Life on the Frontier

Today these three rapscallions hung out with Dad...

Isaac, Alex and Sam

...and Amelia and I went to a living history museum with some friends.

We had a blast. We milked a fake cow, petted a real calf, pretended to churn butter, played in the old-fashioned kitchen, had a little tea, recited our ABCs for the teacher in a one-room school house, learned how to spin wool into yarn, and shoveled and ground sand to make clay.

Amelia leads Bessie to the barn after the milking.

It was a busy day, and boy am I ever grateful that I don't have to haul water and firewood, throw my own pots, spin my own wool and take care of the cows and chickens, too. I'm quite busy enough as it is, thank you.

Amelia brushes (and brushes, and brushes!) the two-week-old calf in the petting barn.

I think I could deal with caring for the animals, making my own candles, tending a big garden and putting up food for the winter. I could handle the loss of electricity and running water, but what in the world would I do without disposable diapers? The very thought strikes fear in my heart.

(Yes, yes, I know. The environment. Landfills. But all the water and electricity to launder diapers times three, not to mention all the time and effort! Recycle something or plant a tree to offset our 24 diapers a day, would you?)

Nicole, Aiden and Amelia enjoy a cup of tea.

Amelia and I had a lot of fun visiting the past, but we decided that we didn't want to live there. No disposable diapers was my biggest reason, but Amelia had a different take on it.

When we were playing in the old-time kitchen she noticed that there was no refrigerator. She asked me where they kept their milk and eggs. I tried to explain that in the old days they could only keep things cool in the cellar or maybe in a cold spring. Ultimately we came around to the fact that they couldn't keep things really cold, which meant no ice cream.

"WHAT?" said Amelia. "No ice cream? I'm not living there."

Me either, Amelia. I don't have time to make my own wine.