It was a quiet day until early afternoon when people arrived to work and to feed us. It is so difficult to refuse their hospitality and there are times, such as today, when I feel that I did overeat. At first we had afternoon tea with blini served with a thick and sweetened strawberry sauce as we sat outside in the shade of the cedar trees, as I so often mention, while for supper we had cold Lithuanian borshch served with potatoes baked with mushrooms and onions, and much more. Now you can understand why I said that I overate. While the women were preparing food in the kitchen, some men began splitting wood that will be stacked to dry for the winter’s fires in the stove in the big hall. Father Moses locked himself out of the konak building, so Kirill had to bring the tall ladder from where the cherries were picked last month, to be able to climb to the second floor to unlock the front door. Perhaps we should hide a spare key somewhere.