WELCOME TO SIMPLY DEBBIE. IT IS MY DESIRE THAT
YOU WILL FEEL AND SEE THE HAND OF GOD THROUGH
ARTWORK, CRAFT PROJECTS, RECIPES, AND THE SHEER
LAUGHTER OF ME LEARNING TO SEW ON MY NEW
SEWING MACHINE. THIS IS A PRAYING BLOG AND
A BLOG THAT LOVES TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS.
WON'T YOU JOIN ME AS WE GREET 2011 AND ITS'
BLESSINGS, CHALLENGES, AND SMELLING THE ROSES
EVERY DAY. I'LL BE YOUR UMBRELLA WHEN STORM
CLOUDS COME YOUR WAY AND ASSURE YOU THERE
WILL BE A RAINBOW COME AGAIN.










Thursday, July 8, 2010

THE ROMANCE OF AN OLD OKLAHOMA BARN

XOXOXO...AMY...XOXOXO
ALWAYS  IN  OUR  HEARTS







WHAT  IS  IT  ABOUT  AN  OLD

BARN  THAT  JUST  REELS  ME

IN  LIKE  A  FISH  THAT  JUST

NOTICED  THE  PRETTY  LURE...





MY  DARLING  MR.  SIMPLY  (HE

SAID  JUST  CALL  HIM  SIMPLE)

AND  I  HAD  JUST  LEFT  THE

CEMETERY  LAST  WEEK  AND

WE  DECIDED  TO  GO  THE  BACK

ROADS  HOME. 

ONE  OF  MY  GREATEST

LOVES  IS  DRIVING  OLD

COUNTRY  ROADS  AND  TAKING

PICTURES  OF  LONG  AGO

DESERTED  HOUSES,  BARNS,

WINDMILLS,  CATTLE,  AND

OLD  BRIDGES.

MY  DARLING  MR.  SIMPLY  IS

NOT  ALWAYS  CORDIAL  TO  MY

PICTURE-TAKING  ADVENTURES, 

SO  YOU  CAN  IMAGINE  MY  SHOCK

WHEN  I  SAID,  "OH  HONEY!  LOOK

AT  THAT  OLD  BARN!"  AND  HE

STOPPED...I THOUGHT  HE  WAS

HAVING  A  HEART  ATTACK  OR  I 

WAS  HAVING  AN  OUT  OF  BODY

EXPERIENCE--DEATH...LOL
















MR.  SIMPLY  TOOK  THE  PICTURES

FOR  ME,  AS  I  HAD  THONGS  ON  MY

FEET,  AND  HE  HAD  HIKING  BOOTS

ON.

THANK  YOU  HONEY  FOR  STOPPING, 

FOR  TAKING  THE  PICTURES,  AND

BEING  WILLING  TO  TAKE  THE

RATTLE  SNAKE  BITE  SHOULD  THERE

HAVE  BEEN  ONE  IN  THE  WEEDS.






I  WAS  LISTENING  TO  THE

WHISPERS  OF  THE  TALL  GRASS,

"WE  HAVE  COMPANY!"

MY  GRANDDAD  CHOATE  HAD  A

BIG  HAY  BARN  SIMILAR  TO

THIS  BUT  THE  HAYLOFT  DOOR

HAD  A  BIGGER  OPENING.

HE  USE  TO  TAKE  ME  AND  MY

COUSINS  OUT  TO  FEED  HIS  CATTLE.

WE  RODE  ON  THE  BACK  OF

OLE'  RED,  HIS  HAY  TRUCK.

HE  WOULD  STOP  ON  THE  WAY

AT  A  COUNTRY  STORE  AND  WE

COULD  BUY  A  CANDY  BAR  OR

ICE  CREAM  BAR.

  THE  PIECES  OF

HAY  WOULD  JUST  SWIRL  ROUND

AND  ROUND  AS  WE  MADE  OUR

JOURNEY  TO  THE  COUNTRY.

WE  WOULD  WAVE  AT  ALL

THE  FARMERS  THAT  PASSED

IN  THE  OTHER  LANE.

WE  LAUGHED  AND  YELLED  TO

TALK  AS  THE  WIND  SOUNDED

OUT  OUR  VOICES.









WHEN  WE  FIRST  PULLED  INTO

GRANDDAD'S  PROPERTY,  THERE

WAS  A  WINDMILL,  LIKE  THIS,  THAT

GREETED  US.  I  CAN  STILL  HEAR

THE  HIGH  SHRIEK  TUNE  OF  IT,

AS  THE  BLADES  TURNED.








THERE  WERE  BUTTERFLIES

AND  BEES  EVERYWHERE.

GRASSHOPPERS  AND  YOU

COULD  HEAR  THE  LOCUST

(IN  CHOIR  REHEARSAL)  IN 

THE  BLACK  JACK  TREES.

MY  BOY  COUSINS  ALWAYS

TRIED  TO  TIE  GRASSHOPPERS

TOGETHER...(THEY  DID  NOT

GROW  UP  TO  BE  ANIMAL

ABUSERS)  BUT  FOR  SOME  REASON

THAT  WAS  A  THING  ORNERY  BOYS

DID. THEY  THOUGHT  IT  WAS  FUNNY.







DO  YOU  ALL  KNOW  THE  SMELL

OF  ALFALFA?  IT  IS  VERY  SWEET.

IMAGINE  A  VERY  HUMID  DAY  WITH

THE  TEMPERATURE  BEING  A  100

PLUS  DEGREES  AND  OVER  2,500...

1,500  POUND  BALES  OF  SWEET, 

MOIST  ALFALFA  STACKED  TO  THE

HAY  LOFT  AND  YOUR  COUSINS

CHEERING  YOU  TO  GET  TO

THE  TOP  OF  THE  HAY  LOFT

WHERE  IT  IS  COOL  IN  TEMPER-

ATURE  AND  AWESOME  TO  BE.

I  STARTED  MY  CLIMB  SEVERAL

TIMES.  THE  SMELL  GAGGED  ME.

I  WOULD  CLIMB  BACK  DOWN

AND  RUN  OUTSIDE  GASPING  FOR

AIR.  THE  SMELL  WAS  HORRID.







I  HAD  ON  MY  GRADE  SCHOOL

T-SHIRT...

THE  ADAMS  RED  FLYING  A

(AN  a  WITH  WINGS  ON  IT)

AND  I  PULLED  THE  NECK  OF

OF  MY  T-SHIRT  OVER  MY  NOSE

AND  STARTED  THE  CLIMB.

NOW  THEY  HAVE  ROCK  WALLS  TO 

  CLIMB...WE  HAD  BALES  OF  ALFALFA...

YOU  WERE  NOT  WORRIED  ABOUT

FALLING,  YOU  WERE  WORRIED  ABOUT

PASSING  OUT  BEFORE  YOU  GOT  TO

THE  TOP.

WELL,  I  MADE  IT...

BOY  WAS  IT  WORTH  IT...

IT  WAS  LIKE  AIR  CONDITIONING

AND  THE  VIEW  WAS

AWESOME.

I'M  GLAD  I   PERSEVERED

AND  MADE  IT  TO  THE  TOP.







IT  IS  LIKE  LIFE...

SOMETIMES  IT  IS  SOOOO  VERY

SWEET  AND  THEN

SOMETIMES

WE  HAVE  A  LOT

OF  STINKY  BALES

THAT  WE  FEEL  IS

LITERALLY  SUCKING  THE  LIFE

OUT  OF  US.



THEREFORE,  having  been  justified

by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  GOD  through

our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,

2.  through  whom  also  we  have  access  by

faith  into  this  grace  in  which  we  stand,

and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  GOD.

3.  And  not  only  that,  but  we  also  glory

in  tribulations,  knowing  that  tribulation

produces  PERSEVERANCE;

4.  and  PERSEVERANCE,  character;  and

character,  hope.

5.  Now  hope  does  not  disappoint,  because 

the  love  of  God  has  been  poured  out  in

our  hearts  by  the  Holy Spirit  who  was

given  to  us.

~ROMANS 5: 1-5







THANK  YOU  FOR  VISITING  ME

AND  GRACIE  ANN  TODAY.  WE

HAVE  SOME  ICE  TEA  MADE  AND

SOME  OATMEAL  COOKIES.  WE'LL

SET  UNDER  THE  COOL  AIR  AND

TALK  ABOUT  TEAPOTS  AND  LIFE.

HUGS

SIMPLY  DEBBIE

22 comments:

Oklahoma Granny said...

Old barns and houses certainly do draw you in, don't they. They always make me wonder what they were like when they were new and people inhabited them, what the people were like that lived there, what happened that caused them to go down hill. Your husband was such a sweetie to stop and snap the photos for you. They're wonderful!

Connie said...

:-) Darling sentiments, sweetpea!
xoxo,
Connie

Rebecca Nelson said...

I was in Enid yesterday and I thought of you my friend. Mr. AGPMan and I passed the chapel where the service was held for your sweet girl.

Just wanted to let you and Mr. "Simple" :) know that we lifted you up that very moment to the Most High. Prayers went up in your behalf for grace, strength and peace.

Love, Rebecca PS: Love that barn.

Heidi Pocketbook said...

I enjoyed reading your memories and seeing the pictures. Windmills are few and far between here in the corn anymore and it is exciting when one does see one!!!

Hugs from Heidi

Victorian1885 said...

Lovely post and great memories of your childhood! I too like old farm buildings and love imagining who farmed there and what life was like so many years agao. Take care..
Wanda

Doris Sturm said...

What a nice journey back in time to your childhood. I enjoyed it and thought of mine as well. I remember climbing straw bales and we enjoyed that as much as any amusement park ... do you remember rolling down a hill just for fun or making shapes out of clouds while laying in the sweet smelling grass? (we had no fire ants nor snakes where I grew up in Germany) and being alive back then was such an exctiting concept...like a firework waiting to happen, an adventure around every corner, full of expectations and anticipations of wondering what life will bring next.
I, too, feel a very strong yearning and sentimental feeling when I see old farms and empty houses. I get very melancholy thinking of the life that once was in and all around them...almost envisioning the commotion and the laughter that once filled the empty space around those buildings - moving on can be such a lonely experience, but it's all part of life, I suppose!
With love,
Doris

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Morning Sweet Debbie,
Enjoyed your post so very much, loved
all those sweet memories. We used to have an old barn on the property where we rented when I was 4-6 yrs. old. We had many fun times in that old barn,
course, it was completely empty, only stalls and the hay loft but no hay!!
I love old bldgs and barns and things like that too, they do just sort of draw your interest. Love covered bridges too, they are so neat. That was so sweet of your hubby to stop and take those pics
for you. They just get sweeter as they get older don't they!! lol
Course, hopefully, we do too!! lol
Pray for you often hon,
Blessings, Nelie

Unknown said...

OH so many interruptions since I told you I would drop by about an hour ago...
I will be back and write more later...have to go to a luncheon meeting now.
Debbie, I have something I want to tell you about that I think you will be interested in.

Love, Rose

Chatty Crone said...

I am so glad that you have those memories and thoughts in you. sandie

Anonymous said...

Well, Hi There, Debbie! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! It was so nice of you to visit, that I just had to come over to your place and sit a spell. Enjoyed your post about the barn....what a sweet hub you have to support your bloggy world. My sympathies to you about your daughter. I have lost both parents to cancer, Dad just last November, and I hope I never, ever have to lose a child that way. Only God knows our purpose and our future, and I pray that should I ever have to look into my son's or daughter's eyes and say goodbye, He will hold my hand and keep me upright, for I know I will fall to my knees. Your faith carries you.

Liz (aka Ninny)

Donna said...

Debbie,
I enjoy riding in the country and looking at old farmhouses and barns and who lived in them years ago. I often see daffodils in the spring and wondered if they were once around a house that might have been there at one time.
Love the pics!
Thinking of you!
Hugs,
Donna

Unknown said...

Debbie....your barn images are great....nice for your husband to cooperate like that.

I had to laugh tho...whenever I see something that I would like to photograph when we are out driving....and remark that I would like to get that shot....my husband ignores me and drives on for about a mile...and THEN says...what ? .... would you like me to turn around and go back...?? He is a OVER CAUTIOUS driver...and NEVER makes any sudden moves...like braking and going off onto the shoulder of the road. ( Especailly for a photo...LOL) So I have missed MANY good shots over the years as a result.

We do however, like to take "day trips" and of course always end up at an Antique Shopping Mall or Antique Show..and I get lots of photo's there.
I hope you are feeling good. I have finally gotten this leg/knee working well again...it's been like 8 weeks since I had my "accident".
Forgive me if I am repeating myself...I don't see my last post yet..but wanted to be sure and stop by and say hello.

Rose

Holly, the Old Western Gal said...

Debbie, I am just fascinated by this post. Your words carried me to places I have never been, yet I feel that they are so very real to me now. Like I was with you climbing the bales! And on the ride with you! Thank you for a glimpse into your life both past and present.

Veronica said...

Simply BEAUTIFUL!!

La Maison Fou said...

Thank you for stopping by the blog today Debbie. Thanks for the memories of a fresh kicked bale of alfalfa hay, sweet sunshine on your arm resting on the rolled down window of a Ford truck, and the beauty of a meadow of wildflowers in Oklahoma.
Have a beautiful day,
L.

Mollye said...

Loved your post and I love Oklahoma. Did I ever tell you we lived in Broken Bow for two years. Actually had a business there but lived out in Golden. Punkin Darlin and I said our first round of vows up at Beaver's Bend. XXHugs, Mollye

Mya said...

Good Morning Debbie,
After being up for a few minutes but not ready to really begin my day, I fixed a cup of tea and sat down with the computer. There was your note and so I went over to your blog. Your words seem to come so naturally and so sweetly, so you helped me get my day started.
Believe me, today that was a big deal.
Cancer has taken many members of my greater family, however, none of them were young people. My heart goes out to you and I am glad that you know that she is in heaven and that this time is only temporary separation.
Mr. Simple Simply is now Mr. Sweet Simple Simply. Taking those pictures for you was a considerate act. I am impressed.
Barns, whether new or old, have interested me most of my life. When I was young my mother took me with her to see a movie starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. There was an old barn that Rock Hudson turned into his house. That captured my attention, and to this day I still think about such a home. At a young age, I had no idea what the film was really about, but the barn I understood. Now, I have seen the film many times...it is so-so, but the barn is tops!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Loved seeing these shots, Debbie. Be sure and thank Mr. Simply for us! ;-)

XO,

Sheila :-)

Allie said...

Debbie,
Thank you for stopping by my site and greeting me as we enter the "sorority" together! What a lovely post today and such detailed memories of time gone by. You are quite a writer! Have a wonderful weekend.
~Allie

Jil~Say It With Roses said...

Hello Sweet Debbie!
Titanic is one of my all time favorite movies and we have granddaughters that could not watch it enough and wore out 2 cd's!!! Your pictures and post are great and I enjoyed it so much!

Like your Mr Simply, my hubby thrills over old delapadated barns...each tells a story. His pictures are marvelous and give him a big thank you!
Keep cool...the heat wave broke here and now the windows are open and the breezes coming in!
Hugs,
Jil
xo
PS I always love our drive thru Oklahoma and that is the state I found the most of my goodies on our winter trip!

Vintage Porcelain Art By Amy Enright said...

Hi Debbie!
I noticed that you stopped by my blog the other day.
I loved your post today! My most favorite movie also!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Hugs, Amy

Pam said...

Many, many years ago, I grew up in rural Missouri so your pictures and desciptive words brought back many wonderful memories. Thank you! Pam @ Sallygoodin