Dacha Dwellers of Troubled Times

When buying a house in the cottage community “Cheerful Nuthatches,” Lida was seeking privacy, but it turned out you can’t really hide from neighbors even in your own home. Over time, especially in summer because of an influx of cottage owners, the settlement began to resemble a big communal apartment. And this summer, Lida’s best friend—Natashka, who is also Kupriyanova’s lecturer—came to visit. She had a sound reason: Turkey was too expensive for her, so it was silly to buy a trip to a suburban boarding house when her friend had such a wonderful house by the lake sitting empty. Considering that the vacation of the faculty and teaching staff is by no means just two weeks, summer was going to be very eventful. Besides, for even more fun, Lida’s son Yurik asked his mom to look after his priceless oriental cat named Smurf.