When it falls....

 

 

The timbers felt strong, even though the boards were fading from red to gray.  The tin roof had held up for decades, but even it was starting to doubt its integrity.  

 The weeds around the outside appeared to be holding the barn up, with so many vines and creepers.  The silent dust-mote interior spoke of cows, hay, empty feed sacks, and hidden bottles.  

 How much longer can it stand?  Even it doesn’t know.

 

 

 

Our old barn was built in the 1860s in Nebo, Illinois. In the 1950s, we raced and climbed in it, doing scary and dangerous things.  So much fun. In the 1980s it was starting to sway so it had to be taken down. So sad. This photo is one taken in the 70s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What now?

 

So much for Halloween candy.

Christmas always comes to an abrupt end, it seems. For 2 1/2 solid months, the stores have been draped with garlands, dripping bright ornaments, while Halloween candy is in shopping cart marked "50% off". Carols of all types have been playing in a loop, but for some reason they have been classier this year.

Celebrating and loving with our family is a wonderful year long fest. So, pick up all that wrapping paper, down the eggnog, and finish up all those little chores.

Here is before:

Walmart sells everything.

Here is after:

after the Christmas rush

But, no one sees what is really left behind:

Dump site for carts from all stores
There were mountains of shopping carts tossed in the field.
After a month or so, these were all gone. 

Christmas is over, yes, but we will continue rejoicing for the entire year. No matter how strange and scary our lives are now, we will continue to rejoice. 

After all, Christmas is only 11 months and a few days away.

One Down

Source

Every Wednesday, Delores at Under the Porch Light tosses out six words for participants to play with, and often a sentence prompt.  

This week her words are: absent  vacant  empty  destiny  eyes  glaring,  with
her sentence prompt:

a juvenile urge to run and hide overwhelmed him

Sometimes I write my take on the words in her comments and sometimes I will use her words to create a fuller post on a Friday.

The Battle of Honey Springs

I decided to do both with these words.  

The sense of facing desolation and being alone--timeless themes throughout history present themselves.  Battle fields are scattered around the world.  Children are the ones who face the battles and who will fight them.  History remains the same. 

I did not start out to write something so dark, but somehow ended traveling there. 

***************************************************************

Clara gazed across the empty fields with vacant eyes.  Her scarred and calloused hand shielded her view from the glaring midday sun.  Is this my destiny? She wondered. Is this all I will ever do?

With that thought, Clara leveled her rifle at the enemy and fired another shot.  Another one down. She wondered absently.  How many more to go?

*********************************************************************************************************

This is let-words-flow, experimentation, whatever.  I hope you will visit her site and allow yourself to experiment.  After all, experiencing, playing with words,and writing are interchangeable.

You can access Delores' site by clicking on the peaceful flowing stream with yellow flowers in the right side bar.

Mind Mined Out

Source: Izabelha

Mind gone dry,

Mined too many times.

Rocks crumble

From inside the hill.

Nothing left to pick at

With an non-existent

Pick-axe.

Wind echoes

Through empty caverns,

Taking wisps of ideas

Leaving dry husks

In which

Only a throbbing sound

Is heard.

Abandoned.

Source: TACLUDA