I want to grow up to be a 1920's cowboy on a ranch in the Midwest. Life during that time seemed so satisfying, like everything was worth it.
I just recently read Jeannette Walls' "Half Broke Horses," a story of Walls' grandmother's life during the Great Depression and the world wars. It was different time from 2013 then. This was a time of traveling on horseback, getting dirty on the ranch and going outside for some good fun.
People didn't have technology, indoor plumbing being something for those with money. Their biggest worry then wasn't that their cellphone wasn't charged or the traffic on freeways to get home.
They worried about storms coming through taking out their entire crop for the season, or that they wouldn't get enough rain to grow their crops. Walls takes us back to the simpler time of her grandmother Lily Casey Smith. Her grandmother was as tough as they come.
Told in first person, Walls gives life to her grandmother's inspiring past. She takes us on the journey her grandmother embarked on all those years ago. Walls showed how her grandmother worked hard for everything she had, which wasn't much, and how she appreciated every bit of it. Nothing was placed on a plate for Smith and served to her. She knew what she wanted and obtained it herself.
Smith didn't let anything stand in her way. She knew that she wasn't cut out to be a woman with nothing better to do than look pretty.
Smith became an uncertified teacher at 14 years old. To become certified, girls needed to attend eighth grade, which needed to be paid for out of pocket by the girl's family. Most ranch families couldn't afford it and felt it wasn't necessary anyway. Most women during this time believed they were supposed to be a wife and mother. Those who wanted to work became nurses or teachers.
Smith wanted to prove to the world that she was tough and took no crap from anyone. Though she wasn't certified, she did what she loves, teaching schoolkids, with an enormous passion.
People appreciated things then that we take for granted every day, like water. Walls writes that when the area was in a drought, water wasn't easy to come by. She said that when it doesn't rain, ranches may not get any water if there is no natural water source on the land.
What did they do to get by then? They'd have to hop on a horse, head for town, and carry bought barrels of water back home. During a drought, ranchers needed some savings to spend on water or they're going without. Walls writes how Smith collected rain water, which would fall into the rain gutter and down to a bucket for collection.
They used that water to drink, cook and clean. Her family appreciated water, which was almost strange for me. I take for granted the water that rushes through my indoor plumbing, and even get a little mad when it comes out with some noticeable minerals. How ungrateful, right?
Smith loved to save money and was always thinking of ways to save more. After two children, she figured a way to make the most of laundry. Smith would have her family wear their shirts until they were dirty, then turn the shirts around. Once the front and back were dirty, she'd have them flip their shirts inside out, getting two more wears out of the inside-out shirts.
I wash my clothes just to get the tight shape back into them, let alone when they're dirty.
Hard work and sweat weren't something Smith and her little family were afraid of. She and her husband were up at sun up, getting breakfast going and getting the ranch chores started. A day cooped up like a chicken drove Smith crazy with cabin fever, so she never let a day go by that she didn't work on something.
I knew that life then was different, but I never put myself in their shoes. Walls brings the Depression-era back to life with her vivid descriptions. She put me into the boots Smith once wore.
It was a lifestyle that seems so simple to us youngsters, almost unnatural, but was what built the nation we live in today. Some may even remember times like this, so excuse my modern point of view.
I was born and raised in the era of electronics. Technology is expanding quicker than most of us can handle. Three-year-olds are playing with smart phones, when, in Smith's time, they'd be outside learning the ranch runnings.
Some days it's an accomplishment for me just to get out of bed and dressed. Reading about Smith made me wonder what I'm doing as a human being. She worked all day every day, getting antsy if she relaxed for too long. I get antsy when the TV goes on commercial for too long.
Not just women, but anyone who is human, should strive to live like Smith. She's an example that hard work pays off.
We are taking life for granted. It's not always about the biggest trend, but about the little details that make up our day. Smith teaches us to appreciate what life throws at you and to work hard for anything you want. Anything worth wanting will be hard work.
I'm not saying to start wearing shirts inside out and backward, but to appreciate the fact that you don't have to. I know it's tough to teach modern dogs classic tricks, but us dogs can learn something from Smith's story: Life is hard, so work it out.
This novel is something all of us should read just to stay in touch with our history. We've all become so infatuated with phones and Internet that we've forgotten the finer things. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for an escape from this technological time.
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| "Half Broke Horses" By Jeannette Walls Megster scale: Definite re-read |
