A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
Change is in the air, friends, and this week my mind is
wandering from farming to philosophizing.
Consequently, I’m going to let you in on a little secret today: I’m a dreamer.
Perhaps not in the sense you may have in mind, however. I don’t dream of fame or fortune, for those
two rascals are fleeting, fickle friends.
Better to be poor and unknown, surrounded by family and friends who love
you.
So what kind of dreamer am I?
I will confess to a strong leaning toward being a
grass-is-greener-dreamer. It is a fault
of mine I have long tried to balance with a dose of harsh reality. If I only had this, I could do that . . .
Fact of the matter is, most of the time I don’t have “this”
on hand, so “that” has to come by different means, if at all. (Truth be told, after an appropriate period
of time has passed by, whatever “that” was doesn’t seem quite so important
after all.)
So what kind of dreamer am I anyway?
My thoughts have drawn again and again the last few days to
“The American Dream.” This is hard to
define, as surely every American’s Dream is unique. However, we could probably agree that
throughout the history of this nation, folks from all over the world have
flocked here to live this thing we call The American Dream.
It really is quite amazing, when you stop to think about
it. We live in a country where the
little guy can dream his Dream right along side the big guy whose Dream already
seems fulfilled.
This is not to say there are no roadblocks, however. Even though future fortunes in this land are
not defined by caste or clan, it is still very difficult to rise above
individual circumstances. That said, I
am perhaps naïve enough yet to believe roadblocks to The Dream may still—as
always--be removed with perseverance and prayer.
So, yes, I believe in The American Dream. It is not enough to wish of it, or to chase
it in some grass-is-greener way—one must live it.
My husband and I occasionally look at each other during slow
moments at our restaurant and ask, “Are we living The Dream?”
Sometimes this depends on the circumstances of the moment,
for the retail business seems to be feast or famine. I don’t begrudge a feast every now and then,
but unless I miss my guess, famine builds more character. If everything went our way all the time, why
would we need God?
Need God we do, because it is only possible to completely
fulfill our American Dream with perseverance and prayer. For us at this moment, living The Dream means
regularly relying on our Heavenly Father to bring in enough customers to our
little Mom and Pop restaurant to pay the bills.
Nonetheless, there is much more to our American Dream than
just paying the bills--however necessary doing so might be. Relationships that we have built with folks
who were first our customers, but now our friends makes living this Dream very
fulfilling.
Many of our forefathers flocked to these shores and
seemingly endless prairies generations ago seeking a fresh start with the
freedom to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My forefathers
began living The American Dream in 1874, and I am among the fifth generation
descended from farmers fleeing the Ukraine seeking religious freedom here on
the fruited plains.
May we never forget to live The Dream, for it is a part of
every American’s heritage. In fact, it’s
as much a part of our American identity as is that timeless, spicy aroma
wafting from the kitchen--an apple pie baking as summer turns to fall.
All-American Apple Pie
1 double piecrust (9”)
4 cups apples, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
heaping 1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1. Preheat oven to
425 degrees.
2. Place apples in a
large bowl. Combine apple juice, lemon
juice, and extracts in a small bowl. Add
to apples and mix well.
3. Whisk together the
dry ingredients, mixing until well combined.
Stir the dry ingredients into the apple mixture until evenly coated.
4. Prepare bottom
crust and place in 9” pie pan. Spoon in
the filling. Place prepared top crust
over filling, seal and crimp the edges.
Cut vents into top crust, brush with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Place pie on a
baking sheet and place in lower third of preheated oven. (This helps insure the bottom crust bakes up
crisp.) Bake the pie for 15
minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and
bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, until the top crust is nicely browned
and the filling is bubbly.
Yield: 1 pie,
6 to 8 servings.
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in
Enterprise, Kansas. She and her husband
own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled
children. You can reach The Buggy Stop
by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.
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