This old barn isn’t standing straight anymore and leans a little crooked, just like I do some mornings!
A Bit of a Lean
A hundred and fifty years ago, a speech was heard which started out with these words, “Standing beneath this serene sky, overlooking these broad fields now reposing from the labors of the waning year, the mighty Alleghenies dimly towering before us, the graves of our brethren beneath our feet, it is with hesitation that I raise my poor voice to break the eloquent silence of God and Nature”. The two hour speech, given by Edward Everett, who was considered to be the nation’s greatest orator of his time, is not as recognizable as a short two minute speech given after his which began with the now famous words of “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”.
Everett’s oration was slated to be the “Gettysburg Address” on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but it is President Abraham Lincoln’s short speech which is known as the Gettysburg Address that has gone down in history as one of the finest examples of English public oratory.
Remembering Soldiers’ National Cemetery
Monday is the normal start to the work week, but for this barn, there is no weekend or rest. And what history this old barn has seen over the years since one end is even log construction during the horse and wagon days. I wonder what was parked outside the barn first, an automobile or a tractor. And if a tractor, the current tractors are huge compared to the first one which the barn would have seen. And I am sure there are some marks on the walls from where a piece of equipment hit it or where the horse chewed on the boards or even cattle rubbing on the walls. If only the barn could tell its story.
Part Log Barn
The majority of the barn pictures which I photograph are taken from the road and rarely do I get to go inside the barns. So I was a little surprised to find a barn inside a barn after taking a picture of the outside of this barn a year ago but never realized the hidden treasure inside.
There are some barn constructions in which a silo is built inside the barn and in this case, it appears the stand-alone granary was encompassed by a larger building at a later time.
Barn in a Barn
Today is Veterans Day, an official United States holiday that honors people who have served in armed service, also known as veterans.
When I look at an oak tree, it reminds me of veterans, protecting and providing a safe home for critters and birds, as the veterans of the armed forces have done for us.
Oak Protective Branches