Just Another Tuesday in Small Town America

Hubby and I both grew up in small towns. His home town is still a small town. Mine has been swallowed up in more ways than I can count by the greater Sacramento area. You really can’t tell where Sacramento ends and the once quaint cow-town of Elk Grove begins. It’s the same if you head north – Sacramento and Roseville-Rocklin are just extensions of one another.

When I was growing up Elk Grove held a small-town Western Festival every May. Back then, there was a rodeo. Kids from the 4-H club got ribbons for everything from the best tomato to the biggest bull. There were jam competitions and pie competitions and even quilt making. Come Saturday night you could kick up your heels at the Country Western Dance. Today the Western Festival is no more. They blame the pandemic. The pandemic wasn’t the problem. The Western Festival had become a place with broken down carnival rides, over-priced burgers and slick salesman peddling everything from life insurance to rain gutters. The sense of community pride was gone and people just stopped coming.

That’s not the case in every small town. Up the road from us is the town of Linden. Now if you blink, you will miss it. However; every May they hold a Cherry Festival. Not only does the entire town descend upon the elementary school grounds for the festival, but folks from the surrounding area come to help support the town. There’s music and a car show and cherries galore in everything from ice cream to fresh baked pies.

The Delta bottom land has rich soil. Miles and miles of orchards. Patterson has their apricot festival, Courtland their pear festival, and Ripon their Almond Blossoms.

Depending upon the time of year, if you head up into the hills you might just need to slow down for a cattle drive or even a wagon train just passing through. The roots here run deep.

Some of us live but a single life. Others are blessed to have experienced a multitude of lifetimes. I grew up in working class existance just outside city life. I traveled the world and tasted life without wants. I know what it means to lose it all and the struggles of beginning again. All these twists and turns lead to a life filled with faith and simple values. I don’t know why God showed me such vasty different existences within a single lifetime. What I do know is that the life I have today is the one I was meant to life. His whisper can be heard in the smallest of sounds and it brings peace to my soul I had never known before. It is my heartfilled prayer His children, no matter their station in life, experience the contentment that walking with Christ brings. With it comes a sense of freedom, to let go of the worries and trust in Him, knowing He has your back.

Today we’re keeping it simple in the kitchen as we give thanks to the good Lord above.

Brown Sugar Grilled Country-Style Ribs
3 tablespoons packed Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
2-1.2 teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder
2-1/2 teaspoons Chipotle Chili
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
4 lbs Country-Style Pork Ribs
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Brown Hickory Sugar Barbecue Sauce
Cayenne Pepper, optional to taste

In a small bowl mix brown sugar, salt, Ancho Chili, Chipotle Chili, Cumin, Garlic and Onion powder. Whist to blend well. Lay ribs out on a cutting board; rub spice mixture evenly onto all the sides of the ribs. Place the meat in a re-sealable plastic bag or in a baking dish covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate ribs 8 hours or overnight.

Let the ribs sit at room temperature on the counter for an hour before grilling. Heat grill to medium-high heat (425 to 450 degrees). Once the grill has reached temperature, place ribs on the grate fatty, wide side down. Cover and grill until the down-side has browned and a crust has formed, about 6 minutes. Flip ribs over, wide, leaner side down and continue to grill another 5 or 6 minutes. Rotate the ribs so that they are resting on the thinner side, propped up against one another if necessary for balance. Cover and cook until browned and crusty, about 4 minutes or so. Flip one final time to the other thinner side, cover and grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest par of the meat registers 145-degrees.

Empty barbecue sauce into a bowl. If desired, elevate the heat with a little cayenne pepper. Brush liberally over the ribs, let caramelize for a few minutes. Turn ribs, brush again and let grill. Repeat until ribs are brushed on all sides with sauce.

Plate ribs, serve with Ranch Beans and Sweet Cornbread. Finish the meal with your favorite baked Apple Pie, be it homemade or from your local bakery.

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I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.