[AT] Ukraine, very short update

Mon Apr 4 14:48:54 PDT 2022

Hi,
You've all done great and reached 1650 USD. I've used 600 of it on food and
medicine as I said earlier and. I've also used it for a birthday
celebration (food, presents, candy etc.) for the mother and one of the kids
in a large family living nearby. I can't remember how much I've told you
earlier and some things I've learned lately. This family consists of a
grandmother, mother and five kids age five to twelve. They left Ukraine and
the mother's second man/husband. The second man helped them away from the
first man that was very abusive to both the mother and the kids, physical
and psychologically. Now the second man is fighting against Putins hordes
of war criminals at the frontline.

I'll try to enclose a picture of Igor who lives at our neighbour who is the
unofficial leader of our network. He is sitting with my dogs, the reason he
looks sideways is because there's where the iPad with Google translate is.
He gets dinner with the neighbour and lunch from a local restaurant. He is
54 years old and had a hard life suffering from both Parkinson and a
stroke. He needs crutches to walk and would have stayed fighting in Ukraine
if not his hands were so shaky he told me. His home was next to an airfield
so he had to flee.

We haven't got any refugees at our home and that's because Ylvas work is
classified and it's not certain that it is ok to have refugees at a long
time basis if so yet. Anyway I do organize things and drive people around,
we give them food, support and what we have and can share.

I'm in no hurry using your money but will continue to do so when I can see
it makes lives better for people, especially children that has come here.
The needs will be increasing and the ones I,ve helped so far is so
grateful. I would like to provide more pictures but mostly I don't want to
ask the women and children if I can take their pictures, because of
security and that there are people in refugee camps on their way here
taking pictures and luring women and children into trafficking.

While not doing this or working I drive around the Boxer chopping firewood.
We've also just finished the somewhat troublesome lambing season... It
begun with some stillborn or almost stillborn lambs, continued with various
troubles for her ending with her for the first time having to get in there
and drag the lambs out. Then it went quite well for a while then I had to
do the same for the first time. First on two lambs then on three within a
few hours. They're all ok now and I'm beginning to feel normal too...

Sincerely

Mattias

Den mån 21 mars 2022 03:44Spencer Yost <spencer at rdfarms.com> skrev:

> First, thanks Mattias for the updates. Not real interested in penny for
> penny accounting: if anyone’s in a pinch for fuel, medicine, food, toys or
> school clothes for the kids  - or whatever - just make it happen. That’s
> all we ask.  And keep the stories coming.
>
> Even if we don’t need the gardens to survive Cecil they are a great way to
> maintain ties with neighbors. We have a regular okra, bean, endive and
> tomato underground  railroad going on around here :-). We supply and
> deliver the composted manure to several friends and neighbors and it’s
> comes back as fresh veggies 🥦 🥕
>
>
> Spencer
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 20, 2022, at 10:24 PM, Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> wrote:
>
> 
>
> I must admit when I hear the term refugee, I don't see these people in my
> mind.  After seeing the pictures Mattias so graciously provided, all I can
> say is  "There but for the Grace of God go I "
>
> I do not want to get the list any where close to political, but all of us
> need to get our old tractors working a garden plot that might feed
> ourselves and a few neighbors.   I ordered some heirloom variety seed last
> week, and I have got to get a place cleaned out to start them under a grow
> light.  Here in OK, we have the craziest weather.  Just as you think it is
> going to be warm, boom it changes.  And the OK hwy department will not pay
> for any grass seeded or sodded that fails due to freeze between October 15
> and April 15.   We now have rain forecast for 3 days.  Usually May is the
> month of rains and that is when I have to cut Rye for hay.  this year it is
> beardless Triticale and it looks like it may have died from the drought.
> Where I sowed it in the pasture, the little taste of rain we got last week
> has it turning green.  But, in the wheat field I am trying to turn to
> pasture, it looks dead.
>
> I don't have any good ground for a garden.  However, I have a big pile of
> hay and cow manure that is getting black after I pushed it up with the
> dozer last year.  I plan to use the side throw PTO spreader and then
> roto-till it into a place I have stored hay for a couple of seasons.  I
> have one of those 8 ft chinese roto-tillers.  I am trying to get an
> electric riding cart to go between the rows and sit while working the
> plants.  Old age requires some innovations.  When I was younger ( about 40
> years ago) I built a garden on top of our septic lateral field.  We had one
> of the best gardens around..  I had dumped 13 yards of river sand and 8
> yards of cow manure from the stockyards and rototilled it with a commercial
> walk behind tiller.   With the development next to me and all the influx of
> neighbors watching me, I will have to share the bounty probably.   Got to
> keep the neighborhood happy.
>
> I didn't mean to get so long winded.  I would like to commend Mattias for
> his helping his fellow man in such an extreme situation.
>
> Cecil in safe and windy Oklahoma
>
>
> On 3/20/2022 8:59 PM, Kenneth Gene Waugh wrote:
>
> Thanks for expressing my sentiments as well, Cecil. I have wanted to reply
> to these emails, but haven’t wanted to flood things either – Mattais, for
> sure, most certainly has his hands full without tons of emails.
>
>
>
> Mattais, THANK YOU!!, mostly for what you and others are doing, but Thanks
> for the updates, too!
>
> Gene Waugh
>
> Elgin, Illinois
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
>
>
>
> *From: *Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net>
> *Sent: *Sunday, March 20, 2022 8:11 PM
> *To: *at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> *Subject: *Re: [AT] Ukraine, very short update
>
>
>
> Mattias.  thanks for the update.  I don't believe any of the group were
> concerned about where the money goes, but I know I enjoy hearing of your
> experiences with these folks.  Our country is in trouble right now,  and
> many of us don't know how to fix it, but we are so fortunate that we don't
> have to leave our homes and family behind to escape.  We have you and your
> family in our thoughts and prayers here in Oklahoma..
>
> Cecil
>
> On 3/20/2022 5:38 PM, Mattias Kessén wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> You are doing great and though I've only used a small part of your money
> it's made a big difference. Today I've used som money for a children car
> seat. We've got a lot of donated ones but needed one more. When I'll get to
> it I'll make a document showing how much I've got and how much I've spent.
>
> So far you've reached 1400 $ and I've spent a little less than 200.
> Remember we get most things for free but this money is so useful when not,
> no regulations only your trust in me and my willingness to make most of it.
>
> There's much going on but let me tell you 'bout Igor. Igor arrived friday
> and was the only man. He is 54 and suffering from a stroke nine years ago.
> He has trained him self to be able to "walk" around on crouches, the kind
> that goes all the way to the armpit like in an old war movie. He was living
> next to an airfield that's been bombed several times, with poultry and
> other animals. He believe he is treated like a king here, first he arrived
> at the old city hall (18th century built after the last time the Danes
> burned down the town) and said it was a castle. It's nice but smaller. Then
> we had him sleeping at hotel (really fine one, for free) near the hospital
> to have then evaluate his health. All he wanted although was to live where
> he could wake up to the rooster. So my neighbour Akko who are the "leader"
> of all this took him under her wings today.
>
> Unknowing that he already went there we arrived at her place tonight for
> some sauna and I saw him through the window of her guesthouse. We went
> there and our neighbour and another volunteer arrived with Vodka and
> glasses to greet him welcome. We did that but after we managed to use my
> phone for letting him call home, which he last time did in Poland 10 days
> ago.
>
> We tried his phone first with a Swedish SIM-letting you call for free that
> I've been given by a phone company, then we used my phone. After so many
> signals that we all were convinced that the answering machine would answer
> his brother answered! They spoke for awhile, very shortly I believe Igor
> thought it was expensive for me and the smile on Igor's face even though
> afterwards when we asked him through Google translate how it were with his
> brother and family he only answered "bombed".
>
> We've made so many other things... I'm so proud of some people around me.
>
>
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
>
>
> Mattias
>
>
>
> P.s. today I've also had time for a ten mile walk with the dogs and even
> chopping some firewood that I transported with the Boxer(tractor reference)
>
>
>
> Den sön 20 mars 2022 01:17Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> skrev:
>
> Mattias. Happy we could help.  I wish we could do more..
> Cecil in Okla
>
>
>
> On 3/19/2022 3:26 PM, Mattias Kessén wrote:
>
> Well since Ylvas picture of me was to big here is the message without
> picture in wait for Spencer's approval.,
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I'll try to keep this short 'cause I'm a bit fatigue....
>
> I've begun using a bit of your money, some medicine for a mother her five
> kids and the grandmother. They've fled from Donbas through Kiev, to here. I
> was at the hospital last night taking care of her arm that was hurt when
> she ran from grenades exploding in Kiev. (Is this for real?). The fragment
> of stories, how about the fathers and husband's, and all other questions...
> Their English are very weak or non existing.
>
> The real heroes are the translaters, the most of them have relatives in
> the Ukraine or Russia. The translater I've worked most with have to aunties
> I Kiev that no-one heard from in weeks... she's so strong.
>
> There are so many stories I'll try to tell you all of them later but as a
> teaser I can mention ABBA... We have a family in Björn of ABBA 's penthouse
> that can stay there for months and I delivered another one to his daughter
> yesterday...
>
> More to come, anyway life is good I had an hour in the spring sun earlier
> just relaxing when Ylva took this picture.
>
> Mattias
>
>
>
> Den lör 19 mars 2022 21:07Mattias Kessén <davidbrown950 at gmail.com> skrev:
>
> Hi,
>
> I'll try to keep this short 'cause I'm a bit fatigue....
>
> I've begun using a bit of your money, some medicine for a mother her five
> kids and the grandmother. They've fled from Donbas through Kiev, to here. I
> was at the hospital last night taking care of her arm that was hurt when
> she ran from grenades exploding in Kiev. (Is this for real?). The fragment
> of stories, how about the fathers and husband's, and all other questions...
> Their English are very weak or non existing.
>
> The real heroes are the translaters, the most of them have relatives in
> the Ukraine or Russia. The translater I've worked most with have to aunties
> I Kiev that no-one heard from in weeks... she's so strong.
>
> There are so many stories I'll try to tell you all of them later but as a
> teaser I can mention ABBA... We have a family in Björn of ABBA 's penthouse
> that can stay there for months and I delivered another one to his daughter
> yesterday...
>
> More to come, anyway life is good I had an hour in the spring sun earlier
> just relaxing when Ylva took this picture.
>
> Mattias
>
>
>
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