647 day of war

Hello, friends!

December surprises us with real winter; yesterday we had about half a meter of snowfall. Despite the very cold weather outside, it's incredibly beautiful. In Mariupol, winter used to mean windy and dirty weather, with snowfall being a rare occurrence. However, in western Ukraine, there's often a lot of snowfall every winter, creating a festive atmosphere.

During the day, the sounds of air raid sirens still frequently echo, disrupting daily activities. Currently, Russians are conducting reconnaissance or something similar, and the alarm lasts for many hours due to their aircraft's flights. During this time, post offices close, and you can only send parcels when the alarm is over. For the past few days, I've been leaving home with parcels, walking two kilometers to the post office, and invariably reaching it just as the alarm begins. Today, I was very lucky; I managed to send the parcels, and the alarm started right after. So now, every day, I have to think about when the alarm might start and try to come the post office before it does. But I don't get upset because, at least, I can enjoy the snowy streets and warm up while walking.

Although winter is a challenging time, I like it when everything is covered in snow; it somehow lifts my spirits. I also plan to take my camera and go to the park to feed squirrels, which will finally be clearly visible in photos. So, I hope to share pictures with squirrels on the next weekend. Meanwhile, we continue to feed the local stray cat, who became even larger before winter. It seems that everyone on this street feeds him, and I am very happy when he waits for me near the entrance in the morning.

This week, I've tried to distance myself from the news as there is usually nothing good. They say that assistance to our army will be reduced next year due to limited success in the counteroffensive. There are expectations of further increases in fuel and food prices due to border blockades, and the winter is expected to be cold and difficult. I don't want to believe in pessimistic scenarios too much. I think it's better to wait for something to happen and react to it, rather than worry about what might happen. For now, we still have electricity, a beautiful view of nature outside, and there is work, so I believe in better days and try to uplift those close to me.

Thanks to everyone for the support; I believe everything will be fine!