Friday, February 27, 2009

Old Barns… they’re disappearing

barn I admire the barns that have been built and used in our good old USA. But it seems that barns may be a thing of the past. New barns are not being built like they were in days gone by. Today when a barn is needed, it usually cheaper to put up a metal building. It may serve the purpose, but it lacks the beauty of the old barns. I hope many of them are preserved for future generations. Check out this site:

Old Barns and People

And do you know what a “barn raising” is? Well, that how many of the old barns were built. Read about it here in Wikipedia. People worked together in those days, making America great!

Here’s a poem that I recently found that does a great job of describing the weathered old barn. The poet, Tamara Hillman, is commended for a poem that helps us recall the memories and majesty of the old barn.

The Weathered Old Barn

Beyond the fence, on a muddy road,
a barn stands stark amid fields—fresh mowed.

Worn and beaten by wind and rain,
never to be used for shelter again.

Fading red on old barn boards,
hoot owls nesting by the hoards.

Aging stanchions with rotting bins,
roof slightly bowing—caving in.

Doors cracked and broken—weather bent,
off the runners where they once went.

Decaying, alone—since the house is gone,
chimney stoic on an un-mown lawn.

The old barn stands, although it’s leaning,
but in it’s day it had such meaning—

The center of life each working day,
folks toiling, existing without much pay.

Families held it in high esteem,
believing the barn contained their dreams—

Dreams of the future for their generation,
a chance to live free in this great nation.

Raising some stock, and children too,
a farm where acres of grain once grew.

I can just imagine in that very barn,
men would gather to spin a yarn.

Applying oil to harness and saddle
readying them for the morning straddle.

Working at their daily chores—
storms often raging outside those doors.

Farm animals cozy in every stall,
smells of hay, and that’s not all.

Even manure was a common smell,
and frothy, white milk fresh in the pail.

Doves in the rafters—softly cooing,
barn cats stretching, licking, mewing.

Towering loft—storing loads of feed
in cold winter months to meet the need.

A place where children sought great fun,
swinging from ropes in summer sun.

Old weathered barn—standing lonely and sad,
recalling memories of the one we once had.

By Tamara Hillman ©2006

~~~

Check out the following web site where I found the above poem:

Country WhispersCW 

~~~
Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
I am thinking that as an individual, peace is one of the most important things you can possess. If you have peace you can have rest, and you are content with your state of being. True peace cannot be achieved without a full surrender to God’s will.

~~~
Quote of the Day
Every path hath a puddle.
~George Herbert

~~~
Joke of the Day

After a laborious two-week criminal trial in a very high profile bank robbery case, the jury finally ended its 14 hours of deliberations and entered the courtroom to deliver its verdict to the judge. The judge turns to the jury foreman and asks, "Has the jury reached a verdict in this case?"

"Yes we have, your honor," the foreman responded.

"Would you please pass it to me,"

The judge declared, as he motioned for the bailiff to retrieve the verdict slip from the foreman and deliver it to him.

After the judge reads the verdict himself, he delivers the verdict slip back to his bailiff to be returned to the foreman and instructs the foreman, "Please read your verdict to the court."

"We find the defendant NOT GUILTY of all four counts of bank robbery," stated the foreman.

The family and friends of the defendant jump for joy at the sound of the "not guilty" verdict and hug each other as they shout expressions of divine gratitude. The defendant's attorney turns to his client and asks,

"So, what do you think about that?"

The defendant looks around the courtroom slowly with a bewildered look on his face and then turns to his defense attorney and says,

"I'm real confused here. Does this mean that I have to give all the money back?"


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1 comment:

Lynne said...

My friend's grandfather resided in Port Tobacco, Maryland. Supposedly, on his property was the oldest known "barn" in the US. Not sure how true it is, but I did find it interesting. His grandfather was very involved with several of the exhibits at the Smithsonian Institute. What a job! Enjoyed the post.