Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Barns

Today's Wonder of the World is...barns!
Here's the one across the street from Sam's elementary school.

Doesn't it look peaceful?
I would walk in that barn and take pictures for you, but there's a fence. Plus there are classes of schoolchildren on the playground who might see me climbing over it and tease Sam about having a crazy person for a mommy.

If you live on a farm, you may think I'm one of those city girls with dreamy ideas of farms and barns and how lovely it would be to have to step over cow manure all the time.

You're right!

Here is the barn I first fell in love with.

Sorry. I guess you can't tell much about the barn here, but it's the only picture I could find of it.
I might as well have taken a photo of my family in front of a black sheet.
But at least you can see everyone back in 1994.
All my mom's and daddy's relatives live in eastern Kentucky, and this picture was taken in front of Granddaddy's barn. That's my Granddaddy Skaggs, my mom, Sarah, Ben and me, Todd, my sister-in-law Leah, my brother Steve, my Granny Skaggs and my dad. (Butch is asking Granddaddy when all these people will go home and he can have Granddaddy back to himself. Rocky is sniffing Butch's hindquarters and wondering if we're all going to start living here.)

As a kid, I was fascinated with that barn. I was seriously envious that my aunt Trisha, who was just two years older than me, got to play in it whenever she wanted. Whenever we'd come to visit and weren't playing jokes on my little brother (Sorry Steve but it was funny,) we'd climb on hay bales, play with the barn cats, and just poke around. Trisha would put up with me and my Little Miss Farm Girl fantasies until she'd get bored out of her mind. Then she'd force me back in the house for another round of Pink Panther or Clue.

Now Trisha's a grown- up with a barn of her own. Here it is.

See the quilt square they're putting up?
Trisha's barn is part of the Kentucky Quilt Trail, in which barns all over eastern Kentucky are decorated with painted quilt squares. The articles online say that it is for promoting cultural pride and tourism in the rural counties, but I love it just because it's pretty! Trisha's particular square is an exact copy of a quilt pattern her mom, my Granny (seen above,) made years before.

My Aunt Janet's barn has one too. I love it. It's designed just like a pillow Granny made for Janet. Sometime I will have to tell you stories about Aunt Janet too, like the time she spanked me for telling my brother to go run in the road. (I love you Steve.) I'm over that now and love her very much.

That's my Uncle Tilden's head and shoulders. He's a sweetie.
So are Trisha and Janet, of course. So are all my relatives! (See, nobody get mad at me, okay? Y'all are all sweeties. You really are.)

I never have been to a barn raising, but I hope they're like this...
(Here's a dance scene from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, one of the strangest musicals I've ever seen. I'm still puzzled by it, and not just because Cat Woman played Dorcas. Still, you've got to love the dancing.)


16 comments:

steve said...

Thanks for re-opening all those old wounds! Next time I feel like I need therapy, I'll have to revisit this post to make connections between my childhood suffering and my present troubles :*)

And BTW, I only have very vague memories of that Miss Suzy book, since you probably kept it somewhere secret. Not that I'm bitter....

Still, I love you, you sweetie, you!

Sherri said...

The picture of the barn across from the school reminds me of the cover of one of my favorite books.
I don't know if you've ever heard of it,but it's called Emma's Gift.It's part of The Country Road Chronicles by Leisha Kelly.
I absolutely love love love that entire series!Btw,I'm going to have to buy your book soon! It's sounds like it would be a good read.

La Belette Rouge said...

I have never had dreams of having a barn. But, I would like to have a tractor someday. Is that like wanting a car without wanting a garage?

Anonymous said...

I went to a pumpkin patch once. They had a maze of hay with a slide in a barn. I have, however, always wanted to jump from the barn rafters onto a wagon of hay.

Anonymous said...

Love barns too.....Bridges of Madison County, one of my favorite movies...cried like a baby.

What are you saying you wouldn't go and jump the fence to get pictures of the barn...I just finished the chapter when you jumped out of your car in france and got your circus poster! Climbing a fence is nothing!

David Ebright said...

Before moving to Florida a few years ago, I lived in Chester County Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful area, very hilly & lots of barns. We were surrounded by horse farms (Barbaro was raised 15 minutes away) & almost all of the barns were painted red. (Lot's of covered bridges as well, also red) 10 minutes west of us was Lancaster County with all of the Amish farms. Their barns were always painted white & had 'hex' signs posted over the doors. Needless to say, we bought lots of produce, eggs, pies & such from their roadside stands - usually managed by the young kids always in their traditional dress, and almost always barefoot.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey Steve, sorry about that...but at least by hogging Miss Suzy to myself, I spared you from missing her later in your adult life. See how much I do for you?

Sherri, I don't know that book. Thanks for the recommendation!

La Belette and f.o.t., I say go for it-- follow your dreams. There's a tractor and a wagon of hay out there just waiting for you!

Alisa, that's a good point. I've become such a wimp since I moved back home.

Jaxpop, I've been through that area and it's gorgeous! How nice to be able to enjoy fresh eggs and produce. And pie! Ooh pie.

Susan Sandmore said...

I love Seven Brides! Have you ever noticed that one of the brothers sits out the dances? He does a bit of dancing in this number--he's got on the orange shirt.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

I'd never noticed that, Susan. I was too busy watching Russ Tamblyn dance--he's amazing and plus to me he'll always be Tom Thumb.

Parisienne Farmgirl said...

I LOVE BARNS!!! Here in Chicagoland the tear them down as fast as they can just to build another vulgar subdivision. I cry every time. In fact they just destroyed one that was an octogan shape. Awful.
My grandpas got a lovely big old gray one that he takes really good care of - he put a tin roof on it too. It is beautiful. Someday I hope to have my own.

Naturegirl said...

Rebecca I am sp pleased that you introduced yourself to me when you viewed my Grand Canyon Post!!
Barns have always fascinated me as a "still life photograph!"
Your barns have so much life and happiness filling them! Oh those quilts...wonderful!! Nice meeting you!
hugs NG

May Vanderbilt said...

How dare thy besmirch the good name of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! Hellfire and brimstone raineth down upon your head and smote your toenails.

Okay, Becky. Let's talk about Seven Brides. What is it that you don't get? Hmmm?

Is the Sabine/sobbin' women thing? The "biblical" name Frankincense? The name "Dorcas" entirely? How seven women could be "stolen" from a town? Why all these red-haired people want to live in the same house? What Millie even sees in Adam?

I need to form a club that just sits around and talks about this musical. I am obsessed with it.

BTW--our blog is back. Whew.

melissa said...

I LOVE the quilt-square on the barn. What a beautiful little detail. I bet it is such a pleasure to drive through the beautiful countryside and take a peek at all the pretty, decorated barns.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Parisienne farmgirl, your comment hit a nerve. I'm so with you. This is one of the saddest things to me, watching the countryside turn into subdivision after subdivision. Of course I must remind myself that I also live in a subdivision built on an old farm, even though it started 20 years ago, one of the first in the area. We bought out here for the first time 18 years ago because it was in the middle of the country and was so beautiful. We came back after our four years in France because it still is pretty...mostly. But so many beautiful pastures are gone. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Naturegirl and melissa, thanks for stopping by. It's nice to meet you too!

And May, I will join your club, if only to hear the answers to all your questions you asked. You are too funny.
And yey that your blog is back! I've missed it so!

Sherri said...

Hey Becky,
How did your suppewr turn out last night? Good,I hope!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Sherri,
OH MY GOSH. Amazing! Everyone should go to your blog, read the recipe for the cornbread cilantro drizzle thingy, and make it for dinner tonight!
It was fantastic!
Thank you for making my tastebuds so happy!