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Within the confines of this blog, you will find bits and pieces of the life and times of myself, my family and friend dear and near., far and wide, few and far between. You will find bits and pieces of my world, tho small to some, but huge to me. You will find everything from 'soup to nuts',; recipes, hobbies,crafts, gardenings,loves of my life, GrandLoves-a-Plenty, and even my pets... Sooo, if you can handle family life, enjoy the tour of my 'Stuffings'.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Toppled Down

Those of you who have followed here for awhile, know this barn. It is still a very useful barn, and it is ours. It still stands strong and loves being in demand. Through wind, rain, snow and storms, it still stands proud. Her bones are nearly 100, but she has had a lift or two to keep her beauty. She keeps her annual check-ups and has even been photographed often with all of her charm, and her eyes still sparkle.
This old barn, well over 100 yrs. it stood, holding promise to the neighbors down the road a piece. Last fall, after a terrible storm, it finally fell to it's loft, broken by the wind. No one lived at the homestead any longer, only seeing the newest generation of family who would come from the city for a weekend visit a time or two throughout the year. The charm of the old barn now lays waiting for someone to clean it up, or take care saving her boards for another use.

We watched over the past 30 yrs., as this fine-boned building began to meet it's demise, left with untended walls, roof leaking like a sieve, wetting the once strong structure, crumbling under it's dampened weight. It didn't take much understanding, that her day was near. No longer would she hold the cows, chickens, hogs and horses that once made the farm sing. Her walls weakened, and buckled under the breathe of a breeze just strong enough to break one beam. The rest was as if listening to dominoes topple against a hardwood floor.

I don't suppose the destruction of the human body is much different. Soon, if we do not tend what was once strong, we begin to fold, becoming brittle under the weight of our own ignorance, heavy with the burden of neglect, until we, too, topple.

We have chosen to take care of the bones of our barn, wanting it to still do a chore or two. It no longer holds hobby farm animals, but lumber, to fix what's broke, before she falls. It holds a potting area for our future gardens, and the tools to tend those gardens. Our old, loved barn, holds Christmas, GrandLove yard toys and Big Boy Toys. Ferrel kittens are born there every spring and again in the fall. It's lean-to holds our firewood for each winter. The walls outside, hold an antique farm sythe and a wagon wheel, and a 5 ft. star on it's east side that shines all of Dec. and Jan. Our old but useful barn still stands proud.

As for us, we choose to also do our best to keep ourselves from toppling. Drink your water, take your vitamins and minerals, eat those healthy fruit, veggies, grains, fish and lean meats. Enjoy your dark chocolate.
It's the hardest thing for me to do, but get your heart rate up there. We will be stronger for it.

What do you do to ' keep from toppling?'

Thanks for coming and
BlessYourHeart

17 comments:

Paula said...

Very good advice Dar. Now I'm feeling guilty. I've only been to Curves once this week and I'm supposed to go at least three times a week. Like the barn pictures and the story.

Shug said...

I am so excited that you have the beautiful picture of the barn and all the snow, to look back on. Your kids and grandkids and even great grandchildren will cherish that picture.

Warm Hugs and Blessings,
Shug

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Neat comparison, Dar.... Anything (whether it's our bodies or a structure) will topple without care... Your barn is still useful and stands tall and proud because you have taken care of it...

Hopefully we all (especially as we get older) do a pretty good job of taking care of ourselves too.... Wish I had have done a better job of taking care of me when I was younger.. Oh Well!!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

TexWisGirl said...

Nice analogy. My 'barn' body is creaking a bit more these days. Time to work out the kinks...

Nancy Grossi ~ Churned In Cali ~ The Wife of a Dairyman said...

I just love old barns to photograph....they never get too old for that:)

Lynilu said...

Oh my. I always hate to see a grand old building go down. sighhh.

imac said...

That barn is a beauty.
For me I keep taking the pills to keep me going along with trying to have fun and holidays.
63 later this year, my father died at 56, so the pills do help.

Arkansas Patti said...

So glad you are better caretakers of your barn than your neighbors. Sad sight.
As for me, it does take a lot more these days to keep my barn--er-body repaired.
I just bought a new treadmill to replace my worn out one that passed away last Fall and am happily rebuilding daily. That and lots of laughing, keeps one foot infront of the other for this old gal.

Louise said...

What a wonderful post, and so very true. Maintenance is hard to do, on building or body, but, very, very necessary to their wellbeing.

And, erm, did you ever think about asking if you could have some of the lumber from that old, fallen down barn? Old barn wood is so beautiful, and it has a million different uses.

April said...

Wonderful post - I think I'll pull up my socks and go for a walk later. It's not too cold today, so there's really no excuse not to. Thank you.

Lucy said...

I love the way you spoke of the barn you care for and the demise of the old one, AND taking care of our bodies.

Anonymous said...

Neglect will always win...if it's constant and continuous...I enjoyed your words...well said!

I eat lots of fruit, veggies, nuts, berries, whole grains and yogurt! I don't drink as much water as I should but I keep working on it. I get checkups, mammograms, teeth cleanings, yearly shots, eyes examined, etc. The other thing I don't do enough of is exercise...I try to work on that too...great post! Made me think...am I doing enough upkeep on my mind and body or do I need to work just a little bit harder to keep myself in good repair!

Ruta said...

I love old barns and I am sad to see them fall into disrepair. My friend's grandfather had a huge dairy farm with several barns. I have so many great memories of summers at the farm. When the grandfather passed away, the buildings were razed for a housing development. If I can dig up some photos, I will blog about it.

Suz said...

Everytime we go to Galena there is another farm bldg down it seems
Last time it was a large round barn breaks the heart
But you are right..we are no different than those structures..take care or it will give way sooner than later

Cher' Shots said...

Great post - love your barn pic! You know how I hate to bust a sweat (unless I'm having fun doing it) BUT I've been on the treadmill even though I hate it! Woo Hoo for me right?!
'love & hugs from afar'

another donkey design by kate said...

Hi Dar - thanks so much for stopping by my @anotherdonkeydesign.com.au blog! I love those broomstick lace photos too! If only i had a spare couple of hours to actually try and learn it! I would love to see what you come up with. Please drop by my facebook page (anotherdonkeydesign) or my blog again and let me know! Thanks, Kate

Remington said...

Well said, my friend!