Little House on the Prairie

I know this will really give away my life stage, but I've recently been impacted by the Little House on the Prairie series. I'm reading it to my daughter and aside from some angst about perpetuating nasty stereotypes, it's been fascinating. The title book has full chapters on how to build a log house, a well, a door & hinges without nails and a rocking chair. How many of us can do any of that? We don't actually need to I suppose but I am hungry for that type of "real" knowledge.

If nothing else, the books have inspired me to reuse and fix things myself more often. I'm pretty good at recycling but have a long way to go to reduce my comsumption and waste to a level I'm more comfortable with. I've been on a sewing kick and plan to make some slippers from yarn odds and ends I have lying around. I will check for additional yarn at the thrift store a few blocks down before I run to the nearest mega-craft store for it.

On a final note, I love the idea (not necessarily the reality) of growing and consuming most of my own food. For the record, I don't have a yard capable of yielding great harvests. It's actually been referred to as a courtyard. I do have some space though and grew some herbs successfully this year. There is no reason however, not to take full advantage of the many farms in the area. I could purchase larger quantities of vegetables and fruit in season and learn how to store them. This year I'm going to make some jam and store some extra apples. Not too bold, but it's somewhere to start.