tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post4563362018050816280..comments2024-03-25T12:21:56.752-05:00Comments on Sweethearts Of The West: Prairie Madness by Sarah J. McNealCaroline Clemmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-76725402595321253392021-10-10T17:01:51.581-05:002021-10-10T17:01:51.581-05:00We were stationed in Brunswick Maine for 9 of the ...We were stationed in Brunswick Maine for 9 of the longest years of my life. I would stand at the top of the stairs late and night and cry watching as the snow came down more and more and more. I was from Texas do this isolated snow bound place was hell for me. Texas is rough and dry and even mean, but the sun always comes out. I went weeks with no sun in Maine. It was killing me. Dianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543608860119867162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-88653810189938114412016-08-19T18:45:42.497-05:002016-08-19T18:45:42.497-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Cheri Kay Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06035609961825622472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-58670209986571629902016-08-19T16:20:46.841-05:002016-08-19T16:20:46.841-05:00Marianne, thank you for coming and for your compli...Marianne, thank you for coming and for your compliment. I wouldn't have made it either. I would have been out there acting like a mad woman. I have trouble living without my beloved trees. It certainly makes me appreciate all those strong, brave women who managed to deal with all the hardships and isolation.<br />Thank you so very much for visiting my article, Marrianne.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-32625012802444552802016-08-19T16:14:41.642-05:002016-08-19T16:14:41.642-05:00Cheri, raised in Nebraska, I know you have first h...Cheri, raised in Nebraska, I know you have first hand experience with the harsh weather there. I can certainly understand how you would have an appreciation of the history of your state. It must have been a very difficult life in those days.<br />Thank you so much for coming and remarking about your state's history.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-57042123365377915732016-08-19T13:52:20.432-05:002016-08-19T13:52:20.432-05:00Wonderful article. I never heard of Prairie Madnes...Wonderful article. I never heard of Prairie Madness but I am not surprised people experienced it. I can't imagine living in those conditions. I do love the country, but that type of desolation must be difficult to live with. I doubt I would have survived. Mariannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250703273643400917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-76021673610515216242016-08-19T13:17:59.891-05:002016-08-19T13:17:59.891-05:00I was born in Kearney, Nebraska and went to elemen...I was born in Kearney, Nebraska and went to elementary school there. That said, thankfully it was the 20th century! I grew up admiring those brave pioneers that settled there way before me and one of the reasons I became fascinated in western American history. Thanks, Sarah, for reminding us of the many hardships they endured to the point of driving some of them to Prairie Madness.Cheri Kay Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06035609961825622472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-58424220438483574112016-08-19T13:10:28.165-05:002016-08-19T13:10:28.165-05:00Caroline, I understand exactly how you feel. I, to...Caroline, I understand exactly how you feel. I, too, am an introvert. It's not the lack of people that would probably give me trouble, it's the landscape and harsh weather. I love trees and would miss them along with a more diverse terrain. <br />I would not do as well as you in a homesteader's life for certain.<br />Thank you so much for coming by and sharing your thoughts.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-51149883386348717942016-08-19T10:16:52.953-05:002016-08-19T10:16:52.953-05:00I am an introvert who likes time at home with my f...I am an introvert who likes time at home with my family. That said, I don't think I could have endured the isolation of a pioneer.Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-16083667142158843742016-08-18T16:38:02.063-05:002016-08-18T16:38:02.063-05:00I lived in central Texas for a little over a year,...I lived in central Texas for a little over a year, but I don't think even that kind of flat, mostly treeless area was as desolate as Nebraska--as you mentioned. Hey, south central Texas wasn't bad in the winter, but ohmygosh, Nebraska was really in its dark, depressing glory in winter and it lasted a very l-o-n-g time. I don't think I would have made a very good prairie wife. I can truly empathize with what they must have gone through. And yes, Celia, it is a good thing that some of those bold, brave, and audacious women had the strength of heart and will to venture west and make a life there. Our country needed them.<br />I love knowing people from different places like you, Celia, because you help me understand the character and spirit of our country. How do I say thank you for that?<br />Thank you for coming to my blog and saving me from loneliness here. LOL You're steadfast and true. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-3419509857682390292016-08-18T15:10:13.390-05:002016-08-18T15:10:13.390-05:00It was dreadful, wasn't it. I grew up on the S...It was dreadful, wasn't it. I grew up on the South Plains...part of what was the prairie--flat, unforgiving, lonely....way back then. Still, living on the Caprock and growing up there, now I can more appreciate how the settlers felt.<br />One of my favorite research books is Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine, and I'm used several of those pioneer women as topics for my Sweethearts post. Of course, the prairie you're more speaking of if farther north--Kansas and Nebraska. Listen, drive through those states and you can readily see how desolate and lonely those pioneers were.<br />I am grateful our forefathers and mothers did make these journeys, for where would we be today if they had not.<br />Places in Texas are a paradise compared to the prairies of those states north of us. <br />Wonderful post, Sarah, as usual.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.com