On 6th we went to the old house to see if our new debit cards have arrived. They'd come in snail mail usually this time of year, when the old ones' expiration date comes due. When we got there, I noticed that, before leaving, I took out the car key, put it on the hook, took the house keyes and they miraculously became the car key in my pocket... So Sanda would wait with baba in the park, while Linda and I would go back to change keys. But it didn't work that way, I couldn't explain it to her, so I took her to the park, left them all there, pedalled home, changed keys, rode to park again, then we went to the house. The vine in the back yard has gone wild, climbs to the roofs (rooves?). I keep cutting it low near the ground, but it seems to have taken root somewhere in the walls or the gutter. So a major cleanup is due. One of these days. Also, the grass is tall again.
Dad used to have to have clocks everywhere. So he'd know when he fell asleep and when he woke up - of which he dutifuly reported on every "how are you". Cheap chinese junk clocks which cost 1€, mostly, but also two old, fully mechanical all-metal wind-ups by Insa of Zemun. The twins had great time winding it up to ring in their hands. Getting actually skilled with them.
Johana died on 7th. We were in Springfield with the twins - the usual, she had a cold nes and I the bosnian beer (cold, tall). The only difference is that we took a pizza (medium margarita, just cheese) to have for dinner. Some of the little girls from the 'hood said we had a dead cat on the lawn. And there she was, between that haircut sweet cherry and the van, already somewhat swollen and with files working on her. She had a regular breakfast, purring etc, the works, this morning. Though she was showing some signs recently, like trying to get inside the house and not trying to evade shooing out too much. Or she would just love to be petted and scratched all summer like no year before (but then we didn't sit outside that much in previous years).
It was a nice nine lives.
Got the message from my new bank to come and get my cards.
In the evening, had a chat with Go. The stupid little camera I bought years ago (after I forced the old logitech from 2003 into retirement), which had only VGA resolution and couldn't keep position because the cable was too thick for such a lightweight thing, was getting stuck at wrong angles. So I asked Nina if Raja is using Go's camera (which she left here three visits ago) much - well, he isn't. So we switched cameras during the conversation. I was amazed - under windowses, this would require at least a restart of skype, and on some older ones perhaps installation of a driver with possible reboot.
I couldn't keep up with the conversation, because, as usual, a skype conversation is the signal to all the kids to come in and make noise. What topped it was Violet coming in between me and the camera and talking her stuff over us all, despite us already talking. And it was second time this evening (first time she did have some manners and came in during a lull in the talk), so I shoved her out. And of course Raja had his phone on, with sound to the max (the "annoying orange" as the guy calls himself, with the insane laughter on the button) etc etc. I just shouted some and left. Later, we drank for Johana's farewell.
On 8th, made 10,2 liters of brandy. Some tutifruti from an odd batch (but it turned out great, because in it we redistilled a liter and some of the old black currant licquor, which also had about 200g of honey for taste and thickness). During the process we discovered that something stinks... and it was The Intruder, one of the tomcats whom we had hard time running out of the yard the last year or two. He was in the neighbor's yard, already swollen and with a congress of flies. The fat neighbor is long absent - in the last ten years, he was at home maybe fifteen months... once when they were expelled from Austria, and once when he overstayed his temporary visa in Germany so had to stay at home for some time until the day comes when he'd be allowed back (and his wife, fat junkie son and two fat grandsons were all there), and the yard is overgrown with weeds. Juliška is related to him, so I left them a pass and he left the gate unlocked so the two yards make a nice tunnel between the streets. I just took a spade and went over and burried it, just like we burried Johana the day before.
It's possible that someone poisoned them (people may have problem with rats, and then cats find the bait), but then there'd be more cats affected. It's equally possible to be a pure coincidence - she was old and he wasn't in good shape either, a street tomcat's life isn't easy.
Today we went downtown so I'd get my cards from the new bank (got them okay), and the girls just wanted to go into Panda, the chinese shop which takes some part of the space in what one was Robna kuća Beograd (department store). The RKB still exists, probably lives on renting spaces like this. They just sold Beograđanka yesterday, for pittance, to a no-name company which was founded ten days ago. Twenty-some strorey building in smack downtown Belgrade went for paltry 13 million euros. Bought some toys. A doctor's set, a fake cell phone, and a fake microphone. When we got home (switched - Linda was now with her, asleep for the last kilometer), put the batteries into them, and now I'm listening to "tinkle, tinkle lidl tah, howai wonder wodei ah", in perfect child's engrish, for the fiftieth time. Still less than how many times I heard "wheels on the bus" and "baby shark". Should the universe implode in five minutes, I wouldn't mind.
23-IX-2020 - 17-IV-2026