The Crazy Quilt of Life goes back in time to chronicle life on the prairie as Lida BeatyJackson shares her vivid memories and experiences in her diary. She shares the pain and struggles of the journey west to a new home and new opportunities. Her unique and diverse neighbors are active players in a strong midwestern community. The charm and joy of their holiday celebrations in the late 1800s is set against the backdrop of the dangers of living on the prairie. This memoir provides a unique opportunity to experience life in the late 1880s through Lida BeatyJackson's personal writing. It offers an honest view of life in those days and allows us to appreciate how far our society has come in the last one hundred years in terms of technology and comfort. Lida's diary shows how much more difficult it was to eat, rest, stay healthy, and be safe from the elements in her time. They were able to find joy in the little things-things that we in the present so often overlook. The Crazy Quilt of Life also includes intriguing ancestral information about Lida and her family-the real lives of real people. The quilt pictured on the cover was sewn together by the author herself, Lida BeatyJackson, her mother, and her sister Minnie Elizabeth. The quilt remains in the care of Margaret Ann Parker today.