Sora 2
My Favorite Little Village Ivankovo Our small village Ivankovo. All around there were forests, fields, meadows, and lakes. The forest was called the cordon forest, and nearby there was a large lake overgrown with reeds. The forest stretched for 15 kilometers, and then there were fields where wheat, oats, millet, and peas were grown, and sunflowers were planted. On the way to the village, there was another forest we passed through, called Petrov’s forest. As soon as you drove past the road, the village of Ivankovo opened up. The houses stood in two rows, and in the middle there was a large field. On the right side there were old huts with small windows—about 10 huts—and then there was a big wooden house with a high foundation. Its large windows opened upward; apparently, some merchant lived there. Farther on, there were about 12 more huts. On the other side there were fewer houses—about 7 huts—and then again a large wooden house. There was a school there, although probably someone wealthy lived there before. Behind the house there was a well with a sweep (a lever). A bucket was tied to it to draw water. They also watered the collective farm cows, pouring water into a trough for them. There was a farm nearby, and not just one. There were cows, horses, and pigs—milk was used to make butter and sour cream, which were taken to the city 25 kilometers away. Not only dairy products, but meat as well. Life was not easy, but people managed. On the right side there was another large lake, half overgrown and half clear. There were springs where everyone swam, and the shores were sandy. Beyond the lake there was another forest, where there were many mushrooms, and wild strawberries grew in the fields. The lake was at the end of the village; in summer, geese and ducks lived there. Everyone had their own household, and people did everything themselves and knew how to manage it. On the right side there was a large forest, and beyond it were wheat fields. People traveled to the city by horse for 25 kilometers; there were no cars. After rain, the roads turned into mud, making it impossible to travel. We lived there and loved living in such a beautiful place. Mother called it a little corner of Moscow.