Showing posts with label Laura Ingalls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laura Ingalls. Show all posts

Explore the World and Wander around with Laura Ingalls Wilder





Have you ever heard of Laura Ingalls Wilder?
Or perhaps, Little House on the Prairie TV series?

I bet many of us have, at some point of time, heard or read or watched this series. 
Truly my favorite!
During this pandemic, I keep coming back to my favorite books to comfort me during this trying time.
And Laura Ingalls Wilder books bring a lot of joy to me and my family! I have the complete series and I always bring them wherever we go, different countries and cities. 
I like these books because it inspires me to be an adventurous person.
It ignites my dreams to be the world explorer, a globetrotter.
It makes me believe that no matter how hard life is, there will always be ways to move forward and succeed.
It also teaches me to be brave, strong, bold, and honest to myself.
Not to mention the love and the bond of the wonderful family that we have to keep inside our heart.
You can find some delicious traditional recipes as well here!
And the delight of witnessing the breakthrough that changed lives, like the use of train and more agricultural technology at that time, can be enjoyed as well.
See, so many beautiful thing you can definitely  learn and cherish thanks to Laura.

Bicara tentang buku, saya punya list panjang buku-buku yang begitu saya sukai.
Begitu saya sukai hingga rasanya saya terus menerus membacanya sejak saya masih sekolah hingga kini punya dua orang anak :).
Karena buku-buku ini menginspirasi saya.
Membantu saya mengawali mimpi indah menjadi seorang penjelajah dunia.
Meneguhkan jiwa untuk terus berjuang dan semangat meraih mimpi.
Membumikan hati untuk selalu berusaha dan percaya pada skenario indah-Nya.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Terus terang, saya begitu suka dengan buku-buku ini sampai kemana pun saya pergi, pindah dari satu negara ke negara lain untuk menjalankan tugas, mereka pun selalu saya bawa. Ada beberapa buku koleksi yang benar - benar selalu ikut ke mana pun saya pergi. no matter how tattered the books are karena sudah berjuta -juta kali dibaca (maafkan lebay). Salah satunya adalah seri Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ada yang ingat dengan buku ini?
Atau mungkin serial TV yang terinspirasi dari seri buku cerita kehidupan si kecil Laura hingga ia besar dan menikah dengan Almanzo Wilder, yang berjudul Little House in the Prairie

Saya bahkan masih ingat klip pembukanya yang menampilkan padang rumput asri menghijau dan bunga -bunga. Wajah dan suara Michael Langdon yang menjadi Pa Charles Ingalls dan Melissa Gilbert yang menjadi Laura Ingalls masih terbayang nyata. Bahkan ikal rambut dan kenakalan Nelly Oleson, yang menjadi 'musuh' Laura di masa kecil sering membuat saya geram. Ini benar - benar serial TV favorit masa kecil yang legendaris! Nontonnya pun masih di saluran TVRI atau Televisi Republik Indonesia, satu - satunya kanal TV saatku kecil!

Buat generasi millennials, mungkin jarang sekali yang tahu tentang buku ini. Karena memang buku pertamanya diterbitkan tahun 1960an (atau bahkan lebih lama lagi?) kalau tidak salah, dengan text copyright untuk buku pertama yang berjudul Little House in the Big Woods dikeluarkan tahun 1932. Yes, you read it right, 1932. Sudah lama sekali ya.


Laura Ingalls Wilder


Tapi jangan salah. Pengalaman keluarga Wilders, yang terdiri dari Pa Charles, Ma Caroline, Marry, Laura, dan Carry, yang kemudian bertambah dengan Grace Ingalls si bungsu, masih sangat menarik dan relevan untuk dibaca. Keluarga Ingalls adalah pionier di Amerika Serikat yang hidup di akhir tahun 1800an dan Cerita kehidupan para pionir di Amerika Serikat, yang mengerjakan semua secara mandiri most of the time, dan harus kreatif mengatasi berbagai tantangan dalam hidup. Mereka mengalami banyak cobaan, mulai dari panen yang gagal, penyakit keras yang membuat saudara Laura, Mary, buta, kerugian bertani dan beternak, hidup di tengah hutan belantara, serta hidup berpindah - pindah dari hutan, tepi sungai, pinggir danau, sampai kota yang dirintis bersama - sama. Tanpa listrik, tanpa gawai, tanpa segala kenikmatan dan kenyamanan hidup yang kita nikmati sekarang. but they do have a great and colorful life indeed! Laura juga mengajarkan saya untuk menghargai segala kemudahan dan berkah-Nya. Sekecil apapun itu. And this sense of gratitude really helps me get through even my darkest days.

Little House series have 7 books, entitled:
  • Little House in the Big Woods
  • Farmer Boy
  • Little House on the Prairie
  • On the Banks of Plum Creek
  • By the Shores of Silver Lake
  • The Long Winter
  • Little Town on the Prairie
  • These Happy Golden Years
Besides these 7 main books, I also have the other 2, On the Way Home and the First Four years, where Laura told us the tough and challenging life she and Almanzo had with so many unfortunate events, but still they both embraced it. 

If you ask me which one is my favorite, I cannot answer that! I simply read all of them again and again and there are so many memorable 'scenes' or events from each book, like when Laura and her family joined the dance at her Grandpa's house after the snow sugar, or when Laura got Charlotte, her paper doll, or when Laura certified as one of the youngest teacher and married Almanzo. Or the excitement when Laura, Mary and Carrie, together with Ma, took the train ride for the first time, or when Ma slapped big brown bear unintentionally and also slapped the Indians who were trespassing. I can feel the joy and happiness whenever Pa Charles is playing his fiddle to the upbeat songs. I can see the beauty of the wilderness from Laura's eyes and the joy playing under the sun, embracing the nature. I learn that life is not always nice and sweet, but you will always get your family by your side. I sincerely hope such values will prevail.

Oya, saya sempat menulis 5 Awesome Books for your Teens  and obviously the Laura Ingalls series is part of it! Here's some excerpt from my previous post:

"How I grew up with Laura, Mary, Carry, Grace, Pa, Ma and Jack!
To those born around the same years as I do, Little House on the Prairie or Laura Ingalls Wilder series must ring a bell. Beautifully telling us the stories and adventures of the pioneering family in the early years of the US independence, Laura and her family shared some wonderful family values that they held dear despite the tough and harsh journey they have to go through as they moved around from the Big Woods to DeSmet, where they finally resided.

I wept with them when the whole family was sick and Mary ended up blind or when Charlotte, Laura’s doll was found wasted on the mud by some spoiled girl.
I shared the joy when Laura became a teacher at the very young age and when they discovered a lovely swimming spot by the Plum Creek.
And I was curious when they started making snow sugar or smoked beef from Pa’s game.
I also enjoyed reading the Farmer Boy, Laura’s dearest husband's childhood story.

My kids showed similar fascination as I introduced that adventurous life of Laura and her family.  I hope they managed to read the complete stories."

So I do hope you enjoy this lovely series of books and learn so many valuable lessons in life from it. While we have some times at home during this pandemic, book will definitely help you enjoy the confinement.

One more thing. If I got a chance to visit the US again, I would love to go to Missouri or Wisconsin to see Laura's home and museums :). Wish us luck yaaaa.

Stay safe, happy and healthy everyone.

Happy, happy birthday, Laura Ingalls Wilder...

Look who's celebrating her 148th birthday :)..

Laura Ingalls Wilder...

Yuuup...if you clicked Google last Saturday,  you'd notice its squiggle (that's the name, right?) showing Laura's picture complete with the log cabin and the wagon.



the pic is taken from Google..

I remember reading it when they had to get back to that wagon after spending some times living on the prairie. They had built a house with their own hands and put the glasses on their windows, after Pa made a long journey to the closest city, Independence. Just because the area was the American Indian territories and at the time, the US Government had a treaty with them. Speaking of which, my current work happens to deal with this issue as well, when the UN discusses the rights of the indigenous peoples. Well, that's a bit of Laura's story in Little House on the Prairie..

Laura Ingalls Wilder...




I have written about it before here, but I'm more than happy to share more about what I love most from the famous series of Laura's pioneering life with her family.

One of my favorite stories is the Farmer Boy. Laura told us about the life of Almanzo Wilder, her husband, while he was a kid. Raised in the farm near Malone, New York State, I enjoy Almanzo's colorful days collecting berries, breaking the colts, doing his chores, taking care of animals and growing giant milk pumpkin. He was indeed a great farmer and got a knack for animals as well, especially the horses.  How they had to walk in all weather just to go to school and practically did many things from a very young age really teach me how to be independent and grateful for my life :).

I also love On the Banks of the Plum Creek. 




This is the episode where Laura lived in the dug-out, the house under ground. Very unique indeed :)...and here Laura almost got herself drowned in the creek fro not listening to Ma and Pa. She also got acquainted with funny creatures along the creek, including leeches and crabs. I can't help but smiling when she gave Nellie Oleson, her mortal enemy, a lesson for being impolite to Ma on the same river bank. And the heartbreaking grasshopper season...destroying Pa's crops just when they built new house and got new horses!

I cried as well when Jack, Laura's loyal dog, died.. And I got so excited when Laura talked about her first experience taking the train :)..

Laura already became a school teacher when she was just 14 years old. I really love the school exhibition they had where Laura presented some essays on history, one of her favorite lessons, perfectly. Or when the whole town gathered in the church to enjoy the fully-entertaining performances from the locals, including Pa's brilliant pantomime. You can read them all in Little Town in the Prairie.





Not to mention the First Four Year... Where Laura told us the story of her first 4 years of her marriage with Almanzo. Their ups and downs as a couple who's trying to strive for a better life as a farmer. And when they were blessed with Rose Wilder, their daughter. I cried when Laura suffered from the loss of their son and when the house that Almanzo built with love was destroyed by fire.


the first and the last book in the series :)

Oh my...I can go on and ooooon about Laura and her book :).

But for sure, I just wanna share the fun of reading this world-wide famous book series. 

And now while my family and I have our own adventure in the US. I am thinking of visiting the trails of her incredible journey. From her website, www.lauraingallswilderhome.com, I notice that Laura's historic home and museum is located in Mansfield, Missouri. 


The Rocky Ridge Farm...pic is taken from here

And Laura's trails are quite abundant. A lot to choose from :)


the picture is taken from here

I hope I can visit them someday :). Maybe not as thrilling as the wagon ride, but I'd like to see Pa's fiddle and more of Laura's memorabilia :).
Wish me luck, everyone....


Let me take you to a ride...

Laura Ingalls Widers..

Does it ring a bell?

Buat temen-temen yang seusiaku, mungkin masih ingat serial TV jaman dulu kala waktu baru ada TVRI aja..

Judulnya Little House ..atau lengkapnya, Little House on the Prairie :). 

Yang mainnya Mellissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls and Michael Landon as Pa Ingalls. Terus ada Nelly, teman Laura yang jahat karena suka iri dan pamer. Bener ngg sih? hehehe

Mereka hidupnya berpetualang dari satu tempat ke tempat lain di Amerika Serikat. Pioneering kalau kata orang sono, karena mereka bukan hanya sekedar berpetualang, tapi bertualang dan juga menjadi penduduk pertama dan membuka kota untuk pertama kalinya. 

Kebayang ngg sih...keliling negara naik kereta buggy (ehm itu namanya kereta buggy yah :) ) yang ditarik sepasang kuda, mengikuti jejak di padang rumput, membangun rumah sendiri dari kayu, lalu bekerja sama membangun jalur kereta dan mendirikan sekolah plus kota? Well, that's the story of Laura...

And many more for sure...karena Laura juga bercerita bagaimana ia dibesarkan oleh kedua orang tuanya. Belajar menjadi perempuan yang serba bisa..mulai dari memasak, menjahit, membersihkan rumah, berkebun, mengasuh adik, mengerjakan pekerjaan di ladang, memerah susu hingga membuat perabotan rumah sendiri namun tetap belajar, sekolah dan akhirnya menjadi guru...

Dengan rinci, Laura menceritakan hari-harinya sejak kecil hingga menikah dan memiliki satu orang anak dalam 9 seri bukunya yang kondang...


The first one...


Little house in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little house on the prairie
On the banks of Plum Creek
The Long Winter
Little town in the prairie
These happy golden years
The first four year

aku suka bangeeet edisi ini :)..



Teman-sudah ada yang baca?

Dulu, saya dapet warisan buku seri tulisan Laura Ingalls dalam bahasa Indonesia dari salah seorang wa saya. Lengkap, tebitan Balau Pustaka, diterjemahkan oleh pak Djoko Lelono. Precious collections, indeed.

Sayangnya, setelah saya pergi ke sana ke mari dan beberapa kali pindah, ternyata buku-buku koleksi saya ini tidak ada yang mengurus :(. Apalagi mama pun sempat pindah rumah saat saya sedang tidak berada di Indonesia. Walhasil, hanya tersisa 3 buku saja, Musim Dingin yang Panjang, Anak Petani, dan Kota Kecil di Padang Rumput. Coba...6 buku udah ilang ajaaah hiks..

Walhasil, once I arrived in NY, I directly try to find them again. And I made it...I found it! I found this website here where I can look and shop for those beautiful books..for cheap price! And here I am, buying 14 books in one go hehehe...Yaaay.. 
Truly highlight of the day.. Amidst my never-ending-reports at the office, my favorite books have finally arriveeed..And not just Laura lho :)

Laura Ingalls et Roald Dahl.. oh yeaaaah :D..




I just love them...their books have pretty much colored my younger days and taught me a lot :). Seriously, I learn about sisterhood, home cooking, traveling, friendship so many more from those pages. I guess I build my passion for travelling and exploring the world from Laura as well :D..And Roald? oh the world of possibilities....how imagination becomes borderless with his stories :). I will share that on the next posting I guess :).


Well, I really love reading and I found solace in reading good, nutritious books since kids. I 
certainly hope my kids will love reading too..


How about you?