Friday, July 26, 2013
"Freda Focus"
Friday, July 19, 2013
Freda - "How's your heart?"
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Moving on July 17, 1894
Have you ever had to move away from your family and go off on your own? It isn't an easy thing to do. You leave behind all the security that you've known. And you take a leap of faith, hoping that it will all work out for you.
That is exactly what Laura and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, did on this day, in 1894. They had tried to make a similar move before that, but it didn't work out for them. Now, they felt that this move would be the one to work out.
Laura packed up what belongings she could into their little horse-drawn hack. She placed her daughter, Rose, into the back of the hack and she and Almanzo sat in front. At dawn, they said a tearful "Goodbye" to family and off they went. Their destination was to Mansfield, Missouri; a place they had only read about in an advertisement.
On their journey, they were accompanied by the Cooley family, who traveled in a covered wagon. They weren't explorers, but travelers. They knew their destination, but didn't know what would lie ahead in this attempt to settle. Their trip would take them through 4 states and last till August 30th.
Laura had saved a $100 bill to purchase land when they would arrive. She hid it inside her portable writing desk. Along the way the bill slipped through a crack a was hidden. Thinking that they had lost it, they set themselves to make do and just go on. But the bill was recovered and they used it toward the purchase of property.
From all accounts, their move proved successful. Laura lived in Mansfield for the remainder of her life. (63 years, till she was 90 years old!) She wrote all her "Little House" books, from her farm, just outside the city limits. But it all started back on July 17, 1894!
If you have the opportunity to visit Mansfield, you will be able to see the house that Almanzo built on their farm. And you will see a town, which hasn't grown much since their day. But, the spirit of Laura, Almanzo and little Rose is can still be found in the memories left by Laura's writings. And perhaps you'll see what they saw in Mansfield that gave them the desire to stay and call it home. I saw it and have called it home for about 12 years now. And I have opened a souvenir shop in order to share more of the memories of Laura. As long as I live here, I'll share those with visitors. I hope you will be one of those visitors soon.
It takes a step of faith to move away from family to out on your own. It also takes a step of faith to live your life every day! If they hadn't made up their minds to take a step out in faith and move to Mansfield, we might never have known what Pioneer life was like at all! It was the combination of living in Mansfield on her farm and the memories of her childhood, that gave Laura the inspiration she needed to become a successful author. But she had to make that step out in faith or it never would have taken place!
If you feel the urge to leave that safety net of family, and go off on your own someday, I wish you all the success that Laura, Almanzo and Rose achieved. And I wish you, "God Speed".
You can read about their journey to Mansfield in the book, "On the Way Home"; which was taken from Laura's travel journal. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls
That is exactly what Laura and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, did on this day, in 1894. They had tried to make a similar move before that, but it didn't work out for them. Now, they felt that this move would be the one to work out.
Laura packed up what belongings she could into their little horse-drawn hack. She placed her daughter, Rose, into the back of the hack and she and Almanzo sat in front. At dawn, they said a tearful "Goodbye" to family and off they went. Their destination was to Mansfield, Missouri; a place they had only read about in an advertisement.
On their journey, they were accompanied by the Cooley family, who traveled in a covered wagon. They weren't explorers, but travelers. They knew their destination, but didn't know what would lie ahead in this attempt to settle. Their trip would take them through 4 states and last till August 30th.
Laura had saved a $100 bill to purchase land when they would arrive. She hid it inside her portable writing desk. Along the way the bill slipped through a crack a was hidden. Thinking that they had lost it, they set themselves to make do and just go on. But the bill was recovered and they used it toward the purchase of property.
From all accounts, their move proved successful. Laura lived in Mansfield for the remainder of her life. (63 years, till she was 90 years old!) She wrote all her "Little House" books, from her farm, just outside the city limits. But it all started back on July 17, 1894!
If you have the opportunity to visit Mansfield, you will be able to see the house that Almanzo built on their farm. And you will see a town, which hasn't grown much since their day. But, the spirit of Laura, Almanzo and little Rose is can still be found in the memories left by Laura's writings. And perhaps you'll see what they saw in Mansfield that gave them the desire to stay and call it home. I saw it and have called it home for about 12 years now. And I have opened a souvenir shop in order to share more of the memories of Laura. As long as I live here, I'll share those with visitors. I hope you will be one of those visitors soon.
It takes a step of faith to move away from family to out on your own. It also takes a step of faith to live your life every day! If they hadn't made up their minds to take a step out in faith and move to Mansfield, we might never have known what Pioneer life was like at all! It was the combination of living in Mansfield on her farm and the memories of her childhood, that gave Laura the inspiration she needed to become a successful author. But she had to make that step out in faith or it never would have taken place!
If you feel the urge to leave that safety net of family, and go off on your own someday, I wish you all the success that Laura, Almanzo and Rose achieved. And I wish you, "God Speed".
You can read about their journey to Mansfield in the book, "On the Way Home"; which was taken from Laura's travel journal. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls
Friday, July 12, 2013
"Mistakes" by Freda
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
"Teddy Bear Picnic Day"
Here they are: Pa, Ma with the baby, and cousin
Friday, July 5, 2013
Freda's Focus
