A Beautiful Mess

I have always been a sucker for old things. Gleam and glitter…sure they’re nice. But it’s rust and a worn and weathered exterior that really makes me swoon. Trinkets, knick knacks, photos, furniture, buildings and yes, even people…if they’re old, then I am drawn in, ready to pull up a chair, analyze every detail, hear every story and learn about every wrinkle, scratch or dent. Old things have been around, they’ve “seen a thing or two,” and I inevitably find they can teach me about living, whether it’s how it was done 100 years ago or how I can do it better today.

My most favorite “old things” are old buildings – the more dilapidated, the better. They’re like stray dogs to me, instantly filling my heart with pity and love. I want to adopt them all and nurse them back to health, but our wallet can barely take care of one shack, let alone the dozens I find in our community.

Here’s one of those forgotten places that’s about to disappear.

Now, you’ll probably agree that this home is, indeed, dilapidated, but it’s not really all that old and maybe not even worth saving. However, I’ve always been curious about it because the yard is overflowing with junk – old cars, farm equipment, wires, motors, etc., etc., etc…

About a year ago, a for sale sign went up in front of the place and for a few days, I saw people rifling through the yard, taking what they wanted. And then about a week ago, I drove by and saw a bulldozer parked out front, hinting at what was about to occur. I parked, yanked out my camera and went crazy taking pictures, not so much because of the house, but because of the awesome old barn that also sits on the property.

Here’s a few of the photos, which capture the decaying junk in the yard that was, at one time, important to someone. I romanticize scenes like this and get lost in the story of who built the barn and what happened to the old house that once was its companion. Who was the person that lived here, holed up, letting their belongings rust and rot in the elements? What happened to them?

I love this barn. All I can think of when I see it is all the hard work that went into building those stone walls. This is the first time I’ve seen a stone barn covered over in wood clapboards.

While taking these photos, I happened on two men who were hired to start removing the junk. They were sawing through an old truck when I arrived. They told me the barn wasn’t going to be torn down just yet…that maybe the next buyers would want it. I’ll hope for that, but know it’s unlikely. At least we all now know this place existed and that, at one time, it mattered to someone.

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