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Reading Room:  ANY aother authors/books about homesteaders etc??  |
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 11:08:41 AM
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Can you PLEASE tell more about any authors/books etc you have read (or just know about) about the Homesteaders etc? I am very interested in learning more about it. I know I am not able to buy any here , but can always look online and read some more info.
Any help??
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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Amy Warwick
True Blue Farmgirl
102 Posts
Amy
Oakesdale
WA
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 12:57:48 PM
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Dutchy,
I don't know of any off the top of my head, but I do have a question to add. Do any of you recall that show on PBX about the people who had to homestead land in Montana for a season? I have been trying to find a copy of it. I am normally not a reality show person, but this one had me hooked!
Amy
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it ~Aristotle
please visit www.amywarwick.com. |
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chaddsgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
843 Posts
Sarah
Farmgirl Sisterhood #639
MO
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 2:14:38 PM
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Hey Marian! My dad bought me a book for my b-day called the Backyard Homesteade by Carleen Madigan. Basically shows how to make yourself completely self-sufficient for food in on 1/4 acre of land. Is that what you mean? Or are you talking about the history of American Homesteaders?
Amy - I saw that show too!! They had several others like Colonial House, etc. Where families moved into houses and had to behave in the same manner as the people who would have lived there 100 years ago (or more). I did find the Texas Ranch House and I know it has to be in there somewhere. IT'S FRONTIER HOUSE!!! WOOHOO I found it!! http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay5.html
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 2:57:39 PM
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Dutchy..do you have Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country living? It is the best. It was formery called Old Fashioned recipe book. Very detailed chapters about EVERYTHING homestead related. Well worth the money. There were lots of editions and they are still in print I think.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 9:00:49 PM
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Yes, Aunt Jenny, that book is still available. I love mine, although some of the topics are pretty humorous!!
Definitely worth a read!
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 11:42:40 PM
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Jenny, Nope, but can try to see if they are on the internet. As I said I won't be able to find any here in my country, that is why I will try the internet, to see whether I can just find some info there. I won't be able to buy any book anyway, just wanna look, lol And yes am looking more about the history etc.
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 11:48:01 PM
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I am NOW looking at the website of the Frontier House!! Amazing. I remember about 10 yrs ago they did something like this on the BBC, called the Victorian house or something. That family had to live like a family in the Victorian era. SO interesting! The girls had to wash their hair with soap because shampoo hadn't been invented etc. I just wish they would do a re-run lol I'd be glued to the tv
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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Amy Warwick
True Blue Farmgirl
102 Posts
Amy
Oakesdale
WA
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 06:30:06 AM
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Sarah,
Thank you! And a website too! What a treat. I cannot wait to show my husband.
amy
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it ~Aristotle
please visit www.amywarwick.com. |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 2:50:47 PM
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Readers Digest "Back to Basics" is really a good book as well.
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 4:29:08 PM
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Dutchy,
Do a search on Amazon for Oregon Trail. There's tons of books on that subject and pioneer women in general. One book that some of us read(Aunt Jenny?) a couple of years ago was A Sudden Country, loosely based on the diary of the author's ten year old great grandmother, I think, and her account of the Oregon trail crossing of 1847 or 48. It was good. I also liked a couple of the Jane Kirkpatrick books--All Together in One Place and A Clearing in the Wild.
Several sets of my GGG grandparents were on the earliest wagon trains into northern California and Oregon--1844, 1847 and 1848. Some of them later came north into Washington Territory and homesteaded on the Palouse in the 1880's. I have some written accounts of those days I would be willing to share if you are interested. I found it fascinating. One of my GG grandmothers was born in Yamhill County(south of Portland) Oregon in 1848 and her daughter, my Great Grandma was the one that homesteaded on the Palouse with her husband. She also lived to be 100 and I knew her.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 4:46:44 PM
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marcia, YES I would be very interested, if you don't mind. Thanks for mentioning the Oregon trail! Going to check it out.
Hugs....
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 4:56:39 PM
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I'll try condense it and put some of it on here for you.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 7:08:01 PM
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Oh yes! A Sudden Country by Karen Fisher was wonderful!! very gritty and real!! Hey Dutchy..if you want to borrow my copy I will send it to you. I want to keep this one afterwards but you are sure more than welcome to read it!!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 2:03:11 PM
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First installment, Dutchy. This was written in 1972 by my Grandma about her mother's life. It's titled Sketches of Yesteryear
My mother was born April 20, 1868 at Yamhill county, Oregon. she was the oldest daughter of James and Nancy Jane Maynard.
When she was eleven years old, her parents settled on homestead about five miles northwest of Colton (Whitman County), WA. At that time the hills were still covered with the native bunch grass which grew so luxuriantly that it was often cut for hay. There being no fences at the time, livestock often roamed far from home. My mother often had to ride several miles to round up the milk cows each day. In due time some of the settlers built what was known as a 'ditch fence', which was a big help in discouraging the wanderers until the more substantial wire or rail fences could be built. Neighbors were few and far between and when one had company in those days it was more than just a call as they would stay sometimes as long as a week, and it was not an uncommon sight to see beds made all over the floor when night time came. Children didn't mind sleeping on the floor then.
Schools were terms of three months in the early spring and again three months during the fall months, and held in some vacant house, more like a shack, and the teacher boarded week about with the school patrons.
Before grain crops could be raised, the sod first had to be broken up. This called for a certain type of plow known was a sod buster. After this was done, the sod was allowed to lay for about a year in order to rot and become tillable. The farmers usually raised flax on this ground the first year and when in blossom it resembled a beautiful lake or sea when the breezes caused it to wave. The crop which my grandfather raised around 1880, yielded 35 bushels of seed to the acre and sold for $1.35 per bushel. This was measured out in large bushel baskets of metal or weighed on a steelyard scale. The growing of flax seemed to cause the ground to mellow up and be easier to cultivate. Grain crops always followed the flax. However, there was not much market for the wheat, oats or barley so the farmers usually traded it for other commodities. The nearest railroad then was in Walla Walla and the people of that neighborhood would go once a year, usually in the fall, to Walla Walla and lay in their winter's supplies.........to be continued....
For those of you unfamiliar with the Palouse region, the trip from the Colton area to Walla Walla is roughly 100 miles.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 2:08:34 PM
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Thanks Marcia!! Interesting Family history :)
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 3:21:08 PM
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Thanks Marcia, that is interesting, will look forward to hearing more.
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 5:20:11 PM
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Oh! You are all very welcome. Actually I think I started with the wrong one first. I have another one she wrote called Pioneering that starts with her grandmother and intersects with this story. I'll do that one after I finish this one. Plus I have the written account of the wedding of the woman in this current story, written by her. Anyway.....
Part two:
During this period my mother had become a young lady, met my father-to-be, fell in love and they were married at Farmington, WA on December 19, 1886. For about three years after their marriage they farmed near Belmont, WA, then filed on a homestead near Winona, Whitman County, WA. This was in the area known as the Rock Creek Country. The terrain being very similar to that around Sprague, Davenport and Cheney. In addition to the homestead acreage, my father bought a section of railroad land which made in all 800 acres. My parents lived here nine years and during that time I was born on July 10, 1894.(this is my grandma--Leipha Myrtle Black Johnson)
To quote my mother, "It was in the fall we had sold our crop and bought some household goods, loaded our wagon and with Pearl, our little daughter between us on the seat, set out for our new home. We went by way of St. John and it rained on us all the way. The only shelter we had at the homestead was an open-faced shed. We made this do until we could get the house built. This house was 12x14 feet wuth a shed kitchen 10x14 feet. The main building had an attic bedroom. We dug a well, which went dry in the summer and made a dug-out cellar. We set a small orchard and planted mulberry, poplar and box elder for shade trees.
While living in Belmont, we bought twenty head of cattle and six or seven head of hambletonian horses from some neighbors, We were also given a few head of horses for caring for a man's livestock. Altogether, we had a real good start in livestock.
My years on this homestead were lonely ones for me, which were beset with many trials and tribulations. To begin with, we found it next to impossible to grow anything on account of the pesky little squirrels.(My GG was a crack shot, I've heard. I think this might be why.) During all the time we lived there we only were able to raise one good garden. Then there were the rattlesnakes one had to constantly be on the lookout for, and the mosquitoes! Some of the trials were having to care for the livestock all by myself. Like all homesteaders of the time, we could always use extra money, therefore Mr. Black worked away from home most of the time. Lack of water in the summertime was another problem. The lake water was not good for house use. Another problem was having to send my older daughter, Pearl, horseback to bring in the Jersey cow with a young calf. It was over a mile to the schoolhouse where Pearl was sent to school, naturally it caused me great concern for various reasons. I would often go and meet her part way, especially when the days grew shorter and darkness would be coming on."....................to be continued.........
I need to go vacuum.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 6:05:40 PM
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Part 3:
Aside from the loneliness, my mother experienced some real "Western Thrillers." At that time, cattle rustling was rampant in the area. Often in the night she would hear bands of cattle being driven along the road. One morning when she was milking the cows in the corral a rustler raced by with the posse right on his heels. Evidently the rustler had a better horse for he made his escape.
The main road to Sprague was not far from our house and many transcients would stop and inquire the distance to that town. If I remember correctly, it was 27 miles. A few times, if we should happen to be away from the house we had people stop and fix themselves something to eat.
Early each spring, the sheep men from the Dayton area would drive their large bands of sheep through on their way to summer pasture. For days after, my sister and I would search, hoping to find a lamb that just might have been left behind. We did so wish to have one for a pet.
Life there wasn't altogether humdrum and drab. My father helped to form a Literary Society at Winona which had quite a few members, and some quite talented programs and heated debates were held, I have been told. His brother organized a Sunday School and the little songbook they used was "Songs of the Soul." I have never seen another one like it. There were school entertainments, spelling bees and box socials. The biggest and best of all to a child was the Christmas program and tree. The neighbors were few and far apart but ever mindful of others needs and always ready and willing to lend a helping hand.
When my parents were married back in 1886, the prevailing mode of travel was by ox team or horses and a person could look at a map on Sunday and it would be the same a week or more later. When they celebrated their 55th anniversary in 1941, aeroplanes were whizzing overhead and the map of the world was changing everyday. A few years before their marriage, Moscow, Idaho was a couple of dwelling houses and a 550 bushel grain warehouse. Three Forks(now Pullman, WA) had never heard of a State College(now Washington State University). Since the time my parents came to the Colton area in the 1870's they saw towns develop and disappear and the railway, which was no closer than Walla Walla, cover the northwest.
I am indeed proud that my parents and many of my relatives have had a part in the developement of the Palouse country. They have seen the hills of waving bunchgrass become fields of golden grain, grazing land that then provided food for cattle, horses and sheep, now provides wheat and other produce for people of the nation. The Palouse Country became the "Bread Basket of the World" during the lifespan of my parents.
Leipha Myrtle Black Johnson 1972
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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Jennifer Mulkey
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Jennifer
Arkansas City
KS
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 1:53:17 PM
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Homesteading and early frontier are two of my favorite subjects. I started out as a history major in college, and my interest was on homesteaders. My great-grandfather was a sooner, and we've been in this part of the country ever since, and worked and lived on farms and ranches and homesteads. We have the original paperwork for my great-grandfather's homestead in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and I've been there a few times myself.
Two of my favorite books, centering around homesteading are "Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy, a woman struggles for independence in the Oklahoma Territory", by Granvil L. Hays. Although some of the grammar is not correct, and in some places, the writing could have been better, it's a good book. The second is "Sod-House Days, Letters from a Kansas Homesteader, 1877-78", by Howard Ruede. It's a first hand account of homesteading in Kansas. John Ise also wrote " Sod and Stubble". I have several others, but they are put in boxes, but if I can find them, I'll let you know.
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 2:07:34 PM
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There's a great older book about homesteading in Texas and the Oklahoma Territory.....um.....I think it's Anonymous Was a Woman. The focus is mostly on pioneer women, their quilts andother needlework. Many of them created works of art while living in the most horrible places.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 3:09:09 PM
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Just think of all the things these people saw. I think of my Grandmother. She grew up on a farm with horses for transportation. Lived through the 1918 fire here, which destroyed many towns and killed many. Went on to see cars, electricity, radios, tv and color tv, microwaves, etc.... The house and barn often were connected and just divided in half.
It is so interesting how brave and wise they were.
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2919 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2919 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 3:41:38 PM
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I am interested in these also, & hope that soon my work will slow down so that I can read more.
I go to church with a gal that is SOOO educated about the Oregon Trail(esp the women) & takes vacations a few times a year out west to study & see this area. (I know a year or so ago she was out there driving a stagecoach!) If any of you are interested in contacting her, let me know & I will make sure it is OK w/her to email her & let you know. She has oodles of info & books. At our spring fling at church, she set up a table with more Laura Ingalls gear than I have ever seen. She is just a wealth of info. |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 4:30:43 PM
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Oh Lisa that would be awesome. I love studying Oregon Trail and of course Laura Ingalls being some of her story took place in MN.
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2919 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2919 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 4:54:33 PM
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Rae
I will either see her Sunday or Tuesday night at a meeting. I will email you with her name & contact info if she is all right with that(I can't imagine that she would not be; she lives for this stuff!) |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 7:47:21 PM
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Thank you Lisa. Mary Jane's forum has to be the best in the world, I have learned so much and get connect with people that like the same as well 
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 11:58:58 PM
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I LOVE all the info on this thread! It has given me an even more respect for our forefathers and mothers. I remember when my grandmom was alive she used to tell some stories about her childhood too. NO she wasn't born in the USA lol. But here in the Netherlands they had rough times too and women had to work hard on the land and raise a family and do all the other work as well.
Thanks for all the info so far gals, love reading more and more, ;)
Aunt Jenny, in answer to your offer on lending me the book: Yes please!! I'd love to read it. If the offer still stands that is :)
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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Reading Room: ANY aother authors/books about homesteaders etc?? |
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ANY aother authors/books about homesteaders etc??
