[00:00.00]At the time, drums were used
[00:03.70]to forewarn that
[00:04.90]the natives were going to
[00:06.44]capture the forts, which
[00:07.75]guarded the western frontier.
[00:08.84]Daily life in this new land,
[00:12.45]for the early settlers,
[00:14.09]was harsh and difficult.
[00:16.28]First they needed to tame
[00:18.80]the land, chopping down trees,
[00:20.99]in order to be able to plant crops.
[00:24.05]At times they needed to
[00:26.57]defend their land and
[00:27.88]be wary of attacks from
[00:29.30]wild animals, such as
[00:30.83]wolves and bears.
[00:32.91]Mosquito bites caused severe reactions
[00:36.63]of swelling and itchiness.
[00:39.59]Once the work was done,
[00:41.77]neighbors would gather for
[00:43.74]an occasional social function.
[00:45.93]The children would play
[00:48.12]for hours chasing butterflies
[00:49.65]and looking for birds’ nests.
[00:51.95]The boys would catch frogs and
[00:54.57]then tease the girls with them.
[00:56.22]There would be a delicious picnic lunch
[01:00.05]spread on the grass.
[01:02.12]John asked Lily to
[01:04.31]bring some freshly squeezed lemon juice
[01:06.28]for the picnic.
[01:08.80]He found the sour taste of lemonade
[01:10.44]was refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
[01:13.94] Some of the men would
[01:15.90]have a drink of homemade
[01:17.66]in the moonshine before
[01:19.52]striking up a tune on the fiddle.
[01:22.03]Square dancing was popular
[01:25.43]among the young people and
[01:27.39]the young lads would leap up to dance
[01:29.48]with the eligible young ladies.
[01:31.99]Rivals for a young lady’s hand
[01:35.60]in marriage would tend to
[01:37.35]compete to walk her home
[01:38.99]at the end of an evening.
[01:40.74]The romantic times were few
[01:43.69]and contrasted sharply with
[01:45.33]the stern reality of everyday life.
[01:49.16]Neighbors were also few and
[01:53.44]Lily found she was very lonely.
[01:55.73]She looked forward to
[01:57.92]the occasional visits of the minister,
[01:59.78]Robert Ayers, who was
[02:02.07]a Methodist circuit rider.
[02:03.94]Meetings would be held
[02:06.23]in fields or small barns,
[02:08.31]three to four times a year.
[02:10.17]At other times neighbor women
[02:13.78]from over the mountain would
[02:15.75]meet to make quilts, blankets
[02:17.83]and cushions and to gossip
[02:19.25]about their respective lives.
[02:21.77]They would share their secret fears
[02:24.83]regarding their new lives,
[02:27.02]their hopes for their children’s future
[02:29.21]and enjoy each other’s companionship |