Friday, February 26, 2010

The Last Weekend of February, 2010

Hello Again!

The mailman was generous this week. He brought me three packs of books from Daniel Baranick in Minot. One book was titled the


Years of Despair, North Dakota in the DepressionPrepared by Dr. Jerome Tweton and Daniel Rylance, both well known historians in North Dakota. The book was written about the 1930’s and published in 1973. I am reminded of Dr. MacCullen’s admonition, you need to know the past to understand the present and plan the future.

I was a preschooler at the time of the drought and depression. Mother had a garden alongside the Green River and we used the river to water the garden. As we carried our little buckets and with small rusty cans dipped some water and carefully watered the cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers. I would think how happy the plants were to get this drink of water. Using the water sparingly was the beginning of my conservativeness which has carried over to adulthood.

This book is filled with graphs comparing the income from crops in1924 which was 225million dollars to a drop of 25 million in 1931. In 1933, the government sent out grant checks for $20.00 The gov’t also offered seed loans and the farmers survived another year. Then the government organized the WPA and Dad went to haul scoria on the road to Ukraina. Sister Mary went to the neighbors where the government held classes teaching farm girls to sew. Farm boys were offered work in the Civilian Conservation Corp. They were offered $25. – 20 dollars were sent home to help the family and the young men received $5.But the boys also got a forest greenuniform to wear. Local boys serving in the CCC camp were Stanley Kordonowy, Nick Barabash, Nick Symionow.Aren’t these the kinds of programs that people tell our present government to do.

Dr. Halich arrived on the scene during the 30’s to research material for his doctorate. He wrote articles that were published in a national Ukrainian newspaper titled Ukrainian Villages in North Dakota. In my collection of research material, I found his story on Wilton. He told about the prosperity in Wilton with coal mining. He pointed out that while the coal mines were in operation, the miners earned $120. Every two weeks. In Wilton, Mr. Pete Bodner build the most beautiful house in the town of Wilton. Another objective of the miners was a good education for the children and young people. In 1933, three Ukrainians were teachers, many were stenographers and even one was elected to the School Board. Dr. Halich inserted an interesting story about a Swedish boy named Green who spoke Ukrainian. The boy was a total orphan. A Ukrainian family, Mr. Mrs. Zazulia Chubej took him into their home and raised him with their children. Mrs. Chubej insisted that the boy who ate Ukrainian bread and lives in a Ukrainian house, must speak Ukrainian. Renamed Hrytsko, Dr. Halich writes that age 17, Hrytsko spoke Ukrainian. He was a Swedish American Ukrainian.



While visiting the Ukrainians in wilton, Dr. Halich noted that very few read Ukrainian newspapers or had books in their homes. He admonished the people that they spent money for horilka rather than reading material.

On a lighter note, we all know that Ukrainians like mushrooms. Traveling one Sunday afternoon, after a rain, we saw several gentlemen with big paper sacks walking the pasture picking mushrooms. That is also what we as kids, would do after the rain. Sometimes we’d find only a couple of meadow mushrooms but that was enough to flavor the soup with a milk base.

Son Bill has been telling me about the wonderful stuffed mushrooms Mary Armbrust makes. I hinted around to Bill that he should ask Mary for her recipe, but to no avail.I searched my recipe books and found one recipe which called for sautéed stems in butter with onions. I read the recipe many times and made the stuffed mushrooms. They weren’t the kind Mary makes. So I finally called Mary. Tonight we are having stuffed mush rooms Mary Armbrust style. If you want the recipe, call Mary.

Rosemary Demaniow

Rosemary Demaniow left many mementos to tell the world she was here on this earth. They will be with us for many years.


UCI sponsored a show of Rosie’s paintings – enough art o fill a gallery. There was apples and crocks, so realistic were they painted ,one wanted to pick up an apples and take a bite. Her love for cats was the painting she called Aspiration. One had to have memories from the time we used a cream separator to get our cream. Her painting showed a cat trying to catch a taste of the cream as the separator did the separation. Then there were the cats on a ladder, their coats slick from their own cleansing. Country living was shown in the tools of the trade and in the portrait of Johnny Phill and much more. Perhaps the artistic gift was a gift from God, but Rosemary developed it. Her paintings received awards at many fall Art shows.

Rosemary learned to cross stitich on her own and embroidered a blouse to wear at the Smithsonian Festival we were featured in Washington, DC in 1975. It was an enjoyable week sight seeing in DC. And I’m sure you can imagine the excitement it generated in Rosemary as historic reality replaced imagination. We sang, the young folks danced, we made pyrohy/varenyky and we visited with hundred of people viewing the Festival. Fr. Bobersky taught us a challenging program of songs – Taras Shevchenko’s Dumy moi – My thoughts, Chervona Kalyna – the red cranberry, He pora – It is no longer time to serve the conquerors and the fun song, Oj pid haem, haem. With Rosemary in the alto section, we sang at Festivals, at UCI productions. Who could forget Marusia’s Ukrainian Wedding debuted at the centennial celebration of the University of ND in Grand Forks and followed a presentation in Medora, St. Demetrius Church grounds and Dickinson’s Chatauqua.

Besides her artistic talents, there was Rosemary’s curiosity, her wanting to learn and learn she did – languages, the music, writing compositions and arrangements. She met the challenges of the creative world, and the world is richer for Rosemary was here.

1946-2010
                                                                        

1 comment:

  1. Rosemary was one extrodinary lady. I have the memories of her with the shop that she had in Belfield,on main street. Plus, if I am not wrong she used to babysit for my mom and dad. I will cherish the memories that she has given me. Thanks Roesmary, May the lord take care of you. You will have a place in my heart daily.

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