Traveling Back in Time to a COLD Winter Life

Traveling o'er the ocean was

like traveling back in time.

I couldn't speak the language,

yet got along just fine.

People were pleased to meet me,

this young American girl,

traveling on her lonesome to

see what made the world whirl.

I stayed with numerous families

who opened up their homes.

When my train fare depleted,

I could no longer roam.

I found a little family

in search of an au pair.

For room and board, I tended

their boys with tender care.

As autumn turned to winter,

the quilts were piled on high.

We'd listen to fire crackle

and the low winds that sighed.

Traveling o'er the ocean was

like traveling to ‘before’.

I found life of my forebears

in distant days of yore.

We didn’t have a luxury.

No central heat, no less!

(My clothes smelled like their wood fire!)

I loved these folks, "the best".