Out of the Mouths of Babes

"Do you know why there are no stained glass windows in Russian Orthodox churches?" Skittles asked me as we walked home from school this afternoon.

I had never thought about it, actually. But now that she's mentioned it, I don't recall seeing much stained glass here.

She learned in school that the traditional Russian Orthodox churches felt it was inappropriate to create holy images on something breakable. This is partly why icons have so many layers of paints, says she.

Possibly. What do I know? But it sounds like I'm getting something for my tuition money. But I would love to hear from anyone who has any expertise on this.

Coat Update: It's warm and so incredibly light! I've never owned a down coat before. I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. It's a bird! It's a plane! NO! It's the Expatresse in something that doesn't weigh a ton.

Weather Underground: We were supposed to get a Big Snow yesterday. It did snow, but it hasn't been a big deal. The streets are clean. The sidewalks, however . . . Ugh.

I think the City of Moscow has a policy about not using salt and other chemicals on the streets and sidewalks. In fact, there was an article in the Moscow Times last winter about how the City vowed that they would not use anything that could ruin your shoes. "If your shoes get ruined, bring them to us for a full refund!" they even promised. Yeah. Right. Like I have a lifetime to wait around for that.

Instead there seems to be a policy of using sand, clay, cat litter, and clumps of mud to provide traction on the slick surfaces. This results in the muddy, buttery sea of slush that gets tracked into the farthest reaches of your house even if you remove your boots outside your front door.

Then there is Roof Cleaning/Icicle Hazard. People die every year from falling icicles, so building owners and management are right vigilant about removing snow and ice from roofs. I often hear the building crew tromping around on our roof after a snow. I can see the snow falling past my windows as they shovel it off.

To protect pedestrians while roofs get cleaned, many buildings have barricades made up of what looks like crime scene tape and odd ball fencing. Yes, this forces me to walk away from the building walls, but more often it forces me to walk in the street where I get to play Dodge 'Em with the drivers. Truthfully, the streets are always easier places to walk in terms of ice. But the risk of being sprayed with brown slush (at least) or flat out squished by a car makes it a real rock-and-a-hard-place dilemma.

Easy solution: take the metro! Bonus: today we saw a guy on the metro with a white ferret. The ferret was snuggling in the crook of his arm with far more affection than Cat-O ever shows us. The girls were enchanted.

That's Moscow: derelicts pooping in public one day, exotic pets on the metro the next.