When you grow up on a farm, it's not just a place to live. It's everything.
The Barn on my parent's farm hadn't been used for animals for about the past 5 years.
It hadn't been used as a dairy barn since September of 1998.
There was always talk about it being torn down.
When the boards in the gable end of the barn began to seperate a few years ago, I thought it was just a matter of time.
But when you hear your parent's say that "It's coming down this fall", it was still something that I was in denial about.
I didn't really think that it would ever come down.
The Barn was built in 1959 by my Grandpa Harms to replace one that had been lost in a fire.
On a magical day in 1972, a young, handsome bulk milk hauler drove onto the farm to pick up a load of milk. The oldest of the farmer's daughters, a beautiful young lady, was standing in the breezeway between the milkhouse and the barn. On May 6, 1972, they had their first date...a dance in Carver.
On August 31, 1974, they married and began their life with my Dad owning and operating his bulk milk operation and my Mom working as a legal secretary.
One year after I was born, they decided to buy the farm from my grandparents.
That's where they raised their daughters.
They made it a home.
The Barn was our playground.
It was our dance hall and our gymnastics studio.
Who needs a balance beam and uneven bars when you have a cow stantion and feed bunk?
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Dad and I outside on the bunk and auger after it was installed.
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| Dee, Jo and Jen on the haybarn ladder |
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| Kate, Jo, Dee and our dog Tabby |
It was a place where we saw calves being born, baby birds chirping in the ceiling beams.
...where we spent a lot of early mornings helping Dad feed cows while he milked.
...where we built hay bale runways and pits of straw to jump in.
...where we learned the correct order of how to turn on the Harvestore unloader (and run when we did cause there might be a mouse hiding in that thing!).
...where naps were taken in the wheelbarrel while listening to the radio.
...where we stood, talking with Dad at the end of a milking waiting for the outside water tank to fill.
...where we learned to always watch the holes in the ceiling from the haybarn, just in case a stray bale came falling through!
Over time, the wood began to rot and the hay barn roof started to shift off of it's floor. Dad had to use a metal cable to tie the 2 sides of the barn together to keep it from falling.
It was time.
We all went over to Mom and Dad's to help clear out the barn which had been used for storage for the past few years. Everything had to come out.
The stalls, the electric lines, the fans, the trainers, the chain that held the teat rag pail, our old bikes, the medcine cabinet in the milk house that still had the homemade recipe card for calf scours taped inside, the last inspector reports from September 1998.
It was all there, and now it must all go.
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| Dad trying to figure out which wires were "hot" and which were "not". |
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| Before |
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| After |
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| Papa and Wyatt |
October 24, 2012 was demolition day.
It surprised me how choked up I got watching it come down. I couldn't help but take a couple pictures that would help me remember .
What also surprised me was how little time it took.
In one hour it went from this...
to this...
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| Where they started |
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| The feed room |
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| Papa and Michael watching it come down |
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| The milk house |
After the barn was cleaned up and hauled away, the silos were next.
First the two stave silos and then the Harvestore.
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| The first silo |
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| My favorite picture of the second silo coming down. |
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The Harvestore.
Dad saved the flag panel. |
I was lucky enough to be there for all 3 of them coming down.
I have to say it is something I will never forget.
This is the way my parent's yard looks now.
You would never know that just a few months ago, it looked so different!
But we will always remember.
My parents are usually not people that like to have their pictures taken, unless it is with their grandchildren.
When I remembered that not only did they meet on this farm, but in the barn, I thought they might like to have some photos taken.
Surprisingly, they were all for the idea! Except my dad thought it would be okay to come home directly from work to take pictures. "What? I'll be dressed the way I was dressed when we met!"
Pretty sure he was just giving me a hard time :)
I'm not a photographer by any means, but I think these turned out pretty cute!
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| Where it all began! |
Aren't they cute?!?!?
I feel so lucky to have them as parents!
They give us all such a great example of what love, family, faith should be!
It was sad to see it go.
But we will always remember.
