Other Means of Living History

To me, living history isn't just about donning a period outfit and giving a talk about the times my character lived in. I also consider doing the things our ancestors did another form of living history. To me, it is a more intimate and personal connection. For instance, I do quilt-making, and every time I'm sewing my little scraps of fabric together I feel a kinship with the pioneer ladies and the ladies who lived during the Old West. For them quilt making had a real purpose. It was a means of recycling old clothing and reusing it as bedding. Talk about being practical. And even though many of my quilts have modern themes, and are made from new fabrics purchased just for quilt-making, I still feel that connection to the past as I'm sewing them together.

Another way I connected to people in the past was with my first book, Anna's Kitchen.  I grew up with WWII era parents, and sometimes around the dinner table my mother would talk about food rationing.  So putting together those ration recipes and WWII home front stories made that time in history seem much more real to me.  And what better way to really experience how our parents and grandparents lived then preparing food the way they prepared it.

I also tried my hand at planting a vegetable garden this year.  While gardening may be considered a hobby in modern times, it wasn't that long ago that families grew their own gardens out of necessity.  Gardening for me was a little bit hit and miss, and I made plenty of mistakes, such as planting things too closely together, but still, there's nothing quite like the fresh taste of a vegetable, or herb, that came from your own garden.  This experience also made me more appreciative of the fact that I can go to the grocery store whenever I need food.  Something we all take way to much for granted these days.

I sure some, if not most people probably could care less about history, and that's too bad. Because connecting with people from the past really can enrich our lives in the present.

My thought for the day.

GM