Laura finds love...of horses and man! :)

These Happy Golden Years 

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Oh, this book! Such a beautiful story of love...

What a marvelous re-entry to the reading and blogging world 

after an almost 3-week-long hiatus due to work! 

No, this was not a self-imposed absence, but necessary, since I am old! :)

I've worked 55-60 hours each of the past 3 weeks and am so tired...

physically...and of this job!! I am hopeful that I will have a different job soon!

My apologies for being such a pitiful Read-Along cohost this month! 

But back to this gorgeous little book!

I know I've said this every time during this Little House Read-Along (#LittleHouseRAL),

but, really, I think this may be my favorite of the series!
Be sure to check out everyone else's reviews on the Little House Read-Along page!
The consensus seems to be that this one ranks as most everyone's favorite in the series!

Fortunately, Bex was much more efficient this month. Here is her THGY review! 

Laura begins teaching at the age of 15! Wow! That's young, especially when you stand only 4 feet 11 inches tall! And...you're a female! I adored the advice Pa gave her as they drove the 12 miles to the Brewster's who lived 1/2 mile from the schoolhouse where she would teach for 2 months. In reminding Laura of the time she got all the wood hauled into the house by herself on Plum Creek when he and Ma had gone to town and a blizzard had hit:

"That's the way to tackle things!" Pa said. 

"Have confidence in yourself and you can lick anything. 

You have confidence in yourself, that's the only way to make other folks have confidence in you."

He paused, and then said, "One thing you must guard against." 

"What, Pa?" Laura asked.

"You are so quick, Flutterbudget! You are apt to act or speak first, and think afterward.

Now you must do your thinking first and speak afterward.

If you will remember to do that, then you will not have any trouble." 

"I will, Pa," Laura said earnestly. (3-4)

I could so appreciate this advice; I wish someone had said the exact same thing to me when I was younger...it took many years for me to learn this lesson! :) And as usual, Laura does not forget Pa's well-meaning and timely advice; his words echo in her mind many times over these next weeks... Staying with the Brewster's demonstrated a whole new world to Laura, one in which people did not treat each other respectfully, a mother who did not properly care for her child, and eventually she is exposed to a psychotic episode in the middle of the night. This was so scary for Laura! But as she noted at the end of only her first day of school, 

I have only to get through one day at a time...

It was hard to stay where she was not wanted. She took care to make no work for Mrs. Brewster, and to help her all she could. [The second morning] politely she said, 

"Good morning," and smiled, but she could not keep on smiling.

She had not known before that it takes two to make a smile. (2)

I loved Laura's maturity at this realization! It does indeed take two to make a smile continue, doesn't it? You can seemingly only keep it going for a bit if the other person does not respond in kind.

But Laura does have an unexpected surprise at school on that first Friday afternoon...when she hears sleigh bells and sees Prince and Lady pass by the school's window. As she closes and locks the front door, none other than Almanzo is waiting for her in the brand new cutter he made! I am convinced Almanzo was well aware of at least some of the problems Laura may encounter staying with the Brewster's and was determined to rescue her each weekend he could. I loved him for that. I had to chuckle at Laura's joy being home for the weekend and her realization on that Saturday morning:

She had quite forgotten that she had ever disliked the town. 

It was bright and brisk this morning. Sunlight glinted on the icy ruts of snow 

in the street and sparkled on the frosty edges of the board sidewalk. (37)

I rather believe that if they had still been living on the claim, she would have waxed just as romantically about that, too. It was being home that made the most difference to her, in my opinion. :) And understandably so. So much better than being stuck at the Brewster's! 

With only three more weeks to teach, Laura finally decided to "stop shilly-shallying" and admit the truth to Almanzo. As they near the Brewster's she tells him,

"I am going with you only because I want to get home. 

When I am home to stay, I will not go with you any more. 

So now you know, and if you want to save yourself these long, cold drives, you can." (62)

Though I felt they really took too much of a chance the very next weekend that it was 40 degrees below zero! They had to stop every little bit to clear the horse's noses and mouths so they wouldn't freeze, and I was fearful Laura would be frostbitten before they made the 12-mile trek. But they did make it, and Laura literally had to thaw out in front of the stove when she finally arrived home. Everyone was safe in the end, Laura, Almanzo, Prince, and Lady! YAY!! I breathed a huge sigh of relief! Almanzo later admitted to Laura that if not for Cap Garland's off-hand comment that "God hates a coward," while Almanzo was looking at the thermometer just before he left town to come for her on that Friday afternoon, he might not have risked the trip. Laura asks him, "So you came because you wouldn't take a dare?" Almanzo replies, "No, it wasn't a dare. I just figured he was right." :) And that sweet Alamanzo, even after Laura's declaration of not going with him any more, he still perseveres to transport her every weekend. That man is a saint! And Laura surprises herself by 'forgetting' this declaration and sleigh-riding with him as all the other couples are doing so throughout town, up and down main street! 

I loved how Almanzo got jealous of "the man" Laura "was talking with" when he picked her up to go riding with Mary Power and Cap, come springtime. How sweet! He really cares for her! I will say...Laura was never idle! Even if she was teaching throughout the week, she would still go into town and work all day hand-sewing each Saturday. She was a hard worker! Then she takes a "job" as a companion to a woman and her daughter as they live out on the claim while the husband/father works in town to make money so they can eat and survive. It was eye-opening to hear this wife cite the unfairness of the law requiring someone to live on the claim for seven years before the land becomes their own. I hadn't before considered the hardship this might place on the women/families. Laura's Pa was lucky enough to be close to town and able to walk or ride back and forth easily enough to do carpentry work when he wasn't busy working the farm in summertime. Other men had to go away to work during the summertime, too. 

Pa has already got the "itch" to relocate, but Ma is determined they are "settled" and he admits he does want to stay to prove the homestead claim. Though Laura recognizes this impatient look in his eye and thinks to herself that she is the same, not wanting to be "shut up in a schoolroom," but determined to teach to make money. It is during her second teaching stint (at a school very close to home, this time) that Pa comes up with a plan to purchase an organ and have it at home for Mary to play over the summer when she is out of school. They are all thrilled with this surprise...then Mary sends a letter stating that she wants to spend her summer with a friend from school at her house. Though it is a shock, especially to Ma and Laura, they all manage to accept it and are glad Mary has this opportunity.

Laura is all dressed up in her newest dress and "poke bonnet" and Carrie says,

"When I'm a young lady, I'm going to earn me a dress just exactly like that."

"Likely you'll have a prettier one," Laura answered quickly, but she was startled.

She had not thought that she was a young lady. Of course she was, 

with her hair done up and her skirts almost touching the ground. 

She was not sure she liked being a young lady. (164)

Aha! New territory, this "young lady" stuff, isn't it? :) Fortunately, once they were home from church that Sunday, she didn't change out of her brand-new dress, as usual. Of course, after describing all the underclothing and underskirts she had to put on, I wouldn't change either! Geeminy! It must have taken forever to get all that clothing on and properly aligned! Soon she saw a buggy come trotting toward the house, pulled by the two colts she had helped break behind the cutter that winter! But when Almanzo placed his arm along the back of the buggy seat and didn't move it when she shrugged, she gently shook the buggy whip, just enough to spook the colts who then broke into a run. "You little devil," Almanzo exclaimed! Almanzo is learning the hard way just how independent Laura is! I had to laugh at Almanzo's comment as they are returning home from this first ride in the new buggy:

"This country is settling up fast," Almanzo said as they turned west 

along the shore of Silver Lake and so toward Pa's claim. 

"We have driven only forty miles and we must have seen as many as six houses." (169)

Oh, my, that sounds even worse than me. Most of my life I have lived in the country with the nearest neighbor 1/4-1/2 mile away. And I admit I much prefer it that way. Living in town is not my cuppa tea, so to speak! Laura has even more adventures with horses and colts in her future with Alamanzo. He registers them for "singing school" in De Smet and has her handle the horses and wagon while he waits to jump in. She has to circle the school many times before he can get the timing just right to hop in and she is rather exhausted from handling the horses all that while, though she settles in and enjoys it. At one point she is driving as they go through town on the Fourth of July and everyone is just staring at her! 

Laura gets another teaching job, for three months this time and is able to stay with her friend, Florence, during the week. Since Florence didn't pass the teacher certification test but knew Laura had, she suggested her father hire Laura to teach at his new school. 

"Thank you, Florence, so much!"

"Well, you have always been so nice to me, I am glad of a chance to pay some of it back," 

Florence told her. 

Laura remembered what Ma had said about luck, and she thought to herself:

"I believe we make most of our luck without intending to." 

On one of their long rides, Laura sang Alamanzo's favorite song for him, then she said...

"I've sung for you, now I'll give you a penny for your thoughts."

"I was wondering..." Almanzo paused. Then he picked up Laura's hand that shone white in the starlight, and his sun-browned hand closed gently over it. He had never done that before.

"Your hand is so small," he said. Another pause. 

Then quickly, "I was wondering if you would like an engagement ring."

"That would depend on who offered it to me," Laura told him.

"If I should?" Almanzo asked.

"Then it would depend on the ring," Laura answered and drew her hand away. (214)

The next Sunday Alamanzo arrived later than usual. They went to Lake Henry and ate of the frosted wild grapes. 

As they drove home the sun went down in a flaming western sky.

Twilight settled over the prairie, and the evening wind blew softly through the buggy.

Then driving with one hand, with the other Almanzo lifted Laura's, 

and she felt something cool slip over her first finger while he reminded her, 

"You said it would depend on the ring. How do you like this one?"

Laura held her hand up to the first light of the new moon.

The gold of the ring and its flat oval set shone in the faint moon radiance. 

Three small stones set in the golden oval glimmered.

"The set is a garnet with a pearl on each side," Almanzo told her.

"It is a beautiful ring," Laura said. "I think...I would like to have it."

"Then leave it on. It is yours and next summer I will build a little house 

in the grove on the tree claim. It will have to be a little house. Do you mind?"

"I have always lived in little houses. I like them," Laura answered.

They stand by the wagon and listen as Pa sings and plays the fiddle.

Then Laura held up her face in the faint moonlight. "You may kiss me good night," she said, 

and after their first kiss she went into the house while Almanzo drove away. 

Pa laid down his fiddle when Laura came in. 

He looked at her hand where the ring sparkled in the lamplight.

"I see it is settled," he said. "Almanzo was talking to me yesterday and I guess it's all right."

"If only you are sure, Laura," Ma said gently. 

"Sometimes I think it is the horses you care for, more than their master."

"I couldn't have one without the other," Laura answered shakily. 

Then Ma smiled at her, Pa cleared his throat gruffly 

and Laura knew they understood what she was too shy to say. (216)

Awww...I just had to quote this whole passage. So very very sweet! 

As Laura leaves the school building on that last day of school in March, she learns that she would have graduated had a ceremony been held and is glad of it. She shakes hands with Mr. Owen and as she descends the stairs thinks to herself,

"The last time always seems sad, but it isn't really. 

The end of one thing is only the beginning of another."

So true, isn't it? And as they travel toward her new schoolhouse, she and Almanzo talk of their own new beginning in a year's time. 

Once Laura has finished her teaching stint, she and Ma work on purchasing material and sewing sheets and pillow cases, and new clothing for Laura. Pa surprises them with a brand new sewing machine. Since he is building a herd, he had to sell a cow since he had no more room, and purchased this newfangled modern machine! It proves to be not a moment too soon! Almanzo leaves in the fall with his brother, Royal, to return to Minnesota to help their family. Laura expects him to be gone all winter, but suddenly, on Christmas Eve, as Pa is singing a song,

"Come in! Come in! Come..."

Someone knocked at the door. Pa nodded to Laura 

to go to the door, while he ended the song.

"Come in and shut the door!" 

A gust of wind swirled snow into the room when Laura opened the door; it blinded her for a moment and 

when she could see she could not believe her eyes.

The wind swirled snow around Almanzo as, speechless, 

she stood holding the door open. (229)

She could not believe it was him! But he decided he did not want to stay away so long after all. Awww...I guess he was missing her just as much as she was missing him! He brought oranges for everyone and a gold pin for Laura. As she and Carrie go to bed that night, Carrie says, 

"Isn't this the nicest Christmas! Do Christmases get better all the time?" 

"Yes," Laura said. "They do." (231)

That spring tornadoes hit and Laura and Almanzo are out in the buggy when they just escape a funnel cloud from which 2 and 3 "fingers" are dropping down periodically toward the ground. And although for many readers, I'm sure the resulting story of two boys and their two mules being picked up and blown away might seem impossible, it is not. One boy was flung to the ground a mile away from where he was lifted into the sky, naked, but basically unharmed, while the two mules and his brother were discovered in a different location, dead, all their bones broken. Having lived through the tornadoes of 1974 in the middle of Indiana, I can attest to such strange happenings. During that time, a family was safe in their bathtub, though as they stood up in the aftermath, their house was totally gone--only the bathtub remained. Meanwhile cattle were moved miles away from their own farm, some alive and some dead. Teachers at one of the elementary schools in the country were literally holding a door to a classroom where all the students were gathered, heads down, sitting on the floor and once the tornado had passed, the door just fell down to the ground, though everyone was safe! While in Indianapolis in the 1920's , my grandmother once saw a chicken driven into a tree trunk, beak first! Things happen that are definitely 'stranger than fiction' during tornadoes!

"It's a queer country out here," Pa said. "Strange things happen." 

"Yes, said Ma. "I'm thankful that so far they don't happen to us." (258)

Laura and Ma put the sewing machine to good use as they make her a new black dress of the finest cashmere and they plan her wedding dress. I had to chuckle at this conversation:

"I have an idea for making the sheets," said Laura.

"I'm not going to sew those long seams down the middle with over-and-over stitch by hand. If I lap the edges flat and sew with the machine down the center, I do believe they'll be smooth enough and even more serviceable."

"It may well be," said Ma. "Our grandmothers would turn in their graves, but after all, these are modern times." (265)

Hah! Modern times, eh? Well, it was a "modern" idea for their time, wasn't it?

Then Almanzo shows up unexpectedly, on a TUESDAY! His sister and mother are planning to come out and "take over" his wedding to Laura. They want a big church wedding that Almanzo feels he cannot afford and Laura knows her own father could not afford, so the only way he can see to avoid this whole scene is for them to marry NOW. By NOW he means later in the week or early the next week. So, although Laura will not officially have a "wedding dress," she will have a new one of black cashmere, and she and Ma work feverishly to complete all the necessary sewing. Pa brings a new trunk from town and all her things are packed and ready for Almanzo to pick up the following Wednesday and that Thursday morning they go to Reverend Brown's to be married, but not before Laura speaks up...

...she summoned all her courage and said, 

"Almanzo, I must ask you something. Do you want me to promise to obey you?"

Soberly he answered, "Of course not. I know it is in the wedding ceremony, but it is only something that women say. I never knew one that did it, nor any decent man that wanted her to."

"Well, I am not going to say I will obey you," said Laura. (269)

Laura goes on to say that while she doesn't want to vote, she will not make a promise she cannot keep. Almanzo reassures her that Reverend Brown is related to the John Brown of Kansas and has removed "obey" from the wedding vows anyway. :) Laura is both surprised and relieved. 

As Almanzo prepares to leave with all Laura's things the day before their wedding, Pa had a final surprise for them!

...he came around the corner of the house, leading Laura's 

favorite young cow. She was fawn-colored all over and gentle. Quietly Pa tied her behind the wagon, then threw her picket rope into the wagon as he said, "Her picket rope goes with her."

"Oh, Pa!" Laura cried. "Do you really mean 

I may take Fawn with me?" 

"That is exactly what I do mean!" Pa said. 

"Be a pity if you couldn't have one calf out of all you have helped to raise."

Laura could not speak, but she gave Pa a look that thanked him. 

"You think it is safe to tie her behind those horses?" Ma asked... (275)

Ha! Ha! Poor Ma! She never did quite trust those horses of Almanzo's! :)

To celebrate her last night at home, Pa played whatever she wanted to hear on his fiddle and sang for her. She could not believe that she would leave home forever tomorrow morning, never to return to it as her "home" again. But that next day, as she and Almanzo settle in, she realizes that evening that she was close enough to always go home if she wanted to, and that this was now her home, and she was happy. 

"It is a wonderful night," Almanzo said.

"It is a beautiful world," Laura answered, and in memory she heard the voice of Pa's fiddle and the echo of a song... (289)

Golden years are passing by,

Happy, happy golden years,

Passing on the wings of time,

These happy golden years.

Call them back as they go by,

Sweet their memories are,

Oh, improve them as they fly,

These happy golden years.

Laura's heart ached as the music floated away and was gone in the spring night under the stars. (156)

Ah, be still my heart!

This is one of the sweetest books and love stories I've read in a very long time...

If you've not yet read this series, I would encourage you to do so.

It is amazing!

Happy reading!

--Lynn

Little House Read-Along for April: On the Banks of Plum Creek

NO FOOLIN'!!  :)

April showers bring May flowers!!

Don't know about all of you, but we have had quite good rains thus far this spring!

And I guess *sigh* I'm ready to move back to Laura's childhood 

with our fourth installment of the Little House series, On the Banks of Plum Creek.

I cannot believe we are 25% finished and by month's end 

we will be 1/3 of the way through the year's scheduled reading for this Read-Along!

I admit, I adored the third book, Farmer Boy, 

but I'm hopeful I'll love others in the series at least as well!

Check out Bex's announcement posting 

for additional details about this next book in the series!

I am anxious to learn all about their adventures on Plum Creek!

While I do wish I had enjoyed these as a child, 

at least I have the opportunity to do so now 

and to share with my grandchildren!

We seem to have lost a few participants this past month, 

so here's hoping there are more of you who want to join us for the fourth book!

And...don't forget that you can always participate by just commenting, 

if that is your preference!

Not only will this book count toward #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks 

hosted by Andi at Estella's Revenge,  but also for 

the Classic Children's Literature Event April 2016 hosted by Simpler Pastimes, 

the Women's Classic Literature Event hosted by Classics Club, and 

the Historical Fiction 2016 Reading Challenge hosted by Passages to the Past,

You can link up to your review using the Linky here or on Bex's posting.

Anyone who links up should be visible on both blogs!

Happy reading!

And now for Almanzo!

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

By far my favorite book in this series! At least at this point!

I was such a tomboy as a child, and I could relate so well to Almanzo!
I was raised on a farm and ALWAYS LOVED working with animals!
We start in the year 1866 in northern New York state...

Awww...this just makes me sigh...it is so idyllic!

The cover on my copy.

While as an adult I have performed all the tasks associated with raising a family and caring for a home, honestly, I always loved being active on my grandmother's farm, especially with regard to activities thought to be more appropriate for "males" than "females"! Perhaps this is one reason I much preferred living in the country, raising a HUGE garden, preserving our own food as much as possible, and exposing my sons to raising livestock, as opposed to working outside the home and living "in town." I wouldn't trade those first 13 years of my first marriage for anything! It was during this time that I learned more about nature, human and otherwise, than in any other period of my life! It was an amazing time for me in so many ways...

Particularly, as a 'displaced teacher,' I was appalled by the teenage bullies, "the Hardscrabble Boys," who were allowed to physically attack the schoolteachers and run them out. 

  They boasted that no teacher could finish the winter term in that school, 

and no teacher ever had. (5)

As I read this, I said aloud to myself, "Really?!? Are you kidding me?!?" But, no, it was no joke, it was the truth! And...to make matters even worse (at least in my opinion), their fathers were fine with this behavior--even proud of their sons! All the younger children were so worried for Mr. Corse who was gentle and patient and in no way "big enough to fight them." One day all the boys were late in returning from lunch-time recess, but Mr. Corse said,

  "I will overlook your tardiness this one time. But do not let it happen again."

  Everybody knew the big boys would be tardy again. Mr. Corse could not punish them 

because they could thrash him, and that was what they meant to do. (12)

It just so happened that Mr. Corse was staying with Wilder family during this time. (Teachers were on a rotating schedule to board with the various families whose children attended school; there was no separate housing provided for a teacher.) Almanzo's father spoke of them to Mr. Corse,

  "They have driven out two teachers."..."

Last year they hurt Jonas Lane so bad he died of it later." 

  "I know,...Jonas Lane and I went to school together. He was my friend." (29)

Reading this passage caused me to yell out loud, "Oh. My. Goodness! They were allowed to murder a teacher and no one cared?!?" Then I realized that Mr. Corse evidently came prepared, since he was well aware of last year's murder, for it was exactly that! And had he! As Almanzo later learned, his father was responsible for the teacher's ability to handle these bullies! Almanzo was both surprised and proud that his father had been so smart! And the relief! I felt so sorry for Almanzo being so scared for his teacher! I could see how he would use these same skills to become such a kind and caring father to his own children in adulthood.

 

As you can see from these cover images, one of the big stories in the book described Almanzo training the two calves, Star and Bright. 
One snowy morning Almanzo's father reminds him today is his birthday...
he is 9 years old! But he had forgotten! 
That made me think about the huge ordeals most of us make 
over our children's birthdays now... 

  "There's something for you in the woodshed," Father said. (49)

According to his Mother, he couldn't leave his seat until he had eaten his breakfast, however. 

  Then he ate as fast as he could, and she said: "Don't take such big mouthfuls." 

  Mothers always fuss about the way you eat. You can hardly eat any way that pleases them. (50)

It must seem that way to children at times. When we really just want them to be safe--no choking, etc.--if at all possible! I couldn't help thinking it might have been better for his father to give him this news once he had finished eating breakfast, but I suspect his father was just about as excited as he was. :) Father had crafted a little calf yoke so he could 'break' Star and Bright, the two young oxen. It was amazing to read the details of this process. Although Almanzo fashioned his own whip to use while training them,

He never whipped them; he only cracked the whip. 

  He knew you could never teach an animal anything if you struck it, or even shouted at it angrily. He must always be gentle, and quiet, and patient, even when they made mistakes. 

Star and Bright must like him and trust him and know he would never hurt them, for if they were once afraid of him they would never be good, willing, hard-working oxen. (98-99)

And now we know why his father's horses were "the best" in all the region... He obviously knew how to treat his animals and had taught his son the same. Though it seemed like Almanzo was always a really good kid, even he could sometimes do the wrong thing. It was great to see his father handle it well and not get angry with his son; he just made sure the boy had learned his lesson. One thing Almanzo wants more than anything is to break one of the colts, but his father insists he is too young and inexperienced. His older brother, Royal, is the only one allowed to be with the colts. This is a constant frustration for Almanzo. We discover he even eats just as much as he can at every meal thinking it will make him grow faster so he can work with the colts sooner! 

Both Royal and Almanzo get to skip school to help with the ice cutting. This was such an arduous process! So much heavy work! And dangerous! One slip and you could be in that ice-cold water and under the ice in no time with no one able to rescue you! Almanzo almost was! Those close enough to him were able to grab him as he was falling and keep him safe on the ice. Needless to say, Father was not happy! Though he chose not to whip Almanzo, made it clear the boy was to stay well away from the edge, which he did from them on...with no complaints! Then there was butchering. For the hogs:

The hams and shoulders they slid carefully into barrels of brown pork-pickle , which Mother had made of salt, maple sugar, saltpeter and water, boiled together. 

Pork-pickle had a stinging smell that felt like a sneeze. (280)

And yes, that was me...laughing yet again! The mention of saltpeter made me search the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It is a naturally existing white powder found in some soils--used as a fertilizer, in medicine, and to make gunpowder! It is this last item that I remembered having learned long ago. And yet it could also be used in a brine to preserve meat? That is one very versatile substance! :)

I loved the scene where their cousin Frank was bragging and showing off his brand new "store-boughten cap"! This cap had ear-flaps that would button up on top of the cap when not in use. Almanzo wanted one. 

  Royal said it was a silly cap. He said to Frank, 

"What's the sense of ear-flaps that button over the top? Nobody has ears on top of his head." 

So Almanzo knew that Royal wanted a cap like that, too. (91-92)

I laughed out loud at this! So true, isn't it? Many times when kids make fun of something you have, it is the result of envy. :)

Sundays would have been torturous for me. Go to church, sit for hours without squirming or doing anything but sitting still and then the rest of the day only talking quietly and not being able to really DO anything! Yikes! Resting is one thing, but when you're a child...you want to get up and go! :) At least I did! And the joy that Almanzo got from rainy days when he and his father went fishing! Those were joyous times for him and they seemed to be good at it! But they had to wait until it rained, otherwise, there was always work to be done! 

Sheep shearing! I actually helped my uncle on several different occasions with shearing sheep. Well...we didn't do the shearing, other people came to do that, but we had to herd the sheep and run them into the pens, etc. (Told you I loved this book with all the farm animal stuff!) I never will forget the trouble my uncle had with the ram! He was mean and fully determined NOT to do what you wanted him to do! Period! I was grateful to be young and lithe and able to avoid his head-butts! (Basically, I worked at staying out of his way altogether! To say I had a healthy respect for him was a drastic understatement!) These sheep were particularly difficult to shear...

Their long shears snipped through the thick wool like lightning; 

they cut close to the sheep, but never cut its pink skin. 

This was a hard thing to do, because Father's sheep were prize Merinos. 

Merinos have the finest wool, but their skin lies in deep wrinkles, 

and it is hard to get all the wool without cutting them. (158)

I had no idea of this fact! Amazing, isn't it? It seems the 'better' things are always harder to get, doesn't it? Reading of Almanzo's little break in his trips with the wool bundles as he tracked the mama cat back to her kittens brought back memories of discovering nests of baby mice and kittens in the haymow of my grandmother's barn when I was young! Though I wasn't shirking responsibility as was Almanzo! 

Father describes the settlement of the U.S. to Almanzo:

  "...we were farmers, son; we wanted the land. It was farmers that went over the mountains, and cleared the land, and settled it, and farmed it, and hung on to the farms.

This country goes three thousand miles west, now. It goes 'way out beyond Kansas, 

and beyond the Great American Desert, over mountains bigger than these mountains, 

and down to the Pacific Ocean. It's the biggest country in the world, and it was farmers who took all that country and made it America, son. Don't you ever forget that." (189)

I have always said farming is not 'a job,' but a lifestyle. I miss it. Father is obviously a fierce defender of farming and what he says is true, settlement further west was initiated by farmers first, and as we have learned in the first two books, it was very hard work and could be very lonely...and dangerous to be one of those settlers!

I have raised pumpkins but never heard of a "milk-fed pumpkin" before now! I did know that if you wanted a larger end product, you simply plucked blooms, forcing the plant to concentrate its growing energy on fewer pumpkins or tomatoes or whatever, thereby making them larger though fewer of them. But feeding a pumpkin milk? That was news to me! I could relate to Almanzo's anxiety as the judges considered the pumpkins at the annual fair! I was very glad for him winning with his pumpkin! What a thrill! 

I admit to cringing when I realized their parents were leaving Royal, Eliza Jane, Alice, and Almanzo in charge of the farm for a whole week while they visited relatives. They eat virtually all the store-bought white sugar and rather than keeping up with the daily chores, let it all go until the day before their parents are due to return. Almanzo's temper gets the best of him and he ends up throwing the blacking-brush at Eliza Jane, misses her, and splatters a nice black patch on Mother's sitting room wallpaper. He agonizes for two whole days once his parents return, awaiting their discovery of the damage. When visitors arrive that second evening he is panic-stricken, though at the same time anxious for the dread to be over and done. What he didn't know was that Eliza Jane had secretly patched the wallpaper so that none of the "black spotch" was visible. Almonzo apologizes to Eliza Jane for getting angry, and she states, 

"I guess I was aggravating,...but I didn't mean to be. You're the only little brother I've got."

Almanzo had never known before how much he liked Eliza Jane.

They never never told about the black splotch on the parlor wall, and Mother never knew. (227)

Awww... 

And then the time came when his three siblings were sent off to school and he became the only child left at home. Father immediately started letting him do more. They made a bobsled so he could haul wood from the timber using Star and Bright to pull the loads. He put many hours in helping reload logs and turning the sled upright, digging the steers out of the deep snow when they got off the road, and encouraging them to reenter the road and keep on trudging. But eventually they all three learned to work together. Almanzo was made to return to school, mainly to learn arithmetic and he studied hard.

I found it so heartwarming that Almanzo's parents were disappointed that Royal, the oldest son had no interest in farming, and were hopeful that Almanzo would...but then the wheelwright offered an apprenticeship to Almanzo, they feared he would want to pursue that as a career instead. I was glad to see that his parents were evidently more liberal-minded than many and rather than force Almanzo to do their bidding, they allowed him to make the choice. Though they were quite pleased that he was determined to keep on farming...and then he received the biggest reward of all. Instead of letting Almanzo purchase a colt with the money he had put in the bank, Father just gave him Starlight, the colt he had wanted all along. 

When the liveryman told father Almanzo was smart, Father replied,

  "Time will show...Many a good beginning makes a bad ending. 

It remains to be seen how he turns out in the long run." (351)

Although it seemed a bit hard-hearted, there is some truth to it...and I feel Almonzo turned out to be a very good man. Would you agree?

Which book is your favorite of this series?

Mine is Farmer Boy so far...we'll see if that changes.