Seeing the posts on Frontier House made me think what I'd miss most if I were on that show. Not it I actually lived in that time, but just doing the show. For me it would be access to lots of reading material - the daily paper, and books, books, books.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002

Answers

the computer and the phone

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), May 03, 2002.

At various times I've lived without utilities.

For me, giving up instant light would be a major give-away. Instant light would be flashlight or electric light of another means.

I sure like a flashlight when needing to do or see something for just a moment. I can nagivate my house well in the dark, but still there are those time you need light. Also when you have just put out a lamp or lantern and think of something else you need light for. You can't just take the hot chimney off of a lamp to relight it, at least not very readily.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), May 03, 2002.

Argh! I forgot that was going to be on. What time and which day is it on? I know it is on PBS. Thanks!

-- Sharon (cheesyemailaddy@notreal.com), May 03, 2002.

When the power's been out here the thing I miss the most is running water- HOT running water. Refrigeration runs a mighty close second.

-- shakeytails in KY (shakeytails@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

I lived for a few months in a tent and camper without electricity and without running water at first while we were builing a house a few years ago. We eventually got a well dug and used an electric pump hooked to a generator. We had no "hot" water but since it was summer we would lay out about 100 feet of garden hose in the hot sun and then use that to "shower." It worked well.

We had no phone except one at the edge of the property hooked onto a pole that we could go hook our phone into when we needed to make a call. It was about 2 miles from the homesite. Now I would no doubt have a cell phone with a solar rechargeable thing with it.

It was a much simpler time and that was what was good about it.

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

A tractor! :-) I think I could do fine without all the other modern conviences. A refrigerator would probably be missed a little bit too.

-- Joy in Eastern WA (jparkes@spfarm.com), May 03, 2002.

A comfortable place to sit with something to read when I am tired or stressed. It's what I do when I come in tired and need a break, or need to wind down to sleep.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), May 03, 2002.

If anyone knows when it airs please post it here. THANKS!

-- Sharon (cheesyemailaddy@notreal.com), May 03, 2002.

All the homesteader forums! I think I could survive without any of the other modern luxuries, but the forums are nearly a basic neccessity of life, LOL.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@nospam.com), May 03, 2002.

Sharon - if I'm not mistaken, I believe it will be shown again this Saturday in it's entirety starting a 3:00 pm.

-- Joy in Eastern WA (jparkes@spfarm.com), May 03, 2002.

All modern convienences and technologies which I choose to use. While I may not side compleatly with current society, I don't feel "the good old days" were that darn good :>) While I could function in that type of environment, it would have to be a have to situation and even then I would strive to re-establish as many convienences as I could. The Los Angeles yuppies can keep that show stuff.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

Sex.

-- Nope (Im@nottellin.com), May 03, 2002.

Comfortable shoes. If you saw my feet with the awfully high arches you'd understand. The shoes they wore back then look like instruments of torture. One could go bare foot, but with feet like mine that's not comfortable for long either. I would also miss books, but the folks back then probably didn't have much extra time for leisure time reading.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), May 03, 2002.

Deodorant!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

Privacy with no cameras!

-- Jenn (none@none.com), May 03, 2002.

Surely I would miss my tractor & its basic impliments. Wife tells me I would do well without all other conveniences, I'm sure she's right! Wife would want a lotta help with her chores in that life. Love the idea of 1800's living, would go there in a New York minute. Anybody care to go there with me?

-- Woodsbilly n.c. Pa. (coleenl@penn.com), May 03, 2002.

Just a suggestion for all of you who want to watch the show...do a search on tvguide.com for "frontier house" using your particular zip code. You should be able to see all the times it will be on in the next week. Enjoy, it was a cool show.

-- jon (jon@aol.com), May 03, 2002.

Or check www.pbs.org to find out when you can see it, whether you have an antenna or a dish........ Julie in OK

-- Julie (okwilk213@juno.com), May 03, 2002.

Family and friends

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

This is doing the show only...right ?? Not the actual time periord...OK. I would miss the hot water too. Did they have toothpaste and brushes..no flossing !!! ( I would go nuts if I didn't have my dental floss !!!!I'd be trading the children to the neighbors for some floss for sure !!) I realize that you should have kept it heating on your stove the water not the children) at all times but did the Bates have a stove inside their cabin?? Noticed she cooked outside ?? I think I would have gotten use to a cold bath pretty fast. My husband is complusive about our wood for the heat in our home so I think everytime we would wander into the woods we would feel obligated to carry some kind of wood out with us. The use of antibiotics for cuts and scrapes also. The sanitation after using the old outhouse...no hot water for washing hands. Make sure that I only had the essential animals for the family. Goats and not a big milking cow...too much feed and care for an animal that size. I think you would be so very busy that you wouldn't have time to sit and read as we do today. Would like to see them do a show with modern homesteaders put into that time period and see how some of us would make out. Would make for interesting watching. I know for sure....I wouldn't talk with my husband in the way the one wife did, TV or no TV watching. Total disrespect. But I think they had problems even before the show began. A little disappointed in the show but made for interesting watching and discussions afterwards.

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), May 03, 2002.

This is doing the show only...right ?? Not the actual time periord...OK. I would miss the hot water too. Did they have toothpaste and brushes..no flossing !!! ( I would go nuts if I didn't have my dental floss !!!!I'd be trading the children to the neighbors for some floss for sure !!) I realize that you should have kept it heating on your stove (the water not the children) at all times but did the Bates have a stove inside their cabin?? Noticed she cooked outside ?? I think I would have gotten use to a cold bath pretty fast. My husband is complusive about our wood for the heat in our home so I think everytime we would wander into the woods we would feel obligated to carry some kind of wood out with us. The use of antibiotics for cuts and scrapes also. The sanitation after using the old outhouse...no hot water for washing hands. Make sure that I only had the essential animals for the family. Goats and not a big milking cow...too much feed and care for an animal that size. I think you would be so very busy that you wouldn't have time to sit and read as we do today. Would like to see them do a show with modern homesteaders put into that time period and see how some of us would make out. Would make for interesting watching. I know for sure....I wouldn't talk with my husband in the way the one wife did, TV or no TV watching. Total disrespect. But I think they had problems even before the show began. A little disappointed in the show but made for interesting watching and discussions afterwards.

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), May 03, 2002.

My answer, after watching some of that show, would have to be my dishwasher. It would absolutely tear my hands up if I didn't have it.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

No doubt about it . . . toilet paper.

-- Julie in NC (jwoessner@rtmx.net), May 03, 2002.

Toilet Paper is top on the list! After watching this program I only pray that, put into similar situations, we would be far better neighbors.

-- carol in NC (heywoodu@dnet.net), May 03, 2002.

Amen to better neighbors, since I have lived like that before, and look forward to doing it again, I can't think of what I would really miss,(as long as I wasn't cold) probably easy hot water, but, the first thing I look forward to not doing, is checking my weight every morning, I just don't think I will have time or opportunity to over eat.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

After having lived without all of the ammenidities that these guys did without at some time or another in my life- and sometimes for almost a year at a time... the thing I would miss most if placed in the same circumstances as they were is: a frigging CHAIN SAW. 12 cords of wood is a tough lot to cut using a chain saw. 12 cords with a 2 "man" would get old fast. They did have smaller trees there than Im used to cutting here, but still.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), May 03, 2002.

Hot presssurized water on demand, in particular the morning shower. Those people did strenuous labor and without regular bathing must have smelled a bit strong. But then, if everyone smelled the same, perhaps one didn't notice it. My father said while living in the Ozarks his father took a tub bath twice a year. In late fall when he put on his winter long-johns and in spring when he took them off.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 04, 2002.

as far as oder is concerned wood smoke does a right good job of covering it up!as far as what I would miss most, probibly my car! We are a very "instantly mobile society" and having to get and saddle up the horse would be a shock to most of us..and the grocery store wasn't, I could go on but it would be hardest to do with out the things we take totally for granted, the things we are so used to they don't even register on us anymore, untill they don't work or are unavailable..

-- Bee White (bee@hereintown.net), May 05, 2002.