Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Vintage Rusty Stuff


Pulley on the old barn door

For those of you who love rusty stuff, have I got a treat for you!! :-)

Barn door hinge


Barn Window
No, it's not rusty, but I like it


Barn Cleaner


Barn Beams


Another Rusty Hinge


Old Boiler

This is really the most interesting of all, and it's not part of the barn - it's the old monster boiler that resides in our 18'x71' dog pen (that's feet, not inches). It is so huge and heavy that rather than try to move it, we simply built the dog pen around it. (I know, I know...) At least it won't be able to escape, should it ever have a mind to try anything funny. Of course, this is the same dog pen that the dogs have spent a total of probably 2 days in since its construction about 12 years ago. They much preferred the A.C. and soft beds of the house rather than being outdoors.

Anyway, I hated this ugly, rusty boiler for at least two years, but after a while, like so many things, (and this is the dangerous part) it just became part of the landscape. Know what I mean?? I gave up my hate. Let it go. No longer did I see it as an eyesore. (I'm sure this is partly due to the influence of my rust-loving blogger friends!!) Maybe one day, if I'm lucky, some famous author will do for my monster rusty boiler what Willa Cather did for the old plow (or 'plough.') Until then...

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“There were no clouds, the sun was going down in a limpid, gold-washed sky. Just as the lower edge of the red disk rested on the high fields against the horizon, a great black figure suddenly appeared on the face of the sun. We sprang to our feet, straining our eyes toward it. In a moment we realized what it was. On some upland farm, a plough had been left standing in the field. The sun was sinking just behind it. Magnified across the distance by the horizontal light, it stood out against the sun, was exactly contained within the circle of the disk; the handles, the tongue, the share—black against the molten red. There it was, heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun.”   - Willa Cather, My Antonia

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So, do you think there's any hope for my old, rusty boiler? 


 Our Barn, February


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40 comments:

  1. Happy to see the old things in the barn!
    I have enjoyed reading all your post and i am a follower of your blog. I wish you to visit my blog and be a member of mine!

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  2. I can so see the boiler becoming a story character, living in a old barn where snow stays much too long, longing for spring and summer to ease his rusty parts! All that's miising is a name. What shall you name it?

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  3. A fantastic collection of rust. The boiler would make an interesting addition to any story line. I'm surprised to see a mention of Willa Cather and then go on to quote from My Antonia. Cather is my maiden name. Thanks for linking up!

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  4. Morning, loved seeing all the rusty stuff,like gold to me :) hugs Francine.

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  5. Wonderful rust ! and a great post.

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  6. i love old, i love rusty, i love beams, i love hinges, and every single thing you posted and most of all i love your barn.. wow that is a wonderful photo of it.. and i would love the boiler but not the dog run.. 18 inches wide? or is that a mistype...

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  7. Call the 'junk' man!!! Wonderful photos though!!! Hope you're enjoying these cold windy days!!!

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  8. There you go-- write an essay or poem about your boiler. Ha, ha... Chuckled at the dogs preferring the indoors to the pen. They ain't dumb!

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  9. I am one of those rusty stuff lovers! Love these images! Love your barn!!

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  10. loved that willa cather prose! yes, if you can just get the sun to set behind the boiler w/o the non-used dog pen fence to interfere... :)

    loved your rust and barn photos!

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  11. I love this! I love old things, and this does them justice.

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  12. I love it all...rust and weathered wood...that's the best and most interesting. Great photos my friend! hugs!

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  13. Love it ALL...but most of all for me, my favorite today, is the window casing.

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  14. Love the old barn picture. Those are some of my favorite things to see. I like rusty stuff too. xoxo,Susie

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  15. There is certainly a kind of beauty to these rusty objects. I loved the description of the plough framed by the setting sun. I like Magali's idea of naming your boiler.

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  16. I enjoy rusty rusticity. I've a very rusty spring wreath and I'm pretty sure that if I had more than a postage stamp, I could enjoy that boiler. I do like the hinges a lot!

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  17. Rust is beautiful thing! I love this.

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  18. Your photos are wonderful and the subject matter is so great. I am an old farm boy of old so seeing these things are fun to see. Thanks for sharing them.

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  19. I love the snapshot attention to detail - the tiny things sometimes get lost in a bigger picture but you have captured them perfectly.

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  20. I love your old barn and all the rusty and old elements that make it up. The big old rusty boiler is kind of neat looking. They aren't common here so I have to ask what it was used for. :)

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  21. You have such a good eye for your photography! I love "a picture writing on the sun" so much!! Yes, there is ALWAYS hope - especially when love is involved! :)

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  22. Hello and happy for the visit to Wisconsin through your blog, rust and all. Any way you could make a flower planter out of the old boiler? That is what I did with a copper one here till my husband sold it for scrap!

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  23. What a lovely barn and full of such interesting rusty items. I believe I will start looking at rusty items differently.

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  24. Goodness! You have a lovely HUGE ole barn!! I also like the rusty hinges - especially the rollers for the barn door. It's interesting how designers are using a barn door for the standard door in a house. Many times in the basement!!

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  25. Those are really GREAT old pictures. I know what you mean about seeing something like the boiler and pretty soon it becomes non-invasive...you cease to see it-it becomes part of the landscape. That has happened to me with some of MyHero's projects!!!!

    I love your rusty pictures though..WOW- great eye! xo Diana

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  26. These are really interesting photos. I'm happy you were able to keep it. When a home is old, and yours looks much older than mine, there are just some things that are not worth changing, and one really does have to accept the imperfection. I'm happy that my current home is not perfect. It's freeing. I'm not afraid to take a chance, because it could not look worse.

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  27. Be still my heart! So much beautiful rust and chippy wood for one post. I would take the boiler in no time - if I could manage to haul it. It would be interesting to take a photo of it in each season.

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  28. Fitting quote! I'm sure there is some beauty there somewhere! Just the name boiler conjures up something in my memory. Maybe it was the "boiler room" at church when I was a kid and the Sunday school class held in there with folding chairs. But I love the hinge in its "classic beauty"--maybe I like it best because its recognizable!

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  29. Really beautiful barn, and I love your rusty stuff pictures too!

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  30. oh i'm a big rust fan...super photos!

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  31. Interesting photos and twist. I'm sure someone could be inspired by a rusty old boiler!

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  32. Beautiful images and beautiful construction of a blog post!

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  33. Love it....I'm always drawn to rusty metal!

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  34. Great photos of some beautiful stuff!!

    Cynthia

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  35. Neat shots of these rusty items. My favorite was the Barn Pulley's.

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  36. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post on the Wake Up Wednesday Linky! I just love your photos - they are wonderful!
    Angie

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  37. It's funny how things tend to grow on you. Great shots.

    FYI Personally, I'd prefer that you visit my blog and return a comment instead of answering by email. That would make my day :)

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  38. I love rusty things! They make for some great photos and yours are fantastic. Hopped over from Rurality Blog Hop.

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