Independence Day!

The hits just keep coming, because DeSmet is going to celebrate my favorite holiday, 4th of July! Not sure if they'll be able to get Bud Lite Lime or red, white and blue bikinis when kitten prices are up to half a dollar...but I'm sure they'll be able to find some way to celebrate.

Well, the brand new town of DeSmet will be celebrating our country's victory over the British regulars, hired Hessians, murdering, scalping red-skinned savages and fine gold-laced aristocrats (I hope it's obvious that these descriptors are from the book, not my brain) with lemonade and horse races! Hey, that actually sounds fun.

Naturally Ma says, "Women are not likely to be at a horse race." But the prairie spring must be agreeing with her because she then gets uncharacteristically cool about letting Laura and Carrie go to town anyway. Go Ma! Way to unclench!

In all the excitement of putting on her union suit, and petticoats, and corset, and calico dress, Laura must have forgotten that she hates going to town. She and Carrie are instantly freaked out when they get there and find that, "Men and boys were so thick on the sidewalk that in places they almost touched each other." So Laura and Carrie decide to hide in Pa's store and people watch from the second floor window until it's time for the horse races - which, I'm still surprised they're allowed to go to. Sounds like some pretty rough frontier fun if you ask me.

But then the reason Laura's allowed to see the races becomes clear...it's a great chance to marvel at Almanzo's manliness. Well Almanzo's horses's manliness. Even though they're pulling the heaviest wagon by far, Manzo still manages to win the race, the purse, and a few confusing crotch throbs from our young heroine. Sigh! The romance plot thickens when Mr. Boast tells the Ingalls that Almanzo's sister will be coming west to teach school. Ah, ha! A socially sanctioned, same-sex in!

"Maybe if I am a very good scholar and if she likes me, maybe she might take me driving behind those beautiful horses."

Oh Laura, you're hardly the first 15 year old girl to transfer her sexual feelings onto a pair of perfectly matched bay horses.