Little House Thread

[slp]

The sites in Missouri  and Kansas are supposed to be much more interesting than the Walnut Grove one.  I've never been, but my cousin bargained with her husband and son that if she'd go to a baseball game in St Louis (Cardinals, of course) they'd take her to the two LH sites.  They agreed and actually ended up enjoying themselves.  She loved it and thought both sites were great.

The two  sites are:

 

 Independence Kansas site   http://www.littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com/

Missouri (Rocky Ridge Farm)  http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/

 

 

 

 

 

[PennySycamore]

@slp, the Independence website reminded me of how much the dirty lamp chimneys on the LHOP show always bothered me.  People kept their lamp chimneys clean to be able to see better.

[O Latin]

I have to tell my Little House story. When I was in junior high there was a local TV channel that would show reruns of the TV show every afternoon right about the time I got home from school. I would hurry home to get myself a snack and claim the TV before my brother or sister could get home (they were still in elementary school, which let out about half an hour later). One day, it was the episode where Laura puts pepper in the chicken instead of cinnamon to sabotage Nellie and Almanzo's date. But that's a two part episode, and I had to go somewhere after school the next day, so I wouldn't be able to come home and watch it (this was before DVR). I tried so hard to find a way to get out of whatever it was I had to do, but alas, I had to miss the episode and wait until it came around again to find out what happened. A few years later, the same thing happened with the "Mary gets arrested for vandalizing the gym" episode of 7th Heaven. Man, I was happy when we finally got a DVR.

[Playagirl]

On Monday, February 29, 2016 at 10:39 PM, O Latin said:

I have to tell my Little House story. When I was in junior high there was a local TV channel that would show reruns of the TV show every afternoon right about the time I got home from school. I would hurry home to get myself a snack and claim the TV before my brother or sister could get home (they were still in elementary school, which let out about half an hour later). One day, it was the episode where Laura puts pepper in the chicken instead of cinnamon to sabotage Nellie and Almanzo's date. But that's a two part episode, and I had to go somewhere after school the next day, so I wouldn't be able to come home and watch it (this was before DVR). I tried so hard to find a way to get out of whatever it was I had to do, but alas, I had to miss the episode and wait until it came around again to find out what happened. A few years later, the same thing happened with the "Mary gets arrested for vandalizing the gym" episode of 7th Heaven. Man, I was happy when we finally got a DVR.

This was me back in the very late 70s. We didn't have cable but by playing with the rabbit ears on our TV and putting the channel selector somewhat between channels, I could get a very fuzzy picture with even fuzzier audio. It was horrendous but I was that desperate to watch that I'd put up with it, much to my siblings' annoyance as I'd sit on the floor about a foot from the TV yelling at them to shut up so I could try to make out what the characters were saying.

[roddma]

I had forgotten about the Almanzo Nellie date. IMO it didn't seem appropriate during that time for a girl Laura's age to be chasing a guy the way she did

[GreyhoundFan]

On Sunday, December 06, 2015 at 3:06 PM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I think the series did a real disservice to the memory of Eliza Jane.  As much as disingenuously made a hero out of the somewhat sketchy irl Charles Ingalls it took a woman who was independent and autonomous years ahead of her time and turned her into a bitter, simpering suck monkey jealous of Melissa Gilbert.  In the books you can tell Laura didn't think much of her and it's always puzzled me as Rose was sent to live with her Aunt Eliza in highschool.  

Just thinking out loud here but as was mentioned earlier Allison Arngrim (Nellie) seems so awesome in real life I think she would love FJ.  So Allison - if you ever google yourself and find this thread...I love you, Prairie Bitch!

I loved her and Percival as a couple on one level, but hated the message that the bitchy girl was tamed by a man with a firm demeanor.  Wtf - would have been a little more believable if she Nellied all over him now and again.  Nellie Oleson does not turn into a wimpier Caroline Ingalls just because of any man.

And the boy/girl twins and splitting the religion was just stupid - they were passing out religious membership like gender specific happy meal toys?  The hell?  It was like what they actually believed wasn't even a factor...or raising one child to believe in the divinity of Christ and not the other wouldn't cause any questions around the old Dalton...err...Cohen dinner table.  

 

I so agree about the TV series shorting Eliza Jane. During my "Laura" trip to the midwest last summer, I purchased several books by William Anderson. One is entitled, "A Wilder In The West". It's about Eliza Jane. It is about her being a woman homesteader on her own in the wild west. I found it quite interesting. Several of the William Anderson books are available from the DeSmet society.

At the Walnut Grove museum, they have a wall display about the Owens family (the basis for the Olesons). One thing that stuck me was that Nellie's husband was a very handsome man. He didn't have the rough look that many of the folks at the time had. He was definitely not Percival. They ended up in Oregon, so they truly headed west.

[clueliss]

http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70752/17-pioneering-facts-about-little-house-prairie

Specifically Facts about the TV Series not the Books.   I knew most of these (as will a lot of you)

[Ungodly Grandma]

On 12/8/2015 at 4:11 PM, EmmieJ said:

Well, I wish you good luck on the books inspiring respect and obedience for parents.  I devoured all the LHOP books but they had no bearing on how I behaved toward my parents.  That came solely from the way my parents raised me  

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!  Pa had twinkling brown eyes and brown hair; not dull brown eyes and jug ears!  Ma was sweet and gentle, and never would be addicted to green eyeliner and attention!  Laura was spunky and got into trouble.  Poor sad squeaky-voiced Nurie - I don't see much spunk in that young lady

Other than that, spot on!

Maybe Jill would be better as Mrs. Oleson. If Nurie hasn't the spunk to be Laura, she would make a good Mary. I hated Mary, goody two shoes.

[Mela99]

My MIL just loaned me a new Rose/Laura book. A Wilder Rose. It's good so far, but it's disconcerting how bitchy Laura comes off. I know it's fiction but based on her letters..