Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Forum

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Date Posted: 11:21:30 09/10/02 Tue
Author: Ann
Subject: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books

I don't think she ever mentioned going to the bathroom. I always wondered what they did during the long winter! Could they make it to an outhouse? If not, where did they dispose of the stuff? Out in the snow?
Having one's period. I don't think there was any mention of that--taboo, like pregnancy, I suppose.
Bathing? I don't remember any mention of that, but maybe there was.
Can you think of any other every day stuff she didn't include in the books?

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[> Re: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Shell, 16:56:48 09/10/02 Tue

I always wondered about that stuff too. I know in that period they had buckets they kept under the bed for night time use. Maybey They used them during the Long Winter when they couldn't get out. I don't know where they dumped them. Can you imagine how much they smelled? Either trapped in the house with waste near by or in the summer being hot and sweating and not bathing regularlt. I think it was mentioned a couple times about the Saturday night baths but I may be wrong(I think one time was in Farmer Boy)
Also, towns must've been worse. More people are in a smaller area and the outhouses could'nt have been too far away from everything.
Can you imagine starting your period. I wonder how many times gilrs flipped out thinking they were bleeding to death and thaen most likely being told it's a curse, live with it but now much else. How often did they wash the rags for that(and how well did they work?) Also, diapers. They only mentioned doing wash one day a week. How many diapers did they go thru and even if you did rinse them I'm sure after a week htere was a lot of them and probably weren't the best smelling items either. I bet kids were potty trained quicker then(though it must have been a pain to have to bring them to the outhouse. (unless they used the bed bucet)I had enough trouble getting my son to go upstairs to use the bathroom)I did find our recently why boys wore dresses untill they were 3 or 4. There were alot of buttons to do on pants and they didn't have the fine motor skills to do them on their ow. Usually when they were 4 they had better finger control and could do them.

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[> Re: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Jennifer, 10:07:25 09/11/02 Wed

Do you think they would have tied some kind of line from the house to the outhouse (as Pa did to get to the stables) during the winter? I suppose if it was a bad blizzard they would have to go in the bed pan. I never thought about diapers Shell! I would HOPE they did those at least every day during the normal chores!

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[> [> Laura and Almanzo -- delilah, 10:44:00 09/11/02 Wed

She left out almost everything about her and almanzo's relationship. I would have liked to know more about this "super-couple".

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[> Re: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Valerie, 15:26:50 09/11/02 Wed

I would have like to have find out more about them as a couple as well. They were married for such a long time!!
I wonder if Almanzo was romatic? was he easy to live with/
Was laura the stronger of the two?

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[> [> Re: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Ann, 15:53:14 09/11/02 Wed

My guess is Almanzo was easy to live with, but I get the feeling Laura was kind of bossy. I think that's one reason Almanzo liked her, however. He had a lot of sisters and I don't think they were exactly shy and retiring, so he probably wanted a wife who was assertive. ;)

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Re: Everyday stuff Laura didn't talk about in LHOP books -- Trista, 17:21:40 05/09/06 Tue

i would like to know about the couple she never mentioned about it like if he was mean or bossy most of all a romantic i would love a good book by her about their love life which will never happen so i just guess what it was like

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