For Oxford American, Michael Adno follows Gary and Audrey Revell on the hunt for earthworms. The Revells—fourth generation worm grunters—have used a piece of wood called a stob and a metal file to harvest earthworms, earning a seasonal income for the past 54 years in Sanborn, six miles west of Sopchoppy, Florida.
“Alright, Mama,” Gary said to Audrey before changing into a pair of boots, fastening knee pads, and slipping on gloves. We walked through the burnt palmettos, coated in a film of black soot, before he pointed to a few holes in the soil. They were clues to where worms were and where they were headed. He took his stob, one his son had hewn out of black gum, and knocked it a foot into the earth with his steel file before rubbing the file against the stob’s head. He called each pass a “roop.” With every roop, he mirrored the sound himself, groaning first in a low pitch then ascending to an abrupt stop. Gary would roop, pause, tell a story, then start again. It didn’t take long before a dozen large earthworms began crawling around the earth between us as Audrey gathered them by hand.
from Longreads https://ift.tt/BWP9tZu
Check out my bookbox memberships! 3, 7, or 15 vintage books a month sent to organization of your choice, or to yourself!
https://ift.tt/9DB31vR
