no bread today

Did you ever think about those wild west days when women had to bake bread and beat the clothes against a rock to clean them? Did you ever wonder how you would have fared in those days? Im lucky to get out of bed before 11am....how would I ever have any bread made for dinner? I dont even wash clothes in an automatic washer, can you imagine how long it would take to beat them clean? My husband would have to have many pelts...as I would probably just throw the clothes away as they got dirty.
I could see him coming in for dinner after a hard day in the fields to something that resembled Dinty Moore beef stew, ( with no bread). he would say...No Bread? I would say, Sorry I didnt get up in time to make any and I didnt have time to mount up my trusty steed and gallop 20 miles to the dry goods store. I guess he wouldnt be in a real good mood then.

After supper, we would go down to the watering hole for our weekly bath, we would have to dry on burlap bags because I hadnt been to the river lately. I would still feel dirty after my bath...river water...ick. Then we would go into our house(?) and he would wait for me to build a fire.....I would carry in 1 log at a time since I am a woman. Hopefully he would build the fire. We would sit and talk about what a hopeless pioneer wife I am. He would say ' You should know how to do this stuff...you're 17 years old!' To which I would say " I didnt know it was going to be so much work. Im bored on this open land all day, Im lonely when you are not here....I want to go to the saloons and dance and have fun.'

He would say..'forget fun'..its time to start a family. So after 9 months of throwing up....I start having pains this one morning.... I call him.....I scream......he brings me a bullet to bite on.....for the pain! No epidural, no pain meds...just. good. old. pain. After I finally figure out I am going to live through this...I get to lay in the bed for a couple hours. And not only do I have to take care of the baby while my insides feel like they are falling out, I also am expected to have that bread baked, the garden hoed, the clothes beat against a rock, and the beef jerkied ( or whatever they did to it).
Somehow, I just dont think I could have did it! On the other hand.....if the Indians came and captured me I think that would be quite an adventure. They would take me to their teepee and they would all fight over me....me white woman....no bake bread. I would be captive in a cozy teepee with beautiful pelts...and of course the bravest of the braves would be my lover. And we would go horseback riding and hunting for arrowheads. And we would order our meals in the teepee everyday. And we would make love everyday.......

Yes, I can see it all now........1 little , 2 little, 3 little Indians........4 little ,5 little, six little Indians. About that time I would be out in the fields looking for some of that loco weed! ; ))