A serene and calming video and commentary

 

This video starts out very slowly but soon speeds up to a sedate pace. It is a very calming video to watch. 15 minute run-time

The Ukraine is one of the templates of how a country undergoing civil war can adapt.

Short Ukrainian history lesson

The Ukraine experienced the Holodomor in the 1930s. Millions died of starvation.

It was over-run by NAZI Germany during WWII. The Ukrainian peasants had been treated so brutally that they welcomed the Germans. Additionally, Catherine the Great had invited many ethnic Germans into the Ukraine to settle the steppes. The Ukraine's climate has much in common with the Dakotas.

Having tank battles take place in your country is rough on the economy.

After the NAZIs lost WWII, Stalin cracked down on the Ukrainians because of those NAZI sympathizers.

The majority of the current Ukrainian civil war is taking place in the eastern third of the country, not coincidentally where most of the gas and oil fields are located. This video was recorded in the oblast circled in red...right on the edge of hostilities.

Later, after the USSR dissolved, ethnic Russians agitated to return portions of eastern and southern Ukraine to Russia and were mostly successful.

Food security is never far from people's minds in the Ukraine.

Physical security is never forgotten either.

Joe's commentary:

Multiple generations live on the compound.

Pavlo's wife is a peach. She appears to be very contented helping Pavlo in their daily chores.

The compound has a privacy fence facing the street. Later, Pavlo and his wife take a walk and that appears to be a common pattern.

The compound is home to many enterprises: Poultry, fruit trees, garden, beehives and the like

The compound has multiple internal fences dividing it into sub-areas

It is my speculation that the poultry are managed by rotating through the various "paddocks" 

The ducks appear to be "common". That is, no formal breed. ---Correction: The ones with red growths on their faces look like Muscovy ducks---

Orchard diseases and insect pests are managed by sanitation. Leaves are raked. There is no fruit on the ground...it may have been fed to poultry or pigs or pressed for cider

The video does not candy-coat mud and animal poop but it does not dwell on it. It is just there.

There are social benefits to un-plugging from the industrial economy

Everybody has a dog

Their dog is named Jack

Jack is a German Shepherd type dog and probably weighs 70 pounds.

Jack is not neutered

Presumably, puppies are not in short supply

The compound has a raised area in the middle of the large, open area close to the road. It looks like an artificial hill. It is Jack's observation post. This simple detail made the fifteen minute video worth watching.

Jack is treated more like a working member of the family than is seen in most US homes where dogs are either treated as infants or parked away from the family and mostly ignored.

Multiple species of poultry are raised

The poultry were fed (Nov 20) garden waste that had been run through a hand-powered shredder.

Going for a walk with your dog and wife makes for a fine date

Meals are not eaten alone

Small amounts of many types of foods are served at a meal. Prep and clean-up are manageable because many of the foods are "pickles". A few are removed from a jar and put on a plate or served out of a water tumbler.

Excess production is either shared free-of-charge with closest neighbors or family or are sold directly at much less cost than what they charge at the grocery store.