There’s nothing like flying home to the Pacific Time Zone after spending time in the Central European Time Zone. You gain nine hours in the process, but the resulting jet lag is punishing to the body’s sleep cycle. Rapid travel ...
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3 Forgotten Ways The Pioneers Built Fires Without Wood
I’m fortunate to call the windswept prairie of the Great Plains my home. If you get out of farm country, it’s just grass as far as you can see. In fact, there are still places nearly unchanged since pioneers first ...
Read More »8 Weird Ways Your Ancestors Kept The Bed Warm During Winter
Our ancestors’ homes usually were heated by wood-burning stoves. While any wood stove will keep a certain space warm, the ability to heat a whole house – particularly one that is two stories — diminished with distance and range. Sitting ...
Read More »Diseases We Have That Our Ancestors Didn’t
We have been blessed with some amazing advances in modern technology which has allowed us comfort that was not possible a mere 100 years or so ago. But despite these advances, we suffer from severe chronic and degenerative diseases that ...
Read More »10 Things Our Grandparents Wish We All Knew
The world we live in is certainly different from the one our grandparents were born into. Our resources, challenges, technology and opportunities have changed dramatically. But one thing has remained the same — we are still people. In our hearts, ...
Read More »The Cheap, Easy-To-Make Survival Lamp Your Great-Grandparents Used
Imagine you are sitting in a log cabin, or perhaps hunkered down in a lean-to or some other makeshift shelter in the woods. It’s dark, and you’d like more light than your fire provides so you can do some chores. ...
Read More »Lard: Your Great-Grandmother’s Secret To Better Skin, Naturally
Before the birth of the industrial cosmetic industry, people found other ways to improve their skin. Perhaps they realized that after continually handling meat in the kitchen, the skin on their hands was softer and smoother. Or perhaps they ...
Read More »Crazy-But-Smart Ways Our Ancestors Stayed Warm During Winter
For homesteaders, going outside in the cold to care for livestock or bring in firewood is just part of the life. Fortunately, it takes just a few minutes to put on coveralls, gloves, jackets and boots that are well-insulated without ...
Read More »Your Great-Grandparents Didn’t Celebrate Christmas Like You Do
As we enjoy the Christmas season, many people are thinking about tradition. For us here in America, Christmas has become a time of family traditions, where we look back to a simpler time and rekindle memories of our youth and ...
Read More »3 Old-Fashioned Christmas Gifts Our Ancestors Crafted By Hand
Americans love to shop for holiday gifts, but what if there were no stores, sales or affordable goods? Our homesteading ancestors often had to deal with this reality and they did what they were good at: They improvised. Creativity ...
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