I had someone reach out to me and ask me to blog about the history of the barn. I really don't know a lot about the history other then what is written on the homepage of this site about how and when the family acquired it. When we bought the farm in 2018, we were handed a binder of every document the family had on this piece of property. It is interesting to go through but yet a lot of boring documents that aren't anything exciting. However this newspaper article is in this binder with the original picture pasted to the front. I found it pretty cool that this is an original from our own Gary Gee who is still taking pictures of our barn.
As you can see in the article this was printed in the paper to inform the community of "current and prospective members about our photography clubs' exciting plans for activities in 2013."
Look how straight and pretty the barn was in 2013. Look how pristine it looked. This barn has housed a lot of things over the years. Dean remembers it housing his great grandpa's cattle and sheep, there is still a water trough in the corner of the basement, probably still good, but if we try to move it, we are afraid it will take the barn down with it. Back when it stood straight up and its peak pointed up to the stars and aroura it was used for storage by several family members. For a few years when we were first married it housed a dead mustang. Not a horse but my husband's 67' convertible that wasn't in working order. In 2013 if you had pushed open those sliding doors who knows what you may have found stored it there, Uncle Tuffy was always generous and allowed many people to use the barn as needed to store extra stuff. Now, I am certain if you pushed on those doors it would take the barn down. Just so no one goes trying to see what's in there, there is currently nothing but one old water trough left.
It's amazing how much damage can come so quickly when regular maintenance is not done properly. I don't know what year Uncle Tuffy moved to Gaylord to live in an assisted living setting but he died in 2017. And as uncle Tuffy would have done the same thing, we allowed the neighbors to take some boards off the old girl to fix their barn across the road. Always giving and generous uncle Tuffy would have done the same thing. But wow how fast life can go from standing tall and straight to falling over and not sure how we are still standing, when we don't take care of our selves, and give away everything.
When I went looking for that article I thought it was probably from the early 2000s had to be at least 20 years ago right? but no, a little over 10 years ago and wow how much damage has been done in such a short amount of time to such a beautiful structure. So today I want to challenge you to do some regular maintenance. Get some rest, do something that refreshes your soul.
Tonight is supposed to be cloud free and there is a very strong chance of Northern Lights showing up once again according to all the apps and sites. So after dark tonight take a walk, make a camp fire and sit outside and watch the sky as God puts on a art show like no other on earth!
If you want to take pictures of the barn with the northern lights, please be respectful, stay off the field, stay away from the barn, I don't want to have to say it but I feel I do have to say it. stay away from the barn! Normally there can be a lot of people there taking pictures when the lights are strong, safely pull off the road and shut off your lights so they don't affect the pictures being taken, be quiet so everyone can take in God's art show together and enjoy the beauty of it all. Get some rest and allow tonight's show to refresh your soul and faith in the only God who is able to do such a wonderous thing. Enjoy the show!
Comments