Hyatt Regency, Baku, Azerbaijan notes dated May 08, 2008

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

NOTATION LOG DATED: May 08, 2008

LOCATION: Baku, Azerbaijan, Hyatt Regency Hotel

“…….At $350 per night, it is the best that there is in this part of the world but the rooms could be designed better. The Sandman Inn in Castlegar has more room between the beds.

The buffet breakfast is very comparable to the other places where I have stayed but is a seven (7) to the buffets I had experienced in “all inclusive” in Cuba and Dominican Republic.

The prices are commensurate to a typical Hyatt. Drinks are $4.50 Manats ($7.20 US). We bought some beer on the waterfront for $2.40 Manats for two (2) beer………….a gross difference and affordable for the local populace.

We toured a museum in the “mountains” which is a broken up limestone formation. There were caves and rock art that dated some 5,000 to 10,000 years ago.

The interpreter was good and gave us the entire interpretation of what the Stone Age Artists were trying to depict. There was pottery also.

What impressed me was that this area faced the Caspian Sea which level was some 100 meters higher at that time. Apparently, the Caspian, Mediterrean and Black Seas were all interconnected at that time. The Caspian is 1/5 the salt in the oceans and is fed by the Volga River from Russia. Apparently the Volga is quite polluted but people swim in the Caspian so it must be okay.

The Caspian Sea is well known for its Sturgeon.

Everything is very expensive and we did not find places where the locals eat and shop to experience the lower prices.

The economy is buoyed by the petroleum industry. Apparently oil was known in Baku since prehistoric times. A castle built in 1200 AD on about 65 acres, still has the original walls all around it. Apparently the original moat was defended by pouring oil over the water and then lit during an enemy attack to discourage the actual scaling of the castle walls.

Many local buildings are being sand blasted and stuccoed to bring up the original finish. It is really pleasing to see. Apartments are being constructed in huge quantities. The apartments are multistory and are concrete construction with masonry non load bearing walls, similar to the West.

Prices for apartments range from US$300,000 to US$400,000 which must be very high for many locals cannot afford that. The value of the apartments is similar to that in Vancouver, B.C….………….”

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The Writer was Nomadic; Living in Over Thirty Homes

04 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

≈ 8 Comments

THE HOMES THAT I HAVE LIVED IN (longer than 6 months)

This is not necessarily a composition with any other intent but to entertain the Reader with a historical record of the nomadic nature of this Writer’s life. I will add true humor as there is much of it that occurred in those places where I resided alone and with my family.

Farmhouse at Canora, Saskatchewan
1. Address – Section 25, Township 31, Range 3, West of the 2^nd Meridian
2. South side of road on the shore of a large pond
3. Family purchase in 1936 from the Katasanoff Family. It was later, sold to the Fred Dergousoff Family
4. Occupants:

i. Father, Bill (Wasyl) Verigin

ii. Mother, Annie (nee Morozoff)

iii. Brother Lawrence

iv. Brother Russel

v. Sister Mary

vi. Elmer was born on August 12, 1940 in this house and lived there to the Spring of 1943

I am told that the house was moved to another location nearby and is unoccupied. Other buildings have been added to the original site by Fred Dergousoff, the current owner, but no one lives there.
A coincidence is that our friends, Keith and Sonia Tarasoff purchased another Dergousoff farm directly north. Marilyn and I have visited them often. I walked over and enjoyed the spirits that came to me as I entered the farm.
Interesting events at this location:

i. One of our neighbors was the Negraeff family who became very special friends. One of their sons, Peter Negraeff went to Teacher’s College. Peter taught me in Pelly from Grade 8 through to Grade 12 and became my role model

ii. I recall that raisins were stored on top of the china cupboard in that house. Although I knew that “snitching” raisins was not allowed, I still climbed up unto the bench by the table and was able to reach up for the can of raisins. I took a large handful, replaced the container and then snuck away through the living room and unto the back porch where I sat and ate them. I got away with it, you might say, and they sure tasted good.

iii. I always was a dog-lover and this incident went like this:

1. Mother always made a large batch of “blincee” (a Doukhobor crepe) on Sundays. This permitted the family to have snacks later.
2. My dog Nigger (not a good name in these times) was giving me the eye and so during breakfast, I snuck a blinets under the table, to his delight.
3. Once everyone went their way, Nigger continued to give me that pleading eye and so I would reach up to the cupboard, get a blinets and have him beg for it. Then I would toss it in the air and have him catch it with his drooping large lips et al.
4. This game continued until the entire batch disappeared.
5. Mother blamed my oldest brother Lawrence for the Blincee disappearance but Nigger was the only evidence as he dragged his sagging stomach out of the house passed out on the porch and burped in the sun.

iv. We waited for Dad to come home from his weekly trip to Canora as he always had a box of Cracker Jack for us. Very exciting to find that little “toy” somewhere in the box.

v. I understand that the dry ‘30s contributed to crop failures and the mortgaged farm was not able to make the payments. Although I have heard various versions of the demise, I am not sure of the exact details and leave that to history

Farmhouse at Veregin Saskatchewan
1. Location – 1 mile North, 2 miles East and then 1 mile North of Veregin
2. East side of road
3. Rented from Evdakim Chernoff
4. Occupants:

i. Everyone as listed in Canora

ii. All lived there from Spring of 1943 through to the Spring of 1947

The decaying house still stands on this site
Interesting events at this location:

i. Brother Lawrence recalled to me, an incident that was uncanny. The family owned five (5) horses when we moved. Prince was very adept at opening barbwire gates. He learned to reach over and take the wooden arm that tightened the gate to the post and move it over the top of the gate. He then let go and the gate was open to free him. Kooleena was a leader and could spirit other horses into action by biting them on their mane. Her two fillies, Molly and Jesse, along with Jack, Tudor and Younzick, all became free. They decided that they wanted to go back to the farm in Canora. After a frantic search, our father, much later, called Sergei Shkurut, a former neighbor in Canora, to see, if by chance, the horses were there. Sure enough, they were peacefully grazing on the road outside the gate of the former farm yard. The distance, the horses travelled on their own, would be approximately 16 ½ miles.

ii. It was on this farm that I used to hitch my dogs, Gypsy and Nigger to my sled or wagon (depending on the season) and pretend I was my father. I used to haul wood to the house and whatever else I could find to move wherever I thought it needed to be hauled (I am sure that I was humored by the adults as well)

iii. I must have been four, when Mother took me visiting to our relatives in Kamsack, the Pete Haleshoffs. Well, I needed to know where the outhouse was and it was explained that there was a toilet in the house (Kamsack had sewer and water at that time) and I was showed this well furnished room with very white fixtures. As the door closed behind me, I started to wonder, “How was I going urinate in this room? If this was the place where will I do it?” I inspected everything and I noticed this clean water in a porcelain bowl and agreed with my thoughts that “who would urinate into a well?” I kept thinking that someone made a mistake and politely came out and started fidgeting again in discomfort. Finally I convinced mother that I wanted to leave. Reluctantly she left her visiting session and went back down town. I immediately went to the Livery Stable where our horses were and ducked into the stable to relieve myself. I never did confess to my mother about this episode but my older siblings explained to me, my stupidity. Well okay, I still remember the incident 68 years later.

iv. I started grade 1 in a Primary School in Verigin that was on the north side of the street along the tracks. The school has since disappeared as has the Veregin Hotel that was adjacent to it.

1. We had separate girls and boys outhouses with three adjacent openings in each so that three children could simultaneously deal with nature. Such efficiency in those days! Yes the boys’ toilet was a challenge in the winter, when young boys “dribbled” causing ice to literally freeze over the openings. It was a stressful life even in those days!
2. I got my first strap from Mrs. Chernoff because I broke the yardstick when I chased the teasing grade 3 girls (Trofemenkoff and Rilkoff) outside. I swung to hit them but hit the teeter-totter instead, breaking the yardstick. We did not have a “mafiosa system” (don’t rat) in those days and I admitted to the wrong-doing as I had to tell the truth (I didn’t even know who George Washington was). I received another lickin’ when I got home. It sure cured me of the affliction of breaking yardsticks to this day. I think my siblings ratted on me at home.

v. We took a short cut across the Trofemenkoff farm one spring. Lawrence, Russel, their buddy Fred Chernoff and Peter Remezoff, very ably, crossed the creek and the mud with sister Mary a short distance behind as she did not want to be seen walking with Peter. I made up the rear as I was crying after having lost my rubber boot in the mud of the creek. Yes, Mary felt sorry for her kid brother but little did she realize I was being teased by my older siblings to stop being a “Peeyowka” and learn to survive which would benefit me in the future. (I made up the last part of this sentence but nature has its messages)

vi. Everyone in those days had a “chamber pot”. The siblings (4) had ours at the top of the stairs. Everyone took their turn to empty this pot before going to school. One evening it was realized that the pot was not emptied by brother Russel. It was mid winter with freezing temperatures and a blizzard outside and Russel already half-prepared for bed. He took the pot and ran bare-footed along the frozen path to dump it and return with the remark,” The toes just started to tingle”.

vii. Dad continued to bring us individual boxes of Cracker Jack. I remember the taste to this day.

Farmhouse at Veregin, Saskatchewan
1. Location – 3 miles North of Verigin
2. South East corner of intersection
3. Rented from Mr. Clark
4. No buildings remain on this site
5. Occupants:

i. All as listed in previous two houses

ii. All lived here from Spring of 1947 through to late fall 1947

Interesting events at this location:

i. Although the stay here was temporary, it was still necessary to have fences to pen our horses and cattle. Just as my Father, Lawrence and Russel had stretched the top barbwire of a fence from the barn to the next post, was when I came charging around the barn ahead of Harold Hobanoff who was chasing me in our game of “cops and robbers”. I was looking back and when my head came back around; there was the top strand of wire which provided a deep gash into my left cheek. Of course, there was a great deal of blood, cursing and few other choice words from my father. I don’t remember who won out in our game but poor Harold (he was older) got the blame for the accident and got sent home while I got a scar for memory.

ii. I recall that the house was just framed up with no finish on the walls. Mother hung up sheets on the partitions to permit some privacy.

iii. I always liked being around my father who owned a large threshing machine that operated most efficiently with 8 rigs (farmers with a rack and a team of horses) to pitch sheaves from each side to keep the thresher running at maximum capacity. I just loved the banter amongst the farmers, the smell of sweating horses, the monotonous drone of the tractor and the vibrating action of the thresher. A kid of 7 years gets hungry at least 5 times a day and so my father sent me across the Podmaroff field to the farmhouse ahead of the crew for supper. He knew that the women would realize that they had a waif on their hands and feed me. I recall the packed dirt floor in the combined Kitchen / Dining / Living Room and the many women preparing dinner for the threshing crew along with the pungent odors of baking tarts. There were Raspberry, Cranberry, Strawberry and Saskatoon tarts by the dozens. My lips drooled along with unblinking eyes that were devouring all this cooking. The sympathy of the ladies soon produced a selection of tarts along with the accompanying fresh cream. To this day, I cannot forget that taste! It would be too embarrassing to admit how many I devoured in that sitting but I needed little more to eat when time arrived for the actual dinner.

iv. My Dad was always fixing his Model “A” before we could go to town. The windshield on Mother’s side had a hole in it and the wind would blow through so that she had to “hang on to her hat” so to speak. The car “died” that fall. We never did have a car after that.

Farmhouse at Pelly, Saskatchewan
1. Location – 2 miles East and 1 ½ miles North of Pelly
2. North half of section located on West side of road
3. Owned ½ section (320 acres) purchased from Louis von der Sompel
4. Occupants:

i. All as listed in previous 3 houses

ii. Lawrence left for work in British Columbia in 1950

iii. Russel left for work in British Columbia firstly in 1952 and returned in 1953 to put the crop in and then left, permanently, that Fall

iv. Mary married John Khadekin and left in 1955

v. Elmer left for work in British Columbia every summer starting 1956 and returned every fall to complete High School. Final move was in June 1958 after graduation

vi. Elmer returned for a few days to visit that fall and then left permanently in September 1958 to enter University of Saskatchewan at Saskatoon

vii. Father Wasyl died in October 1958 from a heart attack while shoveling wheat into a wagon box in preparation for market

viii. Mother Annie, moved from the farm in the Fall of 1958 to live with John and Mary Khadekin in Benito, Manitoba

ix. The farm sold in 1960 to the Hrabchuk family

x. No physical signs of buildings remain at this location.

Interesting events at this location:

i. These were the most influential years of my life when my character was developed and become the pattern for my life. Today, when I meditate, I immediately visualize the scenes at this farm and I become relaxed as I deal with my present day challenges.

ii. The scene of Billy Goat chasing brothers Lawrence and Russel right into the house and not being able to slow down until he slid on the wet floor right up to Mom who was washing the floor on her hands and knees with her rear end to what was developing. I never saw goat hooves slip as frantically as they did to avoid a wet floor rag hitting him. Even animals understand treacherous situations very well.

iii. Father walking out in his Stanfield’s underwear to greet Mary’s boyfriend on a later evening call to the embarrassment of Mom and Mary.

iv. This is where I had the experience with siblings “leaving the nest”, so to speak:

1. Lawrence left for the Kootenays in British Columbia with his friend Fred Barabanoff in the spring of 1950
2. Russel left to follow Lawrence, for the summer in 1952 and returned to then permanently leave in the Spring of 1953
3. Mary married John Khadekin and left in 1954 to live in Benito, MB.
4. I just had my dogs and all the deserted neighboring farms as my territory to roam about and dream that I was a pioneer living in the bush.

v. This was also when I realized that I suddenly acquired an interesting special attraction to girls.

vi. This is where I dreamed about my future wife that I knew I would meet sometime and how many children I would have and their possible names

vii. Lonely winter nights were tolerated with my thirst for information and reading under a coal oil lamp:

1. I read all the supplementary books in the school library right through grade 12 when I was still in grade 8
2. This thirst resulted in accessing books from the Provincial Library in Regina. They had a good system where a poor resident could receive the book by mail and return same all paid by the Library
3. Sometimes I found it hard to walk to school through a blizzard so I continued reading all day instead.

viii. The family farm always required help and so the siblings threshed, seeded, fenced and did whatever was necessary so that paid help would not be necessary. I recall a time in Grade 7 when a letter was received from the Ministry of Education addressed to my father, demanding an explanation as to why his son only attended 120 of the mandatory 200 day school year. My father could not read but he recognized it was a letter from the Government. “What does it say?” he asked me. Knowing that there was little that he could do to change the situation, I responded “It is Statistics Canada asking to respond to a survey on how much livestock we have and acreage planted, etc.” He looked at me and may have suspected that I was not on the level but ended the enquiry with “Can you answer them?” I nodded but the letter never did get answered. I was one of the fortunate farm students that, somehow was able to continue through school with a low B average despite the absenteeism.

ix. I rode my horse Molly to school and left her in a barn at Zarchikoffs.

1. Riding bareback into the wind became problematic when i had to hold my lunch and books. Also, the wind in the winter added a “windchill temperature” of another 20 degrees to the already 40 below
2. So I made the reins continuous so that they could hang over the mane while I turned my back to the wind. The horse just followed the frozen path anyway.
3. Once we crossed the open field we entered a bush area when a rabbit ran out startling Molly to a halt.
4. I continued flying through the air to land in the snow still clutching books and lunch
5. Molly stood there snorting at me and I made a face at her too after which I just mounted again and off we continued.

x. It was hard leaving my dog Duke to go to University

House at Trail, British Columbia
1. Address – 3487 Laburnum Drive, (Glenmerry)
2. Part of basement was rented in this House by brother Lawrence and Mable Verigin from Mable’s parents Pete and Tina Soloveoff
3. I used the living room chesterfield
4. My stay here alternated between brother Russel and Lawrence’s places in 1956 and 1957 summers
5. This house remains on site
6. Occupants:

i. Pete and Tina Soloveoff

ii. Lawrence and Mable Verigin

iii. Helen Soloveoff

iv. Harry Soloveoff

v. Lily Soloveoff

vi. Elmer Verigin

Interesting events at this location:

i. Somehow, I felt rather apart from this family in that they appeared much better off, financially than my family back home.

ii. I really enjoyed Harry as he was easy to talk to and very creative as a budding Artist at that time. We became great friends that lasted.

iii. It was new to me that there seemed a lack of responsibility by each Soloveoff family member to a job function as compared to the farming community where everyone had a job, integral to the success of the family. Somehow Harry and Lily had no responsibility and could lie around and amuse themselves in whatever fashion they could find.

iv. Mable was a great cook and I still have a high regard for her acceptance of me in my brother’s family.

House at Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 1009 – 2^nd Avenue
2. Partially rented house by brother Russel and Tillie Verigin from Tillie’s parents George and Mary Cheveldave
3. Bedroom
4. My stay here alternated between Russel and Lawrence’s places in 1956 and 1957 summers
5. This house remains on site
6. Occupants:

i. George and Mary Cheveldave

ii. Russel and Tillie Verigin

1. Son Allan Verigin

iii. Mary Cheveldave

iv. Elmer Verigin

Interesting events at this location

i. This was my first immersion into seeing fruit trees and being able to eat as much fruit as I wanted

ii. The Cheveldave family made me feel very much at home

iii. Tillie was an excellent cook and Russel and I ate far too much

iv. Tillie packed our lunches for work but we would eat most of it for the morning coffee break. A comment, on the side to Tillie, by Russel, resulted in a large box being packed for us the next day that a crew of 6 men could not possibly eat in one day. No, we did not complain after that.

v. This location was adjacent to the historic CPR Bridge, spanning the Columbia River. This was used as a pedestrian crossing by all those on the north side in the Doukhobor communities of Raspberry, Strawberry and Brilliant. I was able to meet many of the youth and enjoyed my summers with them. The bridge still exists but the pedestrian walkway has been removed.

1. My first real girl friends were met on the other side

House in Trail, British Columbia
1. Address – (about 900 block) Byers Lane (directly north of the existing Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Offices and Fire Hall)
2. Rented house by Lawrence and Mable Verigin from Cutello Family
3. My stay here alternated between Lawrence and Russel’s places during the Summers of 1958 through to 1960
4. This house has been demolished to make room for the Highway 22 access
5. Occupants:

i. Mabel and Lawrence Verigin

1. Daughter Patti Verigin

ii. Elmer Verigin

Interesting events at this location:

i. This was a second floor apartment of an old house in the heart of “Gulch” as it was referred to in the Italo-Canadese part of Trail. The street was narrow and definitely gave you an immersion into Italy from whence they all had migrated.

ii. Tiny balconies on the second floor with clotheslines secured to a corner of a neighboring house. Occupants sitting on these balconies, gossiping to neighbors

iii. Every noon, this one neighbor would come out to call his daughter…..”Silviaaaaaaaaaaa, Sliviaaaaaaaaaaa followed by a quick Silvia, Sylvia…” A few minutes later, this would be repeated. I always wondered what Silvia looked like and whether she is still alive.

House in Trail, British Columbia
1. Address – 1415 Green Avenue
2. Rented house by Lawrence and Mable Verigin
3. Bedroom used by Elmer Verigin
4. My stay here alternated between Lawrence and Russel’s places during the Summers of 1958 through to 1960
5. This house remains on site
6. Occupants:

i. Mabel and Lawrence Verigin

1. Daughter Patti Verigin

ii. Elmer Verigin

Interesting events at this location:

i. A tremendous vantage point to see downtown Trail and the Smelter in Tadanac from the same window.

ii. Green Avenue is a narrow street that is basically clinging to a hillside. The parking space was tight to the house and just off the street to allow traffic by. It was always a wonder to me that Lawrence was able to park his 1953 Pontiac after having to go east up the street to maneuver a U-Turn and then park in front of the entry. (I didn’t drive at that time)

iii. It was at this house that I was able to watch television for any length of time as there were no TV Stations back home in Pelly, and when Yorkton did get a Station, our family could not afford this luxury.

House in Trail, British Columbia
1. Address – 2307 Rockland Avenue (Shavers Bench)
2. Rented house by brother Russel and Tillie Verigin
3. Basement bedroom
4. My stay here alternated between Lawrence and Russel’s places during the Summers of 1958 through to 1960
5. This house remains on site
6. Occupants:

i. Russel and Tillie Verigin

1. Son Allan Verigin
2. Son Brian Verigin

ii. Elmer Verigin

iii. Lorne Tamelin for a short time.

Interesting events at this location:

i. Tillie and I ate an entire apple pie

ii. I took on the job of painting the bedroom after Russel installed a wood floor and fixed up the walls. That is why to this day I never get asked to paint as the job was less than acceptable.

iii. Lorne Tamelin was my room-mate for a month or so but that is another story in itself.

iv. It was here that Lorne and I had decided that we would travel to Mexico for the winter and live under orange trees

1. This good idea prompted my brother-in-law John Khadekin, to travel all the way from Benito, Manitoba to Trail, British Columbia to have a chat with me.
2. I guess that is why he had a major in Psychology because somehow he convinced me to return to the UofS for a third year in Chemical Engineering
3. I still wonder how the orange trees ever made it in Mexico without Lorne and me.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. Address – 2525 Ewart Avenue
2. Board and one bedroom on main floor
3. My stay was from September to December 1958
4. Occupants:

i. Owners of house with a child

ii. Elmer Verigin

There is no confirmation that this house exists
Interesting events at this location

i. A very young farm couple who moved into the City for a more reliable way of life. They were very shy and not very talkative

ii. It was in this house that Nick Nahornove brought me the news that my father had passed away one evening. I had to make all the arrangements to leave that night by bus.

iii. It was here that I had a major spiritual experience

1. I had just returned from my father’s funeral
2. I had to catch up on two weeks of missed classes
3. I now had less money than the meager amount that I had before because of travelling to the funeral
4. I was still walking the entire distance to the UofS
5. So I started to cry when I noticed a pile of something on the sidewalk
6. As I approached, I recognized a legless man sitting beside crutches, having a smoke.
7. I asked “can I help you?’
8. With a smile he responded “I am just having a break and I will soon be on my way. Are you having a good day?” he questioned.
9. I stuttered with “yes, not bad!”
10. He prepared to rise up using his two crutches in a manner that he was obviously used to.
11. “Can I help you?’ I wanted to assist this apparent helpless man.
12. “No, I am fine”, as he rose on his crutches, bag over shoulder with pant legs dangling.
13. As I watched him walk away, I could not help thinking about my foolishness of feeling sorry for myself when this man was using the rest of his body to live without complaint.
14. Was this a message for me? An Angel perhaps?
15. All I know that this incident really straightened me out.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. “House of Moe” located at the East end of the 25^th Street Bridge
2. 3 storey house was on the North side of College Drive directly in view of the 25^th Street bridge
3. 3^rd Storey bedroom facing 25^th Street Bridge
4. This house has been demolished for the street changes at this location
5. Occupants

i. Couple that owned the house and offered Board

1. Their daughter

ii. Elmer shared bedroom with Lawrence Cheveldayoff from January through to April 1959

iii. There were 10 other boarding students

Interesting events at this location:

i. This was a collection of some very different boys from all walks of life and enrolled in many different courses. I needed to acclimatize for eating challenges to get my share of the food. There were no lunches and I could not afford to buy one. So it was a long day for a hungry,young man.

1. So we made sure we were there on time to get our allotment of bread (it disappeared quickly)
2. There was supposed to be one extra pork chop on the patter to fight over but somehow there was always one short

ii. There were other interesting incidents that one can read about in my chronicle on “The House of Moe”

iii. The window overlooking the South Saskatchewan River was not too tightly sealed and the prevailing West wind blew the snow right in over our homework. This is no exaggeration!

iv. My room-mate’s parents Alex and __?__ Cheveldayoff used to bring boxes of “Care Food” for their son. There were times he would give me some which I appreciated very much. There were other times that my hunger was such that I would “snitch” which to this day, guilt bothers me.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. Address – 2525 Ewart Avenue
2. Board and one basement bedroom
3. The stay here was from September 1959 through to April 1960:
4. Occupants:

i. Owners of house and two very young offspring

ii. Elmer Verigin

iii. Anton Pryslak

Interesting events at this location:

i. I promised this couple that I would come back this year (after leaving at Xmas 1958 at the urging of Lawrence Cheveldayoff) and bring a friend and so that is why I went back with Anton:

ii. This couple had it all calculated how they were going to make money at $60 from each us for Room and Board. So they made hamburger on their farm in the fall and served a variety of meals for Anton and I:

1. Two hamburger patties, boiled potatoes and a vegetable, or
2. Four meat balls, boiled potatoes and a vegetable
3. They did pack a sandwich.
4. That was it from September through to April.

iii. Anton and I would make a trek to a neighborhood Corner Store and buy a garlic sausage to sustain our young,growing bodies.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. Address – 701 Avenue H North (Corner of Rusholm and Avenue H
2. Owned by Bill and Susan Tarasoff
3. Occupants

i. Owners Bill and Susan Tarasoff

ii. Married daughter Ruth and John Sirota

iii. Donna Tarasoff

iv. Susan’s mother at times

v. Elmer shared a basement bedroom with son Keith Tarasoff from September 1960 through to December 1961.

Interesting events at this location:

i. I had just entered into Heaven with Susan’s cooking and a fridge that could be accessed at any time.

ii. I was like an adopted son and brother.

iii. We had great times with Keith and formed a friendship bond that exists to today>

iv. We had friends that would come visiting on weekends that would curtail our studies. We would then conduct research on how much beer a student could drink before functioning ceases.

v. Keith and I established a friendship bond that exists to this day

vi. This is where Marilyn and I got reacquainted and became “steadies”

vii. I left the Tarasoff house to get married on December 23, 1961 and exchanged Keith for Marilyn as my room mate for the rest of my life.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. Address – 517 Avenue G South
2. Owned by Marilyn’s Aunty Strelioff
3. West side
4. 2 storey house with multiple apartments
5. Time frame December 23, 1961 through to April 1962
6. Occupants:

i. Landlady Strelioff

ii. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin had a 2 room apartment on the second floor

iii. Anne

iv. Jeanette

v. Renee and Marcel

vi. Another couple

Interesting events at this location:

i. We shared one bathroom with Jeanette and the other tenants on the second floor. As one can appreciate, there were challenging times, especially when someone decided to have a bath

ii. Aunties, Polly and Lillian (mom’s sisters) dropped in to visit the newly-weds as they stopped on their journey to the Coast to attend Uncle Sam Morozoff’s funeral. Marilyn decided to make hot cakes and no matter what she did, the batter and the pan would not cooperate. The Aunts understood perfectly and were most appreciative of the hospitality and were very complimentary of the brunch.

iii. The bus stop was a block and a half away to Avenue H and so it took 2 minutes to get there in the winter. The Saskatoon Transportation system was absolutely phenomenal with a bus service always on time. Elmer would arrive at the stop just as the bus arrived, opened its doors and he would launch himself in with the assistance of the bar by the door. The Bus-Driver, bless his soul, would immediately take off to continue his tight schedule. Meanwhile Elmer’s glasses would fog up and he would be thrown against all the crowded people standing in the aisle so when he grabbed an available restraint, sometimes a slap in the face from a female Rider, resulted in much better judgment next time.

iv. The landlady confessed to Marilyn that our bed had been used by two previous professional “Hookers” that used to hide money in the mattress. We checked and there was none.

v. Marilyn and I could not understand why there was always a Saskatoon police cruiser standing in front of the house. We soon discovered that this married Sergeant had Ann on the main floor as a ‘confidante’ and perhaps ‘other’ reasons.

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 3000 – 4^th Avenue
2. Owned by brother Russel and Tillie Verigin
3. Occupied from May 1962 through to August 1962
4. Rented basement bedroom

i. Occupants:

1. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin
1. a. Nona was born on June 27, 1962
2. Russel and Tillie Verigin
1. a. Son Allan Verigin
2. b. Son Brian Verigin
3. c. Son Dan Verigin

Interesting events at this location

i. We all got along just fine. Marilyn and Tillie established a special bond as sisters rather than sisters-in-law

ii. The entire group was a harmonious family.

iii. Responsibilities were distributed and everyone did their share

iv. Eating pies, cakes, etc., continued to be a hobby with Tillie and I while Russel and Marilyn watched in humor.

Boarding House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1. Address – 517 Avenue G South
2. Owned by Marilyn’s Aunty Strelioff
3. West side
4. 2 storey house with multiple apartments
5. Time in was September 1962 through to April 1963
6. Occupants:

i. Landlady Strelioff

ii. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin had a 3 room apartment (Aunty Strelioff’s personal suite) on the main floor

iii. Anne

iv. Jeanette

v. Renee and

vi. Another couple

Interesting events at this location

i. Marilyn and my role were to serve as Caretakers in exchange for a token rent, which was much appreciated with our student budget. Little did we know that this was like taking a Sociology course in Family Relationships

ii. Well the Saskatoon Police Sergeant continuing “visiting” Ann during the day. Obviously they were up to some covert operation.

iii. Jeanette had a married boyfriend whose wife showed up one afternoon to explain the facts of life to Jeanette very verbosely. Jeanette was at top of the stairs and the boyfriend’s wife was at the bottom with language in use that a Linguistic Professor could prepare a research paper for another PhD.

iv. Renee brought this married woman home to his basement suite and locked themselves in for some “private time”. His room-mate came home and started knocking and knocking repeatedly. Our bedroom was above and it was disturbing Nona (a 6 month baby at this time) and Marilyn and I. So I had to go down and determine the problem. The room-mate explained that his key worked but that Renee had shoved a butter knife into the door casing. Well at this time I had enough and charged the door, breaking the casing to stop this ridiculous issue from continuing. There was Renee and with his toes sticking out from the blanket on the sofa with two female sets of toes pointing toward his. Thinking that this was over, we were awakened by the door bell persistently ringing at 5 A.M. I went to door to meet a Cabby with two galoshes in his hand and a request for a $5 cab fare. “What’s this all about”, I asked. “Well this lady that I picked up early this morning sent these back collect”. I took the galoshes down later to the basement apartment to collect my $5 cab fare and the explanation was that the room-mate decided to hide her high heel shoes which caused this all to occur.

v. A raid by a large contingent of undercover Saskatoon Police from all doors to the house startled Nona and Marilyn. Apparently our landlady was known to manufacture her own “Brew” and sell it. So the raid was to search for evidence

House in Prince Rupert, B.C.
1. Address – 317 – 7^th Avenue
2. South side of Street
3. Rented entire house May 1963 through to April 1965 from a Knutson
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Virgin

1. Daughter Nona Verigin

ii. Daughter Lori Verigin born December 14, 1963

iii. Boarder Robert (Bob) Miller, the entire time expert for a winter when he attended 4^th Year Mechanical Engineering in the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg

iv. Boarder Pierre Baux (a summer student in 1993), a budding Architectural student from the University of Manitoba

v. Ms Hurst (a French High School Teacher) from May to July 1963

vi. Fred Trotter, a Mechanical Engineering Student in the University of Alberta in Edmonton, May through to September 1964

Interesting events at this location

i. Our house was “Grand Central Station” as all the single Engineers at the Pulp Mill seemed to congregate at our house, socially, as they had nowhere else to go and were new to Prince Rupert

ii. Ron Wright, a long time local Engineer introduced Ron Ross and I to shrimp as follows:

1. “The boats are coming in to Port Edward so we should go and get some cheap shrimp” he suggested
2. Ron and I loved seafood so off we go and get two pails full of shrimp each
3. Ron and I were Prairie boys and we did not realize that raw shrimp was a pile of hair with two eyes peeking out
4. “So what do we do with them” the novices asked?
5. “Boil a large pot of water and throw then in for 15 minutes”, our illustrious leader responded
6. “So how do you shuck them” we questioned further
7. “Take a probe and poke the eyes out and that releases the prawn from the hair”, he seriously recommended
8. Well the boys went to work at our house with the aid of Marilyn and Elaine and did as instructed until we got to the shucking stage. It just looked like too formidable a task to poke of the eyes which resulted in a phone call to our “Instructor”
9. “Are you sure that we poke out their eyes”, when I got Ron Wright on the phone.
10. Well I could hear the receiver fall and a whole string of laughter and I realized we had been had

iii. Social functions were a necessity at Prince Rupert because of the rain and so I thought I should introduce the Pulp Mill Staff to “Shishliki”, marinated lamb on a (skewer). The Pipe Shop manufactured skewers from 317 Stainless Steel rods, the lamb was cut up and eagerly marinated by the gang, guests (most of the Engineering Office) were invited and a remote site chosen for the event. Someone decided that all the bachelor men should have female partners to the reluctance and shyness of the males. A visit to the Hospital produced a bevy of immigrant nurses from Scotland who turned out to be darn good-looking. Bob and Pierre ended up marrying their “bind dates” in the end.

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 3000 – 4^th Avenue
2. Owned by brother Russel and Tillie Verigin
3. Time spent here was from May 1965 to about June 1965
4. Rented basement bedroom

i. Occupants:

1. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin from May 1965 through to June 1965
2. Nona and Lori Verigin

ii. Russel and Tillie Verigin

1. Son Allan Verigin
2. Son Brian Verigin
3. Son Dan Verigin

Interesting events at this location

i. It was a busy time as the brothers had to get the Verigin Construction company rolling

ii. We were busy looking for temporary lodging and deciding how we would build our new house

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address 507 – 9^th Avenue (formerly 3^rd Avenue and the number may have changed)
2. Rented main floor from Pete Cheveldave
3. Occupied from June 1965 through June 1966
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

ii. Daughters Nona and Lori Verigin

iii. Daughter Tamara was born July 25, 1965

Interesting events at this location

i. We were having work parties at 830 Silver Birch Lane to construct our new house

ii. There was a great deal of company at this house

iii. The Savinkoffs were great neighbors

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 830 Silver Birch Lane
2. Built and owned by Elmer and Marilyn Verigin
3. Occupied June 1966 to July 1965
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

ii. Daughters Nona, Lori and Tamara

iii. Son Kimbal was born October 19, 1971

iv. Nona graduated from Stanley Humphries High School and left home 1981

v. Lori graduated from Stanley Humphries High School and left home in June 1982

vi. Tamara graduated from Stanley Humphries High School and left home 1984

Elmer moved Vancouver, B.C., in 1984
Marilyn and Kimbal moved to Tsswwassen in August 1985
The house was rented to Nona and Stacey MacKinnon
The house was sold in 1986
Interesting events at this location

i. Brothers Russel and Lawrence helped immensely, as did many other friends

ii. Bill Novakshonoff did all the electrical wiring work as a donation

This house became a social hub with many friends enjoying many occasions to celebrate
This was the beginnings of meetings that eventually created the Doukhobor Cultural Association (DCA)
Many meeting took place with Pete Oglow to conduct specific planning on the creation of the Doukhobor Village Museum

Motel Suite in Vancouver, B.C.
1. ___?___ Fraser (??) Highway
2. Rented officially by Marbella Pacific Construction Ltd during construction at Expo
3. August 1984 to 1985
4. Occupied by:

i. Dave and sometimes Shirley Bruce

ii. Elmer had a separate bedroom

Interesting events at this location

i. I really got to know Dave Bruce and Shirley, when she was able to come and visit from Fruitvale. We had many discussions in the evenings about a whole spectrum of subjects

ii. I became the cook as Dave did not like that part. Some of the stuff that we got to eat would be a story unto itself

iii. Weekends were the worst when I was alone and Dave went back to Fruitvale. Vancouver, downtown, can be a lonely place and so I would take long walks. I watched jealously at people and families in the park. Then I would drive in to work at the office to distract myself

iv. I remember that the shower floor had separated from the rest of the bathroom floor by one inch and the dirt floor under was visible along with wild animals that lived there

v. We were trying to save money but in reflection, it was a “rat hole” and has been demolished since.

Apartment in Vancouver, B.C.
1. __?___ – 13^th Avenue (behind the Best Western Hotel and “kiddy corner” from the Vancouver City Hall)
2. Rented officially by Marbella Pacific Construction Ltd during construction at Expo ‘86
3. August 1984 to __?__ 1985
4. Occupied:

i. Russel and Tillie Verigin

ii. Elmer had a bedroom

Interesting events at this location

i. Tillie and Russel lived by themselves for a time. I joined them later

ii. It was nice to have us all together again as in the “old” days

iii. I spent a lot of times going back at our offices on Mainland and the trip over Cambie Street bridge was a short one

iv. One time Fred Ratushny visited us and Russel, Fred and I decided to go swimming in the Jaccuzzi (located in the patio area of the apartment complex) after midnight. We were a bit inebriated and decided to break the rules and enter the pool area after 1100 P.M. the prohibited time and “No Noise after 11:00 P.M.” posted pool rules. Well we ended up in the dark pool, whispering when we realized that someone else was in the pool with us. So we all sat there very quietly wondering what to do. The young couple there with us admitted that they were “skinny dipping” and so did we. It was interesting to plan our mutual exits without determining who we were. This charade was soon interrupted when the apartment Manager shone his light into the patio area and recommended that we “get the h _ll out of there”

v. Gene Rivard, President of Territorial Steel at Expo ’86, also had an apartment at this location. He liked Tillie’s Borsch so much that he ate 4 bowls along with a loaf of Tillie’s home-baked bread in one sitting.

vi. Ann Zibin, Vera Dergousoff and Nancy Cheveldave would drop in many times while they were taking Cancer Treatment at the Vnacouver General Hospital. It was great for them to visit with Tillie and when Russel and I were able to join them

Apartment in Vancouver, B.C.
1. Rented officially by Marbella Pacific Construction Ltd during construction at Expo ‘86
2. __?___ 4^th Street, Vancouver, B.C.
3. ___???? 1984 to 1985
4. Occupied by:

i. Elmer Verigin

ii. Marilyn sometimes came to visit from Castlegar

Interesting events at this location

i. Dave Bruce was sent to be superintendent in Nelson House School near Thompson, Manitoba. Shirley moved up with her family to an apartment there. Russel was sent to be superintendent at Tadoule Lake, Manitoba. Tillie decided to move back to their house in Castlegar. I did not like this crummy motel suite and wanted to be closer to the office and so I found this third floor apartment in the “not so nice” district.

ii. Once when I got back from the Kootenays late one Sunday night, I discovered that my apartment keys somehow were left in the Apartment and so it was too late to wake up the Manager. I decided to sleep in the car. I was wakened to screaming a shouting. I cautiously raised my head a bit to realize that a pimp was chasing his prostitute and the dispute was over how much money she had given him from a recent “trick”. I decided that being inconspicuous might be healthier than getting involved. So I listened to the continued argument, hollering and screaming until somehow the girl got away. Oiii ya youii!

iii. I shopped for groceries at a small store about two blocks up from this apartment and realized that life in Vancouver certainly had its challenges for many people.

iv. My weekend walks took me through a neighborhood park with challenges for families stuck in this “cheaper living” environment. I decided that it was not worth the cost savings and started looking for a house so that Kimbal and Marilyn could join me.

House in Vancouver, B.C.
1. __?___ Nanaimo Street
2. Rented by Marbella Pacific Construction Ltd
3. __?__ 1985 to 1987
4. Occupied

i. Russel and Tillie Verigin

ii. Geoff Verigin

iii. Elmer had a bedroom

Interesting events at this location

i. The apartment was getting a bit expensive and so Russel and Tillie looked for a house and this particular one worked fine for them

I stayed with them for a short time and when Russel left for Tadoule Lake and Tillie decided to move back to Castlegar, this was shut down

House in South Delta, B.C. (Tsswwassen)
1. 4959 – 2A Avenue
2. Purchased and owned by Elmer and Marilyn Verigin in August 1985
3. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

ii. Kimbal Verigin

iii. “Griz” (Clark W. Griswold), Kimbal’s cat

Kimbal graduated from South Delta High School in 1991 and moved to Fruitvale to attend Selkirk College
Interesting events at this location

i. The Marbella Christmas parties were held at this house and were very enjoyable but brothers Russel and Lawrence were not invited by Fred and Bill as they were not part of the “team”. I laid down the law that I was not going to be the host if my original partner brothers were not part of the celebration and the parties ended at our house. Some of our superintendents would get a bit boisterous as they left at 2:00 A.M., telling all of our very prim and proper neighbors what a good time they had.

ii. There was an abundance of blackberries in the B.C. Hydro right of way behind our house. I had just picked about 7 ice cream pails when Peter and Elsie Rezansoff came to visit. Peter got the idea that wine needs to be brewed and he decided to teach me how to do it. So I bought a hygrometer, jugs, yeast sugar, etc., and followed the instructions perfectly. Peter kept calling to encourage a check on the specific gravity and then, several weeks later, came the time to rack. “I will come down and help,” Peter said. So the appointed day came and Peter shows up in his white suit and fancy shoes with Elsie’s comment “you will get all that black juice over yourself. Please change clothes!” Pete shrugged her off and the tube went into the brewing pail and the racking started into the jug. I thought it was part of the process, but somehow the hose fell out and sprayed everyone. Yes, Peter’s suit and shoes got the brunt of it. I don’t believe there was so much laughter possible as there was that day.

iii. We had many raccoons in the back yard. I never experienced “coons” before

iv. Ozeroffs and Tarasoffs came to visit and experience Expo ’86. Marilyn bought 20 steaks and put them in our freezer located in the carport. Just when we were going to barb-b-q, we found that they had been stolen. A new experience for us

v. The DCA came to visit us from Castlegar. We have never had that many people stay overnight. Some on top of the pool table, some under, the chesterfield, floor and anywhere anyone could find a spot. A wonderful time was had by all.

Manufactured Home in Sechelt, B.C.
1. Address (Somewhere in North Sechelt)
2. Rented in 1988 to 1989
3. Used as residence during construction of St. Mary’s Hospital renovations in Sechelt

i. Occupants

1. Russell Verigin
2. Elmer Verigin
3. Ben Lammerts
4. I believe that Dave, Shirley Bruce and family moved in with us for a short time until we could find a house for them to rent

Interesting events at this location

i. Tillie would visit and make supper relieving me from that chore. Of course Varenekee was and Borsch was the requested menu. This she accommodated very well. Ben’s comment as he watched Russel and I put away 23 Varenekee each “you guys are gluttons!” Our response was that once you get an appetite for this stuff, you too will do that”. Well on Tillie’s next trip back, Ben was victim to 25 varenekee.

House in Genelle, B.C.
1. Address – 1601 – 7^th Avenue
2. Purchased in August 1993
3. Renovated and owned by Elmer and Marilyn Verigin
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

ii. “Griz”

Sold to daughter Lori and Richard Woodhouse in January 02, 2002
Interesting events at this location

i. Fred Chursinoff drove our rental truck full of furniture from Tsswwassen. As we drove over in the morning after spending a night with Russel and Tillie, we noticed “Garage sale” signs posted all over with the 1601 – 7^th Avenue address. Sure enough, just as we pull up to the house we met a number of people who had come for the garage sale. Then we got the message that our friends, led by Violet Plotnikoff, had arranged all this so that Marilyn (a garage sale fiend) would be welcomed home. There were sure a number of disappointed Garage Sale Professionals when they found out there was no garage sale.

ii. The social events became very much an appreciated “home coming” for Marilyn and I

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 901 – 6^th Avenue
2. Purchased in January 02, 2002
3. Renovated by Elmer and Marilyn Verigin in 2002
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

ii. A rotary exchange student Sebastion __?___ from Germany,boarded in an upstairs bedroom

Sold in November 2007
Interesting events at this location

i. This was to be our retirement house once we sold our large Genelle house to Rick and Lori. We fixed the basement with bookshelves all around for our large collection. We completed an office for Elmer with shelves and a desk. Marilyn had a room completed for all her collections (it was far too small and never did get sorted out)

ii. Grandview Housing became a project that we could not resist and so we sold this house so that we could afford to buy a unit at Grandview Heights and be with our DCA friends who initiated the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Housing Cooperative as their contribution to Society

House in Genelle, B.C.
1. Address – 1601 – 7^th Avenue
2. Owned by Rick and daughter Lori Woodhouse
3. Rented basement bedroom
4. Lived them from November 2007 through to April 2009
5. Occupants:

i. Rick and Lori Woodhouse

ii. Grandson Sean Chahley

iii. Granddaughter Kara Chahley

iv. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

Interesting events at this location

i. The house in Castlegar sold the same day it was listed and so the new Owners needed to move quickly. This meant we had no place to go. Rick and Lori invited us here for a short time that ended being a 15 month stay

ii. We had this sorted out quite well:

1. Rick and Lori were off to work
2. Sean and Kara were at school
3. Elmer walked Shadow and Nemo
4. Granny both the groceries and cooked dinner
5. Elmer had the rum and coke mixed as soon as he saw Rick and Lori come home
6. Rick and Elmer stayed out of the debates between Mother and Daughter
7. We got along just fine

iii. Elmer got instructions as how to operate the new snow blower and on the first run, he somehow lost the “key” which just shut down the machine. Some frustrating hours later and a visit to see Frank at the Downtown Shell got me another key and everything went well. Rick found the original key in the Spring

iv. The entire Woodhouse family went to New York for Xmas leaving Granny and Gramps in charge of the “farm.” Instructions were listed on a spreadsheet with spaces to check off events on an hourly and daily basis:

1. Let dogs out in the morning
2. Check water in bowls
3. Let dogs out in evening
4. Feed at 1900 hours every night in separate bowls
5. Take dogs for a walk at noon
6. Don’t leave dogs out too long as they bark and disturb the neighbors

Everything went well except Granny and Gramps decided to invite their friends over for a Xmas party and forgot to put the chocolates away. Well Shadow and Nemo knew it was Xmas and proceeded to treat themselves to the entire box. Granny made some frantic calls to the Veterinarian which resulted in “just watch them for anything unusual and then call.” Nothing resulted. Urban farming is very stressful for two grandparents who were raised on farms in Saskatchewan

House in Castlegar, British Columbia
1. Address – 145 – 4200 Grandview Drive
2. Contractor built and owned by Elmer and Marilyn Verigin
3. Moved in on May 01, 2009 and remain at the time of this writing
4. Occupants:

i. Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

Interesting events at this location

i. One of the bedrooms became the offices for the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Cooperative and so the 1,120 square foot house became instantly “too small” for all our stuff. Nothing was supposed to go into the crawl space but Nona conspired with her mother and soon half of the “precious artifacts” were soon in the crawl space. The double garage continues to be a “Sorting Warehouse” with our one car parked outside. We may need to buy another bungalow to get organized.

ii. This is where I began to write more frequently and begin sorting my writings

iii. Nona organized a “Blog” for me and I am now posting a select number of articles

++++++++++++++++++++++++ End +++++++++++++++++++++

The Original Mixed Farm Economic Unit

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

≈ 3 Comments

AN ORIGINAL MIXED FARM ECONOMIC UNIT

While I can recall a typical farm unit in Saskatchewan, as I knew it in the 1950’s, I thought it best that I write it all down for my family to know. Unfortunately, my grandchildren will never experience it and my children had a limited exposure to same. My children’s spouses, would probably have a difficult time visualizing all what I am about to relate.

I consider it a travesty that what I am about to describe, has basically been removed from the North American landscape and not existent in the Canora to Pelly areas of Saskatchewan where I was raised.

Most family mixed farms were at the 320 acre size or one-half section which was the amount of land that one man could farm with horses and the machinery was sized for four-horse teams. The most efficient scheduling of these teams is to work one set in the morning, another set in the afternoon and the third set, the following morning. Then the process would repeat itself. This allowed enough time for the horse to rest and graze in the pasture.

The farms were on land that became broken up as follows:

Land with predominant rocks, sloughs and interspersed with forest was fenced for pasture that would have the farm buildings at one end. This allowed for tending the animals with barns and corrals within this space which, depending on the land, averaged about fifty to sixty acres
There were sloughs within the farming area that became a late crop production of oats and grasses for fodder for animals
So the average farming production area was about 200 to 240 acres within the 320 total owned by the farmer.

Wheat was the primary cash crop with some barley and oats grown for feed as required. Wheat was always higher priced but took the longest time to ripen than barley and depending on the year, wheat may be subject to frost and thus people grew both to ensure a source of income. Wheat had to be in the soil by May 10^th to ensure a ripening season without frost so the later crops were preferential in a wet Spring.

There were usually about six to eight milking cows that was based on:

Available pasture , hay and fodder
Produce about two five gallon cream cans of rich cream a week which was shipped by rail to a Creamery within 20 miles distance. This was a valuable income that provided needed staples food, etc.,
- Cream was a product that a cream separator was able to derive from whole milk that was milked from cows, twice daily
- Some cows yielded a gallon of milk or more per milking
Milk for the table as well as cooking
The skim milk fed the calves and swine
Calves were checked to replace aging cows but otherwise were used as veal for the table or shipped through the stock yards for needed income for repairs and gas for a small tractor that was becoming a replacement for horses
Hides were used for tanning and became leather for harnesses, shoes, belts, etc.,
Breeding was with an off-site bull to prevent in-breeding

Every farm had at least a half dozen swine that were:

Bred for piglets that were grown for market and pork for the table
Wastes from the table, surplus skim milk and lesser grains fed the swine very economically
Breeding was with an off-site bore to prevent in-breeding

Sheep could graze on sparse pasture land that was not frequented by other farm animals and almost every farm had about a half dozen animals that became:

Lamb and sometimes mutton for the table
Wool for yarn that was knitted into sweaters, socks, toques, etc.,
Wool that was carded to make warm blankets
Skins were tanned and used to make mitts, overcoats, jackets
Older sheep were marketed when replacement younger animals were available
Breeding was with an off-site ram to prevent in-breeding

Ducks and Geese would habitate (usually about a dozen each) the adjacent sloughs. They needed guarding because coyotes, weasels, mink and other wild animals found them easy prey. Food for these animals required grain and ground meal from lower priced grains. Much of their food was as a result of foraging in the sloughs with all the bugs and organic growth present in the sloughs. These poultry were used as:

Meat for the table
Eider down for mattresses and pillows

Usually about two hundred Chickens, fed by ground meal or lower priced grains, could be available at certain times of the year:

A hundred chicks in spring became food for the table or replaced aging hens
Hens produced eggs for the table as well as being sold to townspeople for spare change

Many farmers owned Incubators that were heated with a coal oil heater and much careful selection with healthy graded eggs. This would economically for produce:

Chicks
Ducks
Geese

About two or more dogs were always part of the farm yard and their function was:

Alert the farmer should any predator enter the yard as well as a possible thief which unfortunately was always a possibility
Communicate with coyotes on a cold winter’s night
Could be a trained sheep-herder and many other functions
Food is usually table scraps. (I have never witnessed a dog not being able to handle chicken bones that were ravishly devoured).
A willing and trusted companion at all times
A guide in winter storms
A family protector, especially children

Cats are usually more than necessary as they propagate well and have these functions:

Keep the mouse and rodent population in control
Barn Swallows tend to over-populate and pollute the barns and out-buildings and are usually controlled by cats

Goats were more for show rather than a preferential farm animal depending on the Farmer’s diet but goats could be useful for:

Dietry Goat’s milk and Gouda cheese
Goat’s have been known to chase away coyote predators

Growing and the care of gardens was a fundamental food source for:

Tomatoes
Potatoes
Carrots
Beets
Radishes of all sorts
Cabbages
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Many varieties of Beans and Peas
Strawberries and Raspberries
Rhubard
Crabapples

Wild Fruit was usually quite bountiful and was harvested for canning of jams, jellies, syrups, etc:

Saskatoons
Choke Cherries
Pin Cherries
Raspberrises
Cranberries
Gooseberries
Mossberries

Various Edible plants such as:

Wild Spinach

Nuts were also very abundant and could be harvested in season such as:

Hazelnuts

Wild Game was a staple of most farm families and in season the following were shot for food:

Canada Geese
Mallard and Teal ducks
Partridges
Grouse
Prairie Chickens
Deer
Moose

The near-by lakes and rivers were an excellent source of fish such as:

Walleye
Pickerel
Jackfish

Muskrats and Fur-bearing animals were also harvested and Furs marketed to create additional income from:

Weasel
Mink
Beaver
Muskrat
Rabbit

All excess fats were salvaged from cooking, trapping and then melted at various times, mixed with a formula of lye to manufacture soap. It was years later as a budding Chemical Engineering student that I realized the farmer was simply manufacturing Sodium Stearate and I said to myself, “wow, what great Chemists my parents were.”

Sewing as an art that was fundamental to the Farmer who would manufacture items for the entire family:

Clothing
Leather jackets, gloves, belts
Rugs

Before fridges and freezers, canning was a fundamental preservation method for:

Pickles
Tomatoes
Relishes
Peas, beans, carrots
Fruits, jams and syrups
Meat and fish

Of course, there was a job for everyone on the farm and an excellent learning school for survival for the following:

Splitting wood in the Spring to be seasoned for winter use as fuel for stoves
Helping farm the fields
- Haying
- Seeding
- Harvesting
- Tilling the land
Milking cows and attending to the separating the cream from the milk
Making butter from the cream
Making cottage and other cheeses
Gathering eggs
Feeding the poultry and other farm animals
Building and repairing fences
Tending the garden
Picking wild fruit, nuts, etc.,
Constructing, renovating farm buildings
Carding, spinning wool into yarn
Knitting, weaving
Sewing
All kinds of crafts like embroidery, rug-making
Barn-cleaning
Blacksmithing
Mechanical repairs
Hunting, fishing, trapping

There is no question in my mind that the farm unit was the most self-sufficent family method of life where everyone stayed busy and no one was left hungry. At the same time the farm produced food for the broader population. It provided local population for small but vibrant communities that cherished a “community spirit” where everyone had a purpose in life.

Why was it necessary to improve on a perfect working model by the super production farms powered by corporations and huge and expensive machinery as a result the small family must feel lost in huge urban communities and cannot support themselves? It is obvious that spiritual, emotional and financial suffering would occur once the pride of self ownership and direction is taken away.

I am now saddened as I drive in this area and see the grain elevators (usually 4 to 6 per community) removed from the landscape and replaced by an ulta modern computerized grain terminals of which 3 service a 50 kilometer radius. The towns have become weather beaten ghost towns of the original proud structures. Where a famstead existed every kilometer of so, one can travel 10 kilometers and not find a family living on the farm. Gone are all the animals. The poor horses are extinct as are the dinosaurs.

And so this is progress!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++End++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Composed January 23, 2012

Something from Nothing

24 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

≈ 1 Comment

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

Note: Tillie Verigin, daughter-in-law, of Annie Verigin, took these notes from a verbal dictation provided by Annie Verigin and dated May 1992.

“……When I sit alone in the evenings, I often think about how times have changed between the 1920s and the 1990s. Something urged me on that I should write this true story for my family to remember. Perhaps I should have written when I was younger and my memory was better but I will try now.

In the 1920s, very few people had money so they had to stretch every dollar the best way they could.

I remember one interesting happening at our place. I was around eleven or twelve years old.

There were two families living fairly close to each other. The first family consisted of my grandparents, Sam and Marhonnia Morozoff, their blind son George and an orphaned grand-daughter Nora. The second family was my father Sam and Step-mother Ann Morozoff and us six children Annie (me), Polly, Lillian, Alex, Sam and Nick (Elmer note: I am assuming that the 7^th child Florence was not born at this time). Actually these two houses were very close together. Each family slept in their own house but meals were served together at grandparent’s house. The arrangements were alright for awhile but father’s family was growing and it became crowded.

Eventually, father pulled a bigger house over from another farm and set it a little further away from those two houses. We were then able to eat and sleep in the same house.

There was only one stove that bread could be baked in and the grandparents took it (the stove). We had another stove that didn’t have an oven. We were poor and there was no money for a new stove until harvest. So our poor stepmother would start the bread dough at home and take it to granny’s oven to bake. It was hard for both grandma and stepmother in those days, nobody bought bread.

The difficulty created a lot of commotion and father had to do something. So father went out to the bush and brought back some green willows. They were about 36 inches long and 2 inches thick.

Right on the garden, not far from our house, he started to make us a “petch” (a homemade oven for baking). He stuck on end of the stick into the ground and the other about 18 inches opposite to it. Then he took another willow and put it beside the first, the same way. He continued until the “petch” was enough for 8 loaves. Then he brought some clay and put into an old tub. He added some chaff (short straw) and water, mixing it well. Then he plastered it over the willows and started a small fire inside. He kept on mixing the clay and applying it over the willows. He then made a bigger fire so that the clay could dry properly.

I wish I could remember more now. I can’t tell how much clay mixture he put over the willows. The fire was burning inside and we, the children, were so excited and kept running around.

I cannot remember how he closed the end of the “petch” and I cannot remember seeing any bricks lying around. He might have stood up sticks and put on clay mixture too. (Elmer thinks she is talking about the ends). I do remember there were some old steel doors on the other end. When the bread was put into the “petch” it was closed with the steel door.

Now when I think of that day, I feel so proud of my father. He was a great man. He made “something out of nothing” that day. My stepmother had to make bread that day and father started to make the “petch”. By the time stepmother’s bread was ready to bake, the “petch” was ready too.

So that day the bread was baked in the new “petch” and it was especially good bread. Stepmother baked bread in that “petch” all summer long until harvest. Then in the fall, father had enough money to buy a new stove that baked bread.

I was talking to sister Polly about this day and she remembers it too. The rest of the children were too young to remember.

This is a true story and I call it “Something from Nothing”.

Thanks Tillie for helping me write this story down. I didn’t know who I should ask for help.

Transcribed from original notes by Elmer Verigin September 22, 2012

**************************** End *********************************

Life of Seuyomma Morozoff

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

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MY MOTHER’S (ANNIE VERIGIN) VERSION ON HISTORY OF Seuyomma (Sam) Morozoff

(Dated January, 1990)

Note: Elmer Verigin, son of Annie Verigin, transcribed from her personal writings using her own words (she was a grade four graduate) with no corrections to keep the authenticity.

“……True life about Seuyomma (Sam) Morozoff. He was my grandfather and your great, great grandfather (Elmer’s note: as written to her son Elmer’s children Nona, Lori, Tamara and Kimbal). I had a lot of respect for him. He was a kind man, he tried to help all he could do, if anybody ask him for help, he would give his last shirt off his back. His life was rough hard life. He was born in 1859 in Russia Republic of Georgia Village of Slavlanka. He was the son of Meisha (Mike) and Poilya (Polly nee Dubosov) Morozoff.

There were four (4) sons besides Seuyomma. Their father Meisha was a drinking man. He kept drinking until his sons grew up and told him to quit.

Seuyomma never went to school (I don’t think there was school). They just learn from their parents or from who ever knew how to read and write. Seuyomma was a respectable man. He married and had 5 children of his own, and he was mayor of that village in Russia. They called him Deissatnick. I don’t know exactly what year it was, when Russia demanded that they need so many soldiers but Doukhobors won’t let their sons join the army. They burned their guns, who had, and refused to join the army (Elmer note that was before June 29, 1895 when they burned their arms). They were pulling some tickets, and if ticket (Elmer’s note this happened after the burning of arms and was the penalty accessed the Doukhobors in each family) say to be soldiers, he has to join the army and obey their laws. Seuyomma and his two brothers pulled those terrible tickets and they had to go but refused to go, so they were sent to prison (Elmer’s note: they were sent to Yakurst) for life.

Seuyomma had 5 children. His brother Pete, that had to go too, were also married and had one child. Brother Ely, was a young lad, but he had to go too. Two brothers that were lucky that didn’t had to go were Mike and youngest brother, John. Mike was married and had family, I can’t remember how many, but John wasn’t married.

Seuyomma and his two brothers were sent to prison and meanwhile first group of Doukhobors were emigrated to Canada. Seuyomma and Peter’s families were with that group. While brothers were in prison, Pete got sick and died.

Martha (Seuyomma’s wife) and her 5 children, one of them was my father Seuymeon and he used to tell us later, about sailing on the sea. He was 7 years old and he could remember when the weather was rough and the ship used to rock from side to side, old people were scared and they sit and pray but children like him had fun. They would run from side to side.

They were thirty days and nights on the water. They landed in Halifax in 1899. Lot of kind people helped them in many ways, but they had to work hard to survive. For Martha and other women like here, whose husbands were in prison was a hard life.

I really don’t know how long Seuyomma and Ely stayed in prison. When they were transferred them and other men to cold Siberia forever. There Ely met with one young girl and got married, by name of Matroniya and later the son was born to them as Mike.

There were many things happened, I don’t know exactly now and there is nobody living now that could tell us. Finally Seuyomma and Ely and his wife got to Canada the hard way. Seuyomma (grandfather) used to tell us, it was 10 years passed before they got together with his family(Elmer’s note: the approximate 100 prisoners so impressed the local Governor with their trade(s) talent in the work they performed for the Governor that he recommended their sentence be reduced to 10 years and so they used their earnings, that the Governor had decided to pay them. to permit them to travel to Canada in 1905 . Children grew up and his youngest son George burnt his eyes out. Martha (grandma) was living in some village with other Doukhobors all working together. There was Lordly, Peter Verigin, was their leader.

There was some misunderstanding and soon Seuyomma was pushed out of that village. Seuyomma was quite hurt to think he had suffered so much and being away from his family and saving Doukhobors from going to war, now he was no good any more. God helped him or otherwise he wanted to get rid of himself. He said he had three friends who really helped him: one was Patience, second was Reasoning and the third was Meekness and after he talked with them, he could keep on living.

Pretty soon he found job for himself, and after a while, Martha and their family came joined him. She worked hard too, to keep the family fed. She used to tell us later, that she washed some bodys clothes for a bar of soap. Then use to wash her clothes. They used to have dirt floors. There was no money to buy wooden floors and many had roofs made of dirt too.

The life went on and most of the children grew up and got married. Then time came when homesteads were given for five dollars and Seuyomma got homestead 4 ½ miles Northwest of Veregin but lived in village called Pakrovka but farmed on their homesteads. His second son Seuymeon was married and he had his family living together in same house there in that village. Brother Ely was living in that village but across the street. His oldest son Pete and his second wife moved to their own homestead some place North of Canora. Pete’s first wife died, when she was giving birth to a little girl. So that baby was left for Martha to look after. So Seuyomma and Martha had two big burdens, blind son George and granddaughter Nora to look after. So Seuyomma and his family were living in same house and helping them in many ways.

Little by little, everybody started moving to their own farms and so did Seuyomma and his son Seuymeon and his family too. Everything went smoothly for awhile. Then in November 1918, there was terrible Flu went around and lot of people dying and so it did happen to Seuymeon’s wife Masha died (that was my mother), and she was 28 years old leaving us girls motherless. Soon Martha had to look after us also.

That winter Seuymeon got married to a girl 10 years younger than him. Within a year, their son Alec was born to them, but they still living in same house with Seuyomma and Martha and the family. I can’t remember how long they lived like that and it was getting hard so they decided to break the family in two. So Seuyomma, Martha, the blind son and granddaughter, Nora, would live in old house and on same yard, they pulled house from other farm that was for Seuymeon’s family. I was about 13 years old and same with cousin Nora (she was the same age) when our dear hardworking grandma (Martha) died. She was 65 years old and it was 1924. The life sure changed for Nora. She had to cook and look after grandpa and after uncle George. But we lived in same yard, we helped each other a lot. Then after 10 years or so, another bad luck happened….Seuymeon got sick and died of Cancer in October 27, 1929. He was not quite 40 years old and left 7 children fatherless, 3 from his first marriage and 4 from his second wife, Alec, Sam, Nick and Florence.

Then next spring in March I got married to Bill Verigin and in April, Cousin Nora got married to Nick Chernoff. There was grandfather Seuyomma, left with blind son George. So he asked my sisters, his granddaughters (Polly and Lillian) to moved to his place and help him look after George and him. So girls moved to his place. They thought it will be better to to live there with Grandpa then with stepmother. She was young yet. She decided to get married again, and they will be on their way. So they moved to Seuyomma’s (Grandpa) place and look after their grandpa and Uncle George.

I can’t remember how long they lived like that when Lillian got married to John Sookachoff from Buchanan. Then after a year or two, Polly got married to Fred Chernoff. Then Grandpa asked his Granddaughter Nora and her husband Nick Chernoff, to look after him and George. I can’t remember how long they lived like that. When Seuyomma’s health went down and in December 27, 1938, he died. Nick and Nora and their three girls lived there for a while then bought farm of their own and moved there and took Uncle George with them there too.

When they retired, they built house in Canora. Yes, they took Uncle George along too but it wasn’t very good for Uncle George in town cause he likes to be outside but in town they can’t leave him or he might wander away. They use to put him in the hospital, if they go away for a few days and in 1972 they took him to Nursing Home in Canora and there he stayed till he died in December 27, 1978.

It used to bother Nora for giving him to Nursing Home cause she promised Grandpa to look after him to the last. But she often visit him in Nursing Home and bring him something to eat from home. I and my sisters, we would visit him too. Once in a while, he wouldn’t say anything, bet he would smile as if to say that he knew that we are there and he would stretch his hands to us. We always bring him something to eat. Even now, when I think of him, I could see him with his hands stretched to us.

I can’t remember how long Uncle was at Nursing Home. Then he finally died in 1979. (Elmer note, a conflict in a specific death date as December 27, 1978 stated above). He was in his 80s. His funeral was in Canora at Doukhobor Dom, but he was buried in Veregin Cemetery.

There are no old buildings where Seuyomma Morozoff and his son Seuymeon use to live, just good happy memories where we used to slide down the hill, when we were young.

Those were the Days!

(Elmer note: Anne Verigin was the oldest daughter of Seuymeon Morozoff. Anne died on January 17, 2003 and was also buried beside he husband Bill in the Veregin Cemetery with most of her immediate relatives.

Transcribed by Elmer Verigin September 19, 2012

History of Wasyl Verigin

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

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MY MOTHER (ANNIE VERIGIN) VERSION ON HISTORY OF WASYL VERIGIN

(Dated January 04, 1990)

Note: Elmer Verigin, son of Annie Verigin, transcribed from her personal writings using her own words (she was a grade four graduate) with no corrections to keep the authenticity.

“……How much I know history of Wasyl Verigin.

He was your great grandfather, Wasyl Verigin. (as written to Nona, Lori, Tamara and Kimbal, Elmer and Marilyn Verigin’s children)

I don’t think I know everything, but I will try my best. He was born in Russia, Republic of Georgia in the Village of Slavlanka.

He was born to the Slastukin family. He was the youngest of seven children and when he was little over 2 years old, his father was killed by a horse. There was no welfare in Russia, so his poor mother couldn’t look after them all, but it happened in that village, Fediya and Pareniya Verigin had no children so they adopted him. So that is how it happened that he became to be Verigin.

He was about 10 years old (Elmer thinks this must be an error as he was already married ot just got married when the moved to Canada) when his new parents and he moved to Canada with the first group of Doukhobors in 1899, they say.

It was big freight ship. They had to clean it good before they could move in. It was thirty days and 30 nights on the water. Oh, yes, they boarded the ship in Port Batum in December 1898. The ship arrived in Halifax in January 1899. They were allowed to take limited personal belongings.

After a month long journey, they were glad to be on ground again. There were a lot of kind people helped them but they worked hard to survive.

They spent the rest of the winter in the Selkirk, Winnipeg area. In the spring they were brought by train to Saskatchewan (Elmer note, this was actually North West Territories, then)

I don’t know where the Verigins lived in early days here in Canada. Wasyl grew up, he married girl by name of Malasha. I heard her last name but forgot. They had 2 children, boy and girl. The boys name was Pete but the girl died when she was just an infant. The Malasha died and his second wife was Auxyuta, her maiden name was Chursinoff and the had 7 children, 5 sons and 2 daughters.

The oldest son William (Bill), then daughter Polly, then son John, Then Sam, then fourth son George, the fifth son Alex and youngest daughter Anne, she married Pete Popoff.

I don’t know where they lived at first but I heard they lived in Village by name of Pockrovka about 5 miles North of Veregin town on Ely Morozoff homestead N.E. quarter section 28, township 30.

There were 7 or 8 families were living in that village, 2 families Haleshoffs, Kazakoff, Chursinoff and Verigins. Each family had their own homesteads around but they lived in village and worked their land and started building on the homestead.

Fediya’s and Wasyl’s homestead was not far from the village. It was about 2 miles North of village and ir was near Whitesand River.

Wasyl build beautiful 3 storey high house. Very few people had that kind of houses in those days. I can’t remember how many rooms this house had but I guess they had to have a lot of rooms for big family like that, Wasyl and his family, Fediya and Paraniya. Peter got married to Nastiya (Elmer’s note, nee Savinkoff) and they had also 2 children at that time and so a lot of space was needed.

I don’t remember how long they lived together in that big beautiful house. When things started to change. Pete and Nastiya and their family moved to their own farm. It was sometimes in the twenties. Mother Paraniya died, the crisis started more than ever. The beautiful house burned down and Pete and his family decided to move to Russia and they did.

His other sons build a cheap house on that place where the beautiful house used to stand and life went on. Bur Wasyl’s health started to fail. His third son Sam got married to Mary Wasenlinkoff and they had 2 children Mildred and Mike. That’s when I, Anne Morozoff got married his oldest son William (Bill) in March 6, 1930 and in 1931 May 9^th our oldest son Lawrence was born and in June that summer Wasyl Verigin died at home.

I don’t know exactly how long Fediya lived afterward. Maybe a year or two then he also died. We all keep on living together. Next John got married to Vera Sookoroff, year later they had son Pete. Bill and I had second son Russel and Sam and Mary had their son Sam. Yet we kept on living together.

Polly got married to Mike Ratushny. Sometimes they lived with us and sometimes not. They had son Fred.

When Russel was little over 2 years old, when Bill and I and our 2 little boys moved to different farm to live and about a year or so John and his family moved to different place to live too. I can’t remember exactly when Sam and Mary and their family moved away from that place too.

Then just 4 of them left there, Auxyuta (mother), George, Alex and Anne. The Auxyuta died in October 03, 1953. Anne soon got married to Pete Popoff in Pelly. (Elmer note: this marriage happened previous to this date) Then George and Alex lived there for awhile. I guess it was hard and lonely for two of them to live by themselves. George decided to finish himself. He came to town of Veregin and right on main street he shot himself. Alex lived for a while with his sister Anne Popoff in Arran, then bought a house in Kamsack. He lived there for awhile and got sick and was in Kamsack hospital for awhile. He died on 29^th of March 1976.

That house on Verigin homestead, near river still there with lot of memories. Nobody couldn’t believe then that it could’ve happened like that. When there were so many going on that yard. So there was so many people, so many cows and horses, chickens, geese and pigs. Now just old house and few old barns and many, many memories of hardship and also happy days too.

Transcribed by Elmer Verigin September 18, 2012

**************************** End ********************************

Jotting from 50th Wedding Verigin Family trip to Hotel Rui, Mazatlan, Mexico

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

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NOTATION LOG DATED: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 1035 hours

LOCATION: Panchos Restaurant, Mazatlan, Mexico

“……I am having a cup of coffee in view of the beach. The setting includes many families enjoying breakfast overlooking this sheltered cove. There are protruding rock reefs, rising some 200 feet out of the water. Rolling waves continue to wash the sandy beach. Obviously a private area with some condos competing with businesses.

The truck taxi (Mexican Limo) , dumped us off at this upscale row of shops with Panchos at the end. Granny, Nona, Sean, Kayla, Allie, Kara and Garrett and are already doing their shopping and Gramps is immersed in the atmosphere of this obviously very popular restaurant.

Mazatlan means “Deer Place” as was named by the original natives. Apparently fishing was the original economic attraction but now tourism and vacationing has probably surpassed that original purpose.

I just met a Ukrainian / German couple from Edmonton that is on the same Sun Wings tour as us. She is an RN and he was originally a farmer, somewhere East of Vegreville, AB. Apparently his health started to deteriorate and they were able to sell their farm some 15 years ago. She is now retired as a Care Nurse so it looks like they are enjoying their retirement.

Canadians are well respected here. The exchange is higher for a Cdn dollar that the US dollar. No matter where we go there are smiles in abundance.

If there would be any complaint, it would be to suggest that the weather could be hotter but certainly the sun is out although obscured by the light cloud cover, just scattered enough to shade the sun so that a jacket would be preferred attire for most Mexicans. The Canadians and Americans are not to be denied the absence of snow and below zero weather to celebrate by wearing wearing short sleeved shirts and shorts.

My hearing aids appear to have succumbed to the humidity and my right aid has given up the ghost but my left aid is desperately trying to maintain some reception. Oops, I just tried to test whether I am getting better than nothing out of the left aid by pulling it out. Bonzai! The damn thing started to receive normally. So there you go, faith has prevailed over depredation (not the best word here but I could not find a word opposite of faith right now).

I note the place is filling up and many patrons are waiting for a table. I am using up space and I gave up my place in respect for the premises.

I am now sitting on a concrete handrail at the street entrance to this “shopping centre” On the way here I passed a place selling “Ponchos”. Everyone seems to have purchased one in our group and Marilyn wanted to buy one from the Beach Vendors at the Rui. The prices ranged from a high of $25 down to $15 depending on the ability to bargain. I decided that nothing more than $10 will satisfy me.

The hapless merchant that I had passed in this Mall tried Mex $150 and I offered Mex $100 (about 11 Mex $ to the Cdn $1). He countered with Mex $120 and I would not budge. He then laid on $Mex $110, suggesting that he was only making Mex $10 on the deal. I continued past him on to my location now. It will be interesting to see what happens as I have time is on my side and a definite lack of interest in the product. It’s like hunting game, it is wise to stop hiking around in the bush but stop and stay in one spot. Sooner or later the game, that knew you were there, will come out to see what you are up to and walk by.

The merchant knows I am here and he is planning his next move on me.

Who will be the winner? Actually Mex $110 is about Cdn $9 and a good deal.

I see him discussing it with his neighbor, I am sure. I will give him some more rope!

I am trying to get the name of this fronting street but they are “chinsey” on the signage posts for some reason here. Maybe it’s just a long street as I do not see an intersection anywhere.

Across the street is the “Sea Shell City Museum”. This is exactly where we are to meet the infamous Taxi Driver that Nona had engaged in a contract for Mex $150 return trip from the Rui. A good rate since the posted rate at the Rui is Mex $180 one way. It is 1130 hours now and the appointed time to meet is 1300 hours.

People watching is a great past time for me. I find it so interesting to study all the various shapes, sizes, demeanor, dress, color and preoccupation. Nothing more interesting than people.

Some are in a hurry, obviously with purpose. Others just stroll, enjoying the moment, perhaps shopping.

1235 hours

I decided to walk around. Across the street was a narrow opening that turned out to be the entrance to an entire array of shops with similar “junk” as everywhere else.

So I was checking out the “panchos” and an aggressive sales lady,who must have envisoned a potential sale where otherwise there was nothing happening. She started at US$18 “but for you US$15”. I was a fool to respond that US$10 was my top offer. She went down to US$14 but I was unmmovable.

She slipped away with “un momento, senor” to check with her boss and came back with US$12, “two for me and two for you, plastic handbag included!”

I started for the exit when she uttered another “un momento” and came back with the “boss lady” who decided that I could have my pick of color for US $10. I was stuck because I really didn’t need a pancho but the girl did a premium class sales negotiation and I could not refuse.

So I got myself a poncho! I am now like everyone else in the family group.

The original merchant was a bit cheaper at Mex$110 but I couldn’t go back after all the waiting and scheming.

So I had an interesting experience in Mazatlan. Especially when Marilyn arrived with a purchased poncho for me which she bragged was US $12. Well okay!..……….”

******************************END ********************************

My thoughts in Sheki, Azerbaijan, May 09, 2008

31 Friday Aug 2012

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NOTATION LOG DATED: May 09, 2008

LOCATION: Sheki, Azerbaijan

“…….Here it is 0315 hours and all kinds of thoughts are going through my mind. It is not unusual at this time in my life that I waken and so if this has become the routine, perhaps, using this time efficiently and effectively, is better than to lie there blinking your eyes:

Rolling the “reel” of thoughts that are common to my mind processes
They say that most brilliant ideas come at this time
So recording these thoughts seems to be a better action them letting them slip into oblivion
I have experienced “peace” after such positive action and then fallen asleep, even if it is for an hour or two, This time is also efficiently used as it is commonly associated with full relaxation

My thoughts are not a hapless collection of frustrations but usually, at best, a “review” of many things, projects, associations and future objectives that my mind wishes to deal with.

It is at this time that I am able to conceive and debate the alternatives to what has:

Already taken place but needs to be reviewed to determine if the entire field has been covered and perhaps there are some “loose ends” that need to be “tightened”.
Or events that need to take place in the future and, in particular:
- Grandview Housing
- The unfinished Whatshan Lake Retreat
- What I wish to do with the rest of my life
- My family

If I am well, this process is very healthy as without any interruption and external interference, this entire process can take place in an orderly manner.

I usually spend or allocate only the time that my mind wants to deal with each issue.

It is only when I feel that I had failed to deal with a matter in a fashion that could have achieved a much greater success, that some guilt and remorse takes away from the elation that results from knowing that I had given it my “best shot”.

On reflection, if I can see that improvements can be made, I then record on my “to do” agenda, an action plan to achieve the goal, that was initiated previously.

This morning, I want to look at my family and my role in that tremendously responsible mission that a husband, father and grandfather needs to take for the rest of his life.

Of course, there is the nonnegotiable love that exists, that is not always felt by the family because it appears that everything else is taken by me as having more importance…………the schedules that take me away from my family functions and those precious moments when attendance would bring joy to my family and I.

Let me reassure all of you, that no one feels more deprived than I do. There is nothing more that would please me is to be there where and when it is all happening.

So then, it is the choices that we all make in life. Where is that place where you need to be at any particular time in your life?

That is, perhaps, a question that none of us can ever receive an answer, as whatever action is taken; there is the alternative that is never yours to experience because your attendance did not take place.

So why am I here? In Sheki Azerbaijan? Well again, love by someone………my Aunty Flo……..my cousin Allan Markin…………, was this their way to show appreciation of what Marilyn and I have done in the past? It may not necessarily be what we did for them, but, I suspect, it had to do with what we may have contributed to society in general.

Allan has already proven his enormous philanthropically gifts to society from his financial assistance, but I believe he wishes to show gratitude to the personal contribution that Marilyn and I have also offered to society.

A simple thank you may not be enough but Allan knows that my personal appreciation will be demonstrated by my continuing search for a more effective difference that can be directed to the greatest public masses, wherever I can.

This entire trip, so far, has opened my eyes to a world that I would not otherwise know; This Eurasian area is totally rife with history and the formation of the world and political environment.

I know that I am only 25% into this trip but I already sense that I have not seen the best of it yet.

Being with Marilyn and also the sister of my mother and my intertwined families is something that deserves to be written about.

Already a “bond” has been established and sensed by the eight (8) members in our group. We have established an “aura” around us that is special in the total sixteen (16) in this Mir party.

We have the two (2) Azeri guides and the two (2) Mir tour leaders that I know will do everything in their power to make this a well worthwhile trip.……….”

********************************** END**************************

A Poet’s musings as a University Student at age twenty

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by everigin in Family, Uncategorized

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FAITH

In the first chapter

Of meditating thoughts

Are revealed

Uncertainty, anxiety…..

Interwoven

With dreaded unconfidence

And polluted

With external pressures

Faithlessness

The cue is chosen

The words ring

Loud and clear;

Faith

What means

This word

Of Varied definition?

Faith of the divine Being?

Faith of destiny?

Or faith in oneself?

But one’s self

Is faithless

When destiny

Places cat and mouse

With heartless tigers

Where does one seek

This faith?

Does he grow confident?

Of physical endurance?

Of mental superiority

And the hope of reward

For his effort?

This is faith in one’s self?

Does he beg allegiance?

To divinity

And lend all his powers

To the Almighty:

Body, mind and soul

And declare himself

Saved?

This is faith in divinity?

Or is he heedless

Of the natural world

And soothes himself

With destiny

In which the result

Is always benefit

No matter what

The sign post said?

If this is faith

Then leave me no part

For I seek more

I seek glory in self scarifice

To thy neighbor

To do them
As I would have them do me

To bear no pride

Which seeds the

Grains of destruction

To seek no treasure

And accept none but love

Give me this and

Yours be the rest

I am tired and weary

Though the sound

Of the starting gun

Rings through my ears

And the hardships of

The track

Are still ahead

And the finish line

Far over yonder hill

When the race is over

And I am the winner

Give me not medal
But definition

Of faith

A present to

Mankind

A trophy

Unconquested

But a symbolic hope

This give me

And I am

A happy man

**************************EW Verigin winter ???, 1960, (uncut)***************************

Discussion with my family at Syringa Creek campout August23 through 26, 2012

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by everigin in Family

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THE WONDERS OF OUR PLANET EARTH

So mix yourself a drink of Lemonade, Tea, Coffee or a Rum and Coke and look over my list of wonderfual things that happen around us. Some of which we cannot explain.

A) The physical Planet Earth Statistics

Rotation is anti-clockwise, around a point that joins the North and South Poles, at 1,036.45 miles per hour (mph) at the Equator. Comparing to the speed of sound which is 768 mph (1 mile every 0.2133 seconds), this means if we were at the Equator we would be spinning at 0.2879 miles every second. (Note that normal Jet Airliners fly at about 600 mph and only some military aircraft “break” the sound barrier)
1. Why are we not dizzy?
2. While spinning at 1,036.35 mph, the Earth is also travelling anti-clockwise along its orbit about the sun at 67,000 mph or 18.6111 miles every second. This happens to be just the correct velocity to remain in its orbit around the sun whose gravitation pull is holding it in orbit. This is similar to the way the space station MIR orbits the Earth

B) Is it Coincidence Or……..?

All races are run counterclockwise around a track. Think about it: horses, people, cars, every race is run counterclockwise. This is the same direction that Earth spins. Is it coincidence or do we just feel more comfortable, running this way?
1. Dr. Parkinson and his philosophy students concluded it is because people especially but also all animals have their left feet slightly shorter than their right and so it is a natural tendency
2. How would you explain it?
3. All baseball diamonds also have base runners run anti-clockwise
4. Septic tanks, sloughs and the like, go through a self-cleansing period once a year. This usually in the spring and involves the partially digested bottoms to rise to the top and go through another cycle.
  1. It is activated by bacteria but how do they know that they need to do this?
  2. Electrical power is created by a dynamo spinning anti-clockwise within a outer core of wiring that receives this spin and creates a magnetic field, that generates an electrical current
  3. All electrical wires have a magnetic field surrounding the wire. If you know the direction of the current, just circle that wire with your right hand with thumb pointing in the direction of current travel, your fingers will form the electromagnetic field. This magnetic field will be spinning anticlockwise
  4. This reference from Secrets in the Fields by Freddy Silva circa 2002 is interesting:

“…..The Universe is an expansion of visible and invisible frequencies of light. When this light energy interacts with gravity the rate of spin of its molecules slows down, the myriad frequencies express themselves as matter, and the form and color of every organism and every object is there-by determined. Light is both particle and wave, and it transfers its energy by means of rapidly alternating electromagnetic field in the form of two waves; one electrical, the other magnetic which lags one step behind. Electromagnetic waves are transverse; that is, their two components move in tandem, perpendicular to the direction of travel. The transverse wave carries information vital to the cells of every organism, particularly the DNA in the human body.

The number of times a wave occurs in one second (the wave length) determines its frequency, which is also called vibration or oscillation; this frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). Consequently, one wave equals one vibration per second or 1 Hz (1000 Hz = 1kHz; I million Hz or 10 to the 6^th power Hz = 1 MHz; I billion Hz or 10 the ninth power Hz = 1 GHz.

C) The Moon orbits Earth every 27.2 days

Female menstrual cycle is usually 28 days which equates to the orbit of the moon (27.3 days). Is this a coincidence?
The moon’s gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans causes the ocean water elevation to rise 12 feet or more (tides)
For the musicians in the crowd this excerpt from Secrets in the Fields by Freddy Silva circa 2002 will be interesting:

“…..Mathematically, twenty-seven is three cubed, just as twenty-seven points is required to geometrically define a hypersphere (a 4-S sphere) in our three dimensional space (ibid.). And speaking of spheres, the period of revolution of the Moon around the Earth is 27.2 days.

In Old Testament gematria, twenty-seven is number of light, just as in Hebrew, it is the number of illumination (Gaunt 1995)….The number twenty-seven is also the difference between the notes F and G. Arithmetically this is split into two parts, the lesser of thirteen units and the greater of fourteen units. The miniscule region between these parts is called the “Pythagorean comma”, and it is marked by the note F-sharp (Levin 1994).

F-sharp is regarded with great respect by ancient Chinese as Hu, the tone of the Earth. Native American flute makers to this day tune their instruments to serenade Mother Earth to this note. It appears to have significant influence among the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt. After he conducted a series of experiments inside the King Chamber of the Great Pyramid, acoustic engineer Tom Danley identified four resonant frequencies, or notes, that are influenced by dimensional and materials used in its construction. The notes form an F-sharp chord which according to ancient Egyptian texts, was the harmonic of our planet. Moreover, Danley’s tests show that these frequencies are present in the King’s Chamber even when no sounds are being produced. So we see yet more connection with our Egyptian ancestors…..”

D) Computers in Nature

The human female egg being fertilized by the male sperm results in a fertilized egg no larger than a pea
1. In this fertilized egg is all the knowledge from the original male and female all concentrated in this egg. This can be likened to a mini computer or even an I-Pad which is much larger.

i. This egg begins now to grow

ii. It already has the design of the future arms, legs, eyes, nose, heart and all other bodily organs

iii. It becomes alive to an in built “trigger”, how does this “computer” make this happen and how is it “programmed” to do this?

iv. Sometime in this process, the unborn baby establishes, by chance, the sex of the baby. What is this “computer” that makes choices that there is a similar amount of each sex, born. Is this not phenomenal?

v. With all the intricacies in an operating computer manufactured by mankind, it is almost incredible to imagine what must be the “programming” in that original fertilized egg that had the design of the eye, the heart, the lungs all incorporated and cause to take place at the exact right timing?

Let’s talk about a pigeon, goose or duck and all like fowl
1. The fertilized egg a gain has all the above (as in the human fertilized egg) and hatches This about these special things

i. The feathers all have distinct coloring and design. This again was in that “computer”. Just study closely, given the opportunity, how perfectly fashioned is each feather and how it matches the overall design

ii. How do these fowl know how to build a nest?

iii. How do they know when to fly South (for those that do)

How do the orientate themselves?
Some studies indicate that the earth’s magnetic field provides the “homing device” and determines the knowledge when they have reached their destination
Then there are the crop circle, a very controversial phenomenom, that is being disputed to this day. What is common to all the different designs are discovered, is that they are perfectly formed and the stalks of grain are bent at a point above the ground and not crushed or trampled. They are formed within a few minutes.
1. a. Some studies indicate that these circles are usually formed in areas where the underlying soils have a specific chemical composition at a time when the magnetic fields simultaneously interact with other forces Secrets in the Fields by Freddy Silva circa 2002
2. b. The geometry sources of crop circles are also noted in that reference

E) Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

“…An aurora (plural: aurorae or auroras; from the Latin word aurora, “sunrise”) is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth’s magnetic field into the atmosphere. Aurora is classified as diffuse or discrete aurora. Most aurorae occur in a band known as the auroral zone,[1][2] which is typically 3° to 6° in latitudinal extent and at all local times or longitudes. The auroral zone is typically 10° to 20° from the magnetic pole defined by the axis of the Earth’s magnetic dipole. During a geomagnetic storm, the auroral zone will expand to lower latitudes. The diffuse aurora is a featureless glow in the sky which may not be visible to the naked eye even on a dark night and defines the extent of the auroral zone. The discrete aurorae are sharply defined features within the diffuse aurora which vary in brightness from just barely visible to the naked eye to bright enough to read a newspaper at night. Discrete aurorae are usually observed only in the night sky because they are not as bright as the sunlit sky. Aurorae occasionally occur poleward of the auroral zone as diffuse patches^[3] or arcs (polar cap arcs[4]), which are generally invisible to the naked eye.

In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), named after the Romangoddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621.[5] Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were rising from an unusual direction. Discrete aurorae often display magnetic field lines or curtain-like structures, and can change within seconds or glow unchanging for hours, most often in fluorescent green. The aurora borealis most often occurs near the equinoctes. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits”. In Europe, in the Middle Ages, the auroras were commonly believed a sign from God.[6]

Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis (or the southern lights), has almost identical features to the aurora borealis and changes simultaneously with changes in the northern auroral zone[7] and is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, New Zealand, and Australia.

Aurorae occur on other planets. Similar to the Earth’s aurora, they are visible close to the planet’s magnetic poles….”

F) Lightning

“….electrical discharge accompanied by thunder commonly occurring during a thunderstorm. The discharge may take place between one part of a cloud and another part (intracloud), between one cloud and another (intercloud), between a cloud and the earth, or earth and cloud. Lightning may appear as a jagged streak (forked lightning), as a vast flash in the sky (sheet lightning), or, rarely, as a brilliant ball (ball lightning). Illumination from lightning flashes occurring near the horizon, often with clear skies and the accompanying thunder too distant to be audible, is referred to as heat lightning. There are numerous theories on why charges accumulate in the atmosphere. It is thought that temperature and water vapor pressure in thunderstorm clouds are associated with the positive and negative ions that cause lightning. Long-lasting lightning flashes with lower current are more damaging to nature and humans than shorter flashes with higher currents…..”

G) Thunder

“….is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble (brontide). The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a sonic boom, which produces the sound of thunder, often referred to as a clap, crack, or peal of thunder. The distance of the lightning can be calculated by the listener based on the time interval from when the lightning is seen to when the sound is heard….”

H) Sun Spots

“….are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection by an effect comparable to the eddy current brake, forming areas of reduced surface temperature. Like magnets, they also have two poles. Although they are at temperatures of roughly 3000–4500 K (2727–4227 °C), the contrast with the surrounding material at about 5780 K (5500 °C) leaves them clearly visible as dark spots, as the luminous intensity of a heated black body (closely approximated by the photosphere) is a function of temperature to the fourth power. If the sunspot were isolated from the surrounding photosphere it would be brighter than an electric arc. Sunspots expand and contract as they move across the surface of the Sun and can be as large as 80,000 kilometers (50,000 mi) in diameter, making the larger ones visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope.^[1] They may also travel at relative speeds (“proper motions”) of a few hundred m/s when they first emerge onto the solar photosphere.

Manifesting intense magnetic activity, sunspots host secondary phenomena such as coronal loops (prominences) and reconnection events. Most solar flares and coronal mass ejections originate in magnetically active regions around visible sunspot groupings. Similar phenomena indirectly observed on stars are commonly called starspots and both light and dark spots have been measured….”^[2]

I) Radio Waves

“…are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 100 kilometers. Like all other electromagnetic waves, they travel at the speed of light. Naturally occurring radio waves are made by lightning, or by astronomical objects. Artificially generated radio waves are used for fixed and mobile radio communication, broadcasting, radar and other navigation systems, satellite communication, computer networks and innumerable other applications. Different frequencies of radio waves have different propagation characteristics in the Earth’s atmosphere; long waves may cover a part of the Earth very consistently, shorter waves can reflect off the ionosphere and travel around the world, and much shorter wavelengths bend or reflect very little and travel on a line of sight…..”

Compiled by E. Verigin from the Internet Wili Encyclopedia with other references where noted and Presented by Gramps at the Syringa Creek Family Campout Saturday, August 25, 2012

Elmer Verigin

~ My Journey through life Just stories and writings of Elmer Verigin

Category Archives: Family

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