The Book Lady Blog

My family went out to dinner last weekend, celebrating Mother’s Day with many other families at a nice restaurant near the beach.  At the table next to ours was a young family with a very rambunctious toddler, probably 2-3 years old.  The mother did her best at reining him in, plying him with toys and snacks and constantly reminding him to “keep his voice down” and to “mind his manners”.

Having been a very boisterous child myself, I felt full sympathy for the Mom, and I can remember my mother chastising me often regarding manners. 

My Mother had a book called, “Manners for Moderns” that was published in 1938 that was full of etiquette lessons – such as, “Always eat asparagus and French fries with a fork” on page 20 and “Don’t laugh at a woman if she’s afraid of thunderstorms.  Be the big, masterful, protecting male!  Make her feel that she can rely on you to take care of her” (page 77) 

I used to love to read this book when I was younger – laughing at how times had changed.

The book I grew up with was “White Gloves and Party Manners” published in 1965.  It included such pearls of wisdom as “The curtsy is the equivalent of shaking hands for girls twelve and under” and “no party dress is complete without a hat, white gloves and a purse to match or blend with your party shoes.  Jewelry should be limited to a charm bracelet, a birthstone ring, perhaps a fine gold chain necklace with a pearl, locket or cross.  No gaudy or jangly jewelry until you’re a teen-ager.”  (page 64)

I still own these books and enjoy reading them.  While some manners will never go out of style – like “please” and “thank you” I wonder what the toddler at the table next to us would think about the advice on page 32 of  “Etiquette Every Child Should Know” published in 1926 that says, “Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard”

Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Reading
The Book Lady

Most people that know me know that one of my favorite authors is Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I read her series, “Little House” books when I was in 5^th grade and have loved them ever since, having read each one multiple times.

I always loved the descriptions of the places she lived – the Little House in the Big Woods in Wisconsin, the House on the Prairie in Kansas, and the Little Town on the Prairie in De Smet, South Dakota.  It was in De Smet where she based five of her nine books, and the place I would most like to visit.

Author William Anderson has done a wonderful job publishing several books that travel to the sites that Laura lived at.  One of my favorite books is, “The Little House Guidebook” that shows pictures and has descriptions of what you can see and do at each site.

There is a museum in De Smet that houses many articles that belonged to the Ingalls family, including Pa’s fiddle and furniture and clothing that belonged to the family. The actual Ingalls house is still standing, and open to visitors, and you can drive to the homestead where Laura and Almanzo lived when they were first married.

My husband knows of my Little House obsession and has given thumbs up for a visit there – especially since Mount Rushmore is only about 70 miles away and a place we have both always wanted to visit.  So who knows – perhaps soon we will have to venture out to South Dakota and fulfill a book pilgrimage dream of mine – to see where Laura lived, and pay homage to one of my all time favorite authors.

Happy Reading

The Book Lady