A Carnival Minus The Amusement

Monday afternoon Chuck called asking if I wanted to help set tobacco. Not my favorite thing in the world, but it was either have me help or pay someone else to do it.... the whole point in this is to make some extra money- and paying people to do the work for us kinda defeats the purpose...

Last year when I helped, I was the person walking behind the setter, making sure all the plants were covered and set properly. I made my feelings clear that I WOULD NOT be doing that again. So I got to ride on the setter. Not so much bending and stooping, but quite a dirty job.

It was a warm afternoon so I parked in the grass under a tree. The girls were anxious to get out of the van and play. I stepped in the house real quick to tell Chuck's mom that the girls were outside and I was heading out to the field. Caleb was slipping his shoes on and asked me to wait so he could walk with me. Chuck, Josh and Papaw, along with Augie (yes, the kid that shot Chuck in the hand with a nail gun) and his brother, Andy had loaded up a wagon with styrofoam trays and drove them to the back field.

Chuck and the boys had the Setter ready to go by the time Caleb and I hit the top of the hill. A tray for each Setter position, plus several trays placed in various locations on the Tractor so we could easily grab them when we ran out of plants. "Let's go." Chuck was anxious to get started- so we could get done.

Caleb chose to be the walk-behind so Josh, Andy, Augie and I climbed into the Setter. We sat rear facing staring at our individual tray of tobacco plants. Two big rusty wheel with metal levers separating the tray sections. Papaw pulled himself up into the Tractor, asking if we were ready to go... Papaw can't hear so we yelled several times... Finally Papaw raised the Setter, bouncing us like some sort of old carnival ride starting up. Papaw shifted into gear and off we went.

The big wheel clicked around... click clank clickclick... Augie and I worked together setting our row- pulling plants out of each cell in the tray with one hand, grabbing from that hand with the other hand, placing a plant in each lever as it clicked around.... the levers are referred to as "Fingers"... each Finger then closed down on the stem and as that section of the wheel rolled into the ground, it released the plant to be "set"

The big wheel moved in correlation to the speed of the tractor. Papaw was moving at a slower pace making it easy to Pull. Grab. Place plant in Finger. Augie and I alternated Fingers, giving each other time to grab another plant. We always had two or three plants pulled just in case one of us needed help loading our perspective Finger.

Once we reached the end of the field Papaw raised the Setter... again, like some rusty carnival ride... he pulled the Tractor forward so he could turn the Setter and we could start back down the field. During this pause in planting we arranged any left over plants and grabbed a new tray sitting behind us. The trays were soggy and heavy with water. Cold, mucky water poured down on my legs, running into my shoe... yeah, this is the job I dreamed of...

Loaded up and ready to go Papaw lowered us down to the ground. Augie reached back and turned the water on... a water tank behind us funnels a stream into each row as its set... More cold water splashed on my legs. Yelling several times before Papaw heard us... clickclick, clank, click... The big wheel turned. The Tractor pulled us back down the field, jostling my body, shifting my hips, shoulders, and head were independent of each other.

Augie and I joked and picked on each other, trying to find anything fun about this boring process. Augie missed a Finger and I got it for him. A few minutes later I had trouble getting a plant pulled and missed two of my Fingers. Augie got them both, plus the two that were his. This started a little competition between us. We were moving quickly grabbing plants and shoving them in the Fingers.

As if Papaw knew what was going on, he sped up... he really had no clue, just great timing... The faster the Tractor went. The faster the wheel turned.... pullgrabshove, pullgrabshove, pullgrabshove... We were deep in our competition and slacking on quality. The plants weren't getting into the Fingers properly and some began to fall out before they reached the ground. Augie and I started laughing as we moved faster and faster to keep up with the wheel... you know how the more you laugh, the more you can't do whatever it is you are trying to do...

We each missed several Fingers. I pulled a bunch of plants and threw them on the ground for Caleb so he could plant what we missed. Augie yelled "Whoa!" but Papaw didn't hear him. We laughed even harder. My eyes blurred with tears- but I dare not attempt to take the time to wipe my eyes, let alone use my dirt caked hands.

Augie and I moved our hands as fast as we could. I ran out of plants in my tray but didn't have time to turn around and grab a new tray. Caleb was busy setting our missed plants so he couldn't help. I reached over to pull a bunch from Augie's tray but my arm got caught by a Finger, slathering mud all the way up my arm. Augie laughed. He pulled a bunch from his tray and tossed them over to my side, slinging clumps of potting soil all over me. Augie laughed some more.

Finally we reached the end of the field... in record time I might add... Augie hopped off the Setter, holding his sides and laughing. "It's not funny" I glared at him, trying to keep the smirk off my face.... my face that was spotted with black potting soil...

Papaw came around to the back of the Setter to help load more trays. Through his laughing, Augie told Papaw that he needed to slow down.

"You should have told me sooner." Papaw replied.

"We tried," Augie shouted, "but we couldn't stop laughing"

I hopped off the Setter, my hands black with potting soil, my arms brown with field mud... not quite the mud bath I would get at a day spa...

We loaded the Tractor with more trays and took our seats back on the Setter. Papaw lowered us to the ground- taking the Tractor on another round, another round.... and he takes the Tractor another round....