Inger Pauline Kitchen

Written by Inger..

I was born August 12, 1933 to Marie and Aksel Petersen in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada. I was the fifth child born to them.

Mom was a great mother to all of her children. she kept a clean, happy home for everyone. we use to have the opportunity, when little, of sitting on the mop while she swung us around the floors dusting. she was a great cook and knew how to get by on very little. The butcher use to give her dog bones even when he knew she didn't own a dog just so she could make soup for us. She would trade food coupons to bake a cake once in while for a treat. Mom sewed a lot of our clothes. Flour sacks were the main fabric in those days. I got mostly hand-me-downs being the youngest.

Knitting and crocheting were her hobbies. The last thing I remember her making was an indian sweater for the boys. she would split the yarn so as to make it lighter and the yarn would go farther. Her hands eventually stopped her from doing the things she loved to do to pass the time.

Dad was not home as much as we wanted, but knew that fishing was his livelihood so we knew he was doing his best for all of us. He would hunt from his boat, when anchored in some bay or inlet near the beach, where he could shoot a deer to salt down for later use. we had a lot of canned deer meat which I remember real well, as we had no choice but to eat it over, and over again. I remember dad salting down the thigh and leg of a deer so that when it was as jerky, he would hang it in the basement and all we had to do was take a sharp knife and go down and slice a piece whenever we wanted. That was so great!

Dad pickled a lot of herring which was enjoyed by all of us including friends. when he was fishing in the North during wartime, he had to have a gun positioned in the bow should the enemy come from Russia. He fished for halibut up North and had six crew members if I remember correctly. His pickled herring sure was a hit with everyone the stores couldn't compare to it. He made his own fish lures that he called "hootchy kootchies" they resembled baby squid. Oh yes, I remember that we all had to have our own gas mask during the war and even practiced at school in case the enemy should come. we had to have special blinds to keep the light from showing during the night should planes come over and see the town.

When dad took mom, Arnold and I to Nanaimo to live, we had to go on his 45' Troller which, I might add, was quite an experience for me as Arnold had been fishing with dad many times and that was my first long trip. I would get pretty nauseated and I remember dad tying me to the mast while sitting on a chair so I could get the fresh air and not fall overboard. I could see the fins of dolphins swimming along side at times and thought they were sharks at first. Arnold would eat something in front of me when he knew how sick I was (brotherly love). He thought it was great fun when someone else had a turn at seasickness.

On our way to Nanaimo, dad would anchor in bays, or inlets so that we could get a good night's sleep. we had a kelp fight one time. I remember dad bringing onto the boat large bunches of kelp and chopping them up so we could have some fun. who says he wasn't recreational?

Mom told me once dad had fallen overboard. He couldn't swim so he made a point of tying a rope around him and the mast just in case something like that would happen. It's a good thing he knew how to take care of himself being a lone fisherman so much of the time. He would tie up with other fishermen who were anchored for the night just so he could have some company once in awhile. I am sorry he didn't trade a lot of his stories with me. Maybe they were not in good taste for little girls. He did tie up with other boats during the night where he was able to visit with other fishermen.

That helped with the loneliness!

When I was about four years old, I remember to this day that my dad grab me by the elastic in my underpants and carried me into the house and dropped me because I had stuck my tongue out at him. Can you imagine that? Me down there and the elastic in his hand up a ways? He didn't take any guff from his kids they had to behave. It was funny later on, but sure made an impression at the time. We had cows that use to walk by our place to the pasture so I think dad probably was just protecting me from them when I became smart alecky.

I use to go skating with my siblings when I was about 12 years old. I Know they didn't particularly want me to go with them, but mom insisted. I remember having to climb this mountain where torches were placed to see our way along the path that was made for us. There were several lakes on that mountain, but one stood out in my mind that was crowded with people skating. Bonfires were placed in various spots to make it easier to miss where there was land and not ice. Also for warmth! I had such a great time and to this day, am surprised my mom allowed me to go with them. Probably to make my siblings behaved do you think?

Dad use to take us to a lake to go swimming for the day. It was on an island off Prince Rupert. He would tie up the boat and while we were heading for the lake, he would go in his dinghy and set out crab pots which he would check when we were ready to go home. I went with him once to retrieve the crab pots. I ended up putting my legs up on the side of the boat because of the many crabs that were caught as they had the bottom of the boat to crawl around in. I do believe dad thought that was very funny, but I didn't see the humor!

Mom use to take all of us kids to pick cranberries in the boggy areas. we spent many hours walking through the bogs in our boots picking berries which mom would make into sauce for Christmas. she did a lot of canning of veggies whenever they were plentiful from neighbors. The blueberries that Arnold and I use to pick got made into pies and vanished as soon as the pie was made! Spent many a day after school picking blueberries before dinner.

Mom did a lot of canning not only of deer meat, but fish cakes in gravy, which were my favorite. To this day. when I can see them in a specialty shop, I will bring some home for a taste. She also made delicious potato balls. Mainly because they were just made of potatoes so her groceries would go farther.

I used to visit dad when he was working on the boat at the docks. I would fish with cherries, but only seemed to attract starfish. Had fun being with my dad as that wasn't too often. He was never one to tell stories which would have been nice to include in this writeup.

He did buy a Chevy when I was quite young, but when he hit a dog, he immediately sold the car. so as you can tell, we walked most everywhere we went.

I use to walk with mom to get groceries. It was about a five mile walk both ways. we went to the co-op to do our shopping in those days - no where else. so we just had to walk it each time. Mom was very good at walking anywhere -- a strong lady. I huffed and puffed along beside her. we also had to carry all our purchases home too which was quite an undertaking to a little girl.

I remember one rainy day when I was running late for school, mom allowed me to take the bus. I was so pleased not to have to walk the three miles to school. Hope I'm not exaggerating the miles as it was a long ways to go. That was the only time that r can remember that I got to ride the bus to school. Thanks mom!

My allowance paid for my music lessons on the piano. The nuns were my teachers, but would only allow classical music. However, they did allow me to play polka music sometimes. I received some teaching at home when a teacher would come to our home. I think he only really wanted to see my older sisters!

Before television all we had was the radio and that filled our evening hours. Mom would either knit, or crochet, Arnold would put together airplane models and I would lay on the floor coloring and listening to the mystery theater, etc.

In my early teens I was able to join the "Jobs Daughters" because one of my uncles was a Mason. I Enjoyed doing that for two or three years. I was on the drill team which traveled by steamship to Vancouver and a bus trip to Wenatchee to compete with other drill teams. we had a great time. but I was glad to get back to Rupert.

I Joined the "Sons of Norway" when I was seventeen. Became the treasurer right away as no one else wanted the job. Then, of course, I married at nineteen so that was the end of that era.

I left school in grade 10 and went to the Catholic School to receive a commercial education so I could go to work. Had no wish to graduate - just go to work and earn a living. I did eventually take the GED course to follow-up later. I worked in Nanaimo at a real estate office which I didn't like. Also a Chevrolet dealership which I did enjoy. I Met John, who was the main man and married a year later.

Arnold had quite a bit of trouble with asthma during his growing years. He always seemed to be home sick from school or mom had to take him to the doctor, what a worry he was to mom. He missed so much school that he had to quit and go fishing with dad. Even fishing would bother him at times. Dad probably had to come home from fishing when Arnold got too bad. But for the most part, Arnold managed to fish with dad quite a bit.

Mom and Dad bought Arnold a lathe to occupy his time. He really enjoyed working with wood. Made baseball bats, bowls, etc. He got to be pretty good at it. He also had a corner upstairs in our home in the attic where he developed photos. That lasted for quite a spell, but too expensive so had to quit.

I don't know if you knew that Arnold walked in his sleep when he was a kid. Perhaps he did when he got older, but I had no idea. I remember dad tying a rope around the two windows that led to the balcony from his room so he couldn't go out and take a bad fall. He use to go to the basement while sleepwalking and work with his lathe until dad brought him back to bed. That was something!

Tina married a sailor who she met while the ship was anchored in Rupert. They didn't have a very long courtship as Jack's ship was going to be leaving so they married. she moved to Alberni, where Jack's dad lived, and stayed there with Jack until they bought their first home and had Lorna. I visited them once when Lorna was just a babe! Jack worked on the tourist boat that would take day trips around the islands. I remember Tina being so good at jitterbugging that she won trophies.

Johanna married a sailor (Harold) whose ship was anchored in Rupert. she married him also fairly soon. They moved to Victoria where Harold was stationed. Didn't see much of Johanna as they were on the move with Harolds job in the Navy. The times we did get together were memories I remember to this day.

Mary moved to Vancouver when I was still young. She worked there until after we moved from Rupert and eventually moved to Nanaimo. She met Dennis and married --adopted two sons.

Reading and reflecting on everything I wrote, has been good for me. Hope it will be for you also. There is probably more that could be added, but at the moment, r can't think of any.

Hope this was what you were looking for!