Going Back to the Old Ways

Frankenmuth, Michigan

Frankenmuth, Michigan is a wonderful town to visit with its quaint, country stores and horse drawn carriages. The quiet, laid back atmosphere allows you to unwind while you visit the Christmas Store. Dinner is always at Zehnders for their world famous chicken. This is a must stop at restaurant!

Over the past couple of weeks we have had a lot of visitors and one common highlight is always my canning rack. Fully loaded it is very impressive to say the least but then when guests wander through the house they notice other things like home made soaps, handmade candles and other things that get them thinking about the past. Now I'm likely an oddity in that I love to garden and do a lot of cooking especially canning. The number one comment I get in real life and even online is how wonderful it is to simplify your life, followed up by I would love to live like just like the pioneers. Say what! Have you ever seen my life? My Dayplanner is always within easy reach and even canning sessions have to be planned usually a few days in advance if not more. My general weekly planning is done Sunday afternoons and from that point I basically know how my week should unfold barring any emergencies. It is far from a simplistic lifestyle!

I know the work that goes into anything I make myself and that's using modern conveniences. I know a lot about the lifestyles of my early ancestors and believe I do enjoy a lot of the modern conveniences. I wouldn't even begin to try and kid myself that we will ever be totally self sufficient because there is simply no way we could grow everything we need where we live nor could we raise much more than rabbits and even if we could raise animals, the chances of us doing so well is like slim to none. I like to fish when I have time and my husband goes to hunt camp once a year. That's like the adult version of summer camp meaning he's out of my hair and since he doesn't hunt can't get into any other trouble. This suits us nicely. See, I'm being very pragmatic even though we do a lot ourselves and lean towards alternative energy and likely lead simpler lives than some, but sorry I like a lot of modern conveniences.

That nice modern bathroom looks pretty dog-gone good when I'm sick. I can't even begin to imagine what our ancestors went through having to make a mad dash to the outhouse. We heated with wood for about 15 years and if we ever figure out how to fit a wood-stove in this house we will but for now that nice little programmable thermostat does just fine! Wood is a lot of work and no longer cheap in most areas. I'm also rather fond of flicking a switch for lighting and while we do use CFLs, LEDs, candles and oil burning lamps, electric lighting is just really nice. And let's just think about the cooking issue. I love cooking over an open flame including a campfire but on a regular basis because I had to, in the middle of summer? Forget about it!

Going back to the old ways is nice now because we always have the option to revert to modern methods. Our ancestors did not have that option and that is something those who want to glorify pioneer living would be well advised to consider!