I love barns. The old ones with their faded wood and lopsided walls….the new ones painted bright red and standing proud and tall….it doesn’t matter to me. Each one is a secret time capsule holding remnants of the lives of it’s owner. Each one is a place to investigate, full of mysteries and treasures.

“Inside a barn is a whole universe, with its own time zone and climate and ecosystem, a shadowy world of swirling dust illuminated in tiger stripes by light shining through the cracks between the boards. Old leather tack, lengths of chain, rope, and baling twine dangled from nails and rafters and draped over stall railings. Generations of pocketknives lay lost in the layers of detritus on the floor.”  ― Carolyn Jourdan, Heart in the Right Place

No matter where you go in the world you”ll find them. On a bright and sunny day, it seems you’ll always see the old ones sitting out in the middle of a field all by themselves. Maybe a cow or two will be nearby to watch over its old bones. Old barns say, “Relax,” “Come lay in the sun,” “Let’s take a nap.”

A new barn says, “Let’s get to work.”  New barns are all hustle and bustle…hard work, sweat, lemonade, laughter, and jobs… well, except, maybe, in the winter.

As I get older I have grown to appreciate the beauty of an old barn.

“Sure, my walls may bulge here and there, and my floor may sometimes creak.  My windows may be cracked and broken, and my roof may sometimes leak.  But I’m full of wisdom and memories, and if you’ll look really close you’ll see.  That no matter how shiny you may be now, one day you’ll be just like me.” -Stephanie Dorr, 2014