keep the home fires burning

A reference to keeping campfires, lights, etc. at one's home village burning, often while part of the population travels elsewhere to hunt, etc.

• "We got our water from a pump in the backyard and there is no domestic fatigue indoors or out-of-doors that I have not done continuously, not for fun but to keep the home fires burning."
• "While the military has moved to gender-neutral language in all its official descriptions of the "spouses" who keep the home fires burning during deployments […]"

• keep the lights on
• keep the wolf from the door