Ukrainian Gems on Loan for the Summer

I've been sitting at this keyboard for a while, wondering how to write about this wonderful opportunity we have been given for the summer.

There is an orphanage in Ukraine that has been given the privilege of allowing adoptable orphans to come to America and visit whoever will have them. There are no guarantees of adoption. They have to go home at the end of summer. We have known of people who have successfully adopted children they have hosted and people who were given lame excuses by the government and refused to allow the Americans to adopt the kids they have hosted. So what is the advantage for us? Nothing other than allowing two sisters who have no family the opportunity to be loved for ten short weeks. Yes, we will pray like the dickens that the Lord will bless us but if not, that's okay too. The experience will be remembered for the rest of our lives.

Tanya (age 13) and her sister Liza (age 8) will be arriving at DIA on Tuesday, June 10. Time as yet, unknown.
Learning Russian like crazy.
Expect photos of wildly happy people.

Da svidaniya

A Brief Diversion of Joy

Ladies and Gentlemen we interrupt absolutely nothing happening at the house to celebrate the momentous event of JOSH'S GRADUATION! (Cue great crowds cheering)
Our dear young man has freed himself and others from the financial burden of greater education to emerge with A MASTERS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION. That's right, hide your teens, ladies and gentlemen, this twisted product of the Christofferson household will be available to teach science in a high school near you starting this fall. Which high school, we are as yet unsure but hey, a little suspense is what good movies are made of, right?

The Dirt on the Dirt

So when your house has had the side taken off, and a piece of plastic is all that separates you from the great outdoors, elements, and curious raccoons, the Soil Guy Cometh.
It's a bit like a visit to the doctor. There you sit and wait for the cold probing instruments while you are wearing nothing but a modified sheet.

This fellow doesn't work for the construction company but for the county regulations and zoning or something. He comes and takes a tablespoon of dirt or so and checks it in his laboratory to make sure it isn't ALIVE (bwaa haa haa haa). Well, really what he is checking for is called "expansive soil." Around these here parts, it has been said that massive cracks may appear in parts of your house indiscriminately due to rebellious clods of dirt. So in order to prevent damage from said dirt, they come out and see if that is indeed what you have so that when they pour concrete (which doesn't move very well) they can put in costly "precautions" (don't ask, I don't know). He came Friday but wasn't happy with his fair share. He wanted some more. So he came out yesterday and had the Backhoe Guy dig a 4' deeper hole. It will take him 2 whole days to test so all is at a stand still till tomorrow.
They don't think we have the bad dirt because there would already be bad cracks in the concrete we already have. But it would be too easy just to look at that, wouldn't it?

Day 4 It snowed and they came and got the cement cut. Very loud but done in 90 min.
They couldn't finish digging because of the wet dirt.

Day 5 Demo Guy's big dump truck full of cement from our house.

Our new moat! I think it's about 4' deep

AND . . . my 7 foot dirt pile! Okay, you were right. It is A LOT OF DIRT! I shall spend the rest of the summer moving it to the far reaches of my meager 1/2 acre. You want some?

Day 3