Letters from Nikolaevsk

Annitta

12-19-98 -- Moose droppings and vestments

Hi from the village of falling nuggets:

There was a moose in the village today. A large cow going from snow deep yard to snow deep yard and munching on berry bushes. I wonder if the cow knows this is a fasting period and the men aren't allowed to hunt? Of course, hunting season for moose is over with, but... this is a remote Russian village.

She wandered around in our back yard for awhile and found poor vittals so she sauntered over to the Gregg's where there are mighty berry bushes. Teressa workd extremely hard during the season with her raspberry bushes and currants. I'm sure the moose with send a thank you note.

Someone, a long time ago, got a brillant idea about moose droppings. Tourists will buy anything... and I do mean anything. There are shellacked moose nugget earings, stir sticks, little moose nugget animals, moose nugget necklaces and moose nuggets what-nots. Everytime one browses at the frozen salad bar and leaves a deposit, it is looked upon as manna from a large brown and furry rear end. All one has to do is to rush outside with a bucket and retrieve the little darlings.

The real trick is using the paint brush and the shellack. One nugget is not longer than an inch. It's sort of like placer mining for gold. Use that pan, swirl it around, and grab onto the biggest one you see. A large moose nuggest is worth its weight in, well, in tourist dollars.

Now, trying to convince a bunch of macho Russian males to go nugget picking is not recommended for one's health. However, I should think that after seeng the size of the mammoth mamma who paid us a visit today, there should be some record size nuggets laying around. Maybe the grandson needs some exercise.

I think though, that Russian noses were pressed hardily against window panes as the momma moose sauntered pass and there weren't thoughts of nuggets on their minds.

I knew there was something in the air. Someone put me on a Russian Orthdox mailing list and I get these really strange messages, but the neatest one is from this village. One of the priests wants to know what color vestment he is supposed to wear during this Holy time of the Orthodox Old Believers and the Old Rite Believers and if the priestess wears a different color. Oh yeah, wars have been fought over less religious questions then this. Looks like married priests wear a different color than old unmarried priests which is a different color than a young non-married priest. Though it is hard to imagine an unmarried male above the age of twenty.

My son has had Russians come up to him in our itty bitty post office, which by the way, closes whenever a Russian holiday raises it head - at least a zillion times a month - and have tried to get him to marry a sister, aunt, cousin, etc.. A single male is considered to be a strange beastie and if unmarried, has no opinion on anything and must live at home with parents until married. There is an unmarried priest who is in his thirties and lives with his parents and will continue to do so until married. Gossip abounds!

Well, better go and get the bucket and the grandson.

Bless,
annitta

from downtown nuggets galore Nikolaevsk