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EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Quick Article Index . . .
Growing
Up in Aroostook County, Maine - The Daughter of a Potato Farmer.
WRWA’s recent recycling
morning made a big dent in salvaging obsolete electronics.
The Narrows
Center for the Arts announces their November schedule.
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Growing Up in Aroostook County, Maine - The Daughter of
a Potato Farmer. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, October 11,
2017 Photos/EverythingWestport.com Growing Up in Aroostook County, Maine - The Daughter of a Potato
Farmer My Grandfather and Father owned just less than 300 acres between
them. My Grandfather inherited his
in-law’s farm plus 150 acres Inset:
Kristie Furrow with spouse Sam Riley. Along the tree lines were apple trees, pine, spruce, poplar and
alder. This is where the “field boss”
on the first day in a field would walk and cut small branches to be stuck
into the soft, newly turned soil as section markers. The digger, in my day, a wonderful two row
at a time machine, would drop its blade
just slightly below the harrowed rows.
Then it would lift the soil and the buried potatoes up onto a bed of
linked steel rods spaced at about two inches apart. The soil fell between the rods like sifted
flour and settled below making a soft nest for each potato to fall into as it
came off the end of the digger. The
field boss first, the crew behind, would follow the digger on those first
rows walking as slowly as the digger went.
At so many paces, determined by the size and attitude of the picker an
alder branch would be put in the soft soil.
The picker was responsible then for moving this marker every time the
digger passed and the lingering section of potatoes was picked. Some men, mostly women and children of all ages and sizes made up the
picker crew. We dressed in layers of
flannel and cotton to adjust to the changing temperatures of the day. All would gather in our barnyard on the
first day of harvest to be given a basket of appropriate size which we were
responsible for during the harvest. If
a basket had a weakened handle from a picker sitting on it but was still
usable, Grandfather would be sure that the same picker of last season was
given the same basket and a lecture about sitting on the ground not the
basket, “picking on your knees is lazy work.”
We were given a bundle of tickets that were card stock 4” x 1” with a
number and a line. These would be put
on each barrel. I liked to select a
basket that was ¼ of a barrel. A
section that was a barrel of potatoes in length brought me enough money at
the end of harvest for new school clothes, a little Christmas shopping and a
little for the savings account. I drew
budgets before each harvest determining how many barrels I would need to pick
a day to make my goals. The men worked on the flatbed trucks that would drive through the
field on the picked rows and pick up the ticketed barrels with a hoist and
grapplers, not easy work. It is a
nurtured skill of throwing the grapplers and hoisting barrels in the short
time the truck slowed. The full trucks
were driven to the potato house. The
load emptied into bins. The potato
house crew on the second floor door hoisted the barrels up. Each barrel rolled, another skill, as
potatoes were carefully poured into chutes filling the bins where they would
rest through winter in a just above freezing space until an order was sold. Then we took part in another whole
procedure of sorting, grading, bagging and shipping. For this we were sometimes kept from school
in the winter as well if an addition was needed on the crew, but only for a
day or two. The fields were glorious in the midday sun. Arriving each day around 5:30 a.m. waiting
for the frost to leave the ground so the day could begin; sipping hot coffee
with sugar and canned milk from Grandfather’s thermos had its own smell mixed
with the aroma of the earth on your hands; rushing to get your section picked
so you could run to the tree line for an apple or a pee, not in the same spot
of course, was all in a day’s passing. The tickets collected in a bucket on the truck were given to
Grandmother at the end of the day. She
spent her evenings sorting, counting and marking by each pickers name the
number of barrels for the day.
Grandfather would do the checks and accounting. Checks were passed out on Saturday at the
end of the day each week, from $1.60 for the smallest picker to of course
much larger, but all of equal importance and received with equal enthusiasm
and pride. Grandmother and Mother’s mornings started long before ours. They prepared a large breakfast and got us
all up, dressed and out. Then they
prepared a lunch of three or four sandwiches per person, gallons of hot
chocolate and cider and delivered it to the field each day for the family and
perhaps some workers who had forgotten to bring their lunch. As the sun set each day, pickers were driven home in the pickup, the
rear of which was given a hand built wooden cab and benches. An older couple from town would always come
to the field to glean what had been left behind. Under Grandfather’s careful watch on
pickers, gleaning from his fields was as hard work as picking. They walked the field side by side in the
fading sun to collect all left behind.
As a reward for gleaning Grandfather would always deliver, as he took
my younger brother and I trick or treating, a 50 lb. bag of potatoes to those
who helped, needed or did other kindnesses in the community. He would leave it at their back door as we
tapped on the front. I loved my
childhood, and have great respect for the hard work and life my grandparents
and parents led. Circumstances led my
siblings and me to all to choose different directions, but none the lessons
of life gone. Kristie Furrow WRWA’s recent
recycling day made a big dent in salvaging obsolete electronics. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, October 11,
2017 Photos |
EverythingWestport.com WRWA’s recent
recycling day made a big dent in salvaging obsolete electronics that years
ago used to end up in the town’s landfill. Need a safe, fast,
secure way to dispose your outdated electronics? Try bringing them to the
next semi-annual WRWA recycling event next spring! This new and innovative
approach to throwing away your E-waste (electronics) is a sure fire way to
protect the environment, while providing employment for those companies who
salvage materials for reuse. While electronic
recycling generally involves computers/ PC’s, services provided to recycle
aren’t limited to just those items. Other Saturday morning the
Westport River Watershed Alliance collected close to 8,000 pounds of
materials that will be recycled, thanks to the efforts of IndieCycle from Charlestown, RI. From the moment the
drive started at 9:00 a.m. a long line of cars and trucks brought in
everything from Christmas lights to a gigantic CRT TV sets that challenged
two volunteers to hoist them up onto the collection truck. Best of all It was a
free event with the exception of a few items that had a $10 fee. WRWA
thanks everyone who attended their fall electronics recycling event, with
special thanks to their volunteers - Thom, Julie, Evelyn, Christina, Jennifer
- and our Commonwealth Corps members Victoria and Angie. Thanks also to the
Town for letting them use the Town Hall parking lot, and to all the folks who
brought in their old electronics.
Hey Tony, need a
hand with that TV set?
It’s a wrap! The Narrows Center for the Arts
announces their November schedule. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, October 15, 2017 For more information, please call or click marketing@narrowscenter.org,
508.324.1926 FALL RIVER— The Narrows Center offers an exciting November lineup.
Beginning the 17th, the front gallery will feature “The Mill Project, An Art
of Work.” This multimedia exhibition includes paintings and printed scrims of
19th century textile workers, invoking the atmosphere and patterns of labor
in the mills, as well as people embracing nature and recreation as a refuge
from the hardships of factory life. Beginning November 4th, in the back
gallery will showcase “The Alphabet by Carol Way Wood.” Here’s the November schedule of upcoming
events. For a full list, visit the website. Doors open at 7pm
and shows start at 8pm, unless otherwise noted. Thu, Nov 2. Martha Davis & the Motels. Opener: Matt York. The Motels are
an American new wave band from Berkeley, California that is best known for
the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer.” $35
Advance; $40 Day of Show. Fri, Nov 3. Matt Schofield. English blues guitarist and singer, Matt
Schofield plays a blend of blues, funk and jazz, as well as covers of blues
classics. $25; $27 DOS. Sat, Nov 4. Tom Rush. Tom Rush is a folk legend who combines great
songs and stories for a wonderful night of music. Always a sell out! $42;
$47. Sun, Nov 5. The Music of Michael Troy- Memorial Benefit Concert. All proceeds
from the concert will go to the Michael Troy Memorial Music Foundation, Inc.
12pm doors. $25 Donation. Wed, Nov 8. Shawn Colvin and Her Band: A Few Small Repairs 20th
Anniversary Tour. Opener: Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. $ In an era when
female singer-songwriters are ever more ubiquitous, Shawn Colvin stands out
as a singular and enduring talent. Her songs are slow-release works of craft
and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners.
80; $85. Thu, Nov 9. Quinn Sullivan. SOLD OUT. Fri, Nov 10. The Proletariat. Openers: Black Beach & Staring
Problem. After a 33-year hiatus, legendary Boston punk rock band The
Proletariat has decided to reunite for a few select shows. $15; $17. Sat, Nov 11. Los Lonely Boys. SOLD OUT. Thu, Nov 16. Big Sam’s Funky Nation. High-energy music that mixes funk, rock
& roll, hip-hop, and jazz into the same pot, gluing everything together
with the brassy influence — and heavy grooves — of New Orleans. $27; $30. Fri, Nov 17. Friends of the Narrows Annual Party featuring Amanda Anne
Platt & the Honeycutters. Call for
information on becoming a Friend of the Narrows and receiving an invitation
to this free, private event. Mon, Nov 20. The Texas Gentlemen. These guys move between contemplative and
raucous, encompassing the full breadth of the American experience. The music
touches on blues, soul, folk, country, rock and gospel. $22; $25. Fri, Nov 24. Roomful of Blues. Our annual post-Thanksgiving blues bash.
For nearly half a century, Roomful of Blues has been delivering its signature
blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and R&B to euphoric audiences
all over the world. $27; $29. Sat, Nov 25. Sarah Borges. Opener: The Silks. Change is
something that takes a little getting used to. If you need proof of this, ask
the soulful singer-songwriter Sarah Borges. After a long and successful stint
with her band, The Broken Singles, 2011 marked the band’s breakup and Sarah
embarking on a solo career. $22; $25. Wed, Nov 29. Gongs of Joy- Gong Bath Meditation. Join A. Michelle
and Joy for a Gong Bath Meditation. Come to clear, energize and balance
through the deep vibration and resonance of the gongs. 7pm
Doors. 7:30 start. $20. The Narrows Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
charitable organization, presenting exciting ways to engage the public. For
more information, visit narrowscenter.org. Like
us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @narrowscenter. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
2017 Community Events of Westport
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