It used to be that school rarely started before Labor Day. Not that it wasn’t scheduled to begin earlier, but in the South farming was a livelihood for many families. We didn’t have the migrant workers so prevalent today and children were relied upon to help in the fields. Everything ran around when the last of the tobacco had been laid by, so most often the start date of reporting back to school was delayed at least once and more often twice. Most of us were ecstatic! However, those kids who were working in tobacco might not have been so thrilled.
I well remember a few summers when I helped hand leaves, getting paid very little for long hours and fighting to keep up with those experienced in tying tobacco. Picking up three leaves and making sure the ends were even so the person tying could wrap them on a stick was a job that started slow. It took lots of practice to gain enough speed to satisfy the person tying, even with two handing. There was also the occasional tobacco worm to gross me out. If that weren’t enough, the tobacco gum stuck like glue and blacken hands and nails making washing them useless without GoJo, or some similar concoction. As the stalks became bare and summer wound down, I knew that I’d soon be exchanging one job for another. It was cleaner work, but I was happy to be out of the heat and back with my friends. Once again we would see each other after the usual delays…….in September.
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August 2016
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