Where is the biffy on Little House on the Prairie -- and, also, where are all the insects?
In our house, the day is done once we have watched the news, Val has prepared the cat’s overnight food, and I have closed up the big windows, always finishing with the kitchen window. In the height of the summer months, the screen on this window, which has an overhead light, used to be a manic bug circus: moths, mosquitoes and other winged and buzzing insects dancing at the screen, trying to get to the light on the other side. To avoid trapping these creatures between the screen and the glass, I would shut off the light to encourage the insects to fly away. Then I would close and lock the window.
But a few weeks ago, I noticed there were no bugs — no bugs at all dancing at the screen when I went to close the kitchen window. The silence and the empty screen shocked me. Where have all the bugs gone? Wait. No need to tell me. I know; we have brought this on ourselves. Enough said. Well, maybe fifty words more: I wrote a micro piece about that bug-less window-closing experience; it was published on July 31 and you can read it here.
Around about the same time, this dearth of bugs was uppermost in my mind as I watched the first couple of episodes of the new production of Little House on the Prairies. The iconic (and also much critiqued) books by Laura Ingalls Wilder were a childhood favourite of mine: much loved, much read, and still, to this day, on the shelf where I keep treasured books from my younger days.
Though I am not often a fan of the screen version of a good book, I was looking forward to seeing how the Ingalls family and their pioneering life would be portrayed in a 2026 edition of their story. Of course, I wondered how Ma’s attitudes towards the Osage Indians would be depicted. And I wondered if this version of the tale would include Pa digging not only the requisite well, which was rendered in detail in the book, but would this version show him digging a biffy, an outhouse, that all important place for the family to perform their bodily functions? Would there be any mention of the misery and mess of Ma and the girls’ menstrual cycles? It’s not a major spoiler to say, No, not a whisper of either — at least not so far in my watching. I am disappointed but not surprised, and I am not holding my breath for this lack to be filled.
But even more disappointing, even insulting, is the lack of bugs. The scenes of Pa playing the fiddle, Ma singing, and Laura and Mary dancing around an early evening campfire are almost laughable for their bug-free joy. Where is the sound of hands slapping faces and necks being plagued by mosquitoes, black flies and other necessary but annoying insects? I kept watching and listening for them, but nary a one made it on screen (though during filming, the actors put up with their fair share, according to some reports).
I’ll keep watching the series to see how the family’s story unfolds on the screen this time round. I know the books practically by heart and I have read wide beyond them to understand the critiques of Wilder’s version of life on the American prairie in the late 1800s. I will be watching to see if Laura ever trades that hat for the sunbonnet Ma was always telling her to pull up to shade her face. And I’ll be watching for even a glimpse of that biffy that surely would have been close to the top of Ma’s list of ‘must haves’. Because where in the name of every bug that has ever bitten a bare bottom exposed to the prairie air would a respectable prairie woman have lifted her skirts to relieve herself (or manage her period)?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a fan of insects, but I value their existence and, these days, I yearn for their presence.
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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Damselfly, photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash
You are correct that our insect populations are decreasing due to human activity, somewhere between 1% and 3% per year. It is frightening. One other interesting fact is that insects represent 90% of all animal species, ie. there are more different species of insects than all other animals collectively.
ReplyDeleteBut there could be something else. LED, tungsten and halogen bulbs generate frequencies of light that are less attractive to insects than the old standard incandescent bulb. Any chance your notice of fewer insects at night might have coincided with a change in bulb type?
As for Little House on the Prairies, I suspect that the producers probably did the math and concluded that accounting for biffy visits would decrease their advertising time, not to mention their CEO bonuses. The only show I can recall that included people making biffy visits was All in the Family when Archie would visit the "churlet".
Amanda, your writing is timely as I’ve been hearing the warning sirens lately regarding the disappearance of insects and birds, just to name a few. I have to be honest and admit that until I read your article this week I hadn’t paid much attention to the lack of insects. But now when I sit outside it’s shouting at me, “Where are the insects?!?!” I did notice that after spring’s flurry of birds at our feeders, things have grown strangely quiet this summer. Where are the birds? We have fresh seed and suet and change the birdbath water regularly but still … the garden is quiet. Very disconcerting. On the plus side, we’re experiencing a bumper crop of monarch caterpillars (over 20 so far) and I’m in my glory! The bad thing is that a couple of them have been killed by the Asian lady beetle so I’m always on the watch.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I have to laugh at your observations about details, and agree how some families, are portrayed, especially when compared to the original series. And I will admit, I never liked Little House on the Prairie. Please don't think of me less; this is why I find your thoughts humorous and correct at the same time. You make good observations and have a way of saying it the way it should be said. Thank you for this, and I will keep my eye out for those insects somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI haven’t started this series but have been curious about it. I refused to watch Anne with an E and the newer Annie movie. I’m loyal to the originals. I may watch this just because it’s filmed locally, but I’m bracing myself for disappointment and not finishing it. 😬 Jenn/Ani
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the show and I did see bugs flying around in a scene where Pa and Laura are standing in the field. Then I wondered how much Deet they had on. And how many retakes they had to do due to bugs flying in their mouths. LOL
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