January is typically a rather static month. Both in trade and in everyday life looks like things get a rest.

          So it was for us at Casa Ray. From the bustle and agitation of December we jumped into a "calm and relaxing" month.

          We had four anniversaries this month. Denisa turned 8 years old, Doinita and Ciprian finally reached the long awaited age of 14 and Cristian who turned 17, made us realize how quickly time passes, considering that when stepped the threshold of the Casa Ray he had only 2½ years. We thank God for each of them and pray that He may guide them step by step in life! (1,2,3)

          The first month of winter, in December, was poor in terms of snow and children have yearned after a lump, but the large amount of snow we had in January offset any shortcomings. The children's joy! (4,5) It was also our joy, but we looked at things from other points of view, and we want to share with you some problems we face in winter:

          We have big problems with electricity interruption when it is windy or when large amounts of snow fall. If we lose electricity, we remain without heat and without water. In this case, to overcome this problem, we need a gas or diesel generator that automatically goes on, can be enough for the central heating, refrigerators, freezers, boilers for hot water, lights and all other consumers.

          Also, due to frost, at the location where we have the animals farm, the water source freezes and we have no water for animals. The fountain is the source of that place and the water is removed with a fountain pump and pushed by a hydrophore. Due to the low temperatures, both the pump and hydrophore often are malfunctioned. The best solution to this problem would be to connect to the water system in the village and the whole installation goes through earth.

          These are the main problems we face now during the winter and if there is any possibility of helping us in some respect, it would mean a lot to us.

          Laura and Gabriela had the chance to spend a weekend at a family in another town, Buhusi. They felt very good there, given that they were pampered in all sorts of ways and that they experienced something new. For all children it is a great joy when they can go to other families to experience things and new habits.(6,7)

          January was concluded with another extra expense, which we found that we have to do. When a  specialized company checked the wires of the electrical system on the first floor of Casa Ray, they found that the wires were undersized compared to the standards that are required for sockets and switches, so all the wiring upstairs had to be replaced.

          Even if this investment has made a hole in our budget, now anyway, we sleep peacefully, knowing that this problem has been solved. (8,9)