March 16, 2015
A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
Greetings from
Enterprise, dear friends! The warmth of
an early burst of spring has brought a new “spring” to our steps around here
this week. The first hints of green are
shooting up in the pasture, and the first mosquitoes and flies have made their
unwelcome appearance. We must take the
good with the bad, must we not?
Our boys are
excited that a new horse walked over to our house this week. Knowing our family’s need for more buggy and
draft horses, as well as our oldest son’s desire to begin training horses, a
generous couple outside of town donated a beautiful Palomino to the cause. In return for this generosity, our son will
spend time helping the couple repair fence for their remaining horses.
Coming from only
about a mile from our house, I dropped the boys off Monday afternoon with a
halter and lead rope. The owner and his
faithful dog accompanied them to our place, and his wife came to pick them up. It just so happened we had some warm caramel
glazed cinnamon rolls recently out of oven when they arrived, so we were able
to send a token of our gratitude home with them.
Our oldest son
christened the Palomino “Bob.” This
rather nondescript name has great significance to me, however. Whether he named the horse with this in mind
or not, my family has a history with a horse named Bob.
My Grandpa Will’s
last pair of draft horses were named Bob and Patsy. These horses have earned a place in family
lore because of the circumstances in which they left the farm.
Grandpa was still
farming with horses in the 1950’s, as were many others, but the practice was
quickly dying out in favor of the different kind of speed and power that
tractors were bringing to farming. Just
as farmers today are looking for “the next big thing,” the slower pace of life
farming with horses couldn’t compete with the drive to quickly cover more acres
for hopefully larger profits.
My Grandfather was
a quiet and gentle man who did not possess a drive for great wealth. He was an animal lover, but not in today’s
sense of the word. He simply loved all
the animals God entrusted to his care on the farm.
But times were
changing and the horse trader that kept coming around was relentless.
“All your neighbors are selling me their horses
and switching to tractors, shouldn’t you?
Don’t get left behind!” After
several such visits from the horse trader, my grandfather gave in and sold his
beloved team. He always looked back on
that decision with regret.
It was true that
tractors were replacing the draft teams, and perhaps he would have been “left
behind,” but I selfishly wish my Grandpa had kept Bob and Patsy around. He must have had a very special connection
with them, for fifty years later he still regretted selling them. Looking at it now as an adult, I have a
feeling there was probably more to the decision than I’ll ever know.
Grandpa’s been
gone now for more than 13 years, so I can’t ask him. But as scarce as cash money always is on the
farm, and as sure as bills are to come in the mail, I’m guessing there was a
financial need that eclipsed the sentimental.
So, you see, my
reasons for being excited about a horse named “Bob” are really quite
obvious. Our desire is for our children
to remember the old paths and learn the old ways. We must not—cannot--let these rural skills
fade away. If we are able to acquire the
right horses, we hope to have our boys market garden with them on our property. We also hope that in time the boys will be
able to find little pieces of ground in the area to farm with the horses as
well.
We can’t change
the past, but we can influence the future with our choices today. Long live Bob and Patsy!
The Buggy Stop
Test Kitchen was busy this week trying out a few new cinnamon roll
variations. The following recipe is from
Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Couple this glaze with your favorite homemade
or frozen cinnamon rolls—baked as your recipe directs--and you are in for a
treat.
Incidentally, you
might appreciate a Test Kitchen tip learned the hard way: Use a couple 9” x 13” baking dishes instead
of a jelly roll pan or you’ll be cleaning up a burnt caramel mess off the
bottom of your oven!
Caramel Glaze for
Sticky Buns
1/2 lb. butter, at
room temperature
1/2 cup granulated
sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed
brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon lemon,
orange, or vanilla
extract
In the bowl of an electric mixer,
combine the butter, both sugars and salt.
Cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add corn syrup and extract of your
choice. Continue to cream for about 5
minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Use as much of this as you need to
cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4-inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future
use; it will keep for months in a sealed container.
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.
