Rainy October in Markova, 2024

Hello to all my friends and followers!  

After almost three years of silence, I’ve decided to resume my posts here. I’m not sure how long my enthusiasm will last, but it’s worth a try.

Here are my updates from the past three years:  

1. At the very beginning of this year, on New Year's Eve, January 1st, I lost my wife Irina, my best friend, and a wonderful mother to our children. We were together for 15 years. She was only 41 years old; we wanted to live a long life together and were not afraid of growing old side by side. This has been a true tragedy for me, the greatest one, unfortunately. Only now, literally in the last couple of months, do I feel like I’ve returned to a normal state and a calm mindset. Now I’m raising our teenage children alone, a 12-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter.

2. At the beginning of 2022, war came to Ukraine with the Russian invasion. All this time, we have remained here in the country and have not left it. Fortunately, we live far enough from the front line, and despite periodic missile attacks (missiles and combat drones also fly over our region), we are in a more or less calm environment since we are in a rural area and exist in a fairly autonomous mode (wood heating, free spring water, our own farm), while Russian strikes primarily target major cities and energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

3. I intend to leave Ukraine, meaning to move with my children to a safer place in another country. We made this decision more than a year ago; it was a joint decision with my wife, and I am essentially just following the planned path. This may happen sometime in 2024; we are not in a hurry to leave, as we continue to prepare for such a change in our lives with great care.

4. My main job is as an editor and translator; however, for the past two years, I’ve finally taken my pottery seriously, which is my main and beloved hobby. I’m using my wood-fired kiln, which I built back in 2021, and I’m slowly selling my ceramic pieces. I’m making progress in this area.

I’d be happy to hear your comments if anyone still remembers me!