Keep on, keep on, keep on.

An Inspirational Note written by Bobbi Decious

My mother just told me yesterday, in speaking of the ~100 acre South central KY farm made up mainly of rocks, clay and sinkholes I grew up on, that they KNEW they couldn't make a living on the farm, but, they were raising children, not really anything else. Everything else was just a bonus. And, she was right, and she is STILL raising children but we all love the farm, with the thistles and ragweeds and whatever else is there.

I lost my father, my mother's best friend of 50+ years and the best dad, we think, in the world last week, so this touches a nerve with me today as I have to make it back to my world, work, etc. Daddy would have admired what you are doing SOOO much, as he was a student of all things agricultural, interested in new advances but loved the old ways too. One of my sister's has a goat herd that breaks her heart, too.

I have a few heirloom yellow tomato plants that I would like for you to have. They make a very large, meaty tomato with a little red on the bottom. These were from seeds saved from the long time, most beloved 4-H agent in Wayne Co, Ky ever. Mr. John Rickett was the 4-H agent there for, I'm sure almost 40 years, and my mother worked with him as the Extension secretary for about 33 yrs. He had these wonderful tomatoes that she always saved seeds from and got starts the next year, of course. Well, I guess this hadn't happened for a few yrs, but this year, the story goes, that "everyone had lost their Rickett tomato seeds" and she found an envelope marked 2000 in her pantry and my dad planted several trays of these seeds, hoping that 5 or 6 would come up. Well, probably 100 came up!! and they are 4-5 or 6 inches tall and I brought some home with me, but I can't keep that many and can't bear to throw them away. The plant is very large at full growth, so it must have room.

It just hit me that Daddy would like for you to have these tomatoes and for you to not give up. The day before his surgery he was out "delivering tomatoes" to several of his buddies at his hang-out places. Ah well, it's off to work, but I hope you can remember that even when the corn isn't growing, your children are, and learning to love the land and all of it's joys and heartaches.