Only 50-somethings and older will understand the reference when I say that the world has become like a 33 r.p.m. record being played at 78 r.p.m. speed. For the younger generations, suffice it to say that keeping up with the daily news from every corner of the globe (yes, I know: globes don’t have corners) has become exhausting.

So today I decided to ease off a bit, and catch up with my favorite Canadian residents of Russia, now RV-ing their way through the southeastern quadrant of the United States.

I’m afraid I’ve been neglecting the Feenstras lately; but as it turns out, there isn’t much to report. They and six of their nine children took off as planned from Ontario about three weeks ago and have been RV-ing south-southeast through the United States in their old motor home.

Having watched just portions of their travel videos, it appears that they’ve all adjusted nicely to living in close quarters and spending hours on the road each day. I don’t know what sort of magic Arend and Anneesa work on their children, but those kids are troupers. During the long hours of driving, they find plenty to keep themselves busy — school work, games, even crocheting.

The trip itself, while well planned, has also allowed for flexibility. When they see something of interest — a nature conservancy, a beach, or a museum — they stop to check it out. One day, when Arend had a headache and needed a rest, Anneesa took the older children to the beach while the youngest ones napped with Dad. And when the state of Georgia got hit by a surprise snowstorm, they postponed a visit to friends there and revised their route accordingly.

I caught up with them as they were headed through Alabama toward Florida, Arend mentioning that he was particularly impressed with the U.S. interstate highway system and the ease of travel. Score one for the USA!

They breezed through Tampa and finally arrived in St. Petersburg, where they found a Russian Orthodox church and attended Sunday services — something they had not yet done in Russia because of the language difficulty. This church, however, offered a service conducted half in Russian and half (including the sermon) in English.

Meanwhile, teens Cora and Wesley are back in Ontario, working at their summer jobs and becoming young adults. More on them another time. For now, it’s good to know that everyone — including the old motor home — is doing well.

*. *. *

At this point, I switched to a video from the tenants, Justin and Anita Pulley, keeping things running back on the farm in Nizhny Novgorod. I found them buried in snow — another foot had fallen just the day before — where most of their time, when they’re not tending to the animals, is being spent shoveling paths, clearing doorways, and trying to keep the batteries in the farm equipment from freezing in the minus-22 (C) weather.

Justin and Anita keep trying to smile through it all, though it occurs to me that their faces may just have frozen that way. I’m sure they’d much rather be in Florida for the rest of the winter . . . and so would the cows, from the look of things.

So there you have it. The Canadian Feenstras are in the U.S., while the Australian Pulleys take care of business in Russia. I don’t know when they’ll be back together again, but I do know one thing: They’ll all be happier when spring arrives.

Including the cows.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/14/26