Why, Lord?

I just heard a recording of Laura Ingalls Wilder's voice. It's a short recording, just a clip of her saying "Almanzo," which the editor decided to put on a loop. But it's going to give me nightmares.

You have to understand, this moment--two seconds ago--was the first time I'd ever heard my childhood idol (aw hell, she's STILL my idol!) speak. Based on the fact that she apparently had a nice singing voice and based on her personality, I'd always imagined that she would have a sort of quiet voice, you know, sturdy and frontierish, but with a sweet quality to it....if that makes any sense. Instead it was harsh, loud and nasally. "AlmAAAAAnzo." Not "Almawnzo," as I always imagined it was pronounced, but "AlmAAAnzo," like she was a particularly annoying Midwesterner.

Horrified, I couldn't move even to turn the recording off repeat. So I just sat there with my mouth open and drooling, staring at my computer, while a recording of Laura Ingalls Wilder's voice from decades ago just kept breaking my heart over and over again with, "AlmAAAnzo!" "AlmAAAnzo!" "AlmAAAnzo!"

It feels silly to get upset over something so stupid....but I know I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

Granted, it was only one word, a name, and taken completely out of context, and granted she was probably a little old lady when it was recorded. And for some reason little old ladies tend to get nasally. But still.