My parents’ dacha is an extraordinary place. In the Catskill Mountains, about 2 hours away from New York City, it is obscenely beautiful, peaceful and serene. It’s possible to spend a week there without running into another person (other than the ones who are at the house), communing with nature and, in my case, checking your Blackberry for signs of civilization. My family feels fortunate to be able to retreat there (disclaimer: Young Ladrinka would like you to know that he would feel a lot more fortunate if there was a Wii at the dacha).
This is the view that greeted me on Memorial Day morning, as I sat down to have breakfast with papa.
Ahh, nature!
And this was our morning conversation:
Marinka: Hey, papa, how come you’re not eating anything?
Papa: I have tea. I don’t eat breakfast.
Marinka: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know.
Papa: Only if you’re training for gluttony.
Marinka: But I keep reading that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Papa: Because you read magazines addressed to gluttons. Enough with food talk. How was your sleep?
Marinka: Excellent. Except I woke up with allergies.
Papa: You don’t have allergies. It was just cold in the night.
Marinka: I wasn’t cold, it’s allergies.
Papa: I’m telling you, cold. Cold. I woke up with stuffy nose, too.
Marinka: No, allergies. I don’t have a stuffy nose. I have itchy eyes.
Papa: You don’t have allergies.
Marinka: BUT MY EYES ARE ITCHY! WHAT, YOU THINK I HAVE GONORRHEA OF THE EYES?
Papa: Could be. During the turn of the last century, there were many babies who were born to gonorrheal mothers who were instantly blind.
Marinka: …
Papa: Maybe you should suggest allergies to them. They’ll be happy.
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Hey, are you going to be in NYC in August for BlogHer? Then you must come to The Mouthy Housewives Happy Two Hour party! It will be fun (and papa said that he may come by. He thinks you all are made up). Sign up here to get all the details (I really tried to write deets. Couldn’t do it.)
One year ago ...
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: grandemocha
June 1, 2010 at 9:04 am
OH a chance to meet Papa, that’s exciting. Please ask him to wear the pink crocs.
Twitter: Texasholly
June 1, 2010 at 9:05 am
Ha! I love it. Now I feel all glutton-y after having a nice breakfast…
Look at you with your Blackberry…
Good grief…
Twitter: MommysMartini
June 1, 2010 at 9:45 am
Does a bowl of berries count as gluttony? What if the accompanying coffee was heavy on the cream? Inquiring minds want to know.
Also, is there some way to sign up for the party besides Facebook? You know, in case there are any of us out here who have Facebook pages with our real names on them and who therefore can’t sign up for a party on Facebook under the anonymity of bloggityland? (And who maybe don’t want our old high school friends — who we rarely see but who still think of us in terms of high school cliques — to get all judgy in some way about housewifedom, mouthy or otherwise?)
I am laughing SO HARD at this. When we are in Greece Tony’s family is convinced that the first sign of a stuffy nose is due to us sleeping with the air conditioning on. INSISTENT about it.
Twitter: bethsix
June 1, 2010 at 10:34 am
I went to college about 1.5 hours north of NYC, between the Catskills and Adirondacks. Gorgeous.
I do not remember having gonorrhea of the eyes there, but it is possible. Was a wild time.
Twitter: ohmommy
June 1, 2010 at 10:47 am
Papa will be at the party? Does Papa like to hug?
Twitter: AMOblognut
June 1, 2010 at 11:06 am
I think Papa should have one of those 24×7 hotlines so people can call him and discuss these important topic with him whenever they want to. He could sell membership subscriptions and make a fortune.
I would totally call him for advice on everything.
your dad and mine would totally get along.
Twitter: BigPieceofCake
June 1, 2010 at 7:33 pm
I think Papa needs his own advice blog. Maybe he can guest post on the Mouthy Housewives (Mouthy Papa?) Anyway – I am so looking forward to your happy two hour party. Please put details on your blog though – I’m a big Facebook failure…
You are absolutely hysterical. Papa too. 😀
I am reading this while eating breakfast and rubbing my eyes. I am not, however, drinking anything, because my condescending doctor said that my headaches come from not drinking enough. Hah!