10/14 Evading the rain and finding Tobacco.

Sebree KY to Owensboro

I left Sebree first Baptist church pretty late.  I slept in and I lounged around until about 11AM before getting ready to go which meant a 12 o’ clock start.  I didn’t have to go very far today and I didn’t have a concert so I was in no big hurry.  It looked like rain all morning but it wasn’t raining yet so I got out the door hoping that it didn’t start to rain on me and make me regret my late start.  Somehow I evaded the rain all day long.  It was raining in front of me as the roads were all wet and the town folks would say how it was pouring earlier.  This made me feel better about getting going late.

I passed a tobacco shed, actually a few of them and it was chalk full of tobacco hanging there to cure, getting ready for some individual to sit in a room and pull the thousands of leaves off all of the stalks.  Sounds fun right?  When I was riding with those three riders we passed a tractor in the road pulling it, I could smell it even before it got there.  Then I told her what it was and what they were going to do to it next.  She asked how you sell it.  So I gave her the whole rundown of how one raises tobacco.  My families (homestead) farm paid the taxes for a lot of years off of tobacco money.

But passing the tobbaco shed, I was actually excited to pass one, so I took pictures.  And it’s just amazing the good feelings that you can get from a tobacco shed.  I mean, it’s terrible for you, but I grew up from little on raising it.  But that’s the other funny thing.  At no point did I actually enjoy raising it.  But here I see it and I have fond memories.  I guess we are all a little bit like that.  The good feeling, a bit nostalgic, doesn’t come from working the fields, or pulling thousands of leaves off of plants but that’s good time spent with your family, the good conversations were had with those who are much older now and you realize they are not going to be around for ever so you just cherish the memories, even if it’s doing something as painstakingly tedious as stripping tobacco, or at least to a 10 year old who’s on Christmas break : )