I Love John Prine

@PhoenixPhail

I grew up in Paducah in Western Kentucky, and went over the Green River in Muhlenberg County on the Western Kentucky Parkway on every trip between there and the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

During the day, you would see the cooling towers at the Shawnee Steam Plant where Paradise, Kentucky - where John Prine's parents grew up - had stood; and, at night, it looked like the fires of Hell or of Mordor - a hideous sight to bring dread to the heart.

They bought up the town, as John write - and forced everyone out - because the air was so bad from the coal dust from the plant, that when women hung out their white sheets to dry, they were black as the ace of spades when they got them off the line.

It was, and remains - one of many unfortunately - a disgrace!

Interestingly enough, I now live about as far south - 70 miles - south of Paradise, Michigan, as I grew up west of Paradise, Kentucky.

I just hope this is an omen as to where I end up in the afterlife - assuming that there is one.

Quakertrucker

@Quakertrucker

Years ago I spent a few months at the old Sewart AFB (Smyrna Tenn). A few of the low-level, training flight routes took us over some of the Kentucky strip mines. I remember someone referring to them as pockmarks.