Old barns have a magical kind of appeal to me since I grew up on a family farm out in Ohio some 60 years ago and the old red barn where we milked the cows and stored the hay for the cattle is still in use. But many old barns in the Finger Lakes have long outlived their usefulness as today’s Finger Lakes dairy farms incorporate a whole different set of requirements in regards to milking cows and storage of the feed for the animals.
Still these old barns have a special appeal to me. They have withstood the scorching summer’s heat, and have held up to the cold winter’s winds. The paint has long been gone from the wood which has weathered to a silver grey. The only people who desire them are rich folks who want to use some of the old wood as decoration in their new homes because they like the look of the weathered wood.
You know, people are a lot like these old barns. As they age their hair turns to a silver grey, their bones creak in the cold damp weather, and they lean a bit when they walk. And then one day unannounced, they are gone onto their heavenly journey to once again become something of use in God’s mansion.
James R. Bupp