Old Barns And Barn Doors….

Just down the road… and around the bend,
Stands an old empty barn; nearing the end.

It has sheltered no animals for many years now;
no horses, no sheep, no steers or cows.

At one time the paint was a bold shade of red;
Now faded by weather and the sun overhead.

The doors swing in the wind… the hinges are loose,
Windows and siding have taken lots of abuse.

The good days are gone; forever it seems,
And that old barn now stands with sagging beams.

The stories have vanished, this old barn could tell,
just critters remain and an old dried up well.

Old, abandoned barns have become a trend,
Just down the road… and around the bend.

My dear readers….I would like to take a trip down memory lane for a bit if you don’t mind. 

I know we have made statements like….if these walls could talk, as we mused about old houses.

I also feel that way about old barns. 

I love old barns and I’ve been fortunate to have grown up on a farm and so I have been around barns as a child and as an adult.

Our ranch in New Mexico had been in my husband’s family for many, many years when we bought it from his older brother. There were many outbuildings, but one in particular was a favorite of mine.  It was an old rickety barn that creaked and groaned with the faintest wind. Some of the windows were broken and the tin roof was peeling off and we determined, with a bit of sadness, that it was time for the old barn to come down.

Luckily, the wood on the inside was almost preserved and usable.

Soooooo, my talented spouse took boards from that old barn and built many pieces of furniture, from coffee tables, end tables, a couple hutches with glass doors and many other pieces of furniture.  It made me feel that we redeemed that old barn and brought new life with new families to that part of history. 

Which leads me to the latest project at Villa de la Luna!

You know we have been painting and doing a make over in our living, dining and kitchen areas… and I have one more part of the project that I would like to share with you.

I love old barns and I particularly love sliding barn doors!

So, I wanted to incorporate a barn door in our home.  

Below is the before…..

The logical place was my dish pantry…. which is actually a panic room in which the Captain built lots of lots of sturdy shelves to hold my many sets of dishes.  This room is just off the kitchen and became the perfect place for a barn door.

Yes, I dreamed up the project and the Captain made it all happen.  

It did not come without a few mutterings under the Captain’s breath because of the solid concrete walls surrounding the panic room….but after a few times of me asking…

“….did you say something honey?”

…the mutterings seemed to stop. 🙂

Seriously, this project turned out just as I wanted it.  So I am very pleased…and yes, I did contribute.  The Captain placed the barn door on two saw horses and I painted it…both sides…3 coats of semi gloss white paint.  Just sayin’ 🙂

Sooooo now my kitchen has a bit of nostalgia….I may live in the city and I may not have an old barn sittin’ on the back forty.  But I do have a barn door.

Have a great week-end.

Hugs Always!