11-IX-2025.
Yesterday and today we haven't roasted rakija (distilled, but for some reason we say 'roasted'), still not ready for the still, because the cake hasn't quite cooled yet, it's still fermenting. We kept on chopping the pears, filled two smaller, 60l, barrels. Went to get supplies - cigarette rolls at the kiosk, and okay, once in this decade, newspaper - „Danas“ (today). I'm reading it online every day, so once to compare the printed. At detelina got the salad bowls, hen fodder, and another barrel, of 120l, just what we were short of. Najka is dying on the job, it's a thursday, chicken delivery day. I'm amazed that I found a parking slot at all.
Went to Klincaid to mow, but got screwed by švorceniger, the started croaked again, seems the spring sprung out and won't return the rope. Well fuckit. Mowed with the mower as far as I had the will, a bit on the street and the parts close to terrace. Cut the reed by gonk with that telescoping manual chopper, just to make that part presentable. The rest of the streetside wall, by and of the garage, means to fall, already leans that way. Well of course, that's where we leant those boards on 30-VII-2013., the way it was built that may be too much for it. Well let it fall. We decided to give the garden one more year's chance, to see whether it'll bear any fruit, and then we're selling it, as a garden with a condemned house. We wait for the gable to fall, the garage, the chicken shed already half fell, the ceiling near the hidrofor already has a hole from dripping rain, the floor in the bathroom is sinking further... And we don't plan to invest a single dime more or do any construction work, we had enough, ran out of will.
Swung by Svetofor on the way back, where they didn't have those handy salad bowls, but found pangasius and hake, fish čorba today.
When we returned, Bajlo caled, said there'll be eleven of us. Some regulars will be missing, but a bit later even Vasilija will come, well, haven't seen her in quite a while. Then it was time to call Sredljak about the barbecue, we even found a good piston to shape the ćevapčići, made for cake icing but if used without any nozzles, has exactly the diameter. But to that he said that Mjedac said he'll cook a gulaš. Ah, yeah, he means to use our old kettle, he remembers we used it twice, but that kettle wasn't touched for twelve years, it would take scrubbing with wire brush on a drill, then greasing hot, burning the grease, then scrubbing again... takes two days but I don't have two days, got more pressing work... as the KAZ's proverb said, „bread is a need but rakija is a must“. Okay I'll see with him whether he has a kettle or not. Called Mjedac, nope, he doesn't have it. Okay then, nothing, back to barbecue. Called Sredljak again, he said „but I have a kettle“. Well, to avoid doubling as a postman, I gave him Mjedac's number, you deal with it amongst yourselves, passed my worry to someone else.
Then we sat in the garage and completed chopping the pears. And I felt that sea smell again. Meanwhile, Lena, Milan and Tanja flew to Corfu (Krf, in serbian), second vacation. They called the next day, first with a few shots and videos, then also a bit of a live video, poolside. Didn't like the acommodation, so they switched to a hotel, all full, including food drinks pool gym etc, and had a good time.
Nina called after returning from Nashville, with a bunch of shots. Haven't seen any of those places before, but it all looks familiar. Had I not known what I was looking at, I'd have said „Nashville!“. On one shot, a heap of cowboy boots in all colors, including pink. Go went „Šimenke!“ right away (v. house dictionary).
Twelveth (!). Returned the crates, met Mrgud, asked whether the house is still on sale, yes it is, said I had a customer, offered 65 kay, he said that's too low for such a house, well okay, he managed already. We roasted 11 liters.
Thirteenth, the parastos on 51 years... I packed what I had, and of course at the last minute I almost forgot to bring the rakija, but she reminded me, and then went on to roast more brandy. We didn't prepare any snacks except one cheese from Mere, I'll get that along the way, so I went off a bit earlier, was parked near Dragana's as early as 9:20, then drove with her straight to Svetofor. Along the way it was all surreal, the sunshine coming from the wrong side, had I not known where I was I wouldn't have known where I was, but she fared worse, had no clue of the whereabouts, so I showed her where Zeleno zvono used to be, where Mravinjak still was. In Svetofor they had no charcoal, we got just sour [mineral water], peanuts, some salami and dry neck. We managed everything fine and on time, but I'd have to catch some air very few minutes. But we did it except the water wouldn't run at all, so we eventually extended the hose to the neighbor, luckily he was present, and we tasked Staša to bring the end nozzle for the hose, as our pistol was stolen. Chopping the snacks wasn't easy either, as the slicing board and the big knife were also stolen, she had to use the crummy little knives, all soft and bending, it went at an angle but who gives a fuck.
So, aside from those already mentioned, we had Bajlo, Mjedac with the missus, Jasmina with husband (who seemed a bit less senile than last year), Sredljak, and despite announcement, not late and not last either, Vasilija, somewhat worse for a wear - limping noticeably, teeth scarce, but spruced up and sharp of mind. She's alone for a few years now, and the daughters seem to have put their ducks in order, and now she's not the permanent complainer anymore, but rather a fierce mocker.
Sredljak was, as usual, the barbecue majstor. This time we had the tool to shape ćevapčići, that piston for cakes but without nozzles, just the right size. They made some of the mass into pljeske, of course with onions chopped into it. Sredljak had trouble starting the fire, Bajlo brought him all the wrong twigs, so I had to bring some of the elterberry and the rotten apricot which I felled with one hand last time, and we had a nice fire... This time he ran the fire slow, which was good for the ćevapčići but then he tortured the neck steaks (and of course, he had to make Staša go twice to the shop, once to get beer for him, once for more charcoal), and by the time he roasted the sausages too it was almost 14:00. Well at least it wasn't that gulaš, that would have been a lengthy wait, and we had the free pass to mock Mjedac for phantasizing how he'd make it and then did nothing. I didn't quite like the steak, maybe I just caught the wrong piece, and the sausage was a wreck.
I wondered how can Sredljak beat the beer like that, he blew through six cans while he worked and during the meal, but then I realized how he can drive like that - there's never any cops on the road to Klincaid, they make their ambush a corner away from Svetofor, and ever since the last segment of the ring road was made, he can drive one exit south and be in his end right there. I announced that this was the last time on this place, next time you think up where we'll do, we can either take a restaurant, or if we shape up the old house, we have everything there and nobody will bother us, it's all walled up, nobody would disturbe us and we wouldn't disturb anybody. He asked how much would I give it for, said seven (thousand euros). Then one by one I listed the faults of the place - how the house was badly built, how fence walls fall, walls bend and crash, how they aren't even combed in in the corners, how there were no learned masons, they were all apprentice majstors' apprentices. He said I'm not advertising my ware well, well I'm not selling the house, selling the land, just how I bought it, the house is extra, I recommend not to wash it but rather make new.
Getting used to the disturbance in my right eye, which reappeared by beginning of the month and won't budge. It did appear a couple of times during the year, and it was patterned, mostly black and white with stripes flashing or dancing, which would last for some fifteen minutes and then pass. This now is much milder, as if my blind spot compensation croaked, right eye only, and only for the day sight, when it's darker it doesn't bother me. The lines are bent around it. When I drive, it means that the near few meters of the right shoulder line look curvy, and when aiming the shooter I have a smudgy gray circle centered on the right edge of the frame. Sometimes there's a blinker in the middle of it, not quite black and white but rather something dark and light green (rather the somewhat sickly green tinge of the cheaper LEDs), with 4-5 hertz frequency, lasting a dozen seconds. Last week the flasher appeared first, then vanished for a couple of days, dropped by thrice today. While driving home, noticed the dozen meters curved edge of the road, the rest was just fine.
By the time I got home, she was at about middle of the fourth still. The brandy from the first two she poured into that pear from two years ago - I propped that cask on the stool this morning when I poured, and forgot to take it down, and she forgot that I'd forget, so. Thus the quarter liter which wasn't drunk at the party was now the unique thing in the universe, our 2023 pear. What was now in the cask is a mix of that and the new one, more or less half and half, we'll see in a few month how's that. Today's total came out as 13 liters, which is significantly better, it averaged 11,8 per four stills so far. In the evening she had the remaining two beers (Kozel, dark) and I two quinces, and then we split the remaining shot and a half. We hit the hay ridiculously early, were both tired. Got up at four, processed the shots, blew three cigs, went back to bed, slept for two-three more hours. Put the photos up on Dropbox, advertised that the garden is on sale (priced 9000€ now). For lunch, gambler's soup (i.e. from cubes/dice, one bought one homemade), fries from Mere (excellent even from the pan, as good as it was from the frajer) and reheated ćevapčići, of which there are just too many. We'll see about the steaks, they go on tomorrow's pizza. The cats loved the sausage. The cheese from Mere, that I brought, nobody liked.
The fermentation in the last two barrels was furious, kicked off the lids. It somehow looks to me that we've done half already, and then when I count how many more barrels are left to do, ummm... not even close to half. The first forecast was about 60 liters, then 70, now it looks like 80. So far we got 46,6.
News from Corfu (Krf), Milan throws irons. Ah, the syndrome of landlubbers coming to the coast and then adjusting to local water, happens quite often. I remembered Sutomore... I mention the event along with others on 20-VIII-1993.. Lena also says that the local medics took it as a completely routine case, he'll get infusion.
Talked with our Seattleans in the evening, Go made some pop art bag with three dee printed patterns, miracles she does. They're all dressed up in new stuff, specially Anita, the shandyfairy, all looking good. I asked whether they'll be coming or should I sell the van, well they'll see to it to come but first need to sell the house in Virginia Beach, the guy was almost finished but lost the key, took a break until Nina returned and then to get a new key.
Monday morning, they seem to have recuperated; Tanja was ok all the time. Actually there's one thing, she' got a seventh tooth, the upper left four. Skipped the third, just like Lena skipped third of elementary. She'll be hard to get used to wait in a queue. So the layout is five up - aces, deuces and that one tusk, and the aces below.
Took the van to inspecton, passed it. Didn't call anyone while waiting, I usually call Dragana but we met overyester. Meant to call I.Z. because it just seems that the mathematicians won't be convening this year, I know the last two years I'd talk with V.G. on that day about organizing it and now nothing. But then didn't find enough motivation for that. Took to play 2048 on the phone, and by the time I passed 1024 I was done, van passed, good excellent. Getting the discount on insurance over time (it goes for the driver-vehicle pair, so for Joda I started from zero), it cost me just 29000 so let it stay, asks for no bread. Continued the game at home then, and for the first time in the world's history of Serbia's past, I passed the 2048 mark. Parked the game for later, not done yet.
Talked with Nina in the evening, I said „your wish fulfilled itself [the proper serbian phrase], what you wished to mom to have a nice leak, it did leak well, the average jumped from 11,8 per day to whopping 13“. Sanda is under the go-round, tired and all muscles hurt, looks like covid but also like what I had in december of 2018. Nina has a milder form of that, others have nothing. Looks like one of those which are cured while you sleep.
She didn't feel like sleeping, so we shook off the remaining unique pear, and then meant to try the brandy which Mjedac brought... Nice ketones and aldehydes, smells fine but then when you sip it's no good at all. No matter, will redistill, won't throw away. Seems like mulberry, which is raw hype, everyone knows some story of a good mulberry [rakija] but it's actually tasteless. We poured the good old tutifruti 21.2 and had just one shot of it, and went to sleep. I made it all the way to half eleven. The smudge on the right blind spot tamed, it's more transparent and less of an obstacle, and bends the lines less. If it took two weeks to reach this degree, may it take three to retreat completely, I don't mind, I still consider this as cheap.
Tuesday, 16th. Four more stills. We poured that mulberry (if it was one) into the mush, as a reinforcement. Came out well, 60 liters so far... and we have two and a half days more to do. A break tomorrow, the next barrel still in labors.
Mentions: 20-VIII-1993., 30-VII-2013., Anita Jennifer Berger (Anita), čorba, ćevapčići, detelina, Dragana Vitas (Dragana), frajer, gonk, Gorana Sredljević (Go), Gradivoj Sredljev (Sredljak), homemade, house dictionary, Jasmina Vlajin, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Joda, Klincaid, majstor, maturski parastos (parastos), Milan Nastić, Nenad Bajlo (Bajlo), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), pljeska, rakija, Sanda Sredljević Aquilla (Sanda), Stanoje Serdarević (Staša), švorceniger, Tanja Nastić, tutifruti, Vasilija Zajić, Zeleno zvono, Živko Mjedenica (Mjedac), in serbian
11-IX-2025 - 7-IV-2026