Laura and Mary Had Never Seen a Town
The nearest town was far away. Laura and Mary had never seen at town. They had never seen a store. They had never seen even two houses standing together. But they knew that in a town there were many houses, and a store full of candy and calico and other wonderful things – powder, and shot, and salt and store sugar.
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House in the Big Woods)
It hit me when I read this quote from the book, can you imagine never having seen a store? Can you imagine what they would think if they walked into this Whole Foods?
It’s just amazing how our lives are so different than they were 150 years ago. We don’t head out to the store that often, especially now that we buy a lot of food locally. But with cars and the interstate system, Mr Chiots and I can drive 50 miles to Cleveland to visit a Whole Foods or 25 miles to our local small health food store and be home within a few hours. To me the big grocery is full of plantains and mangoes and things I can’t get here at the Farmer’s Market.
Can you imagine having never seen a town, a store, or even two houses sitting close together?
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Quote of the Day: Little House on the Prairie
“Now Pa carefully took the nails one by one from his mouth, and with ringing blows of the hammer he drove them into the slab. It was much quicker than drilling holes and whittling pegs and driving them into the holes. But every now and then a nail sprang away from the tough oak when the hammer hit it, and if Pa was not holding it firmly, it went sailing through the air.
Then Mary and Laura watched it fall and they searched in the grass till they found it. Sometimes it was bent. Then Pa carefully pounded it straight again. It would never do to lose or waste a nail.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
I loved reading as a kid with Little House and the Narnia series being my favorites. Every couple years I read through the The Chronicles of Narnia. I’m reading through the Little House on the Prairie Series this winter. I find myself being amazed at her description of how nothing was wasted, truly a lesson we could stand to relearn. I’m sure I notice different things reading them as an adult that I did as a girl.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
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Quote of the Day: Gandhi
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil
is to forget ourselves.”
Mohandas K. Gandhi
I like that he includes “tend the soil” in there, which I believe is the most important part of gardening.
Do you think he’s right?
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Make Do or Do Without
I’m blogging over at Not Dabbling today about my favorite quote:
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Quote of the Day: Cloak of Winter
“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter
lies a miracle.”
The view from my kitchen window, big trees (oak, maple & cherry), surrounded by various ground covers & weeds. It is lovely this time of year with a blanket of snow protecting the gardens (and hiding the weeds).
What do you see from your kitchen window?
