Tag Archives: little house on the prairie

The Long Winter

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The cold snap finally snapped here in southern Ohio and yesterday’s high reached a balmy 40 degrees. It was still chilly though when I fed the birds in the morning, sliding a little on the glassy snow. Just before venturing out, I had cuddled up in bed in my new blue bedroom with the book “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I came back inside to make a hearty breakfast hash that would keep me full for hours.

I intentionally chose this Little House On The Prairie book for this week because I thought the hardships experienced by the Ingalls family and the fine folks of Walnut Grove would help to put into perspective the inconveniences I have been facing because of the cold and snow.

It tells the tale of one particularly harsh winter where a series of blizzards over several months left trains immobilized, houses buried up to their rooftops and families in dire need of coal for warmth and cooking. Folks in prospector shanties have snow blowing in through the walls and tar paper roofs peeling off in the wind. The Ingalls family have moved to town where they’re sealed up tight but they still run out of supplies, twisting hay into sticks to burn for warmth and cooking as they watch their supply of potatoes and wheat dwindle down to nearly nothing. 

They are hungry and cold. Their hands are raw from twisting hay and grinding wheat for loaves of bread that are stretched into meager meals. When the kerosene runs low, they go to bed early. When the wind howls, they entertain themselves by singing. When things seem so impossibly dark they may not survive, they keep going with hope that the spring thaw will come early and allow a train full of food to make it before people actually starve to death. 

Most people I know have nice, warm homes that can withstand the wind and cold. No one wants to pay the high heating bills but we find a way. We have plenty to eat and brave folks out there who plow the roads so we can make it to the store to buy the things we need for survival. We even have sturdy, enclosed vehicles to get us around. Some have four wheel drive vehicles. I just have a nice little car that handles well and the heated seats have kept me comfortable even on the days when the thermometer has topped out below zero. 

People like me don’t know what it means to truly do without or to suffer because of the weather. Of course, that hasn’t stopped folks from complaining. 

Drive a few hours south to the mountains of western North Carolina and you learn how quickly things can change even for modern folk with some resources. People who have lived in these mountains for generations lost everything in a hurricane, the likes of which they had never seen. You  know, life in Appalachia has never been easy but a catastrophic hurricane has made these mountains unlivable for so many people. 

The 24 hour news cycle has no time to tell you about the suffering down there because they’re too busy chasing the next lucrative tale that will get clicks rather than the ones that need told. But there are people living in tents and campers not rated for cold temperatures in an area known for harsh winters. They’re hungry, cold and tired. They’re demoralized because they have so few resources and choices of their own.They’re at the mercy of strangers and what donations they receive.

It’s heartbreaking and frustrating. It’s shameful that we have such short attention spans that we can’t be bothered to care about people suffering in more than one place at a time. It’s shameful how far we have fallen as a civilization that our fellow Americans in need will just continue to suffer with little acknowledgement. 

And others who are rich with resources –  heat, a roof and four walls, plenty of food and the comfort of home – will continue to whine about some snow flurries and cold. 

Personally, I will continue to do what I can to reduce my own energy consumption and will continue to be glad for the home in have. I will be grateful for the pantry full of food and the warmth generated by a casserole in the oven and all the entertainment and comforts provided by this sanctuary I call home. 

If you remember nothing else, here are three takeaways to consider:

  1. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder is much different than the tv show but well worth your time. It goes a long way to put things into perspective for a modern human who needs to remember the hardships of those who came before us. 
  2. There are Americans who are suffering at this very moment. They are invisible and ignored but badly need help. This isn’t a drill. History will judge us harshly for how we have handled this catastrophe and others to come. 
  3. If you have a roof over your head, plenty to eat, a reliable income and a place to call your own, I hope you will consider incorporating a practice of gratitude into your daily habits. 

I witnessed something lovely in my community this week. Volunteers enlisted others and pooled resources to open a warming station in our county seat. People were given a judgement free place to warm up, enjoy a good meal and be entertained. Some spent the night. I think others just came for the food and fellowship, a kind of warmth that is stronger than the cold. In the process, volunteers met some folks in need of more help than could be provided by a warming station and got them some assistance. 

There are currently programs around the U.S. to help pay winter heating bills and places like food pantries to help folks supplement their groceries. If you or someone you know is in need, I hope you’ll consider accepting assistance to make your life easier. 

There’s still much winter ahead.

Celebrating Fifty Years

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The popular tv show Little House on the Prairie premiered on this day fifty years ago. I fell down a rabbit hole several months ago and developed what some might call a mild obsession with this show. It all started because my Roku tv recommended their new Little House on the Prairie Channel which airs the show in sequence 24 hours a day. 

I didn’t even consider tuning in for the first several days. Then, one afternoon, I flipped over for a little nostalgia and literally never left. From sometime in late winter until just a few weeks ago, if my tv was on, it was probably on the Little House Channel. Sometimes it was just for noise in the house while I was doing other things. I’m not very good at just sitting down and watching tv but I noticed that I was more apt to sit for this show than for anything else available to me. 

Then I began googling the actors, read a couple of the books and started noticing Little House connections all around. I think this all was a result of decision fatigue. I never had to scroll through thousands of viewing options because Little House was on. Little House is ALWAYS on!

Life in fictional Walnut Grove was appealing because the people and the town had everything they needed without too many distractions from the outside world. The arrival of the telephone in their sleepy village was a source of trouble. There was no internet and there was a sense of scarcity that made every possession seem much more valuable to most residents. Mrs Olsen and her terrible daughter Nellie were fabulous villains (or at least very realistic prairie era mean girls) but they nearly always got what they had coming to them so that made it better.

We value very little in our disposable 21st century society. We throw away rather than fix everything from expensive gadgets to the people in our lives. Walnut Grove was a refreshing break from that. It’s also a nice break from the constant bickering over the handful of social issues designed by politicians to keep us all divided.

It’s important to note that life wasn’t so simple back in 1974 when this show debuted.  Post Vietnam America was a stark contrast from the late 19th century setting of this show. This was the year President Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal, forever altering the lens through which we view our presidents. The Cold War and energy crises raged on as Patty Hearst dominated the headlines. 

By September 11, 1974, America needed a sickeningly sweet throwback to simpler days when right and wrong were easy to distinguish and when all the world’s problems could be solved in under an hour. 

The popular NBC program was made possible by television producer and former NBC executive Ed Friendly. He acquired the film and television rights to the popular Laura Ingalls Wilder book series and hired television legend Michael Landon to direct the pilot and play Charles Ingalls. 

That pilot was a two hour tv movie that aired on March 30, 1974. The regular series premiered on September 11. 

I was very small when the show went off the air so I really only know the show from syndication. Yet it has always felt like comfort food to me. It’s the tv equivalent of a plate of steaming hot mashed potatoes, green beans from the garden and a buttery biscuit. 

At this point, I believe I have seen every episode at least once so that’s 204 regular shows and four specials. I haven’t felt the urge to even check which episode is on since before the Philadelphia trip and I’m quite pleased that I have gone cold turkey. 

Of course, I’m not watching much of anything else either. TV news is detrimental to my mental health (And yours too. Turn it off, please and read some better journalism.) and there’s very little that seems worth my time. The television landscape is cluttered with reality shows that are totally disconnected from reality, with drama and horror, with so much news that’s written to inflame and with comedy that doesn’t really make you laugh. 

Aren’t we all ready for something that warms the heart and that gives us a break from reality? I know I am. Maybe give Little House a try. They played fast and loose with some of the actual history but many of the stories still hold up today.

Who knows? The wholesomeness of it all may make you just a little bit happier. As rabbit holes go, this one is kind of rewarding!

What We’ve Lost

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My home has been on my nerves lately. One kitchen cupboard is always at risk of avalanche while my clothes closet needs help too. The desk needs attention and I need to tidy the bathroom drawers – again. Didn’t I just do that?

I am not a materialist person at all. I upgraded my phone a couple of years ago because the old one had a battery issue, not because I wanted the latest and greatest. Designer labels mean nothing to me. I like vintage and antique things that have character and that don’t look like the bland decor that everyone sells today. Still, I don’t yearn for that stuff – I just enjoy it.

Despite all this, I somehow have become a servant to my things.

This has been on my mind lately and the prompt for this train wreck of thought is kind of ridiculous. My Roku tv recently let me know that there’s now a Little House on the Prairie channel.

Remember the hit show starring Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls and child actor Melissa Gilbert as his daughter Laura? The show was based on the popular Little House novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The show seems to run 24/7 and has brought to my world a sense of wholesomeness I didn’t know I needed.

I’m not a big tv watcher but do like to turn it on for noise in the house sometimes. More and more lately I find myself sitting and watching as this pioneer family faces whatever challenges come their way. Characters like the nasty Mrs Olsen and her bratty daughter Nelly annoy and torture the good folks of Walnut Grove, a reminder that mean people have always existed in this world.

It’s like the television version of comfort food. Yet, it’s thought provoking too. One episode features a traveling salesman who is peddling what they call a talking machine. Invented by Thomas Edison, this machine records and plays back sounds like music and people speaking. It was a novelty and a marvel for all who gathered round for a demonstration.

Another episode depicts the introduction of telephones in the village while another illustrates the scarcity of books. There was no public library and books were too expensive for most people to purchase so they were coveted possessions. Learning was a privilege and the opportunity to do so was meaningful to many.

Over the weekend, there was an episode that showed the family excitedly preparing for Christmas. While they admired items in Olsen’s general store, they plotted and schemed to maximize their meager dollars and cents to buy or make gifts for their family.

It was touching to see the youngest admire a tin foil Christmas star at the store and to see Mr Olsen sell it to her for a penny when it really cost five times that much. He was a nice man, that Mr Olsen.

Watching has reminded of how much we have gained over the decades since this show was set and much we have lost as well.

We have everything. We have access to all the books and information we could need or want but so many people choose ignorance over learning and mindless scrolling over doing anything productive at all.

The average American has so much stuff they hardly know what they own and don’t get excited at the thought of giving or receiving a gift. Case in point- It’s May and I’m already dreading the interrogation involving what I want for Christmas. I certainly am not excited or coveting any item in any store.

There’s so little joy and mystery left in our world.

There’s also little room for boredom and for the creativity that’s born of it. When was the last time you just sat and let your mind wander? To daydream? How often do you stand in line at the store and people watch or allow yourself to be bored? There are days that I have no free time at all, no stolen minutes to just sit and think or to relax my brain. There’s no time to be bored.

Where do you think inventions come from or how great books are written? There must be boredom and time to think. What is to become of us if we are so busy doing that we have no time to dream?

When was the last time you experienced wide eyed joy? For me, it sometimes happens when I’m out adventuring and finding myself in new to me places. It certainly doesn’t happen at the purchase of new shoes or when someone offers me a stick of gum. There’s a Christmas episode of Little House where the children are each gifted a tin cup and a peppermint stick of their own. All I could think about was the cupboard full of glasses, coffee mugs and water bottles I have accumulated over the years.

While I feel gratitude for this easier life of mine, I feel a little sad we are so unaware of how much we have and of how far we have come. We all might be happier if we were more conscious of how others have lived and of all we are so fortunate to have.