Saturday...a day in the gardens [sodas]

On Saturday, Kel and Sharon took us by car to visit one of their friends, Vaida, at her summer garden. Many of the Lithuanians have a plot of land where they grow all their vegetables, fruits and flowers, a peaceful sanctuary in the country. Vaida has an exceptional garden, filled with flowers, fruits trees [apple, cherries, currants] and a huge garden with herbs, strawberries, lettuce, zuchinni, dill, pumpkins and more flowers. She also has a well. In the picture, I drew my first bucket. She called it her "wild west" well. Later, I noticed that she had immersed a pump attached to a garden hose for watering her flowers. Kel and I went to a used lawnmore shop and bought a gas lawnmore to give to her for grass cutting. Kel and Sharon visit Vida every so often to help her out with her gardens since her husband died 5 years ago. Instead of taking orphans with them this time, they took us. Kel and I mowed grass and trimmed around the bushes while Jude and Sharon weeded gardens.
When we first arrived, Vaida shared the "mandatory tea" with us. So we had tea, some salami/cheese hot sandwiches, homemade cake and shots of brandy--all before 11. Then, Vaida took us on a tour of her gardens, sharing sweet raspberries with us. Then, we worked. At about 3:30, Kel started the fire, and Vaida brought out turkey breasts and zuchinni from her gardens to cook over the fire. While waiting, Vida made a salad, all with lettuce, onions and tomatoes from her garden. Then, she brought out a pot of boiled potatoes [at least 20] for the five of us...and we feasted for the next two hours. Kel hinted that I ask Vida where she worked. She said she worked for a CIA-like group in Klaipeda. Both Jude and I didn't know if we heard her correctly. She repeated again the CIA; she was in charge of the secrets. I then asked if she was a Lithuanian James Bond, and she chuckled saying her colleagues were the James Bonds. After we finished eating, we listened to the buzz of the bees in the vines under the awning where we were sitting. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.