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Little House Thread


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Did anyone else watch the miniseries that was on several years ago? It was about their time in Kansas (near present-day Independence?). It was gritty and dangerous and I thought really showed how difficult their lives were what with the changing government treaties with the Native Americans, hostile or unreliable neighbors, difficult land, etc. I never read the books, but I did watch the Michael Landon series and think I preferred the miniseries.

Just looked and it's on YouTube. Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP9jnbrpG4Y

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I also love and reread the Little House series on a fairly regular basis.  My favorite is The Long Winter, especially when Pa gets to the point where he shakes his fist at the wind -- "Howl, blast you..."   The accompanying illustration by Garth Williams is perfect, showing the thin, hungry family huddled together.  It must have been such a surreal, painful time, trying to wait out the blizzards. 

I watched some of the series when it first aired, but keep returning to the books.  When my daughter was little, I'd tell her I was cooking "common taters on the ax."  Does anyone recall where that was said?  I'll have to dig out my books and figure out where it came from.

 

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7 hours ago, Inky said:

Okay, as long as they didn't EAT bunny...

It might help if you knew that Bunny was Laura's pony and NOT a rabbit. This whole episode is like The Gift of the Magi times 10.

@Seven Severn, was that the miniseries where Jack was an Australian shepherd and Ma always had hair that was falling down?  Drove me nuts that Ma's hair was always so unkempt and that Jack was not a brindle bulldog. I used to wear my hair in a bun and it's not that hard to keep it neat.  Ma would have done that.

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I loved Little House as a child! I think I was actually named after Laura (my first name, my middle name was after a character on the kids' tv show Arthur). I dressed up as her for multiple Book Parades and Halloweens, with a cute little tin pail and a slate. 

I'm pretty sure I read the books. I remember reading at least a few. I don't really watch the show anymore, but I always had a major crush on Pa. And Albert.

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@Seven Severn I thought the miniseries was well done, and I think it seemed closer to the books than the Michael Landon series.  It bothered me that Laura's hair was practically blonde, and that Jack was a different breed of dog, like PennySycamore said.  

I want to go to Mansfield, MO someday.  I went to the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, SD about 15 years ago.  It was awesome.  The best parts for me were touring the house that Pa built in town after he sold the claim, and the surveyor's house, where the family spent their first winter in SD.  It was the actual house, not a replica or anything.  And being out on the prairie was neat, too.  Now when I read the later books I can visualize things better.  

Oh, and the books and tv show have always sort of been separate to me.  I watched the shows in reruns in the afternoons when I was 4/5, and then I started reading the books the next year and I didn't realize they were same thing right away.  The show was just such a departure from the books, what with the clown rapists and morphine addiction and all (and I saw the clown rapist episode on Hallmark a few years ago, so it's still out there, beware, lol).

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By the way my Little House Books - well actually my mom bought me a box set as an adult because my stepfather disposed (long story, I get why things were tossed at this point in my life) of our childhood books and she couldn't remember which ones I had.  In the last couple of years I sent the box set to my cousin in California who was looking for a gently used set for her second daughter.  I offered mine up.  I sent the same cousin my entire collection of Trixie Belden books (some of which were given to me by older cousins/aunt when I was in 7th or 8th grade).  

The Long Winter is my favorite.  And I long considered the single Christmas Blizzard episode a feeble attempt and covering that particular book.  

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12 hours ago, twin2 said:

 

I also do wonder what life was really like for the family.  From what I can gather, Pa seemed to be 'not a job type person' just wanted to grift off the land then move on.  That had to have been hard on the family.

OK, you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?  

"Little RV with a Big Family"

  1. Pa:  David Rodrigues
  2. Ma/Nellie Olsen:  Jill Rodrigues
  3. Laura:  Nurie Rodrigues
  4. Jack:  Was sold prior to inhabiting the RV

 

 

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9 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

I also love and reread the Little House series on a fairly regular basis.  My favorite is The Long Winter, especially when Pa gets to the point where he shakes his fist at the wind -- "Howl, blast you..."   The accompanying illustration by Garth Williams is perfect, showing the thin, hungry family huddled together.  It must have been such a surreal, painful time, trying to wait out the blizzards. 

I watched some of the series when it first aired, but keep returning to the books.  When my daughter was little, I'd tell her I was cooking "common taters on the ax."  Does anyone recall where that was said?  I'll have to dig out my books and figure out where it came from.

 

I believe it's in one of the later books, when they have their literary gatherings.

If they were on Kindle, I could search and find it *snaps fingers* that fast.

I'll consult Lord Google for you, though. :)

ETA:  Didn't find anything definitive - but I think it's in Little Town on the Prairie, during Laura's winter term at school.  The Friday night socials.

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15 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

Has anyone read the book Follow The River by James Alexander Thom?  It's a fictionalized version of a true story of a woman who is captured by the Shawnee in Virginia in 1755 and has an incredible story of survival as she tries to make her way back home.

The woman's name is Mary Ingles and I heard somewhere, but can no longer find any indication, that she is an ancestor of Charles Ingalls and his family.

Even if the two families are not related, this is a captivating and impressive story if you enjoy survival stories.  It made some lasting impressions on me.

 

I'm looking it up right now in our university's library and am going to check it out.  Thanks for the recommendation!  Definitely sounds like something I'll be interested in reading.

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15 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

Has anyone read the book Follow The River by James Alexander Thom?  It's a fictionalized version of a true story of a woman who is captured by the Shawnee in Virginia in 1755 and has an incredible story of survival as she tries to make her way back home.

The woman's name is Mary Ingles and I heard somewhere, but can no longer find any indication, that she is an ancestor of Charles Ingalls and his family.

Even if the two families are not related, this is a captivating and impressive story if you enjoy survival stories.  It made some lasting impressions on me.

 

I'll check that out - sounds like an interesting read.  

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I've just started reading it and I'm on page 31.  I'll be reading along and suddenly..."BAM!"  "Oh, no they didn't!!!!!"

Pretty intense.

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19 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

Has anyone read the book Follow The River by James Alexander Thom?  It's a fictionalized version of a true story of a woman who is captured by the Shawnee in Virginia in 1755 and has an incredible story of survival as she tries to make her way back home.

The woman's name is Mary Ingles and I heard somewhere, but can no longer find any indication, that she is an ancestor of Charles Ingalls and his family.

Even if the two families are not related, this is a captivating and impressive story if you enjoy survival stories.  It made some lasting impressions on me.

 

I have this book. Another good one is Ride the Wind and Where the Broken Heaart still Beats about Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of famous Quanah Parker.

Or Indian Captive - that's the children's version of Mary Jemison, who chose to live and stay with the Senecas. I think she wrote a book or diary herself though.

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I LOVED all the LH books as a girl.  My absolute favorite though was Farmer Boy.  I have never watched any of the TV series but now think that maybe I should check them out.  

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4 minutes ago, TXGirlInAMaterialWorld said:

I LOVED all the LH books as a girl.  My absolute favorite though was Farmer Boy.  I have never watched any of the TV series but now think that maybe I should check them out.  

Farmer boy was my favorite too.

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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.  

 

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I did read a few of the Little House books as a child, and I know I watched the television show, but it didn't make a huge impression on me. Obviously it has on a lot of people :)

I am glad Bunny was  a horse and they didn't eat Bunny. Although either one would make a fine meal if you were starving, I guess.

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This thread is making me so nostalgic! Now that I'm on winter break, I'm going to re-read the books. 

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23 hours ago, twin2 said:

I think the most snarkworthy episode has to be the one where Carrie is being ignored, so she dreams of her imaginary friend who looks just like her.  I'm sorry, but the 2 girls who played Carrie were horrible actresses, and the combination of the inanity of the episode with 2x the bad acting, is just too much.

"Aliiiisssssa. Aliiiiisssssa."  One of the worst.episodes.ever. Lord, I cringe just thinking about it and it's probably been over 30 years since I've seen it. And even then, I couldn't sit through the whole episode. Why they centered an entire episode around 2 girls who couldn't act is beyond me.

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On 12/7/2015 at 4:48 PM, foreign fundie said:

Grandma got my daughter hooked on the series. She watched them many times over with tears in her eyes. So I bought her one of the books to encourage literacy skills. Well, she didn't get halfway through it. Too boring.

Still, I hope the series will inspire in my daughter the respect and obedience to her parents that Laura had for hers. Which may be why her grandma gave her the DVDs in the first place. 

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 :) 

On 12/7/2015 at 5:53 AM, Gimme a Free RV said:

OK, you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?  

"Little RV with a Big Family"

  1. Pa:  David Rodrigues
  2. Ma/Nellie Olsen:  Jill Rodrigues
  3. Laura:  Nurie Rodrigues
  4. Jack:  Was sold prior to inhabiting the RV

 

 

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! :)

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Michael Landon is one of my "TV Dads". I loved him in LHOTP, though I know his Pa Ingalls is a very romanticized version of the real man. I also loved Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. What a funny, smart, compassionate lady.

We were only allowed to watch 'wholesome', mostly G-rated TV shows when I was a kid, and the early seasons of LHOTP fit the bill according to my parents. I still have fond memories of the show, and own several seasons on DVD. I was a voracious reader as a kid but never read the books, though. I am curious now about why that was... I suppose they just never crossed my path. :D

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ooh Someone else with TV Dads!!!  (because mine checked out when Mom divorced him when I was 10 and he was meh before that in the parenting department).  

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A Little House thread!  ::::::::SQUEEEEEEEE::::::::

Count me in as one who goes through the books and reads all the Christmas chapters every December.  My favorite is Farmer Boy, when all the kids wake up and run downstairs screaming and opening their stockings...at 3:30AM.  Almanzo: "Royal, Alice, lookee my jack knife, lookee my cap!"  Father from upstairs: "Look at the clock."  LOLOL

My library has Pioneer Girl and I highly recommend any diehard fan getting it and reading it.   I have to buy a copy but I'm waiting for a cheap one on Amazon.  The fact from life that is not in the books that absolutely BLEW ME AWAY is that during The Long Winter, a family - husband, wife and baby - lived with them the whole time.  So it wasn't six people nearly starving to death, it was NINE.  And the husband was a freeloading jerk who sat on his ass and did nothing the entire winter - didn't help Pa with the chores, didn't help twist hay, ate more than his share of the food.  I wanted to reach through the pages and kick his sorry ass out into the blizzard!  

There are so many great photos in Pioneer Girl too.  I was swooning.  

 

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14 minutes ago, danvillebelle said:

A Little House thread!  ::::::::SQUEEEEEEEE::::::::

Count me in as one who goes through the books and reads all the Christmas chapters every December.  My favorite is Farmer Boy, when all the kids wake up and run downstairs screaming and opening their stockings...at 3:30AM.  Almanzo: "Royal, Alice, lookee my jack knife, lookee my cap!"  Father from upstairs: "Look at the clock."  LOLOL

My library has Pioneer Girl and I highly recommend any diehard fan getting it and reading it.   I have to buy a copy but I'm waiting for a cheap one on Amazon.  The fact from life that is not in the books that absolutely BLEW ME AWAY is that during The Long Winter, a family - husband, wife and baby - lived with them the whole time.  So it wasn't six people nearly starving to death, it was NINE.  And the husband was a freeloading jerk who sat on his ass and did nothing the entire winter - didn't help Pa with the chores, didn't help twist hay, ate more than his share of the food.  I wanted to reach through the pages and kick his sorry ass out into the blizzard!  

There are so many great photos in Pioneer Girl too.  I was swooning.  

 

Ate more than his share of food while the Ingalls were watching their girls starve to death?  Which absolutely could have happened.  I know Caroline was the poster child for keeping sweet but I'm no Caroline Ingalls - that would have gotten ugly very fast if that were me.  

Why were they with them?  I read the excerpts about the town where they rented space to the railroad (?) workers and as a mother of a daughter that situation sounds terrifying to me.  

And Pa sneaking everyone out of town in dead of night snd skipping out on his debts one step ahead of the landlord evicting them for non-payment.  I always felt there was something super shifty about the real Charles.   

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I'm also one who loved the books, but I think mine were lost at some point during a move or something. Still, I look forward to when my niece is old enough to read those books. I do have a copy of Pioneer Girl, and I think that miniseries was more like that than the books which were meant for children. I'd say now as an adult, The Long Winter would still be my favorite, although in Pioneer Girl, it's mentioned they had another family living with them that year.

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On 12/6/2015 at 6:52 PM, church_of_dog said:

Has anyone read the book Follow The River by James Alexander Thom?  It's a fictionalized version of a true story of a woman who is captured by the Shawnee in Virginia in 1755 and has an incredible story of survival as she tries to make her way back home.

The woman's name is Mary Ingles and I heard somewhere, but can no longer find any indication, that she is an ancestor of Charles Ingalls and his family.

Even if the two families are not related, this is a captivating and impressive story if you enjoy survival stories.  It made some lasting impressions on me.

 

I just finished reading this last night.  The fact that this actually happened is nothing short of amazing.  I'm glad you mentioned this book!  My next read, thanks to FJ, is The Poisonwood Bible.

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