How My "Little House" Fantasies Helped Me Downsize
Did you read the Little House on the Prairie books when you were younger? I read all of them several times from about age 8 to age 11. This was still a few years before Little House became a TV show starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert (which told a story quite different from the fact-based narrative of the books). My younger sister, however, became passionate about the show and had to watch it every week without fail. Jennifer even turned a box into an elaborate log cabin diorama for a school book report. My mom (a crafting genius) helped her, and I pitched in to glue popsicle sticks painted with wood stain for a plank floor, weave tiny rag rugs, quilt a cover for the little bed, and create a small fireplace and chimney out of craft stones, glue, and Mod Podge. I guess we were all a little obsessed. Starting over Those 19th century American pioneers, like Little House 's Ingalls family, were literally starting over, heading for a land they knew almost nothing about.