Barn Charm & dVerse Open Link Night "Etched"

Etched

Etched against tomorrow,
back straight, gaze forward,

hers is a portrait
of youth-filled certitude

every dream
is feasible.

Margaret Bednar, March 26, 2013

My daughter warming up in the practice ring before her first horse show.  Isn't our Oberon handsome?    Yes, he's a little bit loved :)

This is for Barn Charm & dVerse Open Link Night.

The Mag #145, Friday Flash 55, & Barn Charm "Fifteen Cents"

Fifteen Cents

Snakes, goliath hornworms
hidden amidst nightshade,

summer heat, rain,
palm rolled tar balls,

colored spirituals, Pepsi,
Moon Pies, bone-weary.

Loose leaves bundled,
looped, fastened snug,
rafters dripping
a southern delicacy,

gorged, steaming barns,
four to five days, green
to golden bright.

Pinched, spread, rolled,
sealed, inhaled deeply,

just fifteen cents a pack
back in 1938.

by Margaret Bednar, December 30, 2012

North Carolina's old tobacco barns - curing or pack house barns - can be seen dotting old fields, a lucky few restored, old tobacco fields now sprouting residential developments or weed-ridden.   

Here is a sweet photo I found of a little girl "looping" (stringing) tobacco.

This is linked with "The Mag" #149.  The photo prompt for the week (provided by Tess) is below:

Photo courtesy of R.A.D. Stainforth

I will also link this with Friday Flash 55  and Barn Charm (back Jan 7th)

nightshade:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae

Barn Charm #115 "Jilted"

Jilted

December slants
her golden gaze,
heavy upon somnolent fields,
mumbling a promise
of steadfastness.

My tarnished heart
enjoys her fickle affection,
knowing full well
she'll soon be lured
by another's desire
further south,

leaving me to endure
January's loveless embrace,
her westerly wind caressing
with long frigid fingers.

by Margaret Bednar, 12-3-2012

This is for Barn Charm #115.

Barn Charm #72 & a Poem "Golden Surrender"

A typical barn I pass here in North Carolina.  I believe these tall, narrow barns once were tobacco barns.  If you look closely, you will see just how close some hug the road.  Across the street is a very nice subdivision, obviously it was once a farmer's field.  I have linked this to Barn Charm #72

The photo below is not a tobacco field, but I thought this made a nice touch of romance for "Valentine's Day".  This is not my husband, but my goodness, this makes farming look quite attractive!  My poem below was written for a poetry challenge for this... image.

Photo courtesy of Walter Parada for "One Stop Poetry"

Golden Surrender

Golden Wheat

Swooning from the heat

As do I

Surrender

To this farmer, my husband

In this sea of gold

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, May 22, 2011

Barn Charm #71

This amazing barn is resides on Biltmore Estates.  This photo I took before I went trail riding and it sure was fun.  HERE is a bit more information on a historic barn, but it isn't this one, I don't think. I will be revisiting this topic one day and will go into more detail then.

I used "Kim Klaussen Cafe" textures here but I failed to keep track of which ones.  I believe they were "revolution" and the "paper collection".

Linking up with "Barn Charm #71".

Barn Charm #70, and a Poem "The Tobacco Farmers"

These two photos are for "Barn Charm #70".  I assume they are both old tobacco barns as they stand in a field that used to yield the crop.  These relics are tucked away in numerous places, some overgrown with brush, others given much TLC and charmingly grace the roadside. 

I have posted the barn below before in the fall.  The poem below I posted for "Poetry Jam" about a month ago - the photo was a prompt suggested for the theme "Laugh in the Face of Everything".  I posted it here as I thought it went well with the theme.

The Tobacco Farmers

Back in the day

he was a dashing young man, 

and I a country girl, willowy and strong,

both of us full of zest and glee,

first generation polish stock, we.

Toiled side by side, 

he decapitating flowers and

suckers stalk after stalk, 

stooped, sometimes crawling

between row upon row 

of never-ending filth.

I hoed and hoed, black

calloused hands better than gloves.

Every hour or so, his glance, a smile

would lighten my load.

Mid morning break, 8:45, 

already exhausted

somehow kept going 'till high noon

clothes soaked through,

we’d lean our backs 

against solitary bleached barn.

Oh, the blessed shade, our haven 

in the middle of hell

and we’d consider ourselves lucky

if a snake sighted, the bigger

the better, for we felt reassured

the monstrous rats would be

held at bay for another day.

And so precious minutes, we rested

hands tingling, swollen

blisters burst, pink, tender

skin didn’t stand a chance 

of ever remaining baby soft.

Back into the field, 

never enough water

to quench our thirst

often feeling dizzy and nauseous,

flamethrower upon our backs. 

Times were tough

possessions few,

but my Matka she tell us

“Enjoy this freedom” 

and so we did

dignity, self respect, and laughter

filled all our days.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, January 12, 2012

* * * * *

Farm Security Admin.,  Jack Delano, photographer

Barn Charm, dVerse - "The Battlefield at Hoskin's Farm", Haiku Wednesday, Poetry Jam "The Ocean"

My Poem for Sensational Haiku Wednesday and another for Poetry Jam are at the bottom of this post

Tannenbaum Historical Park is located in Greensboro, NC and is the site of Joseph Hoskins farm settled as early as 1781.  Hoskin's Pennsylvania farm (near Valley Forge) and family had been devastated by the Revolutionary War.  He relocated his family to a remote area in North Carolina and cleared the land for harvesting crops and warded off occasional threats from the Cherokee.  By 1781 he had 150 acres with fields, gardens and split rail zigzag fences. It was a foggy morning and I think it lends a bit of nostalgia to the photos which is appropriate for this setting.

This peace was disturbed by the American and British armies as they swept through and eventually engaged in direct battle Haskin's farmland - he just couldn't get away from the fighting! The above foreground building is a relocated tobacco barn and is set up as an early American kitchen.  The photo below is the Hoskin's house constructed between 1811-1813 and it was lived in until 1925.

Joseph Hoskins bought his 150-acre farmstead for £200 “Current money of the State of North Carolina” in May 1778. Not much is known about the property and how it was utilized after Hoskins purchased it, but his will indicates some of the activities that took place on the farm.

When Hoskins died in 1799, he left three horses, two cows, five head of sheep, 250 acres, and a variety of personal and household items to his wife Hannah and to his four sons and four daughters. To his wife he gave the “use and profits of the plantation whereon I now live,” but instructed her “not to sell or dispose of the timber except what is necessary for the use of the hous and plantation.” Choosing not to name a specific heir, Hoskins left all the “farming utentials” for the general good of the plantation.  
(I grabbed the above two paragraphs from HERE.)

Today, people walk and jog along this and the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park which are connected.

These barn images, specifically the last one, are for "Barn Charm #69".  This is called a double pen barn.

* * * * *

Below is my poem for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Personal Challenge 7"  If you want the details, please click on link.  Basically a series of haiku, (no less than 3, no more than 7) These are not traditional haiku, I'm sure, but I tried to hint at a season in all but one as I think that element is supposed to be there... I'm not sure.  These "haiku", I'm sure, are non-traditional.  I don't think one is supposed to put a title to a Haiku either, but I did ;)

I also linked the poem up with "dVerse - Open Link Night"

The Battlefield at Hoskin's Farm

Flaming  chokeberry

reminiscent of spilt blood

of life, sacrificed

Silent sounds linger

float, upon thick morning's mist

of life, hovering

Milking seats, wheels, troughs

idle, harvesting cobwebs

of life, remembered

Light of faith, guiding

our presence out of darkness

along forebear's path

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, January 24, 2012

The last Haiku is specifically linked to "Sensational Haiku Wednesday" and I hope it makes sense in this series of related Haiku's.  The prompt is "Silhouette" and I hope I can allude to the word and not have to use it.  This photo was taken at the Tannenbaum Historical Park over a year ago, but the sense of history, the sense of those who have come before certainly are felt here, at least by me.   

And the following image and poem are for Poetry Jam - topic this week - sensual poems AND Mr. Know-it-All's "Friday Flash 55" - a non-fiction story in 55 words, no more, no less (I will link up Thursday after 8pm)

The Ocean

Sinewy arms, pail laden

I sleepwalk towards the barn.

Nature's morning breath

inhaled,

moistly kissing me awake

from a dream

I'm unwilling to release...

   like sandpaper

   against my flesh

   his memory,

   passion aroused,

   long buried

   endearments

   tickle my ear,

   needs whispered,

   upon my tongue

   his saltiness...

a single tear

escapes

joining an ocean of regret.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, January 25, 2012

Barn Charm

I know I have shared this cute little guy before, but I don't think I have shared this particular photo with the barn in the background.  This is linked up with "Barn Charm" and most likely "Friday Fences".  

Barn Charm #67 and "Time" a poem revised

Time

Stoically the old girl prevails,

seemingly impassive

to the degradation of time.

Gracefully she poses,

unaware her resplendent scarlet robe

has long since been stripped from her frame.

Tattered and stained, her corset bulges,

seams hinting at what used to be.

The west's version of a Norma Desmond

dreaming of a triumphant revival,

a stunning close up

as she gracefully glides

across the horizon once again.

Desire still strums it's fingers

across the strings of her heart

as she seductively lies in wait

for her man to need her again,

but for many an old girl

renewal is an unattainable dream.

Time continues its course,

beating down her will,

demanding submission.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, Revised January 4, 2012

This is for "Barn Charm #67" which I will be linking to on Tuesday. Of course, the Norma Desmond reference refers to the aging Hollywood actress in the amazing old movie "Sunset Boulevard" starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson.  If you like old movies and have never seen this one, you are in for a treat!

Old Salem Tavern Inn (part 1) and Barns

The above is the back view of the Salem Tavern Inn.  Notice the left side of the house... that is for the kitchen fireplace that made the amazing apple dumplings in the post below.  My next post will take you through the inside of this simply designed home.

The photos below are of the taverns barns and where travelers horses stayed... notice the cribbing that took place on the feeding troughs... horses will always be horses!  I linked up the barn photos to this week's "Barn Charm #63".

The following I copied and pasted directly from www.oldsalem.org regarding the "Salem Tavern".

The Salem Tavern dates to 1784, when it was rebuilt in masonry after an earlier wooden tavern burned to the ground. Parts of the basement walls are from the original 1775 Tavern building.

The Tavern was an important facility for the town of Salem. Leaders decided to place the Tavern on the outskirts of town to avoid the influence of “strangers” on the town as much as possible; however a tavern was necessary for the town to prosper. Food & lodging were needed for the customers Salem leaders hoped to bring in for their store and for their craftsmen.

The Tavern was owned and operated by the Moravian Church who selected a married couple to run the facility. It was important that the couple could run a successful business as well as set a good example of the Moravian community. In addition to the couple, the Tavern required several workers. A hostler and female workers were usually part of the workforce. An enslaved African American family also lived and worked in the Tavern in 1791.

Many important meetings took place at the Tavern, and several important guests stayed there. Salem's most famous visitor stayed here in 1791. President George Washington, touring the southern battlefields of the Revolutionary War, spent two nights in Salem, attending a service, studying the waterworks system, and speaking to the townspeople.

The building reflects the special concerns of the residents, such as no front windows on the main level so that activities inside would not be visible from the streets.  It had a larger lot to accommodate the barns and facilities needed for the visitors. This was also the first building by mason Johann Gottlob Krause, who built most of Salem's largest and most important masonry buildings in the subsequent 20 years.

The wood and storage shed

A view of the horse barn from the Old Tavern Inn

The Feeding Trough

Barn Charm #59 - Tobacco Barns - A slice of the South's history

As a Northerner moving to North Carolina a few years ago, I was puzzled as to what these strange looking barns were dotting the countryside.  Quite tall and narrow, with few to no windows and sometimes sporting a lean-to or covered/shaded area.  Of course, I realize now I live in what had been the heart of the tobacco industry.  I was in Virginia this past weekend and wish I had stopped to take a few photos of this style of barn.  I guess that means a rode trip!  The tobacco barn photographed for today's post resides in Summerfield, NC.

I've linked this post to Bluff Area Daily's "Barn Charm #59.  Do yourself a favor and click to enjoy amazing beauty!

I am not a proponent of smoking, but this is a slice of the south's history and something about these funny looking barns draws me to photograph them.  Some have been restored and reside next to residential properties in small towns, but many sit dejectedly atop fields of weeds.

This is the first of a series of photos I plan to expand upon.   I might be incorrect in labeling any barn a "tobacco" barn, and please let me know if you think I am in error.  At fist I didn't think the metal barn was such as I thought they had to be made of wood.   But a quick google search leads me to believe this is not so.  Or maybe, this barn had been entirely made of wood at one time and it has been "repaired" inexpensively.  I don't know.