I took some time this morning to find maps and such for our little upcoming weekend trip. We are headed about four hours south tomorrow afternoon, almost to Arkansas, so that I can go to a midwifery meeting. There is a State Park a few miles away in Arkansas that looks like a neat place for J and the Blessings to hang out while I’m at the meeting.
We’re planning to find a place to camp out and then on Saturday visit Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder for over 60 years. I remember going there as a young girl, and I’m eager to return and get some pictures. As a Laura Ingalls Wilder “nut”, I have been amazed as we have read the Little House Books to our children at the similarities between Laura and myself. I find myself wondering… Are the similarities just coincidence, or is it tied to the fact that I repeatedly and avidly read her books from the time I was six and a half years old? I’ve wondered many times as we’ve read to the children just how much of who I am was formed in some way by the life and writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder. A fascinating thing to contemplate.
I used to read those books a lot when I was young. I think what I liked about them was the way they lived off the land, the strong sense of family values, and I like the strength she had, which, I can see in you 🙂
I think a lot of why we read a certain book over and over again is that on some level we do connect with a character.
That is partly why I am so fascinated with Veronica Franco. I won’t tell you all, but I found her to be a strong and intelligent woman who loved to read and write about love…it was such a focus of her life. If you ever read any of her letters, she also writes about women, in defense of women who suffer broken hearts, or have unfulfilled dreams….her letters are quite interesting.
I hope you guys enjoy the weekend!!!