Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden

This was a fifty cent find at the Santa Clara Library. It's the story of two young women who move west to become school teachers in rural Colorado in 1916. It's fascinating, mainly because it's TRUE, and so many things about life then were so different! It was written by one of the teacher's granddaughters, and is infused with direct quotes from their letters home. 

The author did tons of additional research about the technologies of the period, and goes into great (and sometimes boring to me) detail describing it...the railroads, the mining, the towns. What was most interesting to me was the way the people lived. The teachers boarded with a family, shared a bed upstairs, and rode horses to school. They fought the cold, snow, and ice. They met the local people and became integral to the community. What they ate, how they danced and partied, were all very interesting and charming. They were indefatigable! Always cheery, despite the hardships.

I loved too, the descriptions of how they taught, how their classroom was set up, and what their students were like. I usually don't like nonfiction as much as fiction, but this was fascinating. I am somewhat fed up with made-up stories of famous people like Mrs. Lewis (C.S. Lewis' wife), Marjorie Post, etc., This author let her subjects speak for themselves. They are the real deal, and very admirable! 

I found it a little hard to keep track of who was who, but I decided to just let the story drift on and enjoyed what each person was doing. I also liked the many photographs that  helped bring the milieu to life...

It also made me very grateful for my comfy life. And maybe I would benefit from a little more hardship...

The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

 While browsing at our favorite thrift store, The Treasure Chest, I came across this hardback, library edition from Arizona book for $.50. I had heard of this author and that she was light and fun and had great recipes. In fact, the woman at the checkout said, "Oh, you'll love her recipes!" They are gathered at the end of the book, all together, so they are easy to find. The directions are well done...but these recipes are not health food. And the reason is, the master sleuth in this novel is a caterer, and she's always cooking something. It shows up in the story a lot, and seems to figure prominently in building a "cozy" atmosphere. However, she probably wants to be known for great food, and that often means high fat and high sugar. Which is the case here. None of these are keepers.

And...I thought I deserved a light and fun summer read. This one was just too light and too unrealistic. Multiple times I thought, this is a waste of time. The characters were flat and uninteresting. The plot was convoluted and crazy. The caterer's husband is a sherriff and was also investigating the murder, and did so many unethical, unbelievable things that I literally rolled my eyes. One reason I enjoy mysteries is that I learn about the law and evidence and technical things like that. This one was just false on every level; nothing of value was here for me. And yet, I stuck with it. Maybe I hoped it would get better? Here's the truth: It did not. It's on its way to the D.I. pile. 

Little Britches by Ralph Moody

I first heard this book as a sixth grader. My teacher, Mr. Rude, read it to us daily after lunch. I'll never forget crying with the rest of the class at the end! I also remember begging him to keep reading and not to stop at the end of just one chapter!

I often talked about this book with my children, and am not sure why I never sought it out to read to them! Somehow, Eli remembered this and found a copy through great difficulty, and gave it to me for my birthday several years ago. I read it then, and decided to read it again now. Just for the joy of it. For the reminder about how hard work and honesty and sacrifice lead to fulfillment.

It's also a great reminder about how trials and hard times can build faith, confidence, and character. I love the resilience of Ralph. Because I grew up with horses and ponies, I particularly enjoyed the parts about how Ralph grew to become a great horse person.

One thing that amazed me this time through was this: how did Ralph's mother know how to do all the things she did? His father was exceptional, too, and had great mechanical sense. But much of their gardening, farming, and food preparation was very sophisticated and required special know-how.  Where and how did they learn all of this? If this was "common knowledge" at the time, when and how did they share it? They relied on their neighbors, and I wonder if some of their learning happened with them? I guess this is something a little historical research would reveal...

It's still one of my favorite stories of all time. I think it's because Ralph's father reminds me so much of my own father. Very practical, very knowledgeable, and very mechanical. And not given to much praise! Still, like Ralph, I have always felt very loved.