Planting Dreams

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Some say that Hollywood is the “Land Of Dreams”. I would disagree. Anyone who has ever lived in the Mississippi Delta would surely know that this is truly the land of dreams- figuratively and literally. Right now, it’s planting season. Within each perfectly lined row, lies dreams of a good harvest and possibilities. I dare say that a Mississippi Delta Farmer is the biggest dreamer of all. After all, if it weren’t for their dreams, there wouldn’t be any crops to be harvested.

My grandfather, Pawpaw Aderholt, was a farmer; and he embodied the dreaming spirit of one. Being the father of six kids, he was always reaching for the stars, dreaming of big money, and trying his had at any side adventure he could; and I was always riding along with him. We thought we were going to get rich on rabbits one year. They didn’t sell like we had dreamed; but seemed to multiply ten times over. One year, he thought we would get rich with pigs. I loved going to feed them. But, one night they got loose and we chased them all over the fields for hours. After that, we gave up and got rid of them- still not rich. Before I was born, he moved the whole family to California to make it big in the orchards. After selling oranges on the street corners for a while, he gave up and they headed back to Mississippi. Another side gig gone wrong. But he knew how to make it in Mississippi.

He was a farmer. He was a dreamer. And it was those dreams that kept him hustling all his life. It’s those dreams, season after season that keep all the farmers and farmhands going. Will Rogers said it best, “The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.” One must have complete faith in themselves and God to spend weeks planting a crop, in hopes that it’ll be a good harvest months down the road.

Those seeds of dreams must be nurtured and cared for. They must be kept alive in order to reach fruition. My Pawpaw Aderholt taught me to dream. He drug me along with him, in the cab of his pick up, so that I could experience the adrenalin rush of pursuing a dream. He made me work and sweat right along with him, so that I could know that if I had a dream, then it was up to me to make it come true.

The Mississippi Delta has a long, complicated history. Some hate it. Some love it. Some born here are dedicated to it. Others born here can’t wait to get the heck out of it. All learn from it. We are not Silicon Valley. We are the Mississippi Delta and we have produced the some of the most talented writers and artists and most revolutionary activists known to the world. I personally think those rows of dreams planted each year; and those dreamers tediously tending to them are the driving force behind every success. After all, how can you live among the real “land of dreams” each year and not be inspired or driven to pursue your own?

I am always trying to come up with a new adventure. I have a hundred ideas swimming in my head at once. I want a coffee and sandwich shop. I want a newspaper. I want a farmer’s market. With each new idea that pops in my head, I see my Pawpaw Aderholt giving me a wink and nudge, saying, “Sounds like a great plan, Wee Wee! Let’s do it!” (that’s what he called me, never by my name).

Every year, those seeds are meticulously planted and take root. And there, in straight lines reaching for the horizon, lies a man’s hope for a better tomorrow. Some may think a bare field of freshly plowed rows is plain and ugly. But, where they see dirt, I see hope and it’s beautiful.

The recipe for this blog is one of my favorite dips to take to family occasions. It’s Mississippi Caviar. Like I said, we ain’t California. We are the damn Mississippi Delta and we do things are own way!

MISSISSIPPI CAVIAR:

• 1 bottle Italian dressing
• 1 can kernel corn (drained)
• 1 can black olives (drained)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 can black eye peas or pinto beans
• 1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
• Mix all together and chill overnight. Serve with your favorite dip chip.