A Missouri barn

This week's barn is at home on a farm in mid-Missouri.  It looks to be sporting fairly new doors.  Let's zoom in for a closer look.

The doors are definitely newer than the barn.  Peeking inside, you can see that it's a working barn, housing large round hay bales.  

You still see a few of the small square bales in hay fields from time to time, but most farmers, at least in our area, bale their hay into large round bales.  

That brings me to mention the elevator that was seen in a previous barn photo I shared a couple of weeks ago.  Someone asked what it was used for.  Farmers would stack small hay bales on a wagon and haul it from the field to the barn and would unload on the elevator which would take the bales to the hayloft.  You can see the elevator here.  My dad had such an elevator at one time and if I remember right it was hooked up somehow to the tractor to move the bales along.
   
Back in the days before the large round baled hay, boys old enough to hoist a hay bale could make some pretty good money during the  summer hauling hay.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

A funny...

 

 Internet photo

Have you seen this one?  The caption just cracked me up! 

Hope you had a good weekend.  It was fairly quiet around here.  Hubby took me on a little road trip this afternoon where I got to see something I've been wanting to see.  I'll tell you about it later in the week.  Have a great week!

Until next time...

Just one of those days

 

                

It was one of those days.  I looked online for tutorials 

for my particular camera Tuesday night.  Found a

couple and bookmarked them for perusing later.

I am trying to learn more about shooting

close-ups.

  So, yesterday, I looked in my bookmarks and

I couldn't find them anywhere.  I looked in

history and couldn't find what I needed there.

So I decided to go on to something else.  

Stormy was the subject of some of my 

close-up practice shooting since she was

in the middle of things anyway.  Well, she

put her little paw on the keyboard and I lost

what I was typing.  It was a nice little post

for today.  I didn't get it retrieved.  She got put 

down on the floor.

I then decided that maybe this wasn't a good 

time for blogging so I decided to look at the

news.

 

 

I don't want to talk about politics...at least

not today...I don't want to offend anyone.

But, is it just me or has M.axine pretty

well summed it up?  

I turned off the computer, put in another

load of clothes, put away the ones that 

were dry and got a book off the shelf.

After a few chapters, it was

time to fix something for supper.

 I made potato soup and pondered what

happened to my bookmarks, thought about

politics, and decided that I'm really glad I'm not 

married to a politician, but a computer geek 

would sure come in handy some days.

 * * * * * * * *
 Speaking of computer problems, I'm still

not able to comment on a few blogs.  I see

other people commenting there that I know, 

but there isn't a comment box on my screen.

Anyone else still having problems with this?

Until next time...

Barn Charm Tuesday

  This barn appears to have been made
mostly with concrete blocks, at least
for the siding.  I'd love a peek inside this one.

This photo was taken in late December.  
It's amazing how green the grass was then.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

Monday musings

I love to sky watch.  More often than not, there are several

jets streaking across the skies at any given moment.  

Do you wonder who might be on board or where they are headed? 

This weekend sure streaked by in a hurry.  In fact, this

month is going by quickly.  Where does the time go?

Do you ever feel that life is just moving 

along at such a fast pace and you're not accomplishing

all you want to do?   I sometimes do, until I happen upon 

a scene that is so soothing and calming and time seems to

stand still for a few minutes.  Then all those

goals and bucket lists seem to not be quite so important

after all.  I love those moments.

Barren trees in winter have a certain charm, I think.  

Winter can be very cold and sometimes with snow or ice

in my state.  Last night, we had a bit of thunder 

and rain after a day with temps in the 50s.

  The days have been gloomy and overcast the last few days. 

The sun came out for all of 5 minutes yesterday.  

The photo above was taken the last week of Dec.

* * * * * * *

My thanks to all of you who left such sweet comments

on my last post.  I read many with tears streaming

down my cheeks.  Not because they made me unhappy,

but because all of you are so sweet and kind. 

Thank you.

Until next time...

Remembering

Remembering Mother  

 January 19, 1918 - July 15, 1977

 

Mother married my dad at the age of 19.  She never worked away from home, but was a farm wife until they retired and sold the farm.  Mother was an excellent cook, for she had plenty of practice preparing 3 meals a day 7 days a week.  Dad often had someone helping him with farming until my brothers were old enough to help, so she often fed extra people.  She also was an excellent seamstress and made a lot of my clothes as well as many of her own.  She made the coat she is wearing in the first photo above.  In the second photo is my mother, dad and her sister.  The third photo shows Mother in the kitchen at the farm and the last photo is a four generation photo of my grandmother, mother, yours truly and my daughter. 

Another four generation photo on the left, I am on the far left.  The middle photo is my mother and her 3 children, my older brother on the left and younger brother on the right.  The third photo is my mother examining a new purse that she got for Christmas.  My aunt, her sister, is looking on.

There are many stories I could tell about my mother.  She was a good person who rarely ever said an unkind word about anyone.  I'm not so sure she loved living on the farm, but I do know she loved her children.  This is a hard story to write, even after all these years, because my mother died at the age of 59 of Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS.  I was 31 years old and had a 5 year old daughter and a 2 week old son at her passing.  She loved her granddaughter to pieces and lived long enough to be able to hold her grandson.  She would have loved him, too, and I know she would have attended all of his ball games as she loved sports.  

Mother also loved Christmas and delighted in surprising us kids with the tree all decorated and the lights on when we got off the school bus and walked up the lane.  She always had a big Christmas dinner on Christmas eve.  My grandmother would have the Thanksgiving dinner at her house.  I always looked forward to both these holidays because we were with all of our family including my grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin. 

Many of you already know this, but for my new readers I will mention that I also lost both of my brothers to this same horrible disease.  They both passed away before they turned 50.    

Life goes on and I had my children to raise and love.  I missed my mother so much over the years and, of course, my brothers.  I take comfort in knowing that I will see them again some day.  My dad passed away nearly 8 years ago, so the only family I have left besides my hubby and children is my aunt who has been a wonderful friend to me.  My aunt is 8 years younger than my mother and has a lot of stories to share about their childhood.  One of the stories my dad used to tell was when he was dating my mother he often picked her up on horseback.  They went to barn dances where I've heard they were both quite the dancers.  I know my mother loved music and always had the radio on or would often sit down at the piano and play and sing.  

There is so much more that I could tell about Mother.  But, I better stop now and save some stories for another time.  For those of you who still have your mother, give her a big hug when her birthday comes around and let her know how much you love her.  Or better yet, don't wait for that special day...let her know now.  

Until next time...

It's Barn Charm day

This rustic barn was seen on a recent drive through the countryside.

It looks as if the roof has seen some repair.  I wonder
if it is in use today?  I think it still has a certain charm, 
what do you think?

Linking to Tricia's  Barn Charm

Until next time...

Sunset across the river

These were taken by the Missouri River the last week of 2011.

I. Love. Sunsets.   It's safe to say that sunsets are one of my favorite subjects to photograph.  What about you...what is your favorite subject?  

Until next time...

Castles and dreams

Image from the internet

If I had an extra 1.8 million to spare, I might consider buying a castle.  The C.astle R.ogue's M.anor on the White River in Eureka Springs, AR is up for sale.  This castle has 15,000 square feet with 12 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.  There is also a G.atekeeper's C.ottage on the 17 acres. 

Haven't we all at one time in our lives wanted to live in a castle?  I did when I was a young girl.  That was a dream of mine in between wanting to be a ballerina and wanting to have my own race horse to run in the Kentucky Derby.  What can I say, I was a dreamer.   I still may have one or two.    

Do you remember the opening scene in the Sound of Music when Julie Andrews was singing on the mountain?  I would love to go to Austria and stand in just that same spot and see the marvelous views from that mountain for myself.  I would try to restrain myself from breaking into song.  That is one dream of mine.  Not that I will ever get to Austria.  There is something about those long flights...  And speaking of the Sound of Music, can you believe that the movie came out almost 47 years ago in 1965? 

What about you...have all your dreams come true or is there something you still want to do or have?  

Until next time...

A Wonderful Wednesday

I've been awarded this wonderful award this week by 

Marie at www.womentalkaboutlife.blogspot.com

Thank you, Marie, I'm honored!

If you haven't met Marie yet, please pay her 

sweet blog a visit and say hello!  

The rules for accepting this award are:

1.  Be a follower of this blog.

2.  Pass the award on to 3 other blogs.

3.  Lastly, link the award back to this blog.

It's always tough to narrow awards down to just a few blogs out of many deserving and wonderful ones and many do not participate in awards.  Here are my 3 in no particular order:

Susan at The Adventure of Old Alice has a little of this and a little of that on her blog along with fantastic photos.

Dianna at These Days of Mine lives by the water with Motor Man and her kitty, Sundae.  She writes great posts embellished with amazing photos.
 

Ginny at Let Your Light Shine has a very friendly and uplifting blog.  Her love for God and her family definitely shines through.

All of the blogs I follow are wonderful and these are just 3 of them.  Please go visit Susan, Dianna, Ginny and of course, Marie, if you haven't already met them.  You'll be glad you did!  

Until next time...

Amish barn charm

Yesterday, I posted about a recent and quick visit to an Amish community.   Red barns are a common sight and they are very large. 

While the Amish don't use electricity,  there was an electric line running along the highway to service those who live nearby that aren't of the Amish community.  You can see the lines in the top of this photo. 

 Large silos are seen along side most of the barns.

A large shock stands front and center in the field on this farm which houses several nice barns. 

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

An interesting community

Not long ago, I was in an Amish community and took a few drive-by photos.  This was on a Monday, and a nice day, so I saw a lot of laundry hung out to dry.  As you probably know, most Amish don't use electricity.  You will not see many or any electric lines in this area.  Some day I want to go back and get off the blacktop highway and explore further down the many gravel roads.  There are many signs you'll see along the way that advertise what goods the families have for sale at their home.  There are quilts, rugs, baskets, baked goods, sorghum, furniture, feed and farm supplies to name a few.  There is a general store that I want to visit some day.  It's a most interesting community and a very different way of life from what we know.  I didn't stop by any homes this trip although those baked goods really tempted me! 

A wagon in the barn yard.   Most Amish in this community don't have gas driven vehicles or farm equipment.

You will see quite a few horses since they are used to pull the buggies and wagons.  This horse, which is almost the same color as the hay, has just eaten his fill from the hay stack.

A field of corn shocks that will feed their livestock through the winter.
  

 

A corn crib that holds the shucked corn.  You don't see many of these kinds of corn cribs on most farms now.

This Amish farm had the neatest row of corn shocks.  The row seemed to go on forever.  It would be interesting to know how fast they are able to harvest their crops and stack the corn when they don't use modern equipment.  

I want to go back to this community and get more photos and look up that general store I heard about.  And stop in at one of the homes that sell homemade bread.  The homes are big and well-built as are their barns.  I will show a couple of the barns tomorrow.

Until next time...

On a train bound to nowhere...remember that line in the old Kenny Roger's song?  This photo taken a couple of weeks ago made me think of the song and got me to wondering if there is a town actually called Nowhere somewhere.  Now maybe everyone already knew this but me, but I had to google and found that there actually is a Nowhere in Oklahoma.   It is in the unincorporated county of Caddo in OK.  It even has a zip code.  Also, there is a place called Nowhere in Arizona with a whopping big population of 5.   I don't believe I saw a zip code for that one.  I love to find little tidbits like these.  Somewhere out there....I love that song, too....is a Nowhere!  Which now leads me to think of the Beatles song.  Name that song!  Okay, I'll quit now. 

Where is your train headed this weekend?  Are you staying at home and resting up from the previous holidays or do you have projects in mind to tackle or will you be on the road to somewhere? Wherever your train stops or even if it doesn't leave the station, I hope your weekend is a good one!

Until next time...

Communication

 

It seems that letter writing is becoming a lost art.  How many of us take the time to write a letter on beautiful stationery and then mail it to its destination? 

We now just pick up the telephone or cell phone or send off a quick text message using in most cases abbreviations.  Can you imagine a lovely handwritten letter with LOL or <grin> or HAGD in it?

Another form of communication is emailing.  I'm not very good at emailing.  I sometimes forget to check my emails for days on end.  Now if I would get a nice handwritten letter, I would open it up immediately and sit down to read every word.  I love to get cards and enjoy the handwritten messages that are usually included.  

A favorite form of communication for me is talking on the phone.  I like to hear the caller's voice, much can be understood by hearing their tone of voice.  And there's nothing sweeter than hearing a loved one's voice saying "I love you" at the end of the conversation!

What is your favorite form of communication?  Do you write letters to your friends and family?  Or do you just pick up the phone to hear their voice?  Do you enjoy emailing or texting?

Here's to a good year filled with lovely words and thoughts sent your way no matter what the method of sending is!

Until next time...

Focusing

On my list of goals this year is to read the 

online manual that came with my camera and

learn how to take better photos.  See the

squirrel above?  I took several shots and none

of them were very clear.  It was an extremely

windy day (see the tail, it was the wind that

kept it up over the squirrels back) and the limbs were

swaying so I'm thinking the movement was

a factor.  I do know that this camera of mine often

seems to have some problems with focusing.  Or

is it the photographer?  So, it's time to get the

manual online and read, read, read.  Then, 

practice, practice, practice! 

The main goal I've mentioned in another post is adopting a

healthier lifestyle.  It's something my whole family is

wanting to do.  My husband's heart attack last

July was a wake up call.  I'm considered to be 

diabetic even though my numbers aren't extremely high,

they are above the level they are supposed to be.

The doctor tells me I need to give up the sugar.

I suppose that means I won't be baking too many

cakes (see photo above...it's my favorite! If you want

my recipe, I'll be happy to pass it along.) or cookies.

Well, I really don't bake too many cookies because,

frankly, I don't like to.  I'd rather make brownies.

My husband has a sweet tooth and loves salty foods,
according to his heart doctor, he needs to watch his diet, too.  
I can't help him quit smoking, which he also needs to do, 

but I can control what is put on the dinner table.  

Heart disease runs in his family so I'm hoping my

adult children will adopt a healthier lifestyle, too.  It 

requires discipline and focus.  I am determined that

we will be healthier by the year's end!
  

Until next time...

A white barn charm

The photo of this large white barn was taken several days ago.  It was seen on a drive through rural mid-Missouri. 

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm   

Until next time...

It's 2012!!

How did 2011 go by so fast?  Are you glad

it's over and a new year is beginning? 

We had a quiet night here at home for New Year's Eve.

We watched a movie that I'd heard a lot about

and it was very good.   We listened to the wind 

howling fiercely outside and was glad we were 

inside all cozy and warm.

I don't make resolutions because I rarely ever

keep them.  I do make a list of goals I'd 

like to attain.  Last year, some goals were met

and others were not even close to being reached.

Thinking of the goals still needing to be met,

I'll just dust off my old list this new year 

and hope to attain them by the end of the year.

 

What about you...do you have a list of resolutions

or have goals you hope to reach this year?

My number one goal is to adopt a healthier lifestyle

and that for me means using the treadmill regularly,

eating less sugar and fatty foods, and drinking 

more water.  You'd think that would be easy, right?

Well, for a Pepsi-holic and a lover of all things

chocolate, it's really not as easy as it sounds!

I'm determined to try the best I can to be in better

shape by the year's end.  I can do it!!  I hope.

I wish each of you the very best year ahead.

My thanks to each of you for your 

comments and friendship during the past year.

I look forward to visiting and blogging 

with you this New Year!

Until next time...