Yesterday was an exhausting day which meant that I slept soundly all night and, even so, I felt that I could have slept for the rest of the day. There were so many recollections of yesterday’s services and conversations with people that all day long my mind was filled with joy. Today happens to be […]
Daily Diary
by Vladika Varlaam
SUNDAY 23 JUNE 2019
The voice of Larissa from Victoria was of help at the kliros both at Matins and Liturgy and we were happy to see her once again. It appears that we will be without Vanya helping in the altar for a couple of months as he will be in Latvia together with most of the Lashkovs. […]
SATURDAY 22 JUNE 2019
Although it is officially summer, today’s weather was not seasonal, but rather cool, not that we were complaining. Half a dozen volunteers showed up and one could immediately feel the energy that was emanating from them. It was scrub here, vacuum there, clean everywhere and the entire day was dedicated to work. In the morning […]
FRIDAY 21 JUNE 2019
I was reminded that today was the summer solstice and now the days will be getting shorter. It is a somewhat sad thought, yet summer and its oppressive heat is still to come. Liudmila left piles of the obnoxious morning glory vines that she had pulled out and also unwrapped from around the raspberry canes […]
THURSDAY 20 JUNE 2019
Vladika Lazar left for our local college early this morning to attend a seminar but when he did not return by two in the afternoon I began to worry which ultimately was not necessary as he had stayed on for the afternoon session, after which some of the people gathered for a lengthy discussion. There […]
WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2019
An immense crash of thunder a few minutes ago made me hurry to get today’s diary before we hear the heavy winds which then cause a loss of electricity and a few hours of waiting until it is restored. Since we live in a valley and right up against a granite cliff, such noise seems […]
TUESDAY 18 JUNE 2019
Today’s entry should be called “The Mystery Of The Missing Pizza Cutters” and I shall explain what this is all about. We are not great pizza eaters but occasionally we pop one in the oven and in no time at all, it is ready to be enjoyed. Over the years we have had many such […]
MONDAY 17 JUNE 2019
Each one of us has been complaining about arthritic pains, so there must be a change of weather in the near future. I used to think that it was all nonsense, but now that I do have arthritis in various joints, I tend to agree that weather changes somehow bring on the pains. Father Moses […]
SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2019
Today is Father’s Day, although we do not celebrate it. Many decades ago in the United States some people felt sorry for themselves for not having feast days, and consequently they began Mother’s Day which grew in great popularity. Then followed Father’s Day and a whole string of other “days”. Before long we can expect […]
SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2019
Most of the baptisms we have are at eleven o’clock and I had forgotten that today’s baptism was at one in the afternoon, not that it made any great difference other than throwing me into some confusion. The baby, Valerie, was a delight to behold and to baptize, with not even a squeak out of […]
FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019
This is the day we had been waiting for, that is, we could pick up our Jeep and how wonderful it was to once again get into it with plenty of legroom and not having the legs turn into pretzels! It felt like a reunion with an old friend. I took the advice the baker […]
THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2019
We have been using a courtesy car while our Jeep is in for repairs and I can hardly wait to get our own vehicle back. The one we were given is a newer model Jeep but I can barely get in and out of it, as well as bonking my head and twisting my legs […]
WEDNESDAY 12 JUNE 2019
Early this morning when I turned on the faucet, there was no water, Even though I was ready to panic, I hurried to the laundry room where the water pump and tank are located. I could not see anything wrong and meanwhile Vladika Lazar phoned Andy to rush over to see if he could do […]
TUESDAY 11 JUNE 2019
It was hot today, reaching 30 degrees and I had to water the plants in my little garden twice, otherwise some of them would not have survived another day. Dima, Elena and Olga came bearing food for us and, although I was not especially hungry, I enjoyed what they had brought, in addition to their […]
MONDAY 10 JUNE 2019
Not realizing how dry the soil was, I hastily watered the plants near the cottage, some of which were already withering. This reminded me of how this task of daily watering will continue throughout the summer, at times having to water the plants twice each day. But, if I happen to complain about that, I […]
SUNDAY 9 JUNE 2019
I had the opportunity to meet and converse with a number of people who were here for only the second or third time in addition to those who came for the very first time. Of course it is difficult to carry on a long conversation after the Agape meal with people milling about, some simply […]
SATURDAY 8 JUNE 2019
How tempting it was to sleep all morning but it was not to be. Someone called early and talked for a long time, so the temptation to sleep more had completely vanished. Besides, it was Saturday and there was much to be done. Kirill’s chihuahua Mimi spent part of the day with us. I must […]
FRIDAY 7 JUNE 2019
Vladika Lazar dropped me off at the superstore before going for his physiotherapy. For the last three years it was an ordeal to shop there due to its size and the pain in my hip that was caused by having to walk great distances in this megastore. Today, on the other hand, I spent an […]
THURSDAY 6 JUNE 2019
Not having expected to see many people come for the liturgy on this feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many did come. At the meal following the service, our friends Anysim and his son Xenon sang the Lord’s Prayer in their Old Believer way. Hearing them sing, […]
WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE 2019
I came across several photo albums that belonged to our dear friend George who died a few years ago and, while glancing through them, I found many photos taken here at the monastery that we should show our readers. A photo can often say more than words. We miss George, a true and faithful friend, […]
TUESDAY 4 JUNE 2019
Breakfast this morning consisted of old fashioned slow cooking rolled oats, using a method that Princess Elena Vladimirovna Andiysky [eternal be her memory] had taught me about fifty five years ago, if not more. She used it for preparing buckwheat kasha, but it works just as well with rolled oats. Take a heavy sauce pan, […]
MONDAY 3 JUNE 2019
I did not go out yet to investigate, but Father Moses thought that the icon simply fell off the cedar tree because the bark behind it had begun to rot and the weight of the icon caused it to fall. Actually it is not just an icon but a triangular frame to which it was […]
SUNDAY 2 JUNE 2019
A couple of mysteries arose overnight, with an abundance of bread left on the kitchen table, while the Lithuanian cold beet soup vanished, as did a huge cheese cake. Moreover, the icon hanging on the cedar tree next to the holy well was lying on the ground. Either someone tore it off, or a raccoon […]
SATURDAY 1 JUNE 2019
We baptized Katerina, a little eleven month old baby whose ancestry is interesting. On her father’s side she is Dutch and French, while on her mother’s side she is Korean and Russian. It was a delight to see a huge number of people present for the baptism, most of whom looked Korean to one extent […]
Friday, May 31, 2019
It was easy to tell that it was hot today by looking at how people were dressed in town, in fact, some were scarcely dressed and it was not that long ago when it would have looked scandalous to see people on the street dressed in such a manner. How things change! Andy’s friend spent […]
Thursday, May 30, 2019
A Constant Contact bulletin was sent out today, informing those who are on its list about the services on 6 June [Ascension], 15 June [Memorial Saturday with a memorial service after Vespers], 16 June [Pentecost] and, finally, 23 June [Healing Service at 4 pm]. Please keep these dates in mind. I had written about the […]
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Once again I struggled with the wild morning glory vines, this time trying to free the rhododendrons from this invasive weed. It is difficult to imagine how quickly it spreads and, as I mentioned before, several vines can wrap themselves around one stem of a flower or bush and practically pull it to the ground. […]
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Today was an ideal day for doing some gardening. I tackled the wild morning glory vines that are strangling the raspberry bushes which is a never ending job. They are so invasive that they can weigh down raspberry canes so much that the canes can even crack. While working on this, I came across a […]
Monday, May, 2019
After a good night’s sleep, one would think that it would be easy to get up in the morning, yet I felt like sleeping for another couple of hours. Once I was up there was much to do. Being old does not mean that one has to be idle. Once again, at the post office, […]
Sunday, May 26, 2019
I had problems with my computer yesterday so I had to use Vladika Lazar’s computer, but the voice recognition microphone was on part of the time and thus there were some errors. The two names were not supposed to be Aviate and Georghe, but Ovidiu and Gheorghe. Sorry about that. I am using my own […]
Saturday, May 25, 2019
We baptized little Apfeya this morning, the daughter of a family that came all the way from Fort McMurray in Alberta for this occasion. We were touched that they wanted the baptism to be performed here at this monastery. Aviate and Georghe brought us a renovated electric scooter that I had to try immediately. It […]
Friday, May 24, 2019
We baptized little Miron today and he surprised us all by not uttering even a single whimper which is unusual, as most babies tend to cry at least a bit during the service. After this event, I baked a prosphora which I trust will be suitable for Sunday’s liturgy, but it did turn out be […]
Thursday, May 23, 2019
On our way to the new church, Vladika Lazar and I dropped into the kitchen. We were fortunate to meet our Thursday helpers, Marina and Tatiana, who had already made a fish dish and a cold soup called “okroshka” which is either loved by many, or else hated with a passions by others. I happen […]
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
I thought that I would not bother to transplant anything this year, yet I could not refrain from doing so. The snapdragons I bought were put into some of the pots and containers at the corner of the cottage, making this area look pretty and homey. Andy came to cut the grass which had already […]
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
I felt sorry for Vladika Lazar this afternoon when he went to the clinic for an appointment with his doctor. There usually is a wait, but today he sat for an hour and then was told that it might take another hour before he could see the doctor, so Vladika had to leave, first making […]
Monday, May 20, 2019
It was exactly as we had expected. Today is Victoria Day and it usually rains on this day which is fine for the farmers and gardeners, but disappointing for campers who return home Monday evening, looking forlorn after having hoped for a bright and hot weekend. A large group of young Copts came with some […]
Sunday, May 19, 2019
I had no sooner stepped into the hall, on my way to the church this morning, when Misha rushed up to inform me that he had caught a bat in the hall when he had arrived. There were three of them, in fact, but two of them escaped. Naturally, this caused commotion later, as he […]
Saturday, May 18, 2019
As a group of people walked up to the monastery entrance, Father Moses remarked on how big the baby was, “He is huge and how are we going to fit him in the baptismal font?” “No,” replied I, “you are mistaken because he has a beard and is as tall as you.” There was obviously […]
Friday, May 17, 2019
Some things had to be picked up in Abbotsford, so Vladika Lazar drove there and, after picking up what we had ordered, I went to a store called No Frills and was pleased to find all that was needed and at reasonable prices. Then, it was my turn to drive, so I drove back all […]
Thursday, May, 16 2019
Our beloved Svetlana Vasilievna, who lives in Volgograd, telephoned a few minutes ago to ask everyone to pray for her. On Monday she will take the train to Moscow where she we have a medical examination on Tuesday morning in the lengthy process of being granted permission to move to Canada to join her family. […]
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Today happened to be an important day for me, as I drove for the first time in a couple of months. It felt so simple and natural to drive Vladika Lazar to Mission for his physiotherapy session, then back to the monastery. It almost felt as if I had not given up driving for even […]
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
After a few hot days, one tends to forget what a cool morning is like. In fact, even my nose felt cold when I awoke, but I resisted turning on the heat, knowing that it would surely warm up as the day progressed. As well, it had rained overnight so the air smelled completely different. […]
Monday, May 13, 2019
Perhaps Sunday proved to be much too stimulating because I spent much of the night awake, unable to sleep but since I do not have a tight schedule, I was able to take a good nap this afternoon. I set out to water plants but did not achieve much success when I realized that rain […]
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Today was an unusual Sunday in that many of our regular worshippers were absent, the first time in many weeks but, on the other hand, many people came for the first time, including a large group of Serbs. Actually, I would like to ask a couple of women to volunteer to clean the large candle […]
Saturday, May 11, 2019
A few Georgians came early in the morning to continue working on the pavilion, and they were joined by others who came throughout the day. Davey brought his Bobcat to cut down the bush that bordered on the pavilion, so that one could see that much progress had been made today. After serving a memorial […]
Friday, May 10, 2019
There was a bit of confusion about Father Moses and his birds. He resuscitated the humming bird one day and a robin the following day. He managed to photograph the humming bird while holding it, but the photo was not available that evening, so it was shown the following day when I wrote about the […]
Thursday, May 09, 2019
While Thomas, our guest from Iowa, had gone to Vancouver to attend a meeting, our faithful women arrived to prepare their weekly food contribution. I never seem to see them in the kitchen, so I at least used the phone to express our gratitude. Andy found the time to transplant a large fig tree that […]
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
We had another beautiful day for the visit of Dr. Thomas Bottai, an old friend of this monastery, who is the director of the Department of Toxicology in the state of Iowa. It is always a pleasure to have him visit us and today was no exception. Other visitors brought us real Ukrainian borshch which […]
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
The good news I have today is that Father Moses [aka Doctor Moses] once again proved himself capable of reviving birds and giving them new life. He nursed the little humming bird until it was strong enough to fly away. Several volunteers showed up to do some gardening, including transplanting the Saskatoon bushes, and watering […]
Monday, May 6, 2019
I spent part of the day in the hospital where I had a bone scan, the first time ever for me. It was interesting, but somewhat lengthy and I was happy when it ended. I truly am glad that Vladika Lazar can drive me to such appointments and even for a short ride whenever the […]