Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. June 29-July 4. 2022

June 29, 2022, Day 125.
On that day I had just returned from a trip and could not find my sketchbook. Hence, I grabbed "whatever" paper (there is a shopping list on the back of this page :) Quick update about friends and what activities now are taking up most of their time: Dad can open the water and Mom can water the plants. Dad prepared a new proverb for me but they disagreed on the exact wording. The simple translation is "you arrived the way you were going". 

July 3, 2022, Day 129.
We discuss all the news. From Kharkiv, which is still shelled daily by the russian terrorist state. News from all the friends and relatives spread around Ukraine and Europe. News from their cat: it slept through one mouse walking by but later brought another mouse. News from the garden: there were two types of currants and mulberry in their breakfast. Today was a good day: their neighbor brought them food and picked up a post with meds for them.

July 4, 2022, Day 130.
This conversation was mostly about all the adventures of the Cat and a lizard: in short - it filled the day with unexpected excitement! They remembered some poems by Sasha Chorny - a russian-speaking poet from Ukraine. We talk about his complicated life: his parents converted him to Christianity to get a chance to educate him (he was Jewish and it meant that certain types of professions and educational opportunities were closed for him in russian empire). Dad talks about how he wrote under a pseudonym (very russian sounding) and ran away from the Soviets to Europe where he created some beautiful poetry for kids. 

Daily reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. June 2-4. 2022

June 2, 2022, Day 99.
They greet me with: "The day was great and it ended with a splendid rain!" Dad recommends to me some places where I can learn more about Ukrainian curse words. My parents never curse (in my presence at least) so I mention that this is a strange conversation - but they reply that I should know Ukrainian curses because they are different from russian. We talk about things that should be included in the education of a human. And about the cat. 

June 3, 2022, Day 100.
I was dreading today's conversation with my parents, thinking that they might be in a very pessimistic mood because it's been 100 days since this senseless madness tore their life apart. There are many reasons to be sad today. And there are so many uncertainties - for them, for Ukraine, for the world in general. But my parents proved me wrong, and we had a great conversation. They listed how the weather kept changing all day long (with sound effects). They remembered some old movies and songs and discussed how much progress medicine made in the last century and how they might use it one day. They told me news about all the family and friends, and the list now includes reports on all the pets. My aunt saved a dog from Bucha right after the horror that happened there. It was scared and sickly - but it finally started eating well - now it weighs 70 lbs and they got her registered officially. They told me about new plants and birds they found (both outside and online). I got the report that there are four cherries on a cherry tree and that herons were flying by. What more can I ask?

June 4, 2022, Day 101.
We talk about different writers and poets and how the Soviet Union made many talented people into its tools, and many more just lost their ability to write. Yet some persisted. And the way how they did it was to work menial jobs and have zero ambition in literature. The conversation turns to what additional professions these people had and we end up talking about how many professional people have in general, without often calling it that. And how one of my grandfathers had to know all the work around the village. Mom says: it is you either learn all that or drink.  

Daily reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. June 5-7. 2022

June 5, 2022, Day 101.
Parents report that there is a shortage of salt in the country but volunteers brought sugar and flour. And Dad does not eat salt so they are fine for now. There are plans to play chess with the neighbor. Mom scared Dad because she started screaming - and he did not realize that it is the happy scream of someone who saw a crane flying close by. Mom tells me all about the beak, red legs, and wings. 

June 6, 2022, Day 102.
Internet was glitching a bit and we had a shorter call. Mom is concerned that the cat is too skinny. Dad thinks that it is not since it refuses to eat special cat food that they got but is finishing all the other food that they give it. Dad talks about the differences between cats and dogs and how for dogs people are first and for cats - places. I see that Mom is not so sure (she really made friends with this cat but keeps calling it "the dog") 

June 7, 2022, Day 103.
he cat is bringing presents for my parents now. At first, it was a mouse. Now it is a bird. It also started hunting for flies. My Dad saw a mushroom and sent Mom to investigate, turns out there were several and the bounty was made anto a mushroom soup! This and our new ability to play chess simultaneously made this a day full of winnings (p.s. I lost both chess games).