Barn Charm # 50

From a distance the barn glimpsed on the left may not seem like much.

Closer up, you get a better look at the deep red accented with white

and you sense that this barn is cared for.

As you can see above and below,

the barn is not huge, but still a decent size

and it is in great shape. 

It's not until you go around to the east side

that you see what is special about it.

Obviously an Ohio State fan owns this barn.

This part of the state is "Buckeye Country."

Note the buckeye painted in the grey O.

For more barns,

please click below:

Prayer and Pictures

I've decided to get back to beginning my week

with a prayer post.

I had committed to doing that when I first started this post.

Then somehow, I got away from it.

It was recently pointed out to me by a close blogger friend

that she rarely saw 'me' these days.

There were barns and a corner view topic

and that was it.

I explained why and she understood.

But she got me to thinking, and then to praying,

(and a lot of you know how that goes),

and the decision was made to start putting more of 'me' out there again.

I'm grateful to 'j' for her concern and honesty.

Here are some photos of that delightful countryside out west of my small town.

I featured it in my last post and got some nice comments about the countryside photo

in the blog and in email.

The first three are of an old silo.

These were taken early this month (July).

The next two were taken in April.

I thought you might enjoy seeing the difference!

Note the purple flowers in the lower left-hand corner.

They are just brambles in the second pic of these two.

The silo caught my attention driving west back in April.

But in July, I drove right past it and then wondered where it was!

When I drove back east and home, I saw it peeking out of the green foliage.

I guess we were playing a game of hide and seek!

Another silo played that game with me also,

but that will be for another time.

This is one of my favorite photos.

I came upon this scene and had to stop and snap it.

There are no other buildings for several miles.

I also didn't see a person--just this truck and metal shed.

Same day, same building, different perspective.

This building is now featured as my header.

This is to the left of a dirt/gravel road that leads to the shed.

I like the texture and contrast gates add to the countryside.

The lone small feed bucket sits there.

I wonder who it's waiting for.

I hope you enjoyed these.

I used to head to the lake to find peace in the midst of daily living.

Now I head out here.

Here's the prayer to start the week with.

It comes from the book

100 DAYS OF GRACE for WOMEN.

The author is anonymous.

Dear Lord, You have given me so many reasons to celebrate.

Today, let me choose an attitude of cheerfulness.

Let me be a joyful Christian, Lord,

quick to smile and slow to anger.

And, let me share Your goodness

with all whom I meet

so that Your love

might shine in me

and through me.

Amen.

Blessings to you all!

Sunday Community: Delight

"The moment you begin to delight in beauty,

your heart and mind are raised."

Basil Hume

"Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them."

Psalm 111:2 NIV

The above photo was taken in a delightful area of countryside

on the western edge of my small town in Southeast Ohio.

Please join others in the Sunday Community

at

Corner View: Grass

I'm experimenting with ornamental grass.

I planted some last summer and it did well through the winter.

Here are three plants new to my garden this year.

The middle one is an annual,

(which I didn't realize at the time)

so it won't last through the winter.

However each of the ones flanking it are perennials.

This is a close-up of what is called "Maiden Grass."

It will not bloom this first year

or so the nursery lady told me,

but this shows you what it will look like in full 'bloom'.

Here's the info I rely on when buying.

I think this will suit my needs just fine.

It's apparently hard to 'kill'--sometimes my thumb is green;

other times it is very brown!

We did some tearing up of the old 'patio' and built a new one.

(Photos of it will be for another time).

In the process, a big area of grass was killed.

So my husband spread dirt, sprinkled grass seed,

and covered it all with hay.

Then it rained---Hurray!

Hubby also tore down a deteriorating wall by the garage

and planted grass there.

A close-up of wonderful grass.

For more views on grass,

please check out Francesca's

Barn Charm #49

1. This is a barn that I pass on my way to and from Seneca Lake.

One day there was no one home across the road, so I pulled over

and took some photos.

(That home is not part of the farm, but I still feel intrusive.)

2. This shows a field behind it which looks like it's still being planted.

3. The Amish moved into this area about fifteen years ago in a big way.

Land was much cheaper then,

particularly in this area around Salesville, Ohio.

(Around Seneca Lake, property values rose tremendously about ten years ago,

when the motor limit on boats was removed.

Folks from Cleveland and Columbus headed down here,

 bought up cute, simple cottages, tore them down, and built huge trophy summer homes.

Does it show that this is a sore subject with me?! Ha!)

An Amish family bought this land. This barn may have already been here,

but at least one of the two up on the hill were built after they bought this land.

(I will show them another time.)

4. You will appreciate this shot more in a minute.

I had a flash issue, but needed to use this photo anyhow.

You'll see why soon.

5. A glimpse of the two other barns.

The Amish family didn't stay here long.

Honestly, from a layman's opinion, the land does not look that great

for farming and raising animals,

and it borders a busy road on the very tip of a town.

As I pointed out earlier, someone is still tilling a field in the back

that I don't think was ever part of the farm bought by that young family.

6. This is the barn looking back from the edge of Salesville,

You can no longer see this lovely image like this.

Most of you are aware of a horrendous storm

that barrelled into Ohio and came up into this area of

Guernsey, Noble, Belmont, and Monroe counties--

a storm like none historians can recall having here.

Much damage was done.

Power outages were a problem for some folks for up to ten days.

7. As you can  glimpse here, this barn suffered tremendously.

8. Here is the front of the building.

Compare it to photos 3 and 4.

9. This view and the rest of the photos are from the side that borders 

the town of Salesville.

I parked my car and walked back to take more shots. 

10. BTW, the sign is accurate.

The curves coming up are some of the worse around the lake.

I pray on this stretch because the Amish sometimes WALK

this treacherous stretch in their dark clothing even in the evenings.

I almost took out about ten kids one evening as I rounded a blind curve

to see youngsters walking up the hill ON the road.

(In their defense, there are no SIDES to the road in this stretch.)

Still, yikes!

(For those aware of my driving habits, I drive SLOWLY on this part.)

11. This shot and the next one show the condition of the back part of the barn.

12. I am not sure what will happen to it.

It may be left to simply fall apart.

It is far enough from the road that its collapse should not end up as a traffic hazard.

If something changes about it, I will update you all.

For more barn views,

please click below:

Renew the Mind

I find that my mind is 'clearest' when I am

working with plants.

Prayer by Stormie Omartian:

Lord, help me to not misuse my time and my mind

thinking thoughts that are a futile waste of time.

Help me instead to think high-minded thoughts---

thoughts that are creative and productive.

I give control of my mind to You, Lord,

and ask that You would fill it with Spirit-filled thoughts.

Don't let wrong thinking lead me astray

and alienated me from the life

You have for me.

Renew my mind with Christlike thoughts

and give me the ability to perceive things clearly.

Amen.

Accompanying Scripture:

Ephesians 4:17-18

And so I insist---and God backs me up on this---

that there be no going along with the crowd,

the empty-headed, mindless crowd.

They've refused for so long to deal with God

that they've lost touch

not only with God but with reality itself.

They can't think straight anymore.

The Message version

My Thoughts:

My mind has been my biggest problem/enemy this summer.

Mind games have been destroying confidence and zapping strength.

Our 40th class reunion did not help--

at least at first.

I went to see two close friends.

I only got to spend time with one of them.

The other was dancing to 70s music,

momentarily submerged in that time period.

I have no problem with how she 'enjoyed' the reunion.

I'm glad she was having fun.

I was simply unable to join her in that manner;

Often the very music that fellow classmates love,

bring back less than happy memories for me.

Plus, I am self-conscious about dancing

and esp. how my body looks.

Perhaps I need to lighten up.

Or perhaps I just need to accept my melancholy side

and find good from it.

I see no point in re-experiencing most of my high school times.

However, there are three incidents I talk about regularly

and those all involve English teachers who positively influenced my life

and my subsequent teaching of English to today's high school students:

But I digress.

I realized that a person I viewed as a friend (not the two previously mentioned)

has perhaps never really been a friend to me.

She has only reached out when she needed something.

However, I have reached out to her a lot in the past.

The realization hurt.
It didn't help that I have felt jealousy at times about how she looks---

awesome.

I turned to God.

He and I are working it all out.

Meanwhile I need to reprogram my thoughts.

Those mind games can be brutal.

And I am eating healthier.

Sunday Community: Love is. . .

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have

Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have
a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself
on others
(does not insist on its
 own rights
or its own way),
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score
of the sins
of others,
Doesn't revel when
others grovel.
Love takes pleasure
in the flowering
of truth,
Puts up with anything
(endures everything
without weakening),
Trusts God always,

Always looks
 for
the best,
Never looks
back,
But keeps
going
to the end.
Love
never
dies.

. . . We have
three things
to do:

Trust steadily in God,

Hope unswervingly,

Love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is love.

I Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13

(The Message with help from The Every Day Life Bible)

My husband and I celebrated 14 happy years of marriage

July 18th

(and I love flowers).

Corner View: What Makes Me Laugh

The topic was chosen by me and is "What Makes Me Laugh."
 I thought of the people who make me laugh and thought about posting photos and examples.

But then I thought of the comic routine that  makes me laugh out loud even thinking of it.
It is Abbot and Costello's "Who's on First?"

Here is a video of one of their performances of this routine. 
I laugh no matter how often I see it.

 I hope you enjoy it too!

The lyrics can be accessed by clicking below (hopefully).
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor4.shtml



For more views on what makes each of us laugh, check out
Francesca's.
Next week's topic is "Grass."

Barn Charm Entry 48

We recently viewed a friend's family home

in regards to us buying it.

She and her sisters are selling the home they grew up in,

since their mother died almost a year ago.

The two sisters who live in town are quite content with their homes

and the sister from out of town chooses not to move back.

Since we have been looking for a home for two years now,

we went with an open mind and especially an open heart.

I have always liked this home, as I would pass it to take my mother

to work at the small community hospital up the street

(so that I could drive the 69 mustang to school).

It is a charming home and I will show photos of it at the end of this post.

However, it was what was in a field behind it

that caught my eye and utterly delighted me.

From this angle, you cannot be certain what is behind all that greenery.

This shot reveals a roof.

In this one you get a faint sense of an outline.

I redid it in back and white for contrast.

Now! From the other angle,

a barn is revealed!

There is quite a bit of land behind it

all owned by the owner of the barn.

Alas, it does not belong with the house.

There is a driveway that separates the two spaces.

It is not being used for much at all.

I would have liked to get closer

but I was in sandals and the overgrowth and high grass was daunting.

It turns out to be owned by another friend of my husband's,

a contractor who has been working with him

on building an RV park for the Utica Shale workers

who are gradually invading our county.

He told my husband that when he bought the land about 15 years ago,

he shored up the barn and did structural repair.

But it is falling apart again,

and he has decided to let it go. 

Sigh.

This is a view from the barn

looking up at the house.

A side view shows the design of the home and gives a glimpse of the front porch.

Here is the front porch I fell in love with many years ago.

It is beautiful inside, but the bedrooms are quite small and awkwardly laid out.

The upstairs is a huge room that was the bedroom of the two older girls

with a bathroom that has a humongous shower (not a fancy one like today's)

that could fit five of our grandkids.

There is also a storage room upstairs.

They put a new roof on,

but it needs much more, which they concede.

We would have to add on though,

so we would have a bedroom that was downstairs

and at the back of the house.

For a small town, our streets are busy and noisy!

I would want to include an expanded kitchen in that addition.

I could take the upstairs for my studio,

but that would leave Mike the old-fashioned basement

for his workshop, office, and TV room.

To make the basement  habitable would take a great deal of work

and of course some money.

Of all the homes we have looked at,

this could be liveable with much less work,

but it would not be ideal.

We would be compromising and ending up with a small yard,

so I would not get my goats and chickens.

As for those whose minds are racing ahead to us buying the barn,

the answer is no.

The owner will not consider selling even a portion of his land

and in fact is interested in buying the home,

now that we have decided it is not for us.

You got much more than just a barn shot today!

But I don't just want to show a barn.

I also want to tell a story.

Hope you enjoyed today's story

and photos.

For more barns,

please click below: