The native village is a holy land. Pedigree of villages - A diploma from an agricultural institute helps in work

Thirty years ago Alexey Zhukov entered the Agricultural Institute, inspired by the example of his grandfather, who after the war worked as a combine operator and driver on a collective farm almost until his retirement. Today, Alexey Zhukov is developing the agricultural industry as the head of a municipal district, and devotes his free time to working on a personal plot that his grandfather once cultivated.

— There are 68 settlements in our region, so we are always in touch with the leaders of all three settlements. “They immediately inform me about where asphalt needs to be laid, the street illuminated, or the House of Culture needs to be repaired,” the mayor begins. “The fact is that the budgets of the settlements are small, and they do not have enough finances to resolve issues of local importance. When drawing up a draft budget for the next financial year, we take all this into account. When an extra penny appears during the quarterly redistribution of financial balances, it also goes to the needs of the settlements.

— Does each settlement have its own specifics or are the problems common to all?

— It is logical that in the Baikalovsky and Krasnopolyansky rural settlements with developed communal infrastructure there are many more issues in the field of housing and communal services than in the territory of the Bazhenovsky settlement, where there is no centralized heating supply and sanitation. In addition, in these two settlements, every year you need to take care of organizing a ferry crossing: this year, due to rains in Elani, the bridge was flooded by 267 centimeters, in the village of Gorodishche - by 195. But basically the problems are the same. First of all, these are issues of improvement and culture.

Sometimes my fellow countrymen, seeing how Baikalovo is developing, ask why the same is not being done in their small, fairly remote village. But what can be done in a regional center is not always easy to implement in a small town.

All these issues could be resolved faster, but it is necessary to reconsider the existing system for assessing the spending powers of rural settlements - all chapters without exception talk about this today. The principle of per capita financing of municipalities leads to the fact that a large but small territory is forced to restrain its needs and tailor its budget so that it is enough only for the bare essentials. But the country’s food security is ensured by people who live outside the Moscow Ring Road and EKAD. And for the agro-industrial sector to develop and be competitive, villagers must feel like masters of their land.

— On the Internet I found a 50-page general plan for the village of Yar, where only 20 people live. Why such a document?

— In the near future, such “passports” will appear in all settlements. When a problem has a name, it is easier to solve it. Based on these documents, we are preparing a strategic plan for the development of the territory; we will approve this document at the regional level next year.

— Which points of this plan do you consider the most important?

— Firstly, enter into the program of the Ministry of Energy and Housing and Communal Services to modernize the water supply system in the village of Baikalovo. Due to changes in SanPiN standards, the Malkovsky water pipeline project had to be finalized, and we are now submitting an application for funding next year. My second big dream is to build a new school in Baikalovo for 550 places - now more than 300 children study in the second shift. The third question is the road issue. Of the 300 kilometers of the district's road network, half are in need of repair. The most problematic areas are dirt roads in villages that remain from collective and state farms. Not everywhere they were well equipped, but it was up to us to work with this “legacy.” Over the past five years, with the support of the region, we have moved in this direction. Now, for example, we are covering three streets with asphalt in the village of Kalinovka.

— And the region pleasantly surprised us with its roads...

— Our city-forming enterprise is the road construction and repair company “Meliostroy”. She works successfully here and gives us fame throughout the region. For example, one of their objects is a bridge in the Alapaevsky district (Alexey Zhukov proudly points to a photograph hanging in a frame on the wall. - Ed.). The enterprise provides jobs (in summer the number of employees reaches 420 people, in winter - approximately 250), participates in the social life of our area and helps through patronage.

Historical photo: Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin - at the construction site of the future pig farm, 1981. Photo: from the archive of the administration of the Baikalovsky MR.

— There is a historical photo on the Internet: Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin at the construction site of a pig farm in Baikalovo in 1981. What's going on with this complex now?

— In the difficult years for agriculture in the nineties, it was closed, like many agricultural enterprises. But new ones have appeared on their basis, and they are very successful. Today in our region there are eight such enterprises and 25 peasant farms. Last year, the Vostochnaya agricultural company launched a barn for 200 heads in the village of Paletskova, and a barn for 367 heads appeared in Lipovka. A dairy complex for 600 animals will be built in the village of Beregovoy. All enterprises operate profitably, there are no lagging behind. Every year our agriculture shows growth of 3-4 percent, and we consistently hold third place in milk production among the territories of the Eastern District. Every year we put into operation one or two thousand hectares of unused land. Now there are still about 17 thousand hectares left on the territory that can be used profitably, so there is work for the coming five-year period.

— Irbit milk is always heard, but nothing is heard about Baikal milk. Why?

— Milk is brought to the Irbit dairy plant from several territories; a branch of the plant operates in Baikalovo itself, so our milk is part of this brand. And recently, the plant management made a proposal to equip another line for the production of milk powder and whey at the branch.

— Does your Agricultural Institute diploma help you in your work?

“I was lucky to stay in an agricultural area where these skills are needed every day. Modernization of equipment and machinery, assistance to agricultural enterprises and beginning farmers with paperwork, development of unused land - our villagers can always count on the help of the administration. In addition to doctors and teachers, we provide housing for agricultural workers. Livestock technician, mechanic, milkmaid - all professions are given equal priority. Over the course of five years, 35 young farmers were provided with housing.

— Do you have your own garden?

— In the village of Paletskova I have 25 acres of land, about 18 acres of which are occupied by potatoes. I inherited this plot from my grandfather. Taking care of the garden takes up most of my free time—I also spent last weekend there. And when the work is a joy, then the result pleases.

Help "OG":

Alexey Anatolyevich Zhukov was born in 1969.

In 1986 he entered the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization of the Sverdlovsk Agricultural Institute. After graduating from university, having worked for two years in his specialty at the Baikalovsky state farm, he was involved in the conscription of citizens for military service.

In 2006, he took the position of deputy head of the Baikalovsky district for social issues.

In October 2009, he was elected head of the municipal district.

In September 2013, he was re-elected for a second term.

Published in No. 133 of 07/25/2017

The whole life of Valentin Ivanovich Petrzyk is an example of fidelity. To your business, your beloved woman, your family, your small homeland. The nugget historian spent his entire life collecting material about his native village of Vershina and wrote a book about it. The manuscripts of the second book are also ready, but there is no publisher ready to bring unique historical material to a wide range of readers.

Lifelong diaries

We find our hero’s house in the village of Vershina unmistakably - by the tall, shaggy fir trees that shoot up, planted according to the number of children in the Pietrzyk family. The children have long grown up and moved away, but the Christmas trees still reach up to the sky, as a memory of their childhood.

The house and outbuildings are also the work of the owner. Wooden lace, high-quality gates, an ancient well - everything is built to last.

Valentin Ivanovich lived with his wife Elena Osipovna for 55 years. Isn't this an example of family fidelity?

Our hero is an extraordinary person. At 92 years old, he walks upright, works a lot, retains amazing memory acuity, a clear mind, and powers of observation.

Our acquaintance begins with Pushkin. The owner, smiling slyly, asks:

– Do you remember Tatyana’s letter to Onegin?

“If only I had the hope of seeing you at least rarely, at least once a week, in our village,” suddenly excited, as if in a literature lesson, I remember the classic.

- But they say you are unsociable. In the wilderness, in the village, everything is boring for you,” continues Valentin Ivanovich and reads the passage to the end with feeling...

Then he reads his poems about a parachutist flying over his native Vershina.

Poems are not random. And poetry took place in the life of our hero, and work in the parachute fire service of the air forest protection service. And there were 50 landings into the burning taiga. After an injury sustained in the service, I had to change my profession.

Valentin began working very early - in the family, besides him, there were five children and miserable need. When the Great Patriotic War began, he had to work at the Ziminsky timber plant, in the Cheremkhovo stone quarry, and at the Irkutsk aircraft plant. It was difficult for everyone in those years. Young Valentin and his comrades slept in canvas tents in winter and did not eat enough. Everything for the front. Everything for victory...

During his long life, Pietrzyk acquired many professions - carpenter, joiner, tailor, furrier. He worked as a foreman of an integrated brigade in Vershina, Dundai, and Kharagun. Then he worked as an agronomist and worked for seven years as secretary of the party committee of the Druzhba collective farm.

All his life, from childhood, Valentin Ivanovich continuously wrote personal diaries, in which he noted important events in the life of his family and village, recorded the memories of old people, personal observations, collected newspaper clippings, old documents, and photographs. For more than 60 years, he has kept student notes with Lenin’s works, where he describes in clear, calligraphic handwriting “How can we reorganize the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate.” In separate notebooks are his personal works on animal husbandry and crop production. A deep and active nature is hidden behind this rich archive.

Here it must be said that our hero’s pedigree is not simple - he is a descendant of Polish migrants who came to Siberia under the Stolypin reform. “Displaced people, not exiles,” emphasizes Valentin Ivanovich.

“This land gave me everything...”

The accumulated material prompted him to write his first book, “Little Poland in taiga Siberia.” It was published in 2008. The unique archive, lovingly and carefully collected, formed the basis of the book - the true history of the village of Vershina. The book tells about the development of Siberia in the 20th century, about the Polish settlers, their way of life and traditions. Collectivization, the formation of a collective farm, the history of a village school, nature, biographies of famous people - everything is reflected in this publication. The most incredible thing is that the author compiled a genealogy (literally wrote family trees) of all the pioneer settlers of the Summit. Why is it now very easy for their descendants to trace the family dynasty.

Granddaughter Svetlana Eduardovna provided assistance in publishing the book. The layout was assembled in Norilsk, and the book was printed in Moscow. Svetlana took out a loan for the publishing house, thanks to her “Little Poland in Taiga Siberia” was published in a circulation of 500 copies.

Valentin Pietrzyk writes: “In 1909, 623 thousand immigrants left the Kingdom of Poland for Siberia; during the first seven months of 1910 - 316 thousand. From this moment the history of the Siberian village of Vershina begins. The history of the village began with 59 Polish families of miners who came here from the Dombrovsky coal basin. The families disembarked the train in May 1910 at Cheremkhovo station. The village of Vershina was created in the 1910s by Polish volunteers who went to explore Siberia under the Stolypin reform program. Acute landlessness and poverty in the Western provinces pushed many to move in search of land and a better life.”

Valentin Ivanovich wrote about the life and traditions of the settlers: “Despite the difficult trials of life, everyday work around the house and in the field, the Poles found time to relax. On Sundays, it was considered a great sin to pick up an ax, cut with a saw, dig the ground, do laundry, and so on. The fast was strictly observed."

Recently, the author of the publication began collecting material for a second book with the working title “Turning Through the Pages of the Past. Hanzoi, Dundai, Kharagun." He still had a lot of material left that was not included in the publication about Vershina. These are materials about the history of neighboring villages, unique people who once lived in these areas.

For example, Sharkha Danilovna Nyagolova is a milkmaid at the Krasny Kharagun collective farm in Bokhan aimag. Having learned that tanks had begun to be prepared for the front in Irkutsk and a fundraiser had been announced, she eagerly responded to the call. I sold a cow from my personal farm, collected all my savings and donated 65 thousand rubles for the construction of a tank. The registered Sharkhi tank went to the front as part of the Irkutsk column. The crew of the combat vehicle, in the creation of which a simple Siberian peasant woman participated, successfully crushed the enemy. After the war, Sharkha Nyagolova was awarded a medal for her valiant work during the Great Patriotic War.

But when the second book will be published and whether the author will have time to do this during his lifetime is unknown. So far it has not been possible to find sponsors for the publishing house. One of the parliamentary funds that promised support for the publication of the book no longer remembers the veteran. But the author does not lose optimism and is confident that the book will make its way. Because both past and future generations need it. The past - as a memory of them, the future - as an edification in life.

– Every house on my land is a story. If I don’t do it, a lot will be forgotten and gone. This land has given me everything I have. “I have to thank her somehow,” says Valentin Ivanovich.

His life was happy. There are four children, 10 grandchildren and the same number of great-grandchildren in the Pietrzyk family. And they all scattered across a vast country from Moscow to the Far East. Son Anatoly is a submariner, daughter Tonya is a bibliographer, daughter Masha is a doctor, son Peter is a peasant in Dundai. A large friendly family loves their talented grandfather.

Even today he is full of strength and ideas. He collected his own pedigree up to the fourth generation, which contains 500 names. He dreams of painting and decorating a house that has become dilapidated over a long life. Continues to look for sponsors for a new book.

“I love life, and this keeps me going,” Valentin Ivanovich says goodbye.

Amazing man...

Dear residents of the villages of Stepanovo and Bogdanovka!

Please accept my heartiest congratulations on the wonderful anniversaries of your settlements!

190 years of Stepanovo and 115 years of Bogdanovka is a considerable period for the historical path.

For all of you, your native villages are not just a place of residence, it is a common home that unites people of different destinies, characters, generations into a single whole.

During the anniversary celebrations, you will remember with gratitude the first settlers who built the first huts on your native land, conquered fertile lands from the wild taiga and watered this land with their sweat. Bow to your fellow countrymen who fought with dignity on the fronts of the war, defending the freedom and independence of the Motherland, who forged the long-awaited victory in the deep rear.

Pay tribute of honor and respect to those who, in times of peace, glorified your small homeland with their selfless work.

The Ilansky district, including the “Krasny Khleborob” collective farm and the “Rodina” collective farm, have always been famous for agriculture, and this is the merit of several generations of people who have worked and continue to work on your land.

You are not standing still, today your task is not only to continue and preserve the traditions and history of your settlements, but also to create new things in socio-economic and cultural development.

I would like to wish you many, many good and kind anniversaries ahead. And this is only possible under one condition, if each of you feels personal responsibility for the fate of your small homeland.

I sincerely wish your territories stability and prosperity, and all residents - good health, more good and joyful events, happiness, prosperity, confidence in the future! Let peace, warmth and comfort always reign in your homes.

Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory

Victor Kardashov

Last weekend, residents of the villages of Stepanovo and Bogdanovka took part in anniversary celebrations. Every Russian village, large or small, like Stepanovo and Bogdanovka, has its own history, which is consonant with the history of great Russia. All these years, the villagers lived with their own worries and interests, through hard work they earned their daily bread, loved, raised children, fought with the enemy, experienced poverty, celebrated holidays, rejoiced at generous harvests, held weddings, mourned the dead, tried to preserve for their descendants the most precious thing - the Motherland. .

Everyone gathered for the big holiday: both those who live in the village today and those who left, but always remembered and returned here to visit. Everyone whose heart does not let go of their small homeland.

The ancient land of the fatherland, where the grass is like showers

I was born happy in this village.

I have become related to this land forever,

Here in early spring I fell in love for the first time.

Father's land, ancient land... birches, rowan trees.

I’ll walk through the village - it’s a name day in my heart.

A string of years flies like a flock of years...

The native village is a holy land

Almost two centuries

On June 24, Stepanovites celebrated the 190th anniversary of the formation of the village and the 50th anniversary of the rural House of Culture. The holiday took place on an improvised site near the village House of Culture. The host of the holiday, Anna Krasnopeeva, invited those gathered on an exciting trip in a comfortable train carriage with themed stops.

This holiday was held in a warm, truly homely atmosphere, where every guest who came was welcome. And the guests, without stinting on congratulations, cordially honored the heroes of the occasion and were unanimous in their wishes for further success and prosperity. On this day, the Stepanovites were greeted by the head of the district Olga Alkhimenko, the chairman of the district Council of Deputies Nikolai Ivashchenko, the head of the cultural department Galina Nikitova, the head of the Karapselsky village council Raisa Ratkevich, the director of Istochnik LLC Mikhail Bogatsky, the chairman of the trade union committee of PC-5 Nikolai Shipilo.

Diplomas from the head of the district for active social and professional activities were awarded to the director of the Stepanovsky SDK Martyshkina N.V., the head of the library T.V. Efremcheva, the paramedic M.V. Rudolf, school principal E.A. Shikolovich, postman E.S. Vysochina. A member of the creative team of the House of Culture, T.V. Shkirmanovskaya, and water supply controller N. Shakuro were awarded a certificate from the head of the Karapselsky village council. The title “Best Estate” was awarded to the family of Yuri and Tatyana Ilimov, spouses Tsilko and G.I. Shkirmanovskaya.

The head of the peasant farm, S.G. Korolkov, presented the Stepanovites with a lawn mower, which will help maintain the village street in order.

Young Stepanovites had a great time at the children's playground and took an active part in a master class on decorative and applied arts, organized by specialists from the museum and exhibition center.

It became possible to plunge into a pleasant wave of memories thanks to the photo exhibition “Here is the beginning of my Motherland”, organized by the regional archive, the Karapselsky village council and employees of the Stepanovsky House of Culture.

Homemade treats in farmsteads and holiday trade organically fit into the festive picture

A special emotional mood was created by the festive concert with the participation of local performers - students of the Stepanov school, as well as T. Shkirmanovskaya, L. Kalacheva, the famous Alexander and Natalia Krupenin, M. Tereshchenko, N. Kalashnikova, as well as Marina and Alexander Shikhsoltanov.

The holiday ended with an evening disco and fireworks, giving Stepanovsk residents an unforgettable experience.

Dear with all my heart

And on June 25, the residents of Bogdanovka celebrated the 115th anniversary of their amazingly cozy, picturesque village.

It is gratifying that on this day guests rushed to Bogdanovka from the regional center, the city of Krasnoyarsk, and neighboring areas. The head of the district Olga Alkhimenko, the chairman of the district Council of Deputies Nikolai Ivashchenko, and the head of the Sokolovsky village council Mikhail Romanovsky shared the festive mood with the Bogdanovites.

For many years of work, social and professional activities, veterans milkmaids L.A. Romanova and V.N. received certificates from the head of the district. Babushkina, as well as the head of the rural library N.V. Stupneva and machine operator V.A. Baranov.

The honorary guests of the holiday were old-timers L.G. Vnukova and E.I. Enina.

In his speech, the head of the Sokolovsky village council noted the work of the head of the Bogdanovsky club O.V. Romanova and proudly presented the gift to the head of the Igolkin family, into which a baby was born on the eve of the celebration.

Heads of peasant farms I.I. Shpakovsky and A.K. Leidner encouraged the best farm workers with wonderful, much needed gifts and bonuses on the farm.

Those who were born, worked or lived in Bogdanovka in different years came to the anniversary. Former students warmly greeted the daughters of the oldest teacher of the Bogdanov school, Maria Andreevna Shirshikova. This meeting turned out to be very warm and touching, because the memory of the heart does not care about years or distance.

Local artists presented a festive concert to their fellow villagers. The holiday ended, the sounds of music died down, and the Bogdanovites slowly went home, taking with them a piece of the festive mood and warm words of heartfelt congratulations.

Anniversary celebrations took place in different parts of the Ilan land on these two days off. They turned out to be different, original, but they were united by the words of declaration of love that sounded both in Stepanovo and Bogdanovka and became the main ones:

Dear village, I, as a mother, wish you well!

As my dear, I wish you love!

As a best friend, I wish you success!

Live long, dear village

And let these holidays become a bright, memorable event and serve as a new impetus for inspired work for the benefit of the settlements, for the benefit of all its inhabitants.

Editorial project “Disappeared villages. Unforgotten pages of history" resonated with our readers. We receive a lot of feedback after publishing about small villages and villages, even from other regions and regions. Former residents of the rural hinterland are close and understandable to thoughts and stories about villages and villages. Before their eyes passes the fate of a settlement with an interesting past, once full of life, but now fading...

Today we invite you to the village of Troitskoye, Sheinsky village council.

Historical reference
Troitskoye (Old Selo), a Russian village located on the right bank of the Tolkovka River. It was formed around 1800 on the site of the old village of Sheino, which was moved to a new location between 1762 and 1782. Named after the former church in the name of the Holy Trinity in the village of Sheino. Before the abolition of serfdom, Troitskoye, together with Kozlovka, belonged to the landowner Agrafena Bulanina as the village of Staroye Selo in Kerensky district. In two villages there were 514 peasants, the peasants had 115 households on 176 acres of estate land, 1000 acres of arable land. The landowner has 2,200 acres of land.
In 1911 - the village of Sheinsky volost of Kerensky district, the estate of German landowners Hartman. In 1864, 275 people lived here, in 1911 - 375, in 1930 - 543, in 1979 - 326, in 1996 - 146. Now 36 residents are registered in the village of Troitskoye.

This place is not quite ordinary. Strozhok, Fedin ravine, Groshevo field, Tatar forest, Zemtsova peak, Pugachevsky shaft, Barsky garden. Why Tatarsky, why Pugachevsky, Barsky? A native resident of the village, Vera Ivanovna Khokhlova, helped us answer some of these questions. Together with her and the head of the village administration, Yuri Viktorovich Martyanov, we traveled around the entire village.
Immediately at the entrance to the village of Troitskoye, one can feel its, if one can say, involvement in antiquity. On the right side rises a number of buildings that are unusual for the modern eye: hay sheds, where the villagers stored hay for the cattle. And now “no livestock, no hay,” they don’t keep livestock in their yards, and hay fields stand as a reminder of the past.
And in general, this village differs from the current “developed” settlements. There are still stone cellars across the road from the houses, where the harvest is so well stored until spring (not like in our apartment basements). The bathhouses are still heated in black. There are buildings covered with wood chips. There are many stone houses made of ancient red brick with hipped roofs and even adobe ones. For the young and urban, we explain: bricks for the walls of adobe houses were made from a mixture of clay, straw and water. The dwellings turned out to be warm, dry and, most importantly, fire-resistant.
“From time immemorial, there were only two streets in the village,” says Vera Ivanovna Khokhlova, “the current Sadovaya used to be Klyuchevaya. You see, everything goes downhill, in the spring clear streams run down the hill - hence the name. The school street was called Sadovaya, along it there is a road to the once famous Trinity Gardens, to the Barsky Garden. There was, however, a small street in the outskirts, for some reason it was called Brekhalovka,” our guide adds with a smile. - There is now only one house left, summer residents are coming.
Summer residents here are those who arrive in the village for the summer: from Moscow, Penza, Pachelma. Plant a vegetable garden, take honey from the apiary, stock up on mushrooms and berries, fortunately the local surroundings are very rich in these gifts. Then the old houses come to life, we are glad that the owners have returned to them. And in the fall, closer to winter, the windows are shuttered again, boarded up, and the village houses go into hibernation...
The village welcomes its children with joy. It gave many a start in life and raised them on its bread. There are military men among them. For example, Vladimir Yuryevich Yurin, who was born and raised here, joined the Army, studied in Tambov, and served as a military pilot in the Far East. Vasily Fedorovich Shmonin is a military surgeon, Alexey Nikolaevich Kolganov is a colonel. Among our fellow countrymen there are doctors, teachers, administrative workers, lawyers, field and factory workers.
- Previously, there were five or six children in each yard. Now there are practically only pensioners left,” Vera Ivanovna says with regret. - Everyone wants to go to the city, away from backbreaking village labor.
Yes, it seems that it is good for people to move closer to civilization. But there is no such thing as a bad motherland! The village cultivates conscience, patience, morality, purity of soul...
Troitskoye is a bright and somehow joyful village, there are almost no weeds, which is the “sin” of other small villages. The houses where the residents live are all neat and well-groomed.
We enjoyed walking along the streets of Trinity. Here is a spring with delicious water. It was recently renovated by the villagers themselves. They are lucky: there is running water here, but sometimes you just want to drink spring water! And children who come to visit take the native water with them. And how a spring comes to the rescue when breakdowns occur with the water supply.
And this is a bathhouse, heated in black. I immediately remember my grandmother’s bathhouse with the aroma of smoke, into which they carried water from the river. Next to this bathhouse, the villagers also built a spring - from there they take water for washing.
Autumn is the time to prepare firewood. We saw piles of chopped fresh firewood near many houses. Somewhere they are already stacked in woodpiles. Near one yard we were surprised by wood-burning masterpieces - original, cone-shaped woodpiles. Others are still preparing to move their firewood to a permanent storage location. So Vera Ivanovna’s husband, Alexander Grigorievich, was preparing firewood for the winter. We wanted to capture this process on camera. But the owner turned out to be very modest and refused the “honor” offered to him to be published on the pages of “Native Land”. It's a pity.…
But Vera Ivanovna was a very useful interlocutor for us. It should be noted that our newspaper has been friends with her for a long time. IN AND. Khokhlova worked as a librarian for many years; she used to write articles for newspapers and talk about her events. She knows a lot about her native village and its history.
“From my grandmother’s stories, I remember that our village was once called Staraya Kozlovka. Those who came from it organized the current Kozlovka, 5 kilometers from Pachelma.
Read more in the next issue.

Finally we did it!

We decided to leave the city.

And how difficult it is to get off the beaten track: work - home - work - shop - home. And a lot of fears: “What can I live on in the village?” But everything worked out well for us; my husband and I are ripe for the village. And his retirement (military) also contributed to this. In addition, in the village it takes half as much money to live freely as in the city.

Local summer residents scared us in the fall: “You’ll run away in a month.” Maybe because they themselves go to the cities every winter.

And we liked spending the winter! The cleanest air and water all year round!, and not just on vacation. A calm pace of life, great opportunities for creativity, there is time to plan spring and summer affairs. Here we discovered the joy of skiing; there was simply no time for it in the city. How beautiful are the snow-covered trees sparkling in the sun! Majestic spruces and slender pines! The space is even wider - there are no foliage. Driving between estates, you rejoice for your neighbors, who have new buildings appearing on their plots over the past summer.

And we experienced the disadvantages of a poorly insulated house. We bought a house in the village five years ago and lived in it only in the summer. And in winter they heated it well, and it began to dry out, and large gaps appeared between the boards. The house was insulated where the wind was blowing from. In the summer we decided to tackle this thoroughly, to make the ceiling and floor more airtight. Let's take all this into account when building our house on the estate.

In addition to our family, two other families spent the winter this year. And so, with the help of three families, we decided to hold a New Year’s puppet show for our children and neighboring village children, with competitions and gifts. For a whole month we sewed dolls, rehearsed roles and thought through everything. The children were very happy, and for us their joy is the best reward.

We conceived one more thing with our small team and we were supported by our neighbors who are still wintering in the cities. This is to begin work on transferring the remaining uncut forests around the settlement to specially protected forest areas. So far we have just submitted an application to the district forestry enterprise. Evidence work lies ahead. The World Wildlife Fund supports us and we are full of determination and optimism!

Every day, in addition to housework, my son and I study the general education curriculum for the third grade. Dad takes care of languages and physical education, and mom takes care of other subjects. For the arrival of the birds, Alexander (father) and Valery (son) make a birdhouse and a titmouse (in which nightingales can also live).