How did they ever do it?

[homesteadmamma]

I'm sitting here wondering how the pioneers ever did it. This is the coldest January we've had in 8 years in Manitoba and is setting all kinds of records. We have energy efficient furnaces, warm insulated homes (for the most part), vehicles that have command start and warm heaters.

They had homes that were poorly built, horse and buggy, wood stoves (more than one to keep going) and they had to haul and split their own wood.

They had worse winters than we've ever experienced, with blizzards so bad, they couldn't see their barns or at times, even get to them. They had ropes tied to their home and their barn, and if they should lose grip on the rope, many froze to death. They always had to be concerned with fires breaking out in their homes from the wood stoves. They hauled their water from wells, often not even near their homes.

Many, if they had 2 storey homes, didn't have heat upstairs. At once time, our home had 3 wood stoves heating it. When they got up in the morning, it was cold and often their water was froze. (Even when we were first married we had that in a couple homes we lived in.)

When the kids went to school, they walked often or went in horse and buggy. They sat around the stove and tried to keep warm. We on the other hand, have buses that aren't running, schools are closed and the kids are inside. Many of their kids were doing chores at the coldest part of the day.

How on earth did they do it? I can't even begin to imagine. Its so cold here, I haven't even ventured outside in the past week. I'm so soft, I even left our garbage go until next week, because I wasn't going outside to put it out in -56F weather.

[Heather]

I've been thinking the same thing. We live near many Amish and Mennonite. Just yesterday when I went up to the village there were Amish getting out of their horse and buggy by the co-op. I couldn't imagine. Here we were in our warm van and they were bundled up so much you could hardly see their faces. It sure is tough, I would say but they know no different and that is just the way it is. I talked to my Amish friend about this one time and she chuckled because here we are having all these power outages and there they are all nice and cozy in their homes....now mind you their homes are built much better than years ago...not so many leaks ! I was in their home last Christmas, just at the back door and it was SO warm! She said they have 3 woodstoves throughout the house and they close part of their upstairs off at night.

My great aunt told me years ago about tying a rope to the house and barn.....they had a long way to go and in blizzards they would lose their sense of direction so fast.

So many times this year I just say forget it, I'm not going out in it or I can't wait to get home to my warm house and to think years ago what it took to HAVE a warm house and how long it took to get a meal ready.......

Will be thinking on this today.

[paelthom]

I can't imagine how they survived. I guess when you had no other choice you just did it.

[bamamomto4]

Living in the south all my life,it's hard for me to even imagine what some of you are going through now. Our coldest temp for the season so far has been maybe 17 F....... We were putting extra quilts on the bed and making sure the kids stayed under the cover and I could just see some of you taking quilts off..wearing shorts LOL!!!!

I love the old pioneer days. I LOVE watching Little House on the prairie and seeing how they dealt with things. I told Steve I would love to go back in time to that era and he said it would kill me.... that I couldn't handle living back then LOL

[Dixie]

I have lived in GA all my life and I can't imagine it being that cold. We had the coldest night of the season last night. It was 15°. The coldest temps I've ever experienced was on Christmas Day 1983. The high was 0°. The low that night was -9. But that doesn't even touch where y'all are right now.
I recently reread the LHOP books and "The Long Winter" particularly stood out. I can't even imagine how they must have felt. The pioneers were certainly of strong stock and more importantly strong faith. They would have to be!
I hope you have an early spring in Canada!

[canadian gardener]

Hugs CJ, it's nasty when it gets that way. I think they hung on by the skin of their teeth. it's like labour pains, they pass eventually.

[simplemom]

....yes, I wonder how they did it....reading this, now, I feel like a complainer about the cold weather....finally, we don't have so bad, after all, today...

[mom2matty]

I wonder too!!!! I did grow up in the midwest so I know what cold and snow and ice is but I have been here on the West Coast for 22 years now and can't even begin to know what it is like to be as cold as some of you get!!!!!

I agree and believe the pioneers were a tough breed of people and they survived because they had no other choice. It just totally amazes me, I am so fascinated by that entire time in history!!