Skip to main content

A little hope from our ancestors


The weather is cloudy, cold and most of us are stuck at home due to COVID-19 with the children.  The boys and I are so sick of being around the house, or in the house all the time because it is cold.  I looked out the window of the house the other day into the foggy, grey exterior and it made me wonder how the pioneer women(homesteaders), my ancestors made it through.  The homesteaders also had to deal with pandemics, keeping a household going, homeschooling their kids old school (literally).


Miss Mary Longfellow holding down a claim west of Broken Bow, Nebraska, circa 1880s
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG2608-1953-a
The homesteading women lived with death, plagues of sickness or insects, poor living conditions and sanitation, etc.  I could go on and on about how their life was different and worse than ours.  They didn't have anything compared to what we have, and I don't say that so we feel guilty for our feelings of frustration or anger at our current situation.  I say that so we can take pride in how far we have come, and hope that we can make it through this time.  We will get through this!

We need to pull up our big girl britches and walk one foot in front of the other Every. Day.  Will you have moments when you don't think you can make it another step? Yes!  Will you have moments when you lock yourself in a closet with a really unhealthy snack?  Definitely!  Will you have moments you question your sanity? Probably!

But each and everyone of us have an ancestor in our background that has gone through a time similar to this, no matter your background, and they survived and learned to laugh about it.  So will we.  And if you listen really close you will hear them whispering, "It will be ok sweet girl, keep going you will get through this and have the biggest laugh ever."  Write everything down, we need to share this with our grandkids so they will have hope in the future.  Because guess what life is going to throw them curve balls too, and they are going to need to have hope from their grandparents and great-grandparents about how rough we had it and survived to tell the story, and laugh. 
Uriah and Mattie Oblinger with daughter Ella, circa 1870s
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG1346-1-2
So here is a laugh for you(hopefully), a letter written by Mattie Oblinger a Nebraska homesteader.  And I feel like I could have written this letter myself this week.

"My plants are looking nicely. I have not made a garden yet, will make some tomorrow if it does rain. It has the appearance of rain this evening. I would have made some this last week but the ground was not ready and Uriah wanted to finish his wheat. I feel like killing my old hens. They will not go to setting [laying eggs]. I expect when they do take a notion to set, they will all want to set at one time. I have made two table clothes & two shirts for Uriah &one for my self out of our wagon sheet. . . .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Open letter to our Governor

Governor Ricketts,  Thank you for your leadership during this global pandemic, I will never know the hard decisions that come across your desk everyday.  I have been a supporter of yours since your campaign in 2014.  However, I feel that there have been moments during this crises that you are missing what is important to our state.   Nebraska, is an agricultural state, which of course you know, but are you aware of how much farmers have been struggling the last few years.  The price of corn has not been great for awhile now, and many farmers are still recovering from the flooding of last year.  And now with the global pandemic, the market is at rock bottom. (I hope!)  All this stress is piling up on our farmers; physically, mentally, and financially.  And arguably rural Nebraska is the backbone of our great state.  I can not speak for all farmers of course, but some folks out in rural Nebraska feel that you may have forgotte...
Post a Comment
Read more
The Two-Faced Peach When you think of a peach, what flavor sits on your tongue?  You probably think of a sweet taste and memories of summer?  Do you think of a spicy flavor?  Maybe not a spicy flavor, but let me introduce you to the two faced Peach.                                                  Peach salsa getting ready to be canned Two-faced seems kind of harsh, but in this case I mean it in the most kind and sincerest terms.  There is only so much sweetness a gal can take before she needs a little spice in her life! And for me that is peach salsa!  I was skeptical at first, but I needed something new to do with peaches, and came across the recipe in the Complete Book of Home Preserving, it did not disap...
2 comments
Read more

Volunteers Carry the Load, But the Weight is Getting Heavy

  I love volunteering. I have made amazing friendships and learned so much from volunteering. I volunteer in my community, I have volunteered to coach on occasion, and I volunteer in my church. I do it because it makes me feel good about helping others and bringing events to our small corner of the world. My personality has been made and molded to help others.  While volunteering I have learned how to best set up a serving line that maximizes efficiency.  I have learned how amazing and funny the kids in our community are.  I have learned planning and organizing skills that have continued to get better (I think). I have also learned the subtle art of give and take when working with a group of people.  Photo by Hanna Morris on Unsplash My journey of volunteering hasn't been easy in a small community. I have been stressed and irritated at someone or something that just didn't go the way I wanted it to or thought it would go. But along the way, I have gained such r...
Post a Comment
Read more