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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Monday, May 9, 2022

Lies the Lithuanian Mare that Evacuated husband Pieter, Brothers and Parents

 In my previous post, see link below, 
I mentioned the evacuation in October of 1944 till April 1945.
It was their mare Lies, pulling the horse wagon.
Here my older brother Toon is seated on Lies in probably 1941, at home with Keesje our German Spitz.
Again, Toon seated on Lies, no saddle – there were not such luxuries.
A Lithuanian horse is not that tall.
Lithuanian Horse, a cold-blooded is an ancient indigenous breed from the northwestern European cold-blood.
Height: 1.63–1.68 meters or 64–66 inches.
This is the 4–wheeled wagon, built by Pieter's Dad, which they used for their evacuation.
Dad had bought from a demolished hotel in Arnhem, for little money an enormous oak beam. 
That beam got sawn into appropriate parts, by his friend Ross, in Babberich, who had a sawmill.
At a wrecker he bought axles, springs and wheels and during winter he build a nice 4-wheel wagon for Lies.
~
This photo is from the early 1940s taken at home with husband Pieter seated to the right with Keesje the German Spitz.
Pieter's brother Toon, is seated to the left with a row of cousins, daughters from aunt in center top and aunt living across the street.
Pieter's and Toon's Dad is seated at the top, wearing his wool Fedora Hat and next to him is the youngest sister of Pieter's Mom who is seated to the right.
When they had Lies not that long, she got terribly wounded while pulling the wagon, the one seen in above photo.
An axle clip had come out for whatever reason and therefore the lamoen tree fell on her heels...
She hurt herself badly and ended up in a ditch. Pieter's Dad was on the wagon, and he got her home.
The vet had to come by bike and he had no hope for Lies.
But Dad did not want to give her up 'yet'.
So with the help of two neighbors he got her hind legs into a cooled down bath with natural soda granules, dissolved in boiling water.
Lies, after a few times of being helped, already stuck out her hind legs to go into her soda bath–and she got healed!
Just an impression of how such an evacuation looked like... (photo not ours).
Pieter's Dad had fastened an oak armoire on top of the wagon, for transporting some clothes and also for having the white bed sheet on top, as a cover for not getting attacked from the air.
Pieter's Mom sat on the wagon, with Keesje the dog and his Dad and the three boys all walked.
Lies, the horse pulled for two days in a row, the total distance of 40 km or 25 miles.
The first night they slept all in the Market Hall in Doetinchem and the horses got taken home by local farmers for being fed and they were returned next morning.
It was when they almost reached their destination, that Keesje the white German Spitz was gone...
In that half year, Pieter and his Dad once went back home to Groessen with the horse wagon and Lies, to pick up potatoes and carrots that had been ensiled. That ride went faster without any load and they'd left early morning for making it back in one day as well.
Actually the carrots were the neighbors, the Meijer brothers', but they no longer had a horse, as it got killed by heavy shelling before they evacuated. The neighborhood people ate it.
The ride back with the load of potatoes and carrots on the wagon, was of course heavy for Lies and they let her have a break in Kilder, at one of Mom's relatives, before going on.
Then, while passing through Terborg, they spotted Keesje!
The butcher in Terborg claimed it was his white Spitz, so Pieter's Dad enlisted a patrolman who wisely took Keesje, and ordered both parties to call the doggy.
Keesje ran towards Pieter and his Dad, so like the judgment of Solomon, it got solved. 
~
On the way home after liberation in April, they stayed for one night at a farmer, somewhere half way.
~

Several months after the war, Pieter got to ride back with his Dad, to the Varsseveld region, where they'd been evacuated to, together with the mayor and leaders from the municipality of Duiven.
Realizing that there was absolutely no public transportation re–established yet!
Seated on some benches made inside a former military Dodge truck from Jan Busink, who had a transport business.
By checking on line, for the correct spelling of Busink, we found his granddaughter Diane Busink; a Dutch writer; what a small world!
Pieter's neighbor Dr. Jan Wolters, made Pieter read a speech at the town square, to thank all the town leaders of Varsseveld, Silvolde, Terborg and hamlet Wisch; a very nice gesture by those town leaders.
Neighbor Dr. Jan Wolters had made then 16–year old Pieter practice at home in the barn, and emphasized to be 'broad out'!
Little did Pieter know at that time, that in the future he would give many lectures and speeches at International Congresses, in several languages...

The farmers where Pieter's Parents and his brothers stayed, two brothers, remained forever close like family. Pieter's family was so grateful and it was only natural that they always got included for any wedding anniversary and such.
Pieter with Toon stayed with Gerrit and Mina Nijhof, with only daughter Rieki at farmstead d'n Banninkhof and his Mom & Dad and eldest brother stayed with Jan Nijhof.

Even I have met them at the funeral of Pieter's Mom on November 24, 1989.
Just learned that Rieki Eggink–Nijhof passed away on August 19, 2021...
Maybe her children would appreciate this info.
We still have one photo where they probably could identify her.


Related link:
NEVER AGAIN | Video of a sad repeat of all the above...

22 comments:

  1. What a great selection of photos you have which record history so visually. Thank you so much for posting them here from time to time. Very dedicated of you and Pieter.

    God bless you both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Victor,
      Except for the final two photos, they are ours and yes, Pieter's old photos are quite complete for recording that dark era in history for them.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. I read this description with goosebumps. I'm not from that time, in fact my parents were born during the war and there was no bombing in Portugal, but there was a lot of rationing. I read a lot about World War II this post is a living testimony of a time that cannot be forgotten. Thank you for writing.
    Coisas de Feltro

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Christina,
      Thank you for reading! Oh, any war brings so much hardship for the people involved and also all the animals.
      Rationing for food was going on all over Europe and people literally suffered and there was real famine. Such stories need to be told and it makes the younger generations understand better what is going on in other countries where war is raging...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. Hello Mariette, I am glad I checked in today for your blog. Such wonderful pictures and dramatic stories. Those horses sure worked hard, but in turn they were appreciated and well cared for. By the way, I hope you got my note that I sent to you. I am never sure any more which notes and comments are getting through!
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Thank you for your note; just got home from Atlanta and now I find your comment here.
      Strange things have happened with comments indeed, all of us have experienced that.
      Horses like Lies, were loyal family members and she got to live out her life with her family.
      Indeed dramatic stories that need to be preserved for many reasons.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Buenos documentos gráficos, de la familia. son fotografías bastante antiguas.

    Besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Querida Antónia,
      Sí, esas son historias con fotos gráficas que necesitan ser preservadas y de hecho son bastante antiguas porque la Segunda Guerra Mundial ya es hace 77 años.
      Es genial que Pieter todavía sepa cómo contarlo y así podamos transmitirlo a los descendientes.
      Abrazos,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. I love history but have to say although I love the look of horses they scare me, that said this post was really interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jo-Anne,
      Well, you maybe did not grow up with horses around. We both did and loved them as big pets and they were such loyal family members too.
      Thank you for reading and it sure is quite a story.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. That is so interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Debby,
      It sure is quite a story and being preserved with a few photos and the wording of Pieter who lived it.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. Dear Mariette,
    This post reminds me of Edwin Muir's wonderful poem: The Horses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lAaOCRLEeQ
    God bless you both.
    Father Seán

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Father Seán,
      Archaic companionship is so true; well said in Edwin Muir's poem.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. It always amazes me to know the stories, behind the ones that make history. Lies was an heroic horse and I'm glad she was able to recover from her accident and help the family to evacuate.
    Those were such hard times and even after going through all that, Pieter was able to grow and live a happy and fullfiled life with you and I hope the same happened to the rest of his family.
    I think that when we go though hardships, we learn to give value to things and people and not take them for granted...
    Oh and I almost cried of joy, when you mentioned that Keesje was found!
    :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Paula,
      Thank you so much and we are glad these true stories got saved by writing about them.
      Animals sure belong to the family, if people mean well.
      Very hard times but indeed they make you see and value all the little highlights coming our way.
      You both know about that feeling!
      Keesje had a very happy ending, she as well as Lies both stayed for their entire life with us.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. I wish everybody would be so conscient about saving these pieces of history. Maybe there wouldn't be so many mistakes made over and over again.
    We love animals and we have a rescued cat and love him as a family member. He's our fur babie, as they say in the States!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Paula,
      Yes, it would help if people remember these stories and save some photos for piecing it together. If we don't learn from history, we are all doomed to repeat it!
      We also love animals and at present we have five kitties. Four of them are born here from the kitty mom we rescued from Acapulco, Mexico. We brought her home on the plane and did not know that she was pregnant. Five kittens and one we lost. The other we have is from some six hours driving away from us, she looked like the mama cat but it was not her as she was only a kitten. So we did bring her home. We think that the mama cat got kidnapped one Sunday while we were at Church. So cruel!
      We sure love our fur babies!!!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Some people are cruel to animals and to others, but I'm glad that the kitten was rescued by you and had a chance at life.
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is... That is why we always chose to have rescued animals. I know people that spend hundreds or even thousands of euros to buy a cat, just because it is of this or that race (and that's because it is chic, not because they are allergic to other races) and they are within their right, but there are so many animals that need a loving home, ou there...
    I always say a prayer for them, too, because God made the animals and they deserve respect and love, just like any living being.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ging for any special and often times expensive breed, is indeed more about a conversation piece instead of true love! Yes, animals ought to enjoy a pleasant and sheltered life as well.
      Hugs to you Paula,
      Mariette

      Delete

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