My Barns

I think the old barns on farms in the Midwest have so much character and so many of them have disappeared from the landscape around where I grew up. The hayloft was a favorite play to play when we were kids. Jumping into the pile of straw from a rope swing, finding a mama cat and her kittens in amongst the bales of hay, making forts out of the bales, or just hiding out--the barn was a refuge. I learned how to milk a cow, but no one could ever keep up with my Mom. She could fill a bucket faster than anyone in the family. At milking time, the farm cats were always around to wait for their saucer full. AND, then there were baby calves - they always had their own little pen. Once in awhile, a mother would reject her calf which was sad, but, we always liked it because then we would get to bottle feed the baby. These crewel embroidery pieces hang in my hallway. I embroidered the four small ones while we were in Okinawa and had started on the large piece. I was not happy with the way the roof was looking and was going to give up on finishing it, then Mom offered to do the remaining sections. Who was I to say "NO" to that offer ?? Looking at them always reminds me of "home" !!