Across the Prairie: Independence and Will the Real Mr. Edwards Please Stand Up?

It's me by the wagon, on an adventure. 

I'm here!

 

A replica cabin built on the approximate site of the actual cabin based on foundational findings. Much research went in to this site, yet it is still sparse. I don't think they knew the actual location until the 1970s, over a hundred years later. 

Here are my diary notes from 8/10/24:

I was going to skate in the morning but the reality is I had to do the Air B'n'B tidy-up, pack, and get to Springfield, which is 45 minutes away. Besides, I had to take a shower in the wash tub!

Must locate coffee or tea at Panera. It's a three-hour drive to Independence, left shortly after 9 a.m.

The well that gave Pa and Mr. Scott fits.

In my husband's words: "Ooo, a placard!"

Noon - arrived in Independence at the site! It's cute, but there's not much here that is authentic outside of Pa's well. Given how much time lapsed between the time they lived there and when they actually found the site, this is not surprising. Blame it on Pa's trouble with distance, saying Independence was 40 miles away when it was only 14. 

They did their best. 

Dr. Tann, Medicine Man

Early days of modern medicine

What is here is the cabin, barn, and garden in the approximate site, an old post office and schoolhouse from the former Wayside village, and a farmhouse that serves as the gift shop. The schoolhouse is not that interesting to me, as none of the Ingalls girls went there; however, there was a nice display honoring Dr. Tann and information on the early days of modern medicine.

Had my LHOTP lunch of a chicken leg left over from Lamberts, bread, and molasses. 

I'm reading a bit of the Tennessee Wildcat, going shopping in the store, attempting to find the graves (edit: I did not), heading to the Oklahoma border, and checking into my hotel. If nothing is going on in town, I'm going to catch up on sleep so I can head to KC in the morning. 

Another example of a frankenwagon as described last year from my Walnut Grove visit. 

Kind of excited to be here. 

How tiny for a family of five. 

The cabin was built faithfully to the descriptions in LHOTP. 

It seems every site has its version of a china shepherdess, another great unknown in the series. 

Barn quilt, a faithful rendering of Laura's dove in the window wedding quilt.

Diagnosis: suspicious.

Laura has inspired legions of superfan authors over the years, and as such, they uncover surprising truths. I took not one, but two online Laura Ingalls classes from Missouri State University to do a deeper dive - yes, I have college credits in Laura Lore! A University of Michigan internist spoke up during rotations regarding the symptoms of scarlet fever and was told she was wrong did retroactive research into Mary's diagnosis to discover she was actually infected with viral meningoencephalitis. There's even a meteorologist who researched The Long Winter to see if Laura was exaggerating or if the weather was really that bad - turns out, it was.

The kind of deep dive only a LauraFan can do.

Our love for Little House means finding out who the real Mr. Edwards was.

Except there is no real Mr. Edwards. 

So who was the Tennessee Wildcat? No one really knows. Author Robynne Miller took a deep dive into Laura's notes, census data, and land records to see if she could sift through the archives and find him. This is a fascinating read, and it was awesome to read the book, next to Pa's well, as Miller combed Montgomery County to find him. 

Answer? given Laura's young age - she was only three at the time - and the family stories she was remembering, the most likely answer is Mr. Edwards the character is a composite of kind, fiery, friendly neighbors from nearby homesteads, including Edmund Mason, Charles Thompson, Fred Brown, and possibly more. 

In loving memory of Mr. Edwards, whoever you are, and your Christmas kindness.

Run for the OK border!

I didn't put 2 + 2 together and add Oklahoma City to the trip to see Andre play. Added to missed opportunities, my old pen pal Nancy lives in OKC, and she saw I was nearby and told me next time I'm in OK to look her up. Aw! 

One last look at the Ingalls' Independence homestead.

Pa's fields 154 years later and wondering what could have had he been allowed to stay. Would the farm have flourished? Did the mid 70s grasshopper swarm that affected them in Minnesota reach as far south as Kansas? What of young Freddie - would he have survived? Given better access to nutrition and Dr. Tann, would Mary have contracted the spinal sickness that robbed her of her sight? And what about Carrie, who suffered malnutrition during the long winter? 

October 2024: Rethinking Gray

When the rain comes...

Gray is conflicting. It's drab but often comforting, such as...

Taste:  cup of cream of mushroom soup, dots of butter and lots of mushrooms, with crusty bread on a rainy day

Touch:  a soft, oversized chunky sweater with silver threads

Smell: an afternoon of rain

Hear:  Rain, The Beatles, although this song is also dark blue to me

Across the Prairie: An Old Friend and Throwed Rolls

LC Class of '87 in the Ozarks!

Before telling tales about Independence, we have to head over to the Ozarks; I spent my last night in Missouri having a lovely dinner at Lambert's - home of the throwed rolls! - with my old friend from high school Carrie. The last time we saw each other was maybe early 1991. 

We have become very different people, so I was nervous about meeting with an old friend. Would we run out of things to say? 

I got there around 3:45 and was startled at the number of people waiting for a table. Lamberts is loud, large, and of course, there is food being thrown around, literally. I looked for Carrie, put our names in, and browsed the menu hanging outside. 

Carrie showed up a few minutes before four and it was as if 30 years melted away. While good people evolve and change, at their core, they are still good people. 

As if by magic, our table was ready and we were seated at a very comfortable booth inside their large dining hall, next to a party of about 20! Staff was hustling to cater to everyone's needs, including our own where we were given swim cups of iced tea and Pepsi. A waiter caught my eye and the next thing I knew, I was tossed a roll, then two, which I plopped in front of Carrie. 

From their menu: this is conservative compared to the serving of chicken I actually received.

I don't know where we started in our conversation but we revisited old loves, new stories, and future plans while ordering dinner. I had fried chicken and she ordered the pork tenderloin. 

In between reminiscing about biology class, we were tossed a napkin full of fried okra. 

We were served cucumbers and onions while talking about prom. 

We laughed over long-ago crushes and the kid who kept coming to our table with a very large pot of black-eyed peas. 

And between stories and laughing, we kept getting pelted with rolls and served what they call the pass around - macaroni, black eyed peas, potatoes. A gal came by and plopped some molasses on a plate. I think I ate two rolls and kept one for my to-go box. 

We talked about our kids, husbands, jobs, hobbies, adventures, reminisced about our school days, and the aches and pains of growing older. Slipping readers out of my purse to read the menu, she laughed and pulled hers out as well. 

Conscious of taking up a table long after we were done eating, we paid our bills - I bought dinner while she surprised me with a cinnamon roll for morning breakfast - we went out onto the porch and people-watching while talking well into the night, finally saying goodbye around 9pm. 

It was a lovely night. 

A rundown of our Lambert's dinner:

• Throwed rolls and molasses
• fried okra
• macaroni and tomatoes
• pickled beets
• cucumbers and onions
• potato salad
• macaroni salad
• fried potatoes
• fried chicken
• pork tenderloin

October 2024: Best Meal I Ever Ate, Candy

Going for broke

One treat that stands out from my childhood was from a day's shopping at the Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor. We always parked at a certain entrance by Hudsons (now Macy's), which was right by the candy counter. We were promised that if we behaved, we would get a treat on the way out. 

With the promise of sugar, we were angels. I also remember getting the hardcover edition of The First Four Years on this trip. Books and sugar are a siren's call still, some 46 years later. 

When presented with a Willy Wonka array of choices, my mind boggled. Chocolate bar? Bag of cotton candy? Roasted nut goodies? Fistful of penny treats? 

One treat only, my father reminded us. 

I wanted big. I wanted color. I wanted to savor this treat as long as possible. 

I chose a day-long sucker the size of my head that required a wooden dowel instead of an ordinary paper stick. I had it so long, I think my mother insisted on throwing it away after leisurely licking away for weeks. I think I finally got it down to a crescent moon shape before tiring of it and letting it go. 

Across the Prairie: Mansfield, Revisited - Almanzo's Garage, Stone House, and Downtown

 

I was expecting more in Manly's garage.

I hoped to discover and celebrate more about Almanzo, knowing that they created a new exhibit on the site where his garage used to be. The man used to make canes, shoes, oxen yokes, sewing kits, lap desks, lamps, and tables from nothing. He was an expert craftsman in his own right. 

The problem is they are just getting around to curating it, and all they have are hay rakes, work benches, and photographs. The wagon is down the hill in the museum, where I'm sure it has to be in a controlled environment. It will be interesting to see what more they do with this, it was pretty bare. 

The retirement Rock House. 

So I made my way to the Rock House, about a half-mile walk through the mosquito-y woods. It was a pleasant day, but I was told the docet takes her hour lunch at 12:30 and it was just after noon. I didn't want to wait, so I hopped in the car for the longer drive around. I didn't remember it taking that long to get there last time. 

What's so significant about the Rock House? It's where the series started. 

Laura wrote the first four books there. 

Won't you enter the charming English cottage?

So, it's a bed.

More Frank Lloyd Wright inspiration in the closet. 

Modern plumbing. I was interested in the build-ins throughout the house.

Charming sconces in the hall. 

The front parlor, with amazing views of the Ozarks. 

Unspoiled views. 

I knew there used to be a dirt parking lot RIGHT THERE. The docet, a girl in her 20s was unsure.

Once I was done at the farm, I rode into town. There I spotted her bank where all the sweet, sweet LH cash was deposited. 

Town square, where her bust appears. I walked around the base, which is made up of eight triangular slabs to commemorate each of the original books in the series. 

I made it over to the cemetery to pay my respects. My memory failed me; I thought the stones faced north, but these are definitely facing west. I thought there were more trees, but that was 20 years ago.

Hi guys.

People left behind coins as a show of respect. I left something too, a little cowboy hat.

Clever - of course you leave a writer a pen. 

I thought I saw all there was to see, including a trip to the local grocery store for those ginger snaps. I looked for the library that had her name on it but couldn't find it. Too bad, I missed out on seeing more artifacts that had been bequeathed to the library by her, before Roger and his family took over. I've seen the Trundlebed Tales YouTuber video, so while I didn't see it in person, I still got to tour. 

So on the Mansfield trip, I toured the farmhouse, the rock house, the garage, the town, and the cemetery. The magic is in her farmhouse, which she reclaimed in the 30s and where she chose to settle for the remainder of her days. You can feel her spirit and the warmth. The cottage is beautiful and the views spectacular, but I don't know... was it the lack of staging? It just doesn't feature the warmth of the farmhouse, with the bright yellow walls and old lady furnishings. 

Onto Independence, Kansas!

The Beatles, Ranked! 11-15

The singer of Boys looking quite boyish

11

Boys Uniquely Starr time, his song with "the other lads," a performance piece done with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes before becoming a Beatle. There's something about his throaty delivery and stuttered delivery of "gi-i-irl" that is energetic and joyful. The last time we saw him in concert, he proudly informed us he has been performing this song since 1960.

12

Here Comes the Sun (5) This feels like blasphemy to be so low, as stated before, it's all A+ up here. George enjoys a morning in Eric Clapton’s garden and challenges Ringo to break his damn hands to keep up with his time signatures. Let it be known I don't really know what a time signature is, even though Taub Buchman has been trying to educate listeners for years. 

13

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (84) The boys dip into folk rock while starring in yet another awesome movie. I want to be McCartney in a gum wrapper for Halloween this year. 

14

Hey Bulldog (14) When I was a DJ at WRKX in college, I would play this one whenever I would give the sports report. That this is Dave Grohl's favorite song is no surprise, this one rocks. And hey, I was spot-on with Sirius/XM!

15-TIE

Julia (75) and I Will (47) The beauty of a Lennon-McCartney partnership is that even when they were working on songs individually, you could tell they were bouncing inspiration off each other. These two gentle pieces are bookends to each other's brilliance from the White Album and must be included here as a set.

Sirius/XM did their annual Top 100 countdown over Memorial Day weekend. A number in parenthesis is that song's position on that countdown.

That's It, Just One Line - A Different Corner

"Turn a different corner and we never would have met, would you care?"