One of the great things about living smack dab in the middle of nowhere is that you get to really enjoy the beauty of nature, and in this area, there are many beautiful old barns and out buildings to enjoy as well. As I drive by these old barns, I desperately wish that we had one on our farm, but alas, no such luck. We do have a number of wonderfully run down outbuildings... one of which we
burned to the ground a few weeks ago because the bottom had totally rotted out of it. The building below was full of odds and ends when we moved in, and if you look carefully, you'll see that the door doesn't close all the way. I'm hoping that critters don't try and make this sweet little house into their winter home. Next spring, I'm hoping to finish cleaning this building out and use it for storing some of my "treasures".
This building is also on our land, by our pens. It was used as a shelter for something in the past, and when we explored it, I found some great old windows as well as an old screen door with a barn swallows nest built into it. I took the screen door out, cleaned it up a bit lot, and my plan is to take out the nasty old screen and use it in our house as the door to our basement. When that (finally) happens, I'll make sure to take some pictures! This building, like many others, needs some work, but I do love the patina of it all.
This little outbuilding, so carefully tucked into the trees, is one of great necessity. We didn't even realize it was there until after we'd moved it, and Art stepped into it, and the floor almost fell through. This is a wee little out house. I think that it was perhaps built for little people, because we can barely fit into it. The other problem with this outhouse is that it's, well, full. I'm hoping that next spring, Art will dig a new hole, and we'll build a new outhouse in it's place. It is awfully cute, and camouflaged!
Outbuildings are used for many, many purposes. Most of ours were (and some still are!) filled with much junk - both ours and the previous owners. This outbuilding is actually being used for what it is intended for - grain! We had 5 tonnes of grain brought in to feed our 4H steers, and we are so thankful for old granaries to store the feed in. Let me tell you, when you walk into that outbuilding, it smells glorious!
Those are some of the outbuildings found around our home place. Below are a few of the other old buildings which we pass by on a regular bases.
Every time I drive to Spruce Grove, I pass by this old beauty. I have serious barn envy every, single time I drive by. This building is aging gracefully, and it's so beautiful. This building is used as a landmark for many ("Turn right at the old barn"), and is also used by my Girls as a way to gauge how far we are from home ("Are we at the old barn yet?"). One of these days, I'll take a few minutes to walk through this treasure, just to see what is inside. Yesterday, on our way to church the moon was setting as the sun was rising, and it was an amazing site to behold.
My last building I want to share with you is this old house. Every time we go the opposite way of The Old Barn, we drive by this sweet old home. One day I peeked through the windows, and this homestead was full of junk. Old tires, mattresses, etc. It always makes me sad to see that, but I suppose not everyone shares my love of decrepit old buildings.... This house is on the way to get the mail, and go to the dump, so we pass by it regularly. I just love the way the paint is peeling off, yet it still stands, so proudly. I always wonder who built these old houses, what family lived there, and how their life was so different from mine, but yet, the same. To me, it speaks of a simpler time in history, yet I know that these homesteaders had to work exceptionally hard to survive out here in the west. Beautiful, isn't it?
