Okay, true confession time.
Raise your hand if you read the "Little House on the Prairie" books when you were a little girl. I'll wait - raise 'em!
Me!!!! I dreamed and dreamed about becoming Laura. Oh my gosh, I wanted the bonnet that hung down my back, I wanted the open prairies to explore and the huge sky over me, I wanted to listen to Pa's fiddle in the evening by the fire, laugh at Mr. Edwards' jokes, and snuggle down every evening under Ma's quilts and wisdom. Seriously, I dreamt of this for years and years. Okay, I still do. Seriously do.
And, yes, I watched every single episode of the TV show, too, and while it was a good show, it just didn't have the same pull as the book did for me. Somehow, Ma and Mary and Mr. Edwards were all so much more real in Laura's prose than in ABC's depiction.
And then there was Anne of Green Gables when I was a tad bit older. Oh, Anne Shirley was just IT was for me!!! I so admired her sass, her spirit, her drama, her passion - just everything about her. And my middle name is Anne - spelled with an E - the CORRECT way. And I loved that she hated her name because I hated my name, too. Although in my case, I longed for my family to use my middle name and call me Anne, rather than Stephanie. I am just not a Stephanie. Anyway, I digress. Anne Shirley's life was absolutely idyllic for me and I could totally relate to it because I was living on the coast of Maine. I wanted Marilla and Matthew to be in my kitchen when I woke up, I wanted to have Diana just down the lane from me, and I wanted Gilbert waiting for me by the school fence. Good, good totally inspire you series of books. And this TV series was excellent, by the way! PBS's production is phenomenal and yes, I own the series. :p
So, what's the point of all of this besides just me blah, blah, blahing about childhood books? Well, I have discovered the adult version of these books - now, it's not so cutesy and certainly doesn't portray life as idyllic as Prince Edward Island. It's truly the adult version - meaning that once you've been married for 10+ years, have birthed and nursed 3 kids, do 15,000 loads of laundry every day, and are staring 40 in the face, you know that Laura's and Anne's worlds were probably a lot less fun than the books portrayed. I mean, baths once a week???? Dirt floors???? Outhouses??? Petticoats in 95+ heat???? See, ya know that pioneer life really must have sucked at times, ya know?
So, anyway, if you want to have a really good read and see some GORGEOUS pictures, visit the pioneer woman - http://www.thepioneerwoman.com - fantastic blog!!! And, yes, if I'm seriously the last person on the face of the world to discover her, then just wave and say hi on your way out the door. :)