A few years ago, I was an anti-smoking zealot. I couldn't stand the sight of it, the smell of it or the waste associated with it. It just seemed like such a destructive and nasty habit. My thoughts have changed radically and I'm not as righteous as I once was. I'll never take up smoking but I've taken a more "live and let live" attitude with a touch of curiosity. Maybe it was all of those episodes of Mad Men that made smoking look so dreamy.It's tobacco harvest time in middle Tennessee. The plants are much bigger than i imagined. The plant is chopped off at its base which is a very heavy stem. The plants remain on the stem and are hung upside down in a long barn like the one shown. Then the fires are started and the doors shut. I'd love to know how they keep a low smolder going. This barn has been smoking for a week. It was the first thing that the natives told me when I arrived - come summer, don't call 911 when you see a smoking barn.
