The Old Red Barn

This barn sits across the road from our house and I've always loved it.  It welcomes us home every night and greets me in the mornings as I look out the kitchen window while waiting for my coffee to brew.  We've used it as the back-drop for many a family photo.  It just has so much character.  It's beautiful in all seasons.  I especially love it in the Spring and Summer when the ivy grows thick over the front, covering the barn from the ground all the way to the rooftop.

The current owners of the barn told us recently they were planning to tear it down sometime soon.  When I heard this, I almost cried.  I know it would probably cost more to fix it up than it would to tear it down, and it can hardly be used to store things anymore in the state that its in.  The whole backside is nearly fallen into itself.  The rusty roof has been peeled back after many years of strong storms and there are boards missing everywhere.  There are spots where you can see right through the rafters to the sky above. 

It was probably once the majestic pride of the farmer who built it.  To me, it's still majestic.  It has a huge loft at the top where the hay used to be pulled up with cables and pulleys.  Our neighbor who has lived on the hollow for over 40 years, once owned the barn and the land that it sits on, and he told me  how the hay used to be hoisted up into the loft using hay carriers and trolleys from the wagons down below.  He used it as a cow barn for years before he sold it to the man that owns it now.

There are corn cribs built all along one wall of the lower level.  Owls take shelter inside and some evenings we sit on our porch and listen to their calls.  Barn swallows swoop down out of the loft and circle in front of the barn in the mornings and at dusk, and an occasional buzzard perches up on the roof. 

Our old dog Jake got himself stuck in the loft once when he was just a pup.  He had gone exploring and wandered up the stairs, but was too scared to climb back down.  When we noticed he was gone, we frantically called his name over and over and we heard him yelp and whimper and realized the sounds were coming from the old barn.  Boy was he ever glad to be rescued from that hay loft.

At night, when the wind blows harder than usual, there's a piece of tin on one corner of the roof that bangs and clangs as it slams up and down.  It used to wake us up at night, but now we've gotten used to it.

If our neighbor really does have this barn torn down, it will be a very sad day indeed.  I can't imagine a drive down the hollow without passing this beloved old barn.  If that dreaded day ever comes, I plan on snagging a few mementos from the debris.  Some faded red boards I'll use to build some birdhouses for the yard.  Maybe one of the old doors to hang on the side of our little barn as decoration, or a couple sections of the corn crib to put hay in for our donkeys.  Somehow, I'll find a way to preserve the memories of the old red barn and all its glory.