ODE TO AN ALFALFA FIELD,
SHEEP, AND RED MAN CHEWING TOBACCO
Barry Worrell - June 9, 2013
The clouds nestle down on the
mountains as I look out over the sloping meadow that once was a
field of alfalfa. In my teen years this field seemed to be level and
huge. It was level enough to get a tractor, a mower, a tedder and a
bailer with a wagon over it. And it probably consisted of 7-10 or so
acres. Two times a summer Rick Hughes, others and I would follow Dad
around behind the tractor putting bales of alfalfa hay on the
wagons.
The sheep loved the alfalfa. Sheep were dad's favorite but I don't
see them in the fields any more. It took a lot of time and effort
around sheep particularly in the lambing season. Now they still put
up hay for the cattle. Some of the bales now are big round bales
that they either get on a truck or trailer somehow to take to the
barn or put little covers on and leave in the fields.
I have since seen fields in Ohio and other parts of the Midwest
that go on forever as far as the eye can see. And they are really
level compared to that alfalfa field. But I have also seen the
narrow valleys of McDowell County West Virginia, which are flood
plains between creeks and the roads, and railroads that are always
purported to be out of the floodplain. And those lands make the
field at the farm seem flat. So it is perspective based on your
reference point from experience that determines what is flat and
what is large. Though I declare that I have traveled far and wide
and not seen another like my buddy Rick Hughes. By any perspective
or by any reference point he is unique and a keeper. I think there
are others that could attest to the same thing.
We couldn't talk about that time with out talking about chewing
tobacco in the fields and just about any place else. Today it is
prohibited to use any form of tobacco in public places and on school
board property. I don't even know if major league ball players still
dip and chew. Back then there were fewer restrictions. But chewing
tobacco was an addictive delightful vice. We started out with Redman
because it was sweet and then move up to Beechnut and later plug
tobacco that was stronger. Chewing tobacco was pretty much going
along with the crowd as the majority or it seemed pretty close to
the majority chewed tobacco. I quit some years ago as I think Rick
did. But we always talked about chewing about as much as we did
playing ball. Now that seems kind of odd but also understandable as
simple things stood out more in those times.
My mind's eye can now imagine a much skinner me and a skinner Rick
each with a big chew in and sweaty to be the high blazes in the hot
summer sun on that sloping (if you are from Iowa) or flat (if you
are from McDowell County) alfalfa field and Dad driving the tractor
doing what he really loved to do and that was farm.
