America, it's beautiful

Today was a remarkably mild July 4th - a day with the windows thrown open and a breeze. We spent the day talking history and politics and indulging in simple pleasures -
homemade fried chicken, steamed green beans and tomato/mozz salad, followed by naps and a dessert of berries and cream. The chicken was from an Amish farmer who delivers meats and dairy to our neighborhood, and I soaked it in some clabbered milk (slightly soured milk). The tomatoes were the first of the season, picked up at the market this morning along with the beans and berries.

It's easy to forget that we are wealthy beyond the measure of almost any people in the history of civilization. It's easy to forget that it was a long, weird, hard struggle to get here, with as many histories lost and forgotten as recorded and revered. Stories to be proud of and stories to take a hard lesson from. From share-croppers and slaves, statesmen and snake oil salesmen, the stories that get told the least are the most fascinating. When I hear America invoked as a monolithic and simplistic ideal (as, say, Glenn Beck is in the unfortunate habit of doing), it reminds me that there is no such place. America is a complex place, made of complex communities, populated by people with different dreams. It's sorting out a peaceful coexistence that is the best use of the freedoms we have.

(Just so's ya know, we also had pringles, dos equiis and hard cider. Don't mistake us for purists; we still love the junk food.)

Comments

[Susan]

Homemade fried chicken? Wow, do you have a deep fryer? If not, how do you make it? Michael would like that. He loves fried chicken (in fact we had some on the 5th). On the 4th, we visited the Amish farmer you mention and saw his chickens and cows. :)