Saturday, February 11, 2012

books, work, and the recent days.


I just finished reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Last Tuesday I read Little House in the Big Woods in an afternoon. It reminded me why I loved these books so much when I was little. And now I need to read the others in between!

In The Long Winter the Ingalls family are in for the worst winter of their lives...seven months of blizzards. Eventually they run low on coal for heat, flour for bread, any food at all really except potatoes and wheat they ground into flour for "brown bread".

Now, I had read Little House in the Big Woods first...and it tells how the Ingalls' stored up for the winter...jars of vegetables and preserves, squash and potatoes and onions and more piled high in the attic. Pork and deer meat smoked and salted and stored in the cellar. They worked hard all summer and fall to ready themselves for the winter. So as I'm reading The Long Winter I kept wondering to myself why they weren't doing this? (Maybe had I read the books in order I would have been reminded...but...)

About halfway through as the families in the town are waiting for the train to come through with supplies to stock the shelves of the stores and they are running out of kerosene for their lamps and coal for the stoves to keep them warm I come across this line from Pa..."These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast.  Railroads and telegraph and kerosene and coal stoves - they're good things to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em."

Had they prepared for the winter like they used to they would have been much better off. They'd have stored beans and canned vegetables and plenty of flour for bread. They'd have socked away molasses and honey and homemade cheese. They would have been ready...and independent.

But since they'd come to rely on goods being brought in to their little town by train...items like canned oysters and other meats, dried beans, flour and sugar and tea...they slowly stopped fending for themselves and before they knew it they were dependent.

Sound familiar?

Yeah...I thought so, too.

 Anyway...

The week got away from me...I got called to sub last Wednesday at the jr. high and once I was there they ended up asking me to work Thursday and Friday, too. So I did. Then it turned out they needed a sub for next week, as well, and they offered me more hours. I gladly accepted the position! I've also applied for two permanent positions but have yet to hear anything about them. I'm waiting patiently. ahem.

Today has been slooow. I did two loads of laundry...read my book...gave Chris a haircut...and took my Human Development quiz. The chickens are out today. They found their way into the garden and haven't bothered the plants at all. They are more into the piles of leaves and the compost bin it seems. So I'm letting them stay. They better leave my broccoli alone...it's just about ready to harvest.

Chris and I are going to a crab feed tonight. I haven't been to a crab feed in years! We're going with my brother and sister in law and another couple we know from wrestling. I am looking forward to it. It'll be nice to do something with just grown ups!

And then tomorrow...another wrestling tournament. Thankfully this one is local...right around the corner from us at the high school. Most of the others have been at least an hours drive away...sometimes more. So this is a nice change.

So that's pretty much it for me...just life, ya know? How about you? What have you been up to?

4 comments:

Lisa Gallup said...

I love, love, love everything Laura Ingalls!! I have the set plus other books that relate to her life. the Long Winter was one of my favorites inn the series. :) I can't wait to share them with grandkids!! :D

Anonymous said...

so good to hear about the subbing postions - it is a foot in the door right? the right position is going to come along in His time.

I wish I could get my girls to read those books - not on your life!

enjoy tomorrow.

Mark Norkaitis said...

Love your blog!
Your newest follower Mark @ room363

Nancy said...

yay for the days of subbing! that's a good thing.

after your comment on FB (?) last week, i've wanted to read laura ingalls wilder books too. must get them. loved that quote you used hear about "folks depending on them"....so true.

enjoy the weekend.