The Everyday Bean

History has always fascinated me. I especially love stories of resilience, creativity, and good, old fashioned hard work. That’s what draws me to Laura’s book “The Long Winter.” I read it every year usually during the height of winter.

This year I read it with an eye toward preparedness. There are many lessons in this book that teach important principles regarding being prepared in our day. Here is what I learned:

1. Work belongs to everyone. There is no such thing as men’s work and women’s work when it comes to preparedness. There is only work. In the story, Laura helps her Pa with the haying. Normally, this wasn’t something that American women did. But it was necessary because Pa had no money to pay others to help him and the work had to be done. These days women can learn to change tires, till the garden, and build a shelter. Men can learn to sew a seam, bake bread, and can vegetables.
2. The best time to garden was yesterday. The next best time is today. In the story, the Ingalls family had planted a garden in first year sod. It did produce some vegetables, but not enough to see them through winter. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem because Pa could hunt and they could get food from the local stores if necessary. But the trains stop coming and the stores run out of food. The lesson, of course, is to store much more than you think you will need. That means planting more than you think you will need.
3. It’s important to be resourceful and make the most of what you have. In the story, Ma makes a pie using a green pumpkin. The family had never done such a thing before. But Ma was very creative and resourceful as were most pioneer women. The lesson for us is twofold. First, learn old fashioned ways of doing things. Study history. A person can learn a lot by studying those who came before us. Second, make the most of what you have. Don’t waste anything.
4. Learn the signs of nature. Pa had a good instinct for this. He paid attention to the type of house the muskrats were building, He paid attention to the stillness in the air and the absence of birds. He knew that something was very different even if he didn’t understand it fully. Nature can teach us much as what it going to happen as well as what has happened. All we have to do is pay attention.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series.