While I’m not a fan of housework, I do believe I would have
been just fine had I lived in the late 1800s or early 1900s. It was a time when life was a bit harsher,
but a lot simpler.
I enjoy riding horses, working cattle, and even the baking.
Drawing water from a well and using an outhouse are things I’ve had to do in
this lifetime and can imagine it being an everyday occurrence that you wouldn’t
even think twice about. Especially, since you wouldn’t know any different.
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| oil lamp |
Growing up we lived rural, had our electricity go out often, had oil lamps filled and ready when it did. We used an outhouse, packed water up from the ditch, and used a wood cookstove and
a wood stove for heat. We went out as a family and gathered wood in the fall to
get us through the winter months. We had a large garden and canned all the vegetables
we needed to sustain us through the winter, by.
The clothes were hung on a clothesline outside until it was
too cold to do so.
All the elements that go into a good historical western
romance are things I would have been able to cope with as a woman in the wild
west. I wouldn’t have made it in the city, being coddled. I would have had to have
worked in a factory or cleaned houses. I wouldn’t have liked to sit around
doing handwork and telling others who to run my house.
The thought of being out west, helping build a ranch and a
family appeals to me. Hard work but very satisfying. I think had I lived 100-150
years ago, I would have fit in and thrived. It’s why I enjoy writing historical
western romance. It gives me a chance to live in a time that women were blossoming
into equal partners in the west and having more liberties.
If you’d like a glimpse at this time period through my eyes
and those of my characters you can check out my Halsey Brothers Series, Letters of Fate trilogy, or my new Silver Dollar Saloon series.
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8 comments:
Oregon Pat is a great moniker! The options you pose (country - city) in this post...I'd choose country. I'd never make it as a maid or cook in someone's house, nor as a factory worker. Women were just breaking into the fields of secretary, salesgirl. Teacher? Now being a one-room schoolhouse teacher appeals. And, you are correct. If I'd never had a flush toilet or hot and cold running water, I wouldn't miss it. I'm grateful for the experiences I've had because I do know that, while not as proficient as you'd be, I could and would survive if something happened and all my conveniences disappeared. That is a comforting thought.
Judith, Yes, I wouldn't have made it in the city. Teacher wouldn't have been bad, but you still had to keep a certain amount of decorum to be a teacher. Not sure I could have done that. ;) Thanks for commenting!
You make some good points, Paty! About people not knowing any different.
When I was a kid visiting my Grandma and Grandpa on their farm, one summer they had a drought in Pennsylvania. The spring dried up, so we had to use the outhouse instead of the flush toilet, and we had to draw water from the well. As city kids, we found it exciting to do those things. I'm sure if we'd grown up with that being part of our way of life, we would have managed just fine.
Your books reflect your first-hand knowledge of aspects of life in the old west.
What fun post, Paty. I can totally picture you in the Wild West.
Hi Sarah, I agree, it's all in what you are used to. If you don't have it you don't know any better.
Thanks Lynn!
I get to experience living in the "olden times" every summer when we camp in the back country. An entire week of no electricity, no running water, no other people for miles. We pack in our food and pack out our trash. We take water from the lake or stream (and run it through a filtre - we're not stupid, ha!) and cook over an open fire. I really enjoy the simpler life, having to depend on only ourselves, learning from mistakes and making do. But, man, I really really really enjoy a hot bath when we get home, hehe.
Luanna, I think it is a good change for us every once in a while to go back the simpler ways. Camping every summer sounds like fun! We did when our children were small, but as they grew and became involved in things, we ended up not camping as much. Now, I prefer a motel room to the hard ground. ;) Thanks for commenting!
Enjoyed your post very much, Paty!
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