Lately I've felt a bit like a pioneer woman -- with my gardening, canning and, most recently (yesterday) splitting wood, hauling it and stacking it. I told DD that we were so spoiled as a culture. So few of us actually do manual labor any more. We pay people to cut our grass, to grow our food, to split our firewood, to groom our animals.
As we where stacking the wood I said, "Isn't it incredible to think that the pioneers worked like this from sun up to sundown?"
And, IMHO, it IS amazing. No wonder their life expectancy was so low (well, on top of the fact that their medical care was pretty much non-existent).
I used to love to watch Frontier House on PBS. I wish it was still on. It was so interesting to see how folks had to struggle to survive. One man thought he was dying of something because he lost so much weight. He finally requested a medical check, and the doctor said that his weight was actually HEALTHY and that his body was simply adjusting to being physically active for the first time in a long time.
I don't glamorize how things were 100 or 200 years ago. Times were hard. People died of things we can't imagine happening today, like broken bones. Women regularly died in childbirth (I would have been one of them). Even so, I think they had their priorities right and typically had a work ethic that folks today just don't have.
And then I look at the stack of un-split, un-hauled, un-stacked wood and just sigh.
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You Are Eggs Over Easy |
 You have good taste and high standards. You are very detail oriented, and you know what you want in life. When everything is in its place and things are as they should be, you can finally relax. You may seem like the kind of person who has things come easy for you, but it's all an illusion. You work hard to make your life perfect, and part of this perfection is making things look effortless. |
LOL... this is almost spot on. Cracked me up (cracked...eggs... ha... get it?).
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6 comments:
Hope you are just about done with the wood. Winter is getting very near. It's cold here, in the 40's. I know that isn't cold there, but I am shivering this morning.
You Are a Poached Egg
You are a competent and successful person. You are obsessed with making sure your life is well organized and scheduled.
You have an incredible sense of focus and determination. You don't let yourself make many mistakes.
You are a high achiever. You like to challenge yourself, and you get great satisfaction from being the best at something.
While you have high standards, you aren't really all that competitive. You only compete with yourself.
Pretty much acurate.
Back in the early 70s, there was a huge 'back to the land' movement. Didn't matter if you were a city dweller or out in the sticks, the underlying theme was simplifying your life. It stuck with me and I've been a devout advocate ever since.
It is hard work and it gets harder as you get older, but it's so rewarding that mere words can't describe it.
Whether you bring in a harvest or knit an afghan, it feels like you accomplished something meaningful and worthwhile.
I'm very proud of you, Marianne. I know DD will keep those experiences with her after she's grown and perhaps even pass them on to her children.
So much knowledge is lost from one generation to the next. Good on you for keeping it alive.
My parents always believed in "back to the basics" lifestyle. The older I get, the more I want to live that way, too. She'll keep the lessons she's learning, no doubt.
I do like the back to basics. I agree and found that I was relying to much on other things. With finances being tight getting back to basics became a necessity which is something I really haven't minded as much as I thought.
I never would have survived back during the pioneer days. Literally! I'm just as happy to live now. But the pioneer work ethic could stand to be revived.
I think getting back to basics for some things would make people appreciate the hard work their ancestors did, rather than most of today's society who is waiting for things to be handed to them. We saw first hand this past weekend how many lived during the Revolutionary period and my kids while enjoying the glimpse into the past said they'd hate to give up their gameboys. *G*
Like you, I'd never have survived Childbirth.
I am a Hard Boiled egg. (I don't even like eggs, so this is funny.) You are down to earth and hard to rattle. You have a good head on your shoulders.
You can be a bit stubborn at times, and your determination has only paid off for you.
You are straight with people, and you expect them to be straight with you in return.
You are very no nonsense. You don't have time for pettiness or drama.
Heee, I like it. *G*
I hope you're having a pleasant day!
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