LPG tank and snow tires poor Californian Chevy is adjusting :)

After driving around Poland for six months with only a gasoline burning American truck, we made the decision to convert our Chevy to a hybrid. For my American friends who complain about high gas prices, we pay around $6.78 per gallon of gasoline in Poland. I made my truck a hybrid,and it now has a 100 liter LPG tank. The cost of LPG comes to around $3.32 per gallon which would put it more in line with that we were paying for gasoline in California. It cost us about $1,600 to do, which I think is good deal and will definitely save us more in the long term. I don't drive as much as what I did in the US, but the $150 fill-up was pretty painful and has been financially draining. Our Chevy is doing great with the new tank and doesn't have any loss of power while burning LPG.

I have also purchased my first set of snow tires. The new tires cost about $1,200 and was by the way a family and friends price! For my San Francisco Bay Area friends snow tires are only necessary if you have a jacked up pickup truck and you want it to look even bigger and more cool, but for my Polish friends snow tires are necessary if you want to drive anywhere in the winter. On the first real snow-day I picked up Lydia driving in what I would consider near white-out conditions without snow tires. It was a very slow, slippery and tense drive for only being about a mile, or two. Large parts of California would have been shut down in that mess and many places closed, but in Poland it's just another school day so it's better to be prepared. The snow season appears to be over for the year but I will probably wait a few more weeks before I swap out my snow tires for regular ones. Last year we had a heavy snow that came just before Easter and I really don't want to be stuck spinning around because I was impatient. I gave Chevy a bath the other day by taking her to one of those self-service car washes where you get to play with the pressurized sprayers and choose water and soap and wax to wash away the filth and give a shine. Beastie came out looking good and I was told that I really need to do it more often or face the consequences. Beastie by the way is what we call our Chevy because she is much bigger than most of the cars in this country and we have a hard time parking her :) Most of the trucks in this country which are made by American companies or are brought from the US have camper shells on them, I would like to take mine off to give Beastie a more original look but I have to figure out where I can put a big ass camper shell without trashing the yard. The other option would be to rent space somewhere to put the camper shell, but of course I don't want to spend a whole lot of money doing that. Well things are going well and we are all keeping busy, I promise more pictures will be coming to keep you feeling like you are here with us :)

Spring is back and so is my blog!

The snow and ice have been gone for a few weeks now and new plants and flowers are popping up all over the place. For someone who enjoys gardening and watching things grow I really enjoy living in a place that has four seasons. To translate for my friends living in the San Francisco Bay Area this means that white fluffy stuff falls from the sky and doesn't disappear until it is warm enough outside to melt. The snow creates a kind of reset button for the yard. There is a period of time when rather than watering or planting things, you get to take out the shovel and clear a path in the snow from the house to the car and around any doors. I am also amazed to find out that this climate has a lot of very hardy plants that actually survive this extended freeze quite well. For example we have a ton of strawberry plants coming back to life that were completely buried under snow for a long time. I know my California strawberries would have all been completely dead.

The raspberry and quince bushes that I planted in the fall are starting to show buds and leaves. There are also daffodils and crocuses in bloom around the yard. We also bought plenty of new bulbs and irises that we planted in the fall, so it is kind of like Christmas when we watch them pop out of the ground and bloom.

My girls are growing up quickly too. Little Mila the Destroyer turned two earlier this month and she is speaking more words in both Polish and English. Mila the Destroyer has a firm understanding of the words 'No' and 'Nie' and likes to upset mommy and daddy with her eating habits. I call Mila a forager because she has a tendency to wander around the kitchen and dig in the cupboards to create a meal that is balanced to her liking. She will ask for a particular food because she likes the packaging or just likes to see the container open and then she is immediately uninterested in the contents. She will also make you peel bananas thinking that she will eat them and then will proceed to have a floor protest when you try to actually give it to her. When you give Mila the Destroyer a bowl of Cheerios in milk she will go and get a straw to suck the milk out and then eat the Cheerios over the next two hours. The good news for little Mila is that being that she is two years old we can now enroll her in a local preschool and will be doing so, soon. Mila the Destroyer will have the pleasure of trashing her sisters old stomping grounds here in Poland :) I think she will be starting out with partial days at the school for a while before she is adjusted to being away from us but she should do well there. This will be a great opportunity for her to have other people explain to her not to break, climb or throw things and learn how to interact with other young kids without beating them up :)

Rain brought in some mushrooms :)

There are two important factors to having good mushrooms growing in the forests. One factor is having it rain, and the other is for the weather to be warm enough with some sun. Now we had it rain for a few days and a little bit of warmth, but now it is pretty cold outside all day and night. So for the one day that it was good enough conditions, we went out into the forest and found some mushrooms. It was really quite odd though, and only by accident that we even went looking. you see it has been very cold here and we haven't been seeing even many of the bad mushrooms outside, let alone the good edible ones. I was out in the forest the other day and while throwing some old bread under one of the pine trees for the birds, I noticed a large Birch Bolete, so we went hunting :) As we wandered through the woods we found some more Birch Boletes and some Orange Birch Boletes and one or two Chanterelles. Here is a picture of an Orange Birch Bolete that we found.

As you can see from the picture above, the Orange Birch Bolete has an orangeish-redish kind of cap as opposed to the tan or brown cap for the regular Birch Bolete. Magda made an awesome mushroom soup out of what we found as usual :) *Correction Magda sauteed mushrooms, it wasn't a soup because she didn't add any water. I have different tastes than her in mushrooms, and when it comes to mushroom soup I just tend to like the mushrooms that make the soup more crunchy, and the Birch Boletes do that. When we are out mushroom hunting we will often find many inedible mushrooms, and some that are edible that we will have to identify, so we walk past them. We might pick one on occasion to bring home and identify, and we might just take a picture because a mushroom looks cool. The following little mushroom we find sometimes when we are out hunting. It is small, and white, and translucent, and pretty cool. I doubt it is edible but we always like seeing them in the woods. 

This was probably the last time we will go out mushroom hunting this year. The rain has moved in, and the ground is wet, but it is just too cold outside to allow for any good mushroom growth. Magda went out looking today and did not find anything to be proud of. I will definitely be missing the edible bounty when I am out on my walks, but the change in scenery always allows for some good photography. I am looking forward to taking some pictures of birch trees without their leaves and the snow when it starts to fall. Lydia loves the snow and is always asking "When will the snow come, and my birthday?!" Her birthday is December 23rd. Lydia's school is not very far from our house, maybe a mile or a mile and a half. We have promised her that when the snow starts to fall and the ground gets covered a little bit I will take her to school on her sled. This will be a lot of fun for her, and a little bit of a 'Rocky 4' kind of workout for me :) Well off to bed now so good night :) or of course good morning :).

IKEA is the Arch Nemesis for Mila The Destroyer

I explained in a past blog that we are always searching for that perfect piece of furniture, but that sometimes we just have to settle for what will help us out at the moment, and this is it. Mila The Destroyer is full of mischief and just cannot be watched and yelled at 24/7, so you just have to pick your battles. We settled for this piece from IKEA because it allows for her to get to some of the stuff on the bottom levels and still allows for us to keep some things out of her reach and path of destruction. If you look closely at the the small stack ontop of the structure in the upper left hand corner you can see a stack of wood block puzzles. Now the puzzles are/will be fun to play with her as she develops a little bit more, but for now they are fun for her to dump on the ground and run away. In about the middle of the picture you can also see a pink basket full of foam puzzle pieces which she would also normally dump and run, or break apart if together and run away, but she has not been messing with this basket at all :) We also picked up a few other items for her to play with/on. 

The table which is next to Tickle Me Elmo has two chairs to go with it, but we decided to put them away for now because Mila was using them as her own personal house stools. Mila is of course an excellent climber, but she is also resourceful and will use other objects to boost her height and we just weren't thinking at the time we got the chairs. Now the storage box to the right is where we keep most of the plush toys and teddy bears out of sight. But The storage box rolls out and is definitely one of Mila's favorite things to empty and climb inside of. One thing that we have gained around the house by having more furniture, is a little more time delay before a mess happens, by forcing Mila to take the time and open a drawer or a cabinet before trashing the area. We are also pretty good at using our ears around the house listening to particular noises, the metal handles on some drawers and cabinets make heavy metal sounds and the scraping of a drawer opening are pretty pronounced. So when we hear something about to get trashed we can jump to action and tell Mila no, which sometimes works. :) Putting things out of reach and out of sight doesn't work as well as it used to, as Mila can climb well, and now she has a tendency to ask to be picked up so she can see what is not in view. Mila The Destroyer is pretty good at telling you she is upset or tired, as I mentioned her attacks before, but she is also pretty good at throwing tantrums. One of my favorite tantrums is what I have labeled 'The floor protest' in which she will drop to the floor screaming and pounding and thrashing for about a minute. Magda and I just laugh because we will take something away from her, and she will drop to the ground and we say "oh a floor protest" :). Well the little destroyer is taking a well deserved nap right now and I have to get back to some things, so good morning :)

Poland's interest in Halloween is growing

10 years ago any mention of Halloween in Poland would have been strongly condemned as Paganism, and would not go very far in conversation other than scoffing at the children having fun. I am very glad to see that today we are met with the same outrage but we also have a lot more people celebrating Halloween :) Religious extremism pops up at times here in Poland, this time it is for Halloween, which is largely just a day for kids to have fun. The reality is that this world has many different people from many different religious and geographical backgrounds, and by condemning holidays and beliefs we are not bringing this world any closer to peace. Now I am not saying that you should like Halloween or even participate in it if you are living in Poland but for us parents and grandparents we should not teach our children to hate it. You see, this world could actually be a Utopian society, if as parents and leaders, and respected members of society we did not teach hatred. Children will absorb everything that you do and say in life, and if you preach about hatred of certain individuals, or groups, or ideals then those children will do the same when they are older. If you go into a diverse kindergarten or preschool environment, with kids from different backgrounds and countries the kids will not care about the color of other kids' skin. All kids know is how to have fun and that maybe some of their friends look a little bit different than they do. Take a high school sports team, for example, the players don't care about where people come from, they just want to get out there and win as a team. So as more people in Poland learn how to check their passions at the gate and welcome a little fun for the kids, this country can open up a little bit and be a little more peaceful. My family still plans on celebrating All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day this year, as well. I do enjoy the positive side of religion, which in my mind is about bringing people together to live life in an honest and peaceful way. So when we talk about holidays, why should we have the right to tell people which ones they can celebrate and which ones they cannot while still believing this is right? Who are we to say that because you are not a part of our religion that you cannot celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? I chose to promote peace, prosperity, and respect among people I meet, and I hope that their beliefs do the same without looking down upon other groups of people, or individuals, who were not born into a good life. I often ponder what was my past life, was it in poverty or abundance, and how did I chose to live? And if you ask my wife what do I ask for as gift for my birthday, or Christmas, she would roll her eyes and repeat for you "peace on Earth, and goodwill towards man." So lighten up a little bit, laugh at the kids costumes or pretend to have as much enthusiasm and imagination as they did putting them together, and throw some candy at them if they come :) And most of all just choose to be happy and don't just promote more hatred through Facebook posts.

This is by the way my pumpkin, which is supposed to by inside of an American football helmet :). Well goodnight everyone or to some good morning :)

Warsaw Eagles holding tryouts this weekend!

The Warsaw Eagles are the oldest American Football club here in Poland. They had a club and a group of people playing football long before it was popular in Poland, at a time when if you said football it was related to kicking that black and white ball around on the ground. Well American football continues to grow every year in Poland expanding the group of players and fans that admire them, and the teams and organization of the Warsaw Eagles has seen the same huge jumps. Every year teams in the same regions tend to merge and forge better teams and new teams join the leagues bringing in new talent and new joy to the sport. Polish people are big and strong and when they really learn to embrace the kind of lifting they need for football the excitement will grow further. I have only been living in Poland full time since March but I have noticed the older learned methods of weightlifting are really geared towards bodybuilding or the national Olympic lifting team. I have seen this start to change and the players and starting to lift in a way to really improve their athletic ability with football specific training, which is really exciting. The gyms here in Poland need to get better too though so that they can provide the right environment for the athletes to train in. I really love American football, wasn't that obvious already? When I was a much younger kid playing HS football in the US all that I could think about was the NFL. I grew up watching movies like 'Rudy' which is ok, but later I discovered 'The Program'. 'The Program' IS football to anyone who knows the sport and for anyone interested in the sport should watch the movie. Great set of characters in the movie, great set of ideals and great head coach played by James Caan. I think that if you want to know what goes on in the head of an American football player you should watch how the movie plays out. For the hopeful kids wanting to make something out of themselves there is Alvin Mack played by Duane Davis, who is just an awesome and brutal defensive back. Steve Lattimer played by Andrew Bryniarski is a great representation of what can happen to you when taking steroids and how addicting that can be. And Darnell Jefferson played by Omar Epps, who is a troubled youth who turns his life around and gets some amazing opportunities in life largely because of his ability as a football player. I have already spoken about the life long friendships you build by playing football but I have not spoken much about the coaches. I just want to say that the coaches I have met in life in playing football or weightlifting have been the most encouraging and motivating people that I know. Coaches are teachers of their discipline and guide students and players with their knowledge and experience, and there is no way that I would be anywhere near the athlete or respectful individual I have been in the past or future without good help along the way. Coaches also sacrifice a lot in the way of personal time and often low pay to help guide the younger kids in the right path, so try to show some respect and listen when you are on the field or in the gym. I still stay in touch with my high school football coach, who is a mentor, continuing lifting and football coach, but more importantly he is a life-long friend and I think he would help me out in any way he could. Be passionate about whatever you choose to do in life, respect those who deserve it and for those trying to help you say thank you. Well friends good night or to some good morning :)

Weightlifting, country music and whiskey

So now that the football season is over I can dedicate much more time to my lifting. Weightlifting is a sport and an activity that I know a lot about, and take seriously. I may dedicate a separate blog to lifting so as to not bore my friends that could care less about it as a subject. Anyways for the not initiated lifting is great because it is a sport in itself and it can really play a positive role in your life making you healthier and reduce your risk of injury. Did I say country music? Hell Yeah, turn it up! Magda went to the US and when she came back she downloaded all of her favorite new country songs from the trip. I really don't need to be reminded how much I love my wife, but every so often I really do fall in love with her again :) Country music is something that really grows on you when you find the right songs. There is a huge range of what is even considered country music today, and if you are not familiar you really need to listen to a range of different songs to find out if you are interested. I would say country music is like POP music with an awesome accent and great songs spoken from the heart. Country music isn't about bragging about what you have or changing the world, Country music is about love, sadness, and having fun with big trucks, partying hard in the sticks with loud music, beer, whiskey or bourbon and fields and rivers to play in :) If you are someone who doesn't drink I respect that. Not everyone drinks due to personal choices, religious beliefs or recovery of enjoying alcohol without moderation and without responsibility. I hope the best for everyone and hope that everyone has the freedom to do what they enjoy and I do enjoy the occasional drink. One of my favorite mentions of whiskey is in a Willy Nelson song 'Whiskey river don't run dry'. Which is really just about drowning out the sadness of a lost love in alcohol. Someday I may play around with a still in the woods and try to make my own moonshine whiskey. I think I have somewhat fallen in love with the the TV series called Moonshiners, which is based in the Southern US and is about making moonshine. In Poland I have tried a number of different flavored liquors and have made a few myself. The problem is that for many of these drinks it requires either a certain amount of Vodka or pure spirit to make the drink and they are not exactly cheap. So I think if I can figure out how to use a still and make my own it will reduce the cost and maybe increase the ability to make something that I like more than just what is available. So yeah the still is going to be installed somewhere, someday but it will likely require a lot of negotiation with Magda. I even have a neighbor who is interested in putting a still together and making some moonshine so it is just inevitable :) Well good night for now or good morning :)