This one starts of the first year Laura and Almanzo were married. She didn't want to live on a farm she wanted to live in the city. But Almanzo said to give it a four years and if she still felt the same way they would move to the city. Almanzo built a house on the tree claim to were the house would have some shade for Laura. There was a pantry that he made a lot of shelves and draws. This pantry was a labor of love for him. It was right off the kitchen. Almanzo had fifty acres of wheat and he was raising horses for money. Laura thought that having your own business was better than farming. But Almanzo let her know that farming you are your own boss. The next day that they had moved into the house Laura was cleaning and unpacking her things. Almanzo had gone to the neighbors to help with the wheat threshing. Then the neighbor would come and help him with his. Laura didn't like the idea of having to cook for all of the men. She remembered when her Ma had to do that and Laura and Mary had to help Ma make all the food for the men. They still went for there buggy rides too. One day Almanzo came home from town with a big plow he said he could get more land plowed to have more wheat next season. But he had to hitch all four horses to it. Then another day Almanzo came home with a small gray pony and said this is yours Laura. You and her can learn to ride together. So Laura ordered a real pretty saddle for the horse and she named her Trixy. There first Christmas present was one together they ordered some glassware that they needed. On the bread plate it said " Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread". One day Laura was feeling sick for about a week until the doctor told her she was pregnant. She would faint when she got out of bed. This was at planting time. Then that fall when it was about time to harvest the wheat a hail storm came and ruined all the wheat.
The second year Almanzo wanted to get a mortgage on the homestead but he would have to live on the homestead in order to get it. So he had to build more rooms on the homestead shanty before moving in there. This is not the same as the home on the tree farm but the acres are connected. So on there first Anniversary they moved into the new home on the homestead. Then Almanzo found some people to rent the house on the tree farm. They had lost a lot of money to were he could not get all of his notes paid off in town and this was the only way to get them paid off. After breakfast the day after moving in Almanzo when to cut the hay for the animals for the winter. On the fifth of December after they had there afternoon dinner Laura just wanted to sit by the stove and that worried Almanzo so he went and hitched up the team and went to get Laura's Ma. Then they came back and he had to go to town to get the doctor. Laura was having Rose. Rose weighed eight pounds when she was born. Her Ma stayed to help Laura for a few days because Laura had to stay in bed. Then when Ma went home it was just the three of them at home. That Christmas Laura said the best present was a Rose in December. The day before Christmas Almanzo went to town and came back with a clock that stood two feet high and it would chime. There was a blizzard in April and Almanzo couldn't see his way back to the house. But he made his way some how to the door. This Summer was really dry and the wheat and oats didn't give them as much as they thought. But would pay some of the bills for them.
The third year Almanzo went to town and came home with a hardcoal heater for the sitting room. Instead of moving the cook stove this heater would work longer. Rose was crawling around now and they had to keep the floor warmer for her. This took different coal then the cooking coal. Almanzo couldn't get enough warm clothes to keep him warm when he is working outside. Laura made him a shetland wool undershirt for Christmas. They went to see her family for Christmas that year. On the way back home it started to snow and Almanzo had to stop the horses and get out to try to find the road and then he had to walk the horses the rest of the way home. For a surprise for Almanzo's birthday Laura invited her cousin Peter and the Whiteheads to dinner. Then the day after Laura came down with a cold her Ma came to see how she was and her Ma took Rose home with her so she would not get sick. The cold got worse and settled in Laura's throat then the doctor came out and said that she had diphtheria. It was a good thing that Rose was by Laura's family so she would not get sick. Almanzo took care of Laura then he came down with it so they had to find someone to care for both of them and Almanzo's brother Royal came and took care of both of them. Laura's attack was very dangerous and Almanso's was light. On the last day they were both up and around and the doctor told them not to overexertion themselves. They had to fumigate the house before Rose could come home. Almanzo didn't go by the doctors orders and he was having problems with his legs and he found out he had a slight stroke. He had good days and bad days after that. But it never stopped him from doing his farming with the help of Laura. He had planted his fields and then one Sunday cousin Peter came to talk to Laura and Almanzo about owning some sheep to make some money. So what they did was went half in on that and moved back to the house on the tree farm.The only way they would take the sheep is if Peter moved in and he took care of them. Peter agreed to that and they shared the money. Almanzo and Peter made a barn for the sheep and it was built right on with the other barn. Now they had cows, horses, hens and the sheep now. They had another bad summer with the wheat it all dried up on them.
The fourth year was called A Year of Grace. The plowing begun with the haying it took all four of the horses to do it. Laura had to help Almanzo hitch up the horses and also watch Rose at the same time. She lost sight of Rose and asked Almanzo if he sees her and all of a sudden she says here I am hiding behind one of the horses tails. Then Almanzo said they would try one more crop and see what happens next year with it. All the bills just kept worrying Laura because she didn't like to owe money to people. The horses were so tired that they could not break the ground no more so Almanzo bought two oxen to do the work. Oxen are slower to get the work done but they can do more work. Now there was more work for Almanzo and Peter in the barn with the horses, colts, cows, calves, oxen chickens, hens and the sheep. One winter day it started to snow really bad while Almanzo and Peter were in town and they heard wolf howl and then another. Laura heard it to and she was at home Rose was asleep in bed. The wolves go after sheep and Almanzo was worried about them getting into the barn after the sheep. Laura took the dog and she went to the barn grabbed the pitchfork and check out the barn and everything was alright. When Almanzo and Peter got home Almanzo yelled at Laura for going out there to check on the stock. They made $250 in wool from the sheep that year. Then you have some new babies from them for next year. Some of the lambs had to be bottled fed because the moms didn't want to feed them so Laura took them in the house to take care of them and Rose played with them. This was another bad summer very hot and everything just dried up on them again. This is the year that they had the baby boy that suddenly died on them. Laura got so depressed about that but then she knew she had to take care of things in the house. She also had Rose to take care of. They had horses, cows and sheep to sell for money plus the wool.
I know I made this a long one again but there is still a lot more in the book. I always tell myself to make it short but so much information in the books. I am sorry this is so long and I hope to hear your comments. Thank you for taking your time to read this!♥
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