the end, I met the widow to say my condolences. Amazingly, the priests said just a couple of sentence before the coffin was lowered, and the thing in the chapel didn't seem too long - though, I was outside. The whole thing took last than an hour. Walking back, I walked around the chapel to visit Oma and Opa, saw that the hyacinths and tulips are in full blossom, and there's a trace of some wreath, now whether from the former missus or son, who'll know. We didn't go to the daća in Elmont, just agreed to meet in september („or if anyone throws the spoon“, Dragana said).
We meant to entertain in the evening, but she caught a live feed on gugolj - Nemanja Šarović (KTV) awaiting the bikers in Vienna. A must watch. Them being a few hours behind the announced schedule, it took a while They were received well in Bratislava, there was some gulaš, and the physiotherapists checked and massaged them all, and some specialist majstor checked and tightened up all the 80 bicycles, which took some time, so they arrived in Vienna around ten. So we postponed this for the next day, and sat and sipped instead. About politics, mostly, various events from our past, as they came to be the subject.
In the morning, a catastrophe - her second batch of tomato saplings froze overnight. She planted the third, and if that also fails, she plans to give up on the garden and keep up only the backyard.
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* a very slavic term with many related ones - sabirati is to add, sabor is a fair (or parliament, in croatian, same as sobranje in macedonian or sobranie in bulgarian), sabrati se is to put self together, pribrati se is to come to senses, zbornica is the teaching staff room etc etc. So zbor is any general assembly; also in vojska, the command to gather and line up.
** 'prekoredno' - over-its-order, never knew how to translate it, could be out-of-line, out-of-order, extraordinary and a few more, which all mean a disturbance of order but in all other senses, not this simple „apart from schedule“.
Mentions: 25. maj, Aleksa Pajkov, Anita Jennifer Berger (Anita), Api, Banatska kuća, Bejewelled2, burundi, čorba, ćevapčići, daća, Debela mačka, detelina, Dobrivoj Gunaroši (Boba), Dragana Vitas (Dragana), Dražen, Elmont, Endre Felbab (Eči), Eva, frendz parti, Gorana Sredljević (Go), gugolj, Jasmina Vlajin, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), KTV, majstor, Mališa Borkovski (Borče), Merima Tabarski (Mima), Milan Nastić, Milica Erceški, Milica Zubatović, mirko, Nenad Bajlo (Bajlo), Nenad Berger (Neša), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), Oma, Radoslav Pajkov, ruža, Ryu (Raja), Savka Čajkanić, Stanley Berger, Stanoje Serdarević (Staša), Tanja Nastić, UbiquAgora (UA), vojska, in serbian
25-III-2025 - 25-III-2026