Women made civilization possible.

filmfanatic.org

The programs in the 1950-60s were focused on Westerns, though I do not know why. Matt Dillon, Lone Ranger (with Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels), Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, and many more filled our living room with galloping horses, lots of gunfights. Many up and coming stars began their acting careers in a Western.

What is seldom seen are the dramas with female wives who are racing around in long prairie skirts, always working in the background.  Working? They were the workforce until children grew enough to pitch in.

Who are these women? Why in the world were they always stirring pots over log fires, especially when hell is breaking loose around them?

Old Farm and country photographs

1906 Yakima

Kentucky, 1920s

Workers in hayfield. Women are cooking.

Nebraska, 1886

 

1920s, going on honeymoon

grinding corn Kentucky

Fool Thunder and family. Hunkpapa Lakota. 1880

True west magazine

earliest photo of Native Americans

1853

1906, Osage

Native Americans and European immigrants, being a woman was desperately hard. Sunrise to sundown, women worked hard to feed and care for her family. 

Women settled the West, more so than the men. Sure, men were charged with protecting family, keeping them safe, chasing bad guys. But, women provided more than food and children--they civilized the West. Churches, schools, and a sense of community emerged from the strength of these special strong women.

Salute the women in your life. You are lucky to have, or to have had, these God-blessed women who make the world bearable. Give them some roses, just for the heck of it.

She will deserve every petal.

A Vessel of Love

source

This is a repost from 2016. I will be visiting family, so have turned off the comment section. No more posts will be up until or return in mid-May. 

The underlined words are from a Wednesday Word challenge created by Delores to challenge writers.

Great Aunt Evangeline always visited on my birthday, as regular as calendar and clock. Auntie E was full of so many things, most of them really irritating.  Adages? She had them. Shameless bragging? Overload there. A hoard of wisdom?  Oh, boy, you betcha.

Auntie E was a bland plain woman, with legs like stems. The rest of her was utterly huge to the point of bursting; her size dominated any room. 

A successful business woman, she owned her own brokerage, always possessing great insight on sales and trends. And, believe it or not, that lady had a great golf swing. Oh, yes she did. She was wicked with a nine iron.

Yet, for all the things I hated about her, I loved her for them. In so many ways, Auntie E was a vessel of kindness to all she knew. While I possessed just a vestige of humanity, Auntie E loved and was loved, cared and was cared for, gave and then was given.. 

I was none of those things. Still am. But, I'm working on it. 

We are visiting our gr-kids and have turned off the comment section. Will be back soon.