Down on the farm.

 

“Plowing these fields in the hot summer sun

Over by the gate, yonder here she comes

With a basket full of chicken

And a big cold jug of sweet tea.”

To my knowledge, I never have lived on a farm. I have lived on land that at one time was a farm, have seen animals up close—-but for some reason, somewhere deep inside, I feel very connected to farms. Go figure.

I am sure I have written about this in “Snap.Shot.,” but when I was in grade school and lived near a farm (it was very close to our bus stop) we used to watch the farmer prepare dinner for family and customers. Yes, it is true, they do run around with their heads cut off. From afar it was funny, but when you think about how barbaric it is, it’s not as funny as it appears.  We live in times where this happens to humans and that takes all of the humor out of it.

My Dad was born in Iowa many decades ago, and whereas he only lived their a short period of time, I really believe something from living in rural America stuck with him. He was hard working, kind, and was a very proud man. That to me is the spirit of the farmer and all they have brought to America. My Dad, and his humbleness, really left an impression on me. I try very hard to keep life in perspective, and to carry on his ways, but I fall short in many of his attributes.

I think the reason I love farms has to do with the barn. For some reason when I see a barn I need to photograph it—I have many many photos to prove it. One of my favorite barns, it is now gone, was off of Highway 55 which travels from Chicago to St. Louis. It was located at mile marker 212 and even from a distance you could see it had weathered a lot in its life. It had faced one too many storms and eventually succumbed to Mother Nature. All that remains today is the windmill and it’s on its last legs.

It figures that near my parents home where I grew up there was a spectacular barn. It was old, but when the sun came in through the slats of broken wood, the rays were just incredible. I wish I could go photograph it but it’s too far away.

The photo above was taken at a barn west of where we live; I have photographed there a number of times, but this was the one day I was waiting for. A storm was coming and I knew with it would have lightening and high winds. I was right on both thoughts…there was a storm coming, and it was a great day to be risking my life!

Thanks for stopping by.