‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star Melissa Gilbert Drops ‘Photo Dump’ From Press Tour for New Book
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Melissa Gilbert, star of the classic TV series Little House on the Prairie, is no stranger to the bright lights of the big city. She never quite felt connected to the hustle and bustle of big city living, however, and a few years after she and Tim Busfield got married, the couple decided it was time for a change.
So, they purchased a cottage in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, packed up their belongings, and went to work making it a home. Though fixing up a run-down cottage in the middle of the woods is no easy task, Melissa Gilbert is happier than ever as a modern pioneer woman. She loves her new life so much, in fact, that she wrote a book about it.
The book, entitled Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered, details her journey from a glamorous life in New York City to cleaning chicken coops in the Catskills. Now on a book tour for Back to the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert posted a series of photos chronicling her many talk show appearances and book signings. “[Back to the Prairie] PR tour photo dump,” the caption reads.
Melissa Gilbert Shares Inspiration for Her Book and ‘Life Rediscovered’
After Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert spent much of her life away from the great outdoors. However, she recently experienced a “reawakened love” for everything nature has to offer. In an interview with Fox News, Gilbert explained the inspiration behind this shift in mindset and lifestyle.
“When I was a little girl growing up on the Little House on the Prairie set, I had so much fun whenever we would film outside,” Gilbert explained. “There were other kids to play with and lots of games we could do. They always had a lot of activities for us on set.”
“And there were animals everywhere,” she continued. “I think everyone on the set had a dog, and they would all bring their dogs to the set. We had cows, chickens, horses and even guest animals. I remember for one episode we had a baby raccoon.”
As Melissa Gilbert explains, both in the interview and in her book, her life at the cottage speaks to her sense of adventure. “It always felt like a big adventure,” Gilbert said. “To be in the outdoors and play while working. I just loved the feeling it gave me.”
“You know, I’m no Bear Grylls,” the author continued. “I’m no great outdoors woman. But there’s something about the outdoors that still calls me. Planting my garden, watching over my chickens and just feeling the dirt and nurturing our food that grows each day from the ground. It’s satisfying. It awakened my soul in a way that I’ve never felt before.
