My daily visit to the Literary Hub (lithub.com) turned up a piece written by Karl Marlantes who wrote in support of his new book DEEP RIVER. The book tells the Finnish-American immigrant story, particularly those who settled along the Columbia River in Washington and worked as loggers. We’ve purchased this book, and I will read it shortly. It was the following quote in the lithub article dealing with the women who accompanied the men that jumped out at me. I’ve often had these thoughts but have never been able to express them so clearly.
“They worked cattle, tended gardens, harvested rye and alfalfa, planted potatoes, milked cows, knitted sweaters, made dresses, shirts, and trousers by kerosene lamplight. My grandmother would be baffled by the lack of skills we have today to do such things and amazed by how easy it is to buy such things. These women fed their families and raised their children, with no doctors, no medicine, and no money. This was hardship.”
The Tennyson quote hangs on my office wall and seems to be appropriate.
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