My Dear Trash: Laura Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie and the 2nd Day of our 5 Day Give-Away

When I was little, some of the kids at school called me Laura Ingalls Hinze Ketchup.

The Hinze Ketchup I could live without, but I liked being called Laura Ingalls.

Little House on the Prairie was my favorite T.V. show and Laura Ingalls was my favorite author.

I read all her books and imagined being out on the prairie, living in a log house.

Sometimes I called my dad “Pa.”

When I found out Little House on the Prairie the musical, was coming to Gammage and was featuring Melissa Gilbert as Ma, I knew I had to go.

And I had to go with my man.

I found tickets on TravelZoo, and was able to get orchestra seats for a steal.

On the drive over to Gammage, the counselor admitted he too, watched Little House on the Prairie when he was younger, and had a crush on Melissa Gilbert. Just when you think you know a man!

We found our seats and watched as the backdrop of the stage rolled a constant prairie sky with white fluffy clouds. It looked like the wind was blowing a sky that went from bright blue to sunset colors.

Once the program started, the audience seemed to hold its breath until Melissa Gilbert finally came on stage.

She was gorgeous, her singing voice so sweet and she played the role of Ma perfectly.

So, why were the counselor and I completely bawling by the end of the play?

I’ll tell you why.

In the play, Laura is portrayed as somewhat of a wild child; chasing stars, always running off, trying to ride horses bareback, getting in fights with Nelly at school—that sort of stuff.

But, when her sister Mary gets sick and loses her eye sight, the audience watches Laura transform from somewhat immature to incredibly responsible. Eventually, Laura goes to work as a school teacher in a town 15 miles away and sends the money home to help pay for Mary’s school for the blind.

After a year of teaching, Laura returns home to see her family. She’s changed into a serious young woman and isn’t interested in playing anymore. Her ma wonders

“Where did my wild child go.”

This was Melissa Gilbert’s only solo and it was so touching.

Well, the counselor and I have a wild child too.

I call him my pogo stick or Dash. He’s always bouncing, throwing and running with the wind in his hair. He jumps off the roof onto the trampoline,

runs faster then a racing horse

and rarely wears shoes.

But this last year, he’s matured,

started reading more

and isn’t just into watching things break and crash.

So, during this scene, I thought about my own wild child and the times I lost my patience, the times I wondered “Is he going to make it through his childhood in one piece?” I wanted my wild child back. I wanted to hug on him and not be in such a hurry for him to grow up, to change.

The play ended and Derek and I sat for a long time, holding hands, crying, and talking about our children, committing ourselves to be more in the moment and appreciate the little things.

I never reacted this way to the T. V. show, but I also was yet to be a mother.

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We are on the 2nd day of our 5 day give-away on My Dear Trash. Click here to see & qualify for day 1 of our give away.

Today’s give away is something fun, warm and very stylish. Plus it’s pink!