My rambles

I am a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder because of reading her books as a child. Pioneer life interests me but like the modern world also.

One of the things that fascinates me most about families such as the Ingalls is when they would move someplace to "start over". They would sell what they could and only take essential items with them because wagon space was limited. Personal treasures or small family heirlooms might be taken along if kept in a small trunk but they needed room for bedding, tools, gun, clothing, cookware and provisions for the trip (for humans & horses) besides the family. Sometimes they would travel for weeks or months before settling miles or days away from other people. They had to be self sufficiant and work hard. It was a do or die situation.  They built their own home and furnished it with hand made furniture. They grew most of their food and Charles hunted or fished. On the rare trips to town Charles would get the essential items they couldn't provide for themselves from the land. There was no malls or even a Walmart so some things that they needed had to be ordered and they would wait weeks or months for.

A majority of their belongings were essential or practical, money was not wasted.

A trip that we can make in a couple hours might have taken the Ingalls weeks.

My dad's childhood was similar to the Ingalls except they didn't move around. They grew and canned their own vegetables. They raised (and slaughtered) hogs and chickens. They had a cow that provided milk for drinking and making butter, chickens for eggs. Other than a few things they couldn't grow they were self sufficient. My Dad would wake up before 5 a.m. to do his chores before breakfast and then walk 2 miles to catch the bus for school. After school he would do chores and do homework before dinner. He would walk three miles to attend church on Sunday, my grandfather was the minister. He met my mom at that church. He graduated high school in 1958 and joined the Air Force, leaving the farm life behind. Dad was the youngest of 12, 6 were born still or died shortly after birth. All born at home.

I wonder how many of us could live the way my dad was raised?