Re-reading Little House Traveler this weekend, I was struck by two particular things:
1. Despite the fact that she presumably had a decent income by the time she made her trip back to South Dakota with Almanzo, Laura was compelled to track her finances in her journal.
2. She and Almanzo were farmers to the bone; their primary observations on the long ride up and back dealt with crop conditions.
Now that I’ve lived in Kansas, wandered through Nebraska, and visited the Dakotas, it was easy for me to picture the route they took back to that “Land of Used to Be.” After the week of hot, humid weather we’ve had here in the Upper Midwest, I could empathize with their need to constantly cool the car and the dog. It was a hot, hot ride north, and the hot winds blew them back out of Dakota–for the last time, Manly said.
For those who’d like to know, in Laura’s own words, some of their life after the closing pages of The First Four Years, I’d recommend reading this volume.
I was struck by how slowly they had to drive and how long the trip took them. As a Kansan, familiar with Highway 81, I too could picture the route they drove.
Maybe Laura felt compelled to keep track of the finances to prove to herself that she had overcome the obstacles she had experienced when she had last visited South Dakota. Perhaps being, in a sense, forced to leave against her will the first time, returning again after the failed trip to Florida, and finally leaving for what they hoped would be a better life in the Ozarks, (excluding the visit to see Pa before he died) it was redemption and also accomplishment in her eyes to return to De Smet with money that could be spent “frivolously” on a vacation because she could. Although, I’m sure she never forgot the experience of being poor and maybe wanted to ensure she did not go over budget, either. She worked so very hard to earn that right, and made a lot of sacrifices along the way. I saw another blog not too long ago that questioned why she never returned to see her Ma – maybe it was just too darn hard to do that. I’m so glad that she finally received the accolades she deserved, and I’ll bet she would be so surprised that we still have not forgotten her (and secretly pleased!).