14-IX-2022.
Monday, 12th. We distilled another one, not too generous, 2,7 liters of tutifruti, doesn't matter. Such a year.
Spoke with Stanley and Go in the evening. His half-brother died ten days ago, while hiking up some hill in the wider area of San Diego. He was alone, and just keeled over - nobody saw how and when. Some other hikers found him within minutes, and he might have still been alive at the time. They dialed 911, and the helicopter came, but he was DOA at the hospital. Cause of death is „pending“ on the death certificate, but among us, he was probably vaccinated to the gills, so it will never be known what got him.
Stanley gets his brother's life insurance, he's designated in the contract. Now they consider the next move, they'd sell the house in Virginia Beach but it takes some investment first. The contractors estimate it at 20K$ up to 40, which is bull, the more probable amount is 5 to 6K$, but with doing most of the stuff on your own. Which is no problem, he did it once already when he prepared to sell his house. Nina offered her house as base of operations while they do it. They'll think about it.
In the evening Vera came with her daughter, the girls played at will. She had a shot of apricot with Nina. Brought some 40kg of grape that her mom picked and took off the stems, to make brandy from. We don't usually distill for others, but these are friends. The usual ušur (the percentage of flour that the miller gets for service) we don't need, specially of loza, and it would be only 0,3l anyway.
Bata Kovač died yesterday, which went mostly unnoticed on burundi, because most of the folks there came into music when Korni grupa was long gone, and because Žan Lik Godar (Jean Luc Goddard, these Frenches are crazy) died the same day. For movies the age doesn't matter, strangely. By our customs, it would fall to me to write a necrologue on suština, as I'm the most faithful kornian among us, but no, I won't be the one to push out that piece of religious propaganda from the main page. When they remove themselves, then I will write. They occupied the square, then they'll keep it until they go away. Meanwhile, without me.
Took the van for inspection today, passed but needs work - the front left wobbles a bit because the cuff on the semiaxle by the transmission broke, it lost oil, and the rear left brakes by itself. The exhaust shows white smoke, which a diesel shouldn't do. Called Dule at the repairs, says the wheels would be 5-6 thousand; the engine work may be 400€ and above. Bring it in and we'll see.
While I was waiting for inspection's mandatory 40 minutes to pass, called Dragana as usual. The phone went mad, reporting that she was calling me at the same time, each time. Sent her a message, she called back. Ah, Divčibare is where you go, well you have Petnica nearby, it's a lovely place and so neat and clean, it's unbelievable that how they keep it. And there's a restaurant in a cave around there, excellent. She's our tourist guide, knows the best taverns everywhere.
Bajlo called later, about saturday, when IV4 will have their day. I'm distilling brandy then, I said, I don't really have to come every time.
Thursday, 15th. Distilling. Some rain, then not, will it or won't it... Spread a tarp above, as dirty as it was since this summer, when she mixed soil for the potatoes on it. The rain stopped immediately. It works. The brandy didn't start dripping, even as temperature went up to 65°... should have done so at 50. Did it clog somewhere? We opened it up, I took the upper tube to wash it out, nope, that's not it. There's a thick cake on top of the mush, so we removed three fangla of that, put it back into the barrel. Then resumed, with temperature back to 40. Started dripping at 48, oozing at 50, methanol 69%, the first at 65%... That's how it should go. The second batch went the same, just got more, as the first one had more pulp, the second more liquid. Altogether 6,4 l, not bad enough*.
In the evening she was watching stuff on yoochoob or oddysee or wherever, and said some german MP blurted out something about „the 24th will be a day which everyone will remember later, where were they when it happened“. Whoa... such dates so far were the murder of Kennedy, landing on the Moon, and 11th of september (1973. and 2001.). So we decided to just wait it out and go to Divčibare the day after, on sunday. We don't really have to do it on a weekend.
Sixteenth. Took the girls to Springfield, after a long time. Took the usual - coffee, fries. Of which they ate very little, there was something not quite right with them. They almost had the texture and surely had the taste, but something was missing. They actually wanted pizza, but this is the year when the commercial pizza went to hell, and she rediscovered her own. She used to make the edges a bit too thick and crunchy, which I actually love, but it hurts my gums, and Nina couldn't take it. Now that her teeth are done and the crust is thinner, we go for it very often, to make up for the previous three years.
Then we went downtown to buy her some shoes - her regular Kompako is worn out, time for new one. Mine are due in two years, and the previous pair, from 2010, still functions fine for indoors, or when I need something sneakerly. Found a good belt too, from some privatnik from Debeljača, the Lidl't shit hasn't seen leather even on a phone. While we were inside a goodly downpour came; when we walked over to the Chinese in the bank** it lessened just enough. For them she bought some small toys and stickers; I got a 20 CD holding bag, for Joda. We used to have such bags for 70 CDs twenty years ago, now this one is more than enough.
It was raining on seventeenth, we did nothing all day. The brandy we made on 19th.
On 18th Lena and Milan came, and we went to zanatlija for lunch. Nice day, free parking, good food. They didn't bring the dog, as they wouldn't be staying that long and I wasn't quite sure we'd do barbecue, what with everything being wet, not a nice day to sit outside. But then this was outside, just under a roof.
On the picture, Nina and Lena checking each other's muscles, as they are both regular in gyms nowadays.
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* pun made by an operator girl in stour's erc; „bad enough“ usually means „rather bad“, and this is the opposite of it... like „rather not bad“ would be.
** the glass box building was built for the bank; since then, the bank was sold twice and now it takes less than an eighth of the building.
Mentions: burundi, Dragana Vitas (Dragana), erc, fangla, Gorana Sredljević (Go), IV4, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Joda, loza, Milan Nastić, Nenad Bajlo (Bajlo), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), Springfield, Stanley Berger, stour, suština, Vera Vraneš, zanatlija, in serbian