[Artemisia] Uprising--do I need to pack the WeedWhacker?

[Kelly Campbell]

>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brian Johnson" <brynjolfr.ulfhedthinn at yahoo.com>
> To: "Kingdom of Artemisia mailing list" <artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org>
> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 10:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [Artemisia] Uprising--do I need to pack the WeedWhacker?
>
>
>> Not trying to play one-up on ya but I think the WORST job I had for farm
>> work was tobacco..
>> <snipped>
>> For most back-breaking, though, was a toss-up between picking peppers
>> and
>> cutting cabbage.
>> Brynki
>
> I never had to do tobacco, but growing Xmas trees is labor-intensive, too.
> You plant in March, when the ground's barely thawed.  There's never-ending
> hoeing and tractoring.  Shearing in July and August (using a machete).
> And
> harvest starts in late October and continues into December.  Mud and snow
> and pine needles.  Oh my lord, the pine needles.  Dense-needled
> plantation-grown trees have to be shaken before they're baled for
> shipping,
> because they've been sheared tightly enough that the dead, dry needles
> can't
> fall naturally.  Chilblains on my hands from tying the baling string....
> My
> biggest problem (besides the weather) was that I'm only 5'5", and our
> trees
> started at 6 ft, most of them, and went up from there, and handling
> something that much taller than you are can be a real pain.  That, and
> forever not paying attention to where my hands were when shearing....
> I don't miss the hard work so much, but I do miss the satisfaction that
> came
> afterwards.  And the evenings, when all you could here were things like
> the
> neighbors cows going home for the evening, and the sound of the irrigation
> in nearby fields, and the plume of dust that hung in the air from cars
> going
> down the gravel road....(and I have NO doubt whatsoever, that my parents
> are
> nudging each other in the afterlife, and pointing at me, and laughing,
> because when I was a kid, my primary objective was to get the
> h-e-double-hockey sticks OFF that farm!)
> --Maire


But the smell of the trees is wonderful and it lingers with you for a long
time.  I sold Christmas trees at Home Depot for a couple of years in a
row.  I had the time of my life hanging outside in the freezing cold,
trimming the trees and wrapping them for people.  It was a somewhat labor
intensive job but the smiles on peoples faces was awesome.  I think I had
only one asshole customer.  I still on occasion find a stray needle in my
coat or hat and it always bring a warm fuzzy feeling.

Kelwin