Welcome everyone!

Check out the Museum’s website at lauraingallspepin.com!

Hi Everyone.

I will definitely have to visit one day.

I have your book, Cindy! Can't wait to read it :)

Thanks Nancy!

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Makes me feel like a young child.

It makes me feel that I'm right there. Used to read it to kindergartners at rest time.

The language in LHITBW takes me back to being a child - this is one of the first chapter books my Mom read to me, and one of the first I read to myself!

People can relate to food on so many levels

Definitely!

I think food was important to her because of the lack of it in later books.

I agree with Bea.

All senses came into play- the smells, taste and just all family involved.

And everybody eats. Food's important to little people.

noooooo

What is needed to survive? Food. House important to which was read to us. So she started with that?

I don't think I would touch it let along play with it.

I remember playing with fish heads when we caught and cleaned fish... so I suppose.

me too.. I cried.

When the borders are open again, I would to come down and visit.

I always think about how dangerous it must have been to kill a bear since pa used a single shot gun.

Used to beat rugs for my grandmother 60-some years ago.

I'm the only one who can sew, so I do the mending.

Planted and weeded the garden, carried water for the horses in winter

very cool!

This was always my favorite chapter. I love when Laura gets the doll.

A surprise because they had a lot of Christmas surprises.

It would be too hard to keep it a surprise :-)

It was always hard to keep homemade Christmas gifts a surprise in my house growing up! :-)

And the wonderful story of grandpa, his brothers and the sled...and the pig squeeling

Thank you, lovely discussion, sorry I can’t stay on longer!

When I was her age, I found it hard to sit through an hour long Mass.

Thanks for coming Eddie!

Sunday’s were quiet for me when I was little in the late 60’s. We went to church and then did quieter things than on weekdays.

where did they get the book from?

There is a great deal of information about far away places - wonderful words and illustrations - just a bit graphic on some of them! :)

I would have liked the dress for Charlotte best.

Doll dress would be my favorite as well

My mom used to make my dresses and also my doll clothes

I always loved the doll clothes my mom made for me, too

The very scary bear that was actually a tree!!

Me too Annette!

We had a sugar bush growing up so I could relate to this

There is a maple syrup farm in my town.

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Annette.. could you please show the cover of your Companion book?

thanks

I wish I had Grandma's energy.

When I was a kid, I wanted the dress with the blackberry buttons.

I did too, Cat!

me too!

I’ve been barefoot most of the past year! I live in AZ.

I loved going barefoot as a child. As soon as the snow melted I was ready to go barefoot.

I'd go barefoot in the summer, always took a few days to toughen up.

The descendants of Hiram Ingalls have the wartime rifle that Laura claims to be Uncle George’s. I have seen it and held it.

My Mom didn't even think flip-flops covered my feet enough.

I love to collect rocks when I travel.

I always loved the view of Lake Pepin.

I was absolutely a Laura, right down to the long brown braids! :-)

Lake Pepin is beautiful, and I never get enough of it. I feel very lucky to live here in Pepin where I can enjoy the Lake every day.

You sure were, Cat!

As a hyperactive child with undiagnosed ADHD I was definitely a Laura.

I was a tomboy- a Laura

We were planning a trip to Pepin, DeSmet etc last summer. We'll try again another year!

I took a cheese making workshop at Genesee Museum in New York. It's a fascinating process

did you get to eat the samples?

Fractions!

Yes and also took some home

learn to break cookies into thirds or figure that a baby shouldn't eat cookies.

Ask for another for the baby

As the oldest sibling, I always made sure that if it wasn't easy to split something, my little sister would have the larger portion.

that's interesting that they called them babies longer than today

Points for honesty Cindy!

or shame on me ;)

I'd love to read your insect books Annette! I have a PhD in entomology :)

I would say that he lied.

That always began a long discussion with the kinders.

He lied because he acted the way he did, knowing that the adults would think he was in trouble, even though he wasn't. Actions speak louder than words.

I think it was like hominy

Corn for grinding into cornmeal?

I made a rag trivet, too.

In the SW we make posole with hominy which is like fat corn kernels

Posole is a stew with meat and chile

Correct- only came once in a year.. helped every neighbor.

Isn't there a story in The First Four years about that?

Laura forgot to put sugar in the pie

I'm sensitive to gluten.

I think they had the threshers come in Walnut Grove...Plum creek? Or I’m thinking of Willa Cather, O Pioneers?

I loved that Pa appreciated the beauty of the deer, particularly the doe and her fawn - fawns? - and decided not to shoot.

I could never read that last chapter without crying!

He's a softie

He was a tenderhearted guy.

Me

They did overhunt at some point. An old friend of ours remembered seeing the first wild deer he ever saw in Pepin in 1939.

To me it showed that at least at that time, Pa could afford to appreciate the deer for themselves - not just as food. It makes him a more interesting and complex character.

I love the birds, trees.. just the outdoors and dirt roads.

I think I would want to live in Pepin

I grew up on the middle of the national forest on the Black Hills of South Dakota loved going on jokes and being on nature.

I have a timber and a cabin that I pretend at.

hikes not jokes

My dad was a park officer and I grew up at a Lake/ timber area.. fond memories.

I would find it odd living so far from the ocean.

You get acclimated to the cooler weather.no used to thing 80s was hot as a child

It's a pleasure to reread over and over, after reading Pioneer Girl

it really hot me how much work they had to do to prepare food

I think we’ve all learned thru the pandemic that this lifestyle is very adequate.. I hope I can teach this on- how important history is. Make the best of things.

I have to go now but I appreciate this! Thank you

I hadn't realized that the story covered a whole year and everything involved in each season. I had thought each chapter was unconnected.

I think I took her very literally as a child. Now as an adult it’s interesting to think of her interpretation. And now that I’vebeen digging into my genealogy I realize my great grandparents would be Laura’s peers and one of them was born in Wis too.

Thank you! I loved this!!

I live in Menomonie, WI, not far from Pepin. I love traveling along the Great River Road and Lake Pepin. The updates to the museum in Pepin are really nice.

Cindy are you going to publish another book I really enjoyed the beautiful snow

This was so enjoyable, thank you to all the hosts!

Thank you, Annette, Cindy and Susan! What a lovely discussion.

Thank you! This was wonderful!!

Thank you so much for having this discussion. I had a great time!

Thank you! This is so nice.

This was fun! Thanks!

Thank you so much! It was great fun to listen in - my mother and I had a LIW tour planned last year - cancelled, of course - but it was wonderful to join my Mom here tonight.

thank you. this was great.

Such fun. thank you!

thanks . I really enjoyed the discussion. Looking forward to more discussions.

Thank you!

Good bye! :)

Thank you ladies!