A Tradition Farm Life - Chickweed Salve - Restaurant Closing

 

A Traditional Farm Life

 

By Shasta Hamilton

 

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  It is Thursday, March 24 as I write, and after a warm blustery day yesterday we woke up to a light blanket of snow this morning.  The sun soon shone bright and the snow was melted by noon, but it sure was something to see the green grass poking up through a white blanket.

 

I assume my “chickweed patch” in the alley came through just fine, but I’ll have to go out later and see for sure.

 

Why should I care about a common garden weed?  I’m one of those crazy folks who see a helpful side to some lowly weeds.  (They say my arch-enemy dock has medicinal qualities, but even I’m not sold . . . yet.)

 

Chickweed is a cool weather lover, and this garden weed can supply an impressive amount of vitamins and minerals to your spring salad.  (It really doesn’t taste that bad raw, I promise!)

 

I picked it, however, not for its culinary possibilities but for its healing value in a homemade salve for insect bites, paper cuts, and other “hot,” inflamed ouchies.  The kids and I grabbed several handfuls of the green tops earlier this week, shaking to remove any dirt.  We then laid them on a clean tea towel for about 6 hours to let them wilt a bit, removing some of the moisture that could eventually cause our salve to mold.

 

We then filled a wide-mouth quart jar with plant material, covered that with olive oil, and covered the jar with an old piece of cotton tea towel, to continue to allow moisture to escape while it “steeps” in the dark of our kitchen cabinet for three weeks.

 

It will be mid-April when I turn the infused oil into finished salve, just in time for a summer’s worth of bug bites.

 

Transforming oil into salve requires an ingredient not in everyone’s kitchen cabinet, however—beeswax. 

 

Several years ago I bought a bag of “beeswax pastilles” from Mountain Rose Herbs.  These small pellets of beeswax don’t have to be grated before use, and are very handy for an amateur herbalist like me.

 

I look forward to being able to treat our family’s “ouchies” with another simple, effective treatment courtesy of a plant often considered a weed.  It’s a great feeling to be able to use plants God has provided us to help treat life’s minor “boo-boos.”

 

Just as life is once again flowing through plants and trees dormant through the winter, my desire as a wife and mother to focus my time and energy on my family and home has been renewed.  For many weeks and months now I have felt pulled in way too many different directions.

 

Ironically, clarity was given to my feelings of frustration by a comment made in passing by the Master Smith in our oldest son’s recent blacksmithing class at Cow Town in Wichita.  “There’s too many irons in the fire,” he declared, thus breathing new life into my understanding of this old phrase.

 

Blacksmith or not, these days it’s still very easy to get too many irons in the fire, and that’s where I currently find myself.

 

We have carefully balanced our options, and have decided that closing The Buggy Stop is the best way forward for our family.      

 

We moved to Enterprise with the intention of building a traditional, diversified farm that supplies as many of our needs as possible, and we have found that our “marriage” to our restaurant has kept us back from progressing on our goals.  The Buggy Stop’s last meal served will be supper Wednesday, March 30.

 

Our family will devote the month of April to improvements here on the farm, with the ladies focusing on things inside our ramshackle old farmhouse and the men working on innumerable projects outside in preparation for spring planting. 

 

In order for me to be able to devote maximum time to this project, I have decided to take the month of April off from writing this column.  While I have thoroughly enjoyed chronicling our family’s journey every week these last two years, a break from the routine in order to make needed changes here at home will be a welcome change of pace.

 

Next time we talk, my chickweed salve should be ready, and the bugs will probably be biting, so I’ll be sure to let you know how well this old garden weed works!

 

Chickweed Salve

2 cups crushed fresh chickweed

about 3/4 cup olive oil

      (or grape seed oil)

20 drops lavender essential oil

clean, empty wide-mouth pint jar

grated beeswax or beeswax pastilles

Vitamin E capsules

clean, empty small jars

     for storing finished salve

 

1. Lay crushed chickweed out to wilt for about 6 hours to remove some of the moisture content (Excess moisture could cause your salve to mold).  Place in a wide-mouth pint jar and cover with oil.  Stir to remove air bubbles, making sure all plant material is submerged in oil.  Cover with cheesecloth or scrap of cotton cloth to continue to allow moisture to evaporate, place jar band on to secure cloth, and store in a dark place for about 3 weeks, carefully shaking every day or two.  Be sure to label jar with contents and date so that you know when the three weeks are up.

2.   Strain infused oil through a fine meshed sieve (I line the sieve with an old tea towel that can be discarded), squeezing the plant material to get as much oil out as possible. 

3.  Let this set a day or so in a clean, covered jar to let any sediment settle to the bottom of the jar.  Pour clean oil into a measuring cup, leaving sediment in bottom of jar.  Take note of how many ounces you have.  Transfer oil to top of double boiler or very heavy saucepan; add lavender essential oil.

4.  For every ounce of oil, add 1 tablespoon grated beeswax and squeeze in the contents of 1 Vitamin E capsule.  Heat the oil over low heat until the beeswax melts.  Don’t walk away—this will happen very quickly.  Test for finished consistency by putting a spoonful of oil in the freezer for 5 minutes or so.  If it is too soft for your liking, add a little more beeswax.  If it is too hard, add a little more olive oil and test again.  Pour salve into small jars and let cool.  When cool, put on lids and label jars.  Hint:  Wipe out saucepan and anything salve has touched with paper towels or an old rag before salve hardens, then wash in hot, soapy water.

Yield:  About 3/4 cup salve.  (1 cup oil=1 cup salve).

 

Copyright © 2016 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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Eisenhower's 4th Annual Easter Egg Roll

Eisenhower's 4th Annual Easter Egg Roll

Bunnies, eggs, and games await you at the fourth annual Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll, Saturday March 26 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. This event is free and open to the public.  The egg hunt begins promptly at 1 p.m. when the siren sounds, so plan to be early! Featured activities include the egg hunt, games, face painting, bunny photos, and a scavenger hunt. Back by popular demand this year is the 4-H petting zoo! "We are pleased to host this event in partnership with the Abilene Parks and Recreation department along with the Eisenhower Foundation. This is a great opportunity for the community to gather on the grounds of the Eisenhower campus and enjoy the fun and games with their families," states Karl Weissenbach, director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. "Partnering with the Eisenhower Foundation and Eisenhower Presidential Library has  allowed us to really increase the size and scope of the event and it's one that we look forward to each year. Having the ability to add so many games and activities and seeing the children run all over the grounds of the Eisenhower Library is a complete joy," states Jane Foltz, director of the Abilene Parks and Recreation Department. The Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll is modeled after the White House Easter Egg Roll that began in 1878. The Egg Roll is one of the oldest annual events in White House history, although the event was canceled over the years during times of war and austerity. The Egg Roll resumed in 1953 during the Eisenhower Administration and under Mamie's direction was open to all children regardless of race for the first time. This event is made possible thanks to the generous donation of Pinnacle Bank and the outstanding volunteer groups. The volunteer organizations include the Abilene Kid's Council and students from the Abilene High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Student Council (StuCo). Additional volunteers this year include local 4-H and National Honor Society students.

About the Eisenhower Presidential Library

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by theNational Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

A Traditional Farm Life - Henrik's Oatmeal

 

A Traditional Farm Life

 

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  Here’s a news flash for you:  Hollyhock Growing in sidewalk, Downtown Enterprise.

 

Maybe this is not exactly a front page headline, but it sure does fascinate me.  Hollyhocks are traditional cottage-garden flowers that can grow 6 to 8 feet tall.  They are one of the few flowers I am familiar with, as my mother and I brought hollyhock seed back with us from a trip to the former Mennonite vlllages in the Ukraine nearly twenty years ago.  She planted them in her “heritage garden” in back of her house and since then they have gone to seed every year and popped up anywhere and everywhere.

 

So you can imagine my surprise last fall when I saw a young hollyhock popping up where a brick was dislodged in the cobblestone sidewalk in front of The Buggy Stop.  Now that spring growth as begun, my little hollyhock friend is back again.

 

It now has three leaves, each growing larger everyday.  So far it has not been stepped on by an unobservant pedestrian, but I wonder how long such good fortune can last.  I’ve considered pulling all the weeds in the cracks around it, but might that perhaps draw unwanted attention to my little friend?

 

Aside from my sentimental attachment to hollyhocks in general, I’ve decided that I’m interested in the welfare of this particular hollyhock for one simple reason:  It’s an underdog.

 

Everybody likes to cheer for the underdog, right?  From basketball to the presidential election, it’s human nature to cheer on the team that doesn’t seem to have a chance.

 

The chances probably aren’t very good that my hollyhock friend will attain six-foot stature as a fixture of downtown Enterprise this summer, but I’ll be cheering for it from the sidelines—or sidewalk--as the case may be.

 

At home, I’ve been off the bench and placed center court lately with my trusty sewing machine, mending our 6-year-old’s overalls.  Those brand-spanking-new dark blue denim beauties from last December have hardly faded, and yet every single pair is now sporting holes in the knees—and often in the “seat.”

 

This year’s size sevens are finally big enough I don’t have to rip out the side seam in order to sew on a knee patch, but it’s still a pain in the, well,  “seat” to get the job done.  Regardless, I’m glad to have an active little guy who works and plays so hard outside.

 

Our underdog theme this week even extends into the kitchen.  I was paging through Marlene Anne Bumgarner’s The Book of Whole Grains over the weekend and was struck by her recipe for oatmeal.  Cooked oatmeal for breakfast is a perennial porridge underdog here at the Hamilton’s, so Bumgarner’s glowing lead-in to her recipe immediately grabbed my attention:

 

“My husband [Henrik] wouldn’t eat oatmeal when we first met, and made nasty remarks about the consistency of every batch I made.  Then a friend passed on her secret recipe, and oatmeal has been a favorite breakfast at our home ever since.  The secret is out now, and for all of you who hate gummy porridge I predict many enjoyable bowls of this oatmeal.”

 

Predictably, I couldn’t wait to try out this “secret recipe” on my oatmeal hating brood.  After all, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, right?

 

Alas, oatmeal is still an underdog at our house, but my dear husband (an oatmeal hater since his grandmother made him eat it plain without sugar as a child) conceded it was “better than usual.”

 

It certainly was not gummy at all, but both times we made this recipe there was liquid in the pan that was not fully absorbed.  It also took about 10 minutes off heat, tightly covered, for the old-fashioned oats to fully soften.  (Next time I try it I’ll probably reduce the water slightly.)

 

Are you game?  Who knows--maybe Henrik’s Oatmeal will be a “slam dunk” on your home court!

Henrik’s Oatmeal

 

Bring to a boil:

1-1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

 

Add to this:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

 

1. Stir once to moisten oats, cover tightly, and remove pan from heat.  Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.  Serve with milk and honey.  Yield:  2 servings.

 

Recipe taken from The Book of Whole Grains by Marlene Anne Bumgarner, page 58.

 

Shasta notes:  1/3 cup brown sugar can be added to the water before boiling in lieu of honey.  Bring water to a full rolling boil; even so, 10 minutes were needed off heat for oats to fully absorb water.  Cinnamon could also be added to taste.

 

Copyright © 2016 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 . 

Symphony at Sunset Food Vendors Needed

Symphony at Sunset Food Vendors Needed

The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is currently seeking food and beverage vendors for the June 4 Symphony at Sunset Annual D-Day Commemoration Concert. This patriotic event held the first Saturday in June each year is the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to all veterans. Applications are now being accepted and due for consideration by May 13. There is no application fee. Applications may be obtained by calling 785.263.6700 or emaileisenhower.library@nara.gov. Vendors will need to be set up and open by 4 p.m. on June 4. Tear down will occur immediately following the concert approximately 10 p.m. The activities during this year's event will begin around 4 p.m. with a "Pop Up Museum" and presentation by the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard of Fort Riley. The 1st Infantry Division Band performs at 7 p.m. followed by the Salina Symphony headlining at 8:30 p.m.

About the Eisenhower Presidential Library

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by theNational Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!! GET The Free Mobile App HERE.

Businessman selected to lead KDOT's Division of Aviation

Businessman selected to lead KDOT's Division of Aviation

Kansas businessman Merrill Eisenhower Atwater has been selected to be the state's next aviation director. Atwater, of Basehor, will be part of the executive staff of the Kansas Department of Transportation in his new job. As director, he will work with the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation stakeholders across the state. He will oversee KDOT aviation programs, such as the Kansas Airport Improvement Program. "Merrill will be the champion for aviation in Kansas. He will promote aviation as an integral part of the state's overall transportation infrastructure, which includes a world-class highway system," said Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King. "I am pleased Merrill has agreed to join us." For more than a year, Atwater has been national sales director for Housby, a diversified Des Moines, Iowa, company that comprises Mack and Isuzu truck retail sales, truck maintenance, auctions and more. Over the past decade, he has also been vice president of business development for Bar None Auctions in Sacramento, Calif.; senior executive of development and principal of Global Green Energy Parks of Kansas City, Mo.; and president of new business development for Fox Energy Corp., of Kansas City, Mo. "I am very excited to be part of KDOT and promote the important role aviation has in the safety and economic well-being of Kansas," said Atwater. "Using my business background, I will tie the state's 138 public use airports to the economic development of local communities, regions and the entire state." Ten years ago, Atwater, as the great-grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, took part in the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. interstate system. His great-grandfather authorized creation of the interstate system in 1956. As part of the anniversary celebration, Atwater participated in a cross-country convoy in the summer of 2006 that included stops in Abilene and Kansas City, Kan. Atwater has a bachelor's degree from Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo., and is working on a master's of business administration degree from Baker University in Baldwin City. Atwater replaces Tiffany Brown who has taken a job with the FAA in Denver. Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!! GET The Free Mobile App HERE.

"We the People: Civic Education in Kansas"

"We the People: Civic Education in Kansas" 

Election year issues to be discussed at Kansas Town Hall meeting.

The first in a series of Kansas Town Hall programs focusing on election year issues, "We the People: Civic Education in Kansas," will be held March 22 in the Visitors Center of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. The program begins at 7 p.m. with a keynote speech by Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, who will address the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. "I sometimes reflect on how much we demand of those who wish to become Derek Schmidt American citizens by their own choice," Schmidt said. "In many ways, it is more than we demand of those of us fortunate to have been born to citizenship. The nature of citizenship is not always fully understood or appreciated by those to whom it came without effort." Schmidt was elected the 44th attorney general of Kansas in 2010 and reelected in 2014. In 2015, he was elected national Vice President for the National Association of Attorneys General. A panel discussion will follow the keynote address, including four panel members. The panelists will discuss civic education programs, classes and activities in which they are involved. A question and answer session will follow their presentations. Panel participants include: Bob Beatty, Professor, Political Science, Washburn University. Beatty is also a  political analyst and consultant with KSNT/KTKA TV.  Nathan McAlister, History teacher, Royal Valley Middle School, Mayetta, Kan. In 2010 McAlister was named Kansas and National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History.  Pam Sanfilippo, Education Specialist, Eisenhower Presidential Library. Sanfilippo facilitates learning for groups of all ages using the primary sources in the holdings of the Eisenhower archives. Tom Vontz, Professor and Director, Center for Social Studies Education, Kansas State University. Vontz's interests include civic education research.  This Kansas Town Hall program is held in partnership with the Kansas Humanities Council, Kansas State University Library, and the Kansas State University Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy.

About the Eisenhower Presidential Library

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by theNational Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

GET The Free Mobile App HERE. 

     

Judge nixes plea agreement for 80-year-old marijuana dealer

Judge nixes plea agreement for 80-year-old marijuana dealer: 

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement that called for a five- to seven-year prison sentence for an 80-year-old man who ran a multistate marijuana-dealing operation.

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

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Impact of Health Services on the Local Economy

Impact of Health Services on the Local Economy

The contributions of a hospital or health care system to the local economy are often overlooked.  Oftentimes, when people think of health care, they think in terms of their personal health and experiences in the health care sector; however, health care services have a significant impact on the economy of an area. The primary economic factors include the number of people employed and the impact of employees’ spending and tax payments. 

According to a report completed by the Office of Local Government, K-State Research and Extension, health services in Dickinson County employ 877 individuals which is 8.7 per cent of all job holders in the county.  This equates to over $40M in wages pumped into the local economy through health services jobs which includes physicians, dentists, home health care, hospitals, nursing homes, veterinary services, and others. After applying the secondary impact or ‘ripple effect’ that comes through the purchases of household goods and services and local businesses buying and selling to each other, the impact from the health sector is over $47M per year.

According to the report, in 2013 Dickinson County had almost $791M in total personal income and retail sales over $222M.  The retail sales generated by the health sector are estimated at over $13M and the sales tax generated was $134K.   

In summary, the health services sector of Dickinson County plays a large role in the area’s economy.  Health services represent one of the largest employers in the area and serves as one of the largest contributors to income.  The health sector also has indirect impacts on the local economy by creating additional jobs in other sectors.  The health sector is a substantial contributor to retail sales in the region. 

All of this demonstrates the importance of the health care sector to the economy of Dickinson County.  However, there are other ways the health care sector also contributes to the county.  The health care industry helps to preserve the population base and strengthen communities.  Health care facilities also have outreach programs that enhance the quality of life for community residents. 

Because of industry trends in health care, many rural communities face significant challenges.  These challenges will persist as government reimbursements continue to decrease and the economics of providing health care change.  It is in every one’s best interest to support local health care services. 

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

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Delivering Change 3rd Luke’s Community Baby Shower Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 in Junction City

Delivering Change 3rd Luke’s Community Baby Shower Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 in Junction City

Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, in partnership with the Kansas Infant Death and SIDS ( KIDS ) Network, will host the 3rd Luke’s Community Baby Shower at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 at the Junction City High School, 900 N. Eisenhower. Junction City, KS 66441

All local expecting mothers are invited to attend this free event.

The baby shower — named for local SIDS baby Luke Nelson — is an opportunity to educate pregnant women and their support systems on safe sleep and other community resources available to them in Geary County. This community baby shower will provide based upon availability, a free Graco Pack ‘n’ Play portable playard, and other free items to pregnant women who complete the safe sleep training at the baby shower. There will also be a number of door prizes including car seats and breast pumps.  Child care will be available.

The local resources featured at the baby shower are: Breastfeeding Coalition, Geary County WIC, Parents as Teachers, OB Navigator, New Parent Support, Infant & Toddlers, Pawnee Mental Health, Geary County Health Department, Mother & Infant/Home Visits, KanCare, and Geary Rehabilitation and Fitness.

Luke’s Community Baby Shower is funded as a part of the Healthy Start Grant that Delivering Change received.

Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies is a local collaborative established in 2011 to address health issues faced by infants and the women of child-bearing age in order to reduce infant mortality and morbidity in Geary County.

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

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Salina Chamber of Commerce Endorsed New Tax Initiative

Salina Chamber of Commerce Endorsed New Tax Initiative

The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has endorsed the proposed special tax initiative by the City of Salina.  The initiative will be a mail-in ballot election from April 20-May 10, asking Salina residents to replace the current special sales tax of .4 percent with a .75 percent sales tax for capital improvements and other community needs for a term of 20 years. If approved, the Salina tax rate would go from 8.40 percent to 8.75 percent. 

According to City of Salina officials, the current capital improvement sales tax will expire in early 2019, and is not sufficient to meet all community needs, particularly street maintenance, park improvements and economic development.

“No one likes taxes but the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce is supportive of this Special Sales Tax,” stated Brian Richardson, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our community has been fortunate for years to have had one of the lowest sales tax rates in the state of Kansas. In our competitive set of comparable cities, we are currently 17^th lowest out of 19 communities. Some of these communities include Hutchinson, Lawrence, McPherson, Hays, Manhattan, Junction City, Topeka, and Wichita. Even with the new proposed tax increase, Salina will still be the 15^th lowest.  Salina competes every day for people to live, work, and shop in our great community. These other communities with higher sales tax rates are enticing residents, employees, and businesses with incentives and quality of life improvements. Salina currently has a lot of positive things underway to address quality of life improvements, with a significant level of private funding. The Salina Chamber believes that local governments need to continue to be fiscally responsible, but we have many deteriorating streets, an aging sewer and water line system, and parks with amenities that require significant ongoing upgrades. Sales tax is an attractive funding mechanism for Salina. An estimated 30% of our sales tax revenue is generated by non-residents…also users of our facilities, infrastructure and amenities. Through this opportunity, Salina will also have more funding available to assist in recruiting/incentivizing new businesses to call Salina home, and existing businesses to expand. If we want to remain being a desired community to live, work, and visit, we need to take progressive steps for that to happen.”

If approved, annual allocation considerations include neighborhood streets, bridges and drainage; park improvements; Smoky Hill River; economic development; property tax stabilization; and other projects facilities and equipment.

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

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Hard Tack Bread - A Traditional Farm Life

A Traditional Farm Life

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  It’s often said that children “grow like weeds,” and I can see the connection, although our children haven’t had to wait for spring to begin a cycle of new growth.

iamge is from Sagebrush Tails visit their website here

My husband happened to be standing next to our oldest son in front of a mirror this week and was surprised to see our first “baby” was now as tall as he was!  A quick measure for height without shoes revealed our “little boy” only has a half-inch to grow before he catches up with his Papa.

As all you parents know, children’s growth is not just limited to physical stature.  Over the last year, we’ve been amazed at what our 12 and 14 year-old boys are capable of accomplishing.  Most recently we’ve been impressed with their growth as teamsters with our draft horses. 

One afternoon this week they hitched up the Hafflingers to the forecart and prepared to move some very large branches that had fallen after last winter’s big ice storm.  Michael gave them some assistance with chaining the first branch to the forecart and then we stepped back and watched them pull away.  The log was heavy enough the horses had to work pretty hard to get it moving, and there was a moment there at first where my mother’s heart just about stopped beating.  Our oldest son, who was driving, handled the balking horses and soon they were safely off, much to this mother’s relief.

I have never given much thought to the modern term, “helicopter parenting,” but now I think I get it.  It’s very tempting to “hover over” our children in order to keep them from making mistakes, attempting to protect them as much as parentally possible.    However, it just so happens that making our own mistakes is one of the best learning tools available. 

We are now entering into a new stage of parenthood where a little more room can be given as maturity is shown, and, boy, is it hard.  We’re not only trusting our children’s ability to handle new responsibilities, we’re trusting the training we gave them was (hopefully) sufficient, as well as trusting our Heavenly Father to watch over the results.

This is nothing new, of course, as parents from time the days of Adam and Eve have been forced to “let go” and trust their children’s lives to Divine Providence.

With the 150^th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail very prominent in our local news recently, my thoughts have roamed to how difficult it must have been for families to see their young men head out on the trail—with little to no communication—for many months or even years until their return.  In these days of instant communication, it’s not only hard to imagine the reality of so much time apart, but the incredible amount of responsibility on the shoulders of the young cowboys, as well.

Contact Your New Tax Specialist Today

Food out on the trail most likely made those boys long for the comforts of home cooking.  Provisions on a chuck wagon had to be portable and keep well-- coffee, dried beans and fruit, flour, sugar, etc.

It’s been said that every cowboy kept some hard tack in his saddlebags.  I don’t have any evidence to prove this, but I have read that hard tack was a key provision for both the Union and Confederate troops during the War Between the States, so it would stand to reason it would still have been widely used during the cattle drive era. 

While hard tack boasted extreme portability, it lacked palatability.  Hard enough to break your teeth, and often infested with weevils, hard tack could be made slightly more palatable by shaving bits with a knife into coffee to soften it or to thicken a thin, brothy soup.

The simplest hard tack does not even contain salt.  I chose a version with salt, and using the full tablespoon renders the taste akin to a very, very hard pretzel. 

This recipe is simple to prepare, but not so simple to eat—the finished product is hard as a rock.  However, if you have strong teeth, are feeling a little adventurous, and would like to try a recipe with a long and storied history, making hard tack is a great weekend living history lesson.

Hard Tack

2 cups (8.5 oz.) flour

(all-purpose or whole wheat)

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 to 1 tablespoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.  In medium bowl, stir together flour and salt with a fork.  Add water and stir until a ball is formed.  Knead about 10 times to form a smooth ball, adding a little more flour if sticky or a little more water if dry and crumbly.

3.  Place dough on a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour.  (Parchment paper can be already on a cookie sheet or placed on after rolling.)  Dust top of ball with flour and roll with rolling pin until 3/8” thick.  Using ruler and pizza cutter, cut into three-inch squares.  Prick 9 holes into each square with a chopstick or other pointed utensil.

4.  Bake 2 to 3 hours until lightly browned and rock hard, turning half way through baking time. (Small pieces of the ragged edges will finish much sooner than the squares.) Cool completely on wire racks before storage.

5.  Load your saddlebags and hit the trail!

Yield:  6 squares of hard tack plus ragged edges.

Copyright © 2016 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 .  

Keep up-to-date with everything in one of our North Central Kansas Community Apps!!

GET The Free Mobile App HERE. 

     

Westar Energy Upgrades to North Central Kansas Areas

Westar Energy Upgrades to North Central Kansas Areas

 

Westar Energy, Inc. is preparing to make a significant capital investment in the communities of Junction City, Manhattan and the surrounding areas by upgrading our electric metering system. We are excited to embark on this $10 million dollar upgrade to provide improved customer service, quicker service delivery and improved outage management all while increasing internal operational efficiencies within Westar.

The digital upgrade, known as AMI (Automated Metering Infrastructure), will provide numerous benefits to the customer. The first and the most impactful being the customer’s ability to view their energy costs and usage in a more granular fashion from the online energy dashboard. The new Energy Dashboard provides customers an opportunity to understand their electrical consumption, costs and value. Customers can set up budget alerts, receive usage spike alerts and they receive weekly and monthly email snapshots of their costs and usage. This is helpful information for customers to understand how their habits and behaviors can have on their consumption.

The digital upgrade allows Westar to read the meter remotely, eliminating the need to be physically close to the meter and on the customer’s property. The upgrade also allows for remote service orders like a connection or disconnection which can be done without sending one of our service person out to complete.

Our timeline for the capital investment upgrade has begun with the installation of network communication equipment. Customers may see Westar trucks in their neighborhoods installing the wireless communication devices called routers and collectors. This is the backbone structure for how the meters will communicate to Westar. The network is a secure, encrypted private wireless network.

Once the network equipment has been installed, we will begin the meter exchanges. Our installers will exchange every meter in an area by first knocking on the customer’s door to let them know they could experience a brief loss of power while the meter upgrade is taking place. They will provide each customer with an informational door hanger regarding the Energy Dashboard. If no one is home and we have access to the meter, we will perform the exchange, leaving behind the door hanger. All customer types will be upgraded to the new metering system, including our commercial customers. The Energy Dashboard is available to all customers through a secure account on our website.

We are very excited about the enhancements and investment we are making in your area. We hope you are too and will help us educate the community about the upgrade. Please feel free to visit our website for more information (https://www.westarenergy.com/Portals/0/Resources/Documents/PDFs/AMI_Summary.pdf) or contact Justin Campbell (785-587-2314 – Manhattan) directly with any further questions.

Warmest regards,

Westar AMI Team

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