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Tobacco sticks stand test of time
By ANN WORTHINGTON
It stood there, propped against the wall with a portion that seemed to grow right from the ground. Bundles of gray sticky cobwebs seemed to have the thing held firmly in their grip, and a huge old gray spider hung still as a mouse just waiting for its meal of a poor old unsuspecting insect.
Hanging here and there were several pieces of twine that once held something securely in place, and the twine would slowly unwind and gently float away in the early morning breeze.
Standing there I thought about this thing and I wondered how many uses it had, and you guessed it; it was a tobacco stick. Having grown up on a farm, I knew that back in the day it took one stringer and two handers to make this stick come alive and serve its purpose.
I wondered how many times this old stick had carried the weight of green tobacco and how many times it had been heated to extremely hot temperatures in order to cure the tobacco from green to a golden yellow, and how many times a sharp knife ran up and down this old stick to loosen the tobacco twine that held the tobacco firmly in place.
I knew this old stick had a history about it because they were used year after year. The farmers had a special place where they stored them for protection. I knew some of the sticks were older than others because they were split and shaped by hand tools of the day, and some friends we know have some sticks that are one hundred years old; as a matter of fact this old spider-holding stick is one of them, and was given to my husband by a friend.
I wondered how many uses this thing could be used for, and I immediately thought about the beautiful picture frames my husband made for me from tobacco sticks, not the hundred-year-old ones of course, because they’re special to him.
Staking tall tomato bushes is a great use for the sturdy stick and if necessary, it’s pretty handy if you need a little assistance while walking or climbing a walking trail in the mountains.
I could ramble on and on in my world of memories, but the dishes in the sink are just begging for a good wash and rinse, so I hope you enjoy your memories as much as I do, so until next time, my friends, may all of you be blessed in a special way and as always, God bless.
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