Learnings | Little House in the Big Woods
I watched Laura and her family most afternoons when I got home from elementary school and have wanted to read the books for as long as I can remember. I purchased the series with some Christmas money and am so glad I did. First book: Little House in the Big Woods.
Pa, Ma and the girls teach simplicity, the importance of family (miss you, C!) and a good day’s work. They made everything – cheese, the smokehouse for their hams, clothes and toys like the girls’ rag dolls and a ball made of a blown-up pig’s bladder.
Ma had ONE frivolous prized possession – her china doll.
Pa played his fiddle each night for the family’s entertainment. They bathed once a week and lived in a couple rooms. The attic was used to store food in the winter. One piece of peppermint candy was a special treat. Moderation was key. Their lives depended on it.
We can easily incorporate these lessons in our daily lives, with a slightly different twist. I’ll still bathe far more often than they, and am damn glad I don’t need to worry about panther attacks while I’m fetching water!
Up next: Farmer Boy, the story of Almanzo Wilder’s childhood on a farm in upstate New York.
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