Tobacco harvest time again...

One of many trips in front of my house on it's way to the tobacco barns

Tobacco harvest has begun for this year. It's been hard on them, I'm sure, since we had rain nearly every day since the first of the month. I see the white buses down the road, with Jamaicans and Puerto Ricans here to help with the harvest. I noticed something different this year. Tractors have been going by with wagons behind them loaded with big plastic flat totes.
I'm thinking perhaps it's fully of leaves? I got a glimpse into one of the barns as I was going by, and could see a conveyor type system with clotheslines and the plastic totes. I don't know alot about it, but I know that most tobacco raised around here is for cigar wrappers. It's a major crop here, maybe the biggest. Along with blueberries. The Farmington valley is a very productive agricultural area. That's one of the reasons I like this area. Alot of farms here.

It's been a beautiful August so far. Very unusual for us. In fact, we haven't run our air conditioner since the end of July! That's been unheard of since we moved down here. Usually, August is 90 - 100F, and high humidity. Always makes me wish I was in Maine for the entire month.
This year, it's been 70- 80's. Down to 59 - 62 at night. Wonderful! Also, August is usually a very dry month here. In the first 2 weeks, we've had nearly 6 inches of rain, when the average in somewhere 1 - 2 inches. I am loving it. I mentioned to someone the other day that this is like a real New England August, instead of mid-Atlantic. It's always so tropical here during the summer, that it resembles PA and VA instead of Maine and NH.
I heard my first Canada geese this morning. I know it's been very cool further north. My parents have even had their heat on some mornings. They've even had more rain than here. My step son commented that it's rained every single day up there since they left here the last week of July.
Seems they got a load of snow last winter, and now it's in rain. Mom said it's ok though, as they've had a drought for the last 3 or 4 years. My father-in-law said it's been hard on the potato farmers up there, though. They can't get into their fields to spray, and blight has become a problem. Potatoes are the main livelihood of farmers up in that area of northern Maine and western New Brunswick.

I have a new favorite series on TV. I guess it's been cancelled already. Bummers..
There are six seasons of episodes, and we just started watching, so at least that will keep us for awhile. Crossing Jordan. We just love this series.