Some history

This is perhaps one of two pictures that I have with our barn in.  Some history of our barn.  Joan, Dave and I are standing to the SE of the barn.

• There is no electrical pole by the barn which means this is before Dad wired the barn for lights
• The SE part of the barn had a large pen with the water tank in it.  That is where Dave and I often let the water tank overflow and flood the pen!
• It is clear that the picture was taken before I was able to wear real pants with a belt like Dad.
• The far side of the barn, had the stanchion's for milking cows.  I don't think we ever milked more than 5 or 6 cows even though there was room for at least a dozen.
• The north third of the barn was where we kept hay.  There was a door high on the north wall that we could open and throw loose hay or bails into the barn.  That was the place the cats would hide out.
• The east side of the barn had three pens in addition to the one with the water tank.  I don't think they had cement floors.
• Down the middle of the barn, from the hay room to the south, was a walk way.
• There was a door on the SW corner where we would let the cows in for milking.  That was also the door Mom would put a dish towel to call us home for lunch.  I wonder if she wiped the dishes after hanging the towel out???
• Later, when Dad wired the barn, the light pole was just north of where my head is in this picture.  That was an easy way to shimmy up to the roof.  On lazy sunny days I would shimmy up and lie on the west roof dreaming of what I would do when I grew up.
• We would often play tag etc. on the beams in the barn.  One day I fell into a pen on my head and got the wind knocked out of me.  I thought I may die!
• On days when I could get out of work I would take a rake and smooth the barn yard on the south end of the barn.  For the most part the cow pies were dry because in the summer the cows would spent time in the pasture so I did not have to worry about soft ones!!!  Then I would use a rubber ball as a baseball and throw it against the barn wall and I would be part of the Milwaukee Braves team.  I would usually be the shortstop or the pitcher and we would always win.  Sometimes Eddie Matthews would hit a homerun and often Spahn would strike out someone on the New York Yankees!
• By the time I left home there were several small window panes broken and I do not remember them being fixed.  
• On the west wall there were nails where we would hang the chain kickers that we would put on the cows so they would not move their feet and kick over the milk bucket.
• We had more than one milk stool and there was no real place for them, just any place we put them down.  Most of them had one leg so you had to balance yourself as you milked.  
• In the winter, before we had lights in the barn, it was almost magical as you hung the lantern on a nail after you entered the barn which was a bit warm from the body heat of the cows.  As one milked the cows ate hay and and cats lurked in the dark with their beady eyes waiting for a squirt of milk.  On my way out I would pour some milk in the cat dish and cats would appear out of the dark to get their fill.
• Way towards the back of the picture you can see the shop where we parked the Ford tractor and spent time making toy guns etc.  That was also the place I would often keep a can with dirt and worms in for my fishing up at the lake.

Time to get to work as Brian and Tammy will arrive later today and there is a bit of work to do before they arrive.