Once upon a time I just imagine this was a thriving old home place. Can't you just vision an old wood cook stove in the kitchen, and fragrant smells welcoming all who entered through the door?
Mom and the girls might be sitting around stitching on a quilt. Depending on the season the man of the house could be found tending to the land, working in the garden, or cutting fire wood for the stove and for heat.
Children could be seen running around in the yard playing ball, hopscotch, or just playing fetch
with the family dog. If they were old enough, you might find them in the barn feeding the animals or doing chores along with their Dad. Yes, these were days long before computers, Ipads, and all the electronic games that are so popular among the young folks today.
I would so love to have a place like this to slip away to on the weekends. Oh if these walls could talk. The stories they could tell. Times of happiness, maybe when a child was born, birthdays, Christmas times, weddings, and of course days don't go by without sadness, maybe the loss of a close loved one, hard times when crops were not good, and just surviving was a challenge. But despite all of the above,,, it was a loving home to someone.
Rarely do you see an old home place that you don't see a barn close by. Barns were essential to a working farm back in the days. I just love old barns. Here are a few to share with you.
Beautiful these old barns are. Yes, they have served their owners well over the years. They have seen many hard winters, when the snow, ice, and winds have beaten down and taken their toil on the building, yet it still stands. Hot summer sun has faded the paint and turned the wood a wonderful grey. A color that only God's season can produce. I would so love to have some of those boards. Yes, primitive at heart.
Another story here. The old rusty car under this part of the barn. Who drove it last, and did they know once they had driven it in to its safe spot that it would no longer be driven again? How many trips did it make while in use around those narrow, curvy roads into town. I can imagine not nearly as often as we jump in and go into town today, I can see it being maybe once a month maybe to get supplies from the dry good store. This only being items that was not grown on the farm itself, Maybe the lady of the house wanted material for a new dress or apron, or the makings for a new quilt to warm them in bed the following winter.
Oh the goodies that you could see still inside this old barn. Would have loved to stepped inside and rambled. You could see stacks of old tobacco baskets stacked inside. Just waiting to adorn a wall in a warm cozy prim home. All kinds of rusty farm equipment waiting to be rescued and brought back to life in some one's home. Oh the joy it would be.
Look how close this one is to the road. Although not a working barn any longer, it still has color to it. If you click to enlarge, you can see someone went to the trouble to hang beer cans from it's wood on the left side. No doubt teenagers out having fun.
This morning, I find myself relating to some of these old barns. Don't laugh,,,, you too will get to this point if God allows you to live long enough. How, you might ask? Well, as we grow older our outward beauty fades like with these old barns. The beauty one sees comes from inside. The years of weathering the storms of life, the mistakes we have learned from mold our beauty and wisdom from within. With age and health issues, I don't stand as tall and proud any longer, there are times I too lean, Whether it is on a cart when shopping or walking after sitting for a long time. Life and age has stripped my hair of its once brown color and now it is weathered and silver grey. Yes, just like the barn wood that is so desired for its natural beauty.
Some day in the future, some of these special barns could
become re purposed to walls in new homes, made into furniture that we would so desire, or become something as simple as birdhouses that someone will buy with pride.
Hopefully one day when my time on earth is over and God takes me home, I too will become beautiful again. I will have a new body free of age and, pain, and will shine and sing with the heavenly angels above.
Hope you have enjoyed visiting today and taking the ride along with me to see all the old buildings. A few weeks ago while in the Great Smokey Mts, we spent the morning riding back roads and looking at all these wonderful old places. God's beauty was all around.
If you are still having nasty winter weather, please be careful and safe. Spring is definitely on its way. Hang in there.
Until next time......
