Wilder on the Prairie

Episode 201 Ch. 2 of These Happy Golden Years, "The First Day of School."   Join us as we discuss the word "battened", Ruby, Tommy, and Clarence Brewster, and Clarence and Martha Harrison.

Episode 200 Ch. 1 of These Happy Golden Years, "Laura Leaves Home." Join us this week as we discuss Lib Brewster and John Brewster and the year 1943 in context. 

Bonus Episode 4   Join us this week as we play my 5 favorite LHOP songs: Where Are You Going My Pretty Maid Rock Me to Sleep Mother Roll the Old Chariot The Bluebonnets Comin' Through the Rye

Episode 199 Ch. 25 of Little Town on the Prairie "Unexpected in December". Join us this week as we discuss Louis Bouchie (Mr. Brewster), $40 in today's money, Marc Antony's oration on the death of Caesar, "to wheel", date of 12/24/1883, and the different levels of teaching certificates.

Episode 198 Ch. 24 of Little Town on the Prairie, "The School Exhibition".  Join us this week as we discuss "to parse", Patrick's Henry speech, "Chisel in Hand", Raleigh's lost colony, "despotism", George Washington's defeat at Fort Duquesne, and what a cutter is. 

Epiosde 197 Ch. 27 of the Little Town on the Prairie, "Schooltime Begins Again" Join us this week as we discuss cats hunting, Mr. V.S.L. Owens, the Western Reserve, revival meetings, "The Ninety and the Nine", "Sewing the Seed by the Dawn Light Fair", and Spring Valley, MN.

Episode 196 Ch. 22 of Little Town on the Prairie, "Unexpected in April". Join us this week as we discuss the definition of a blizzard, static electricity in cats, and where Ma taught. 

Episode 195 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 21 "The Madcap Days". Join us this week as we discuss "Lost between sunrise and sunset...", minstrelsy on the prairie, "Skidmore Guard", the history of blackface, and a Jew's/jaw harp. 

Episode 194 Ch. 20 of Little Town on the Prairie, "The Birthday Party". Join us this week as we discuss 1882 in its historical context, the poem "Maud", a Grecian nose, Jim Woodworth, Quaker meetings, castors, double contractions, drop the handkerchief, and blind man's b(l)uff.

Episode 193 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 19 "Whirl of Gaiety" Join us this week as we discuss Commentators on the Acts, to be on one's mettle, "Rock Me to Sleep, Mother," "The Good Old Way," a New England Supper, graham bread, 50 cents in today's money, $5 to Mary, Braille writing, German silver, "Stories of the Moorland," and wax works. 

Episode 192 Ch. 18 of Little Town on the Prairie "Literaries" Join us this week as we discuss hoarfrost, what a literary society is, Pa's opinion on organzing groups, the history of spelling bees, who is Mr. Barclay?, mimosaceous, xanthophyll, and grecophil(e).

Episode 191 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 17 "The Sociable" Join us this week as we discuss how much a dime is worth, what a sociable is, Mrs. Addie Tinkham, princess style dresses, the history of bangs/fringes, pinked edges of fabric, Mr. Timothy Johnson, Mrs. Susan Johnson, dotted Swiss curtains, isling glass windows, Mrs. Frances Woodsworth, Mrs. Margaret Garland, Mrs. Hattie Bradley, and Mrs....

Episode 190 Little House on the Prairie ch. 16 "Name Cards" Join us this week as we discuss Mr. Clewett, Frank Gilbert, the autographs in Laura's book, the history of name cards, Jake Hopp, how much twenty-five cents is, what is the greenie?, bobolinks, cornflowers, and the origin of Almanzo's name. 

Episode 189 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 15 "The School Board's Visit" Join us this week as we discuss Matthew 23: 25-26, taking care of lice in the 19th century, Lazy, Lousy, Lizy Jane, Willie Oleson, what a "nubia" is, the definition of "impudent", "a dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone", and Ma's verse in Laura's autograph book. 

Episode 188 Ch. 14 of Little Town on the Prairie, "Sent Home from School" Join us this week as we discuss "spindly", who are Clarence and Alfred?, coal hods, the exports of Brazil, "peaked", and the picture depicting Laura's braids. 

Episode 187 Ch. 13 Little Town on the Prairie "School Days" Join us this week as we discuss the game anteover, Charley Power, buggies, the etiquette of bowing when a man raises a hat, "set a cap" for somebody, and Eliza Jane's homesteading. 

Episode 186 Ch. 12 of Little Town on the Prairie "Snug for the Winter" Join us as we discuss groundcherries, husk tomatoes, Alfred Lord Tennyson, "The Lotos Eaters", and Carrie's health.  

Episode 185 Ch. 11 of Little House on the Prairie, "Miss Wilder Teaches School". Join us this week as we discuss Eliza Jane Wilder, Ida Wright Brown, Rev. Edward Brown, Genevieve Masters, what a "polonaise" is, a jabot of lace, "With double a ruffle round her neck", "The Whip-Poor-Will's Song", and whippoorwills.

Episode 184 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 10 "Mary Goes to College" Join us this week as we discuss fall housecleaning, we revisit straw ticks, Brookins vs. Brookings, sprinkling curtains, the Iowa College for the Blind and Vinton, IA, what month Mary started college, "valise", and a world-record autograph album. 

Episode 183 Little Town on the Prairie ch. 9 "Blackbirds" Join us this week as we dicuss how much Pa earned in the spring, Spanish needle grass, "to scrabble", cashmere, hoop skirts in the 1870s/1880s, catch-stitching, a "gored" skirt, "shirred", yellow-headed blackbirds, "Sing a Song of Sixpence", and $15 for the heifer.

Episode 182 Ch. 8 of Little Town on the Prairie "Fourth of July" Join us this week as we discuss "The Star Spangled Banner", "Marching through Georgia", union suits, Laura pinning her braids vs. the chapter illustrations, Fort Ticonderoga, Lawyer Visscher Barnes, Laura and Rose's politics (libertarianism), "My Country 'Tis of Thee/America", Samuel Owens, what a "cuss" is, winning $5, and mentionin...

Episode 181 Ch. 7 of Little Town on the Prairie, "Nine Dollars." Join us this week as we discuss how much $9 is, what fryers are, a reminder of what laths are, bran mash well peppered, was the Ingalls stable made of sod or wood?, to contrive, college and manual training. 

Episode 180 Ch. 6 in Little Town on the Prairie, "The Month of Roses." Join us this week as we discuss Laura's wages, saloons, Laura's gratitude, Charles H. Tinkham, who Brown was who owned the saloon, "Pull for the Shore", Thomas Power, and Bill O'Dowd/William O'Connell. 

Episode 179   Little Town on the Prairie ch. 5 "Working in Town". Join us this week as we discuss Mr. Clancy/Clayson, definition of "dry goods", the history of sewing machines, Mrs. White, 25 cents a day, thunderpumpers, going "Indian file", basting, bias facings, and a "shanty Irishman".

Episode 178   Little Town on the Prairie, ch. 4 "The Happy Days"   Join us as we discuss organizing the Congregational Church, why Laura wasn't a charter member of founding the church, skim-milk cottage cheese, setting a hen, what a pullet is, what a cockerel is, and when it is too old to be laying eggs.