It was fun to see the name on this barn in our area. Except for the fact that it's in the wrong location, it could have been our farm when I was a kid. Everything else fits: That's my maiden name, I had brothers, and we had Holsteins.
I even had a horse that looked a lot like the one on the right. Isn't he pretty! I hung pictures of horses and a currycomb in Shammar's stall and took him gifts of carrots and sugar cubes. His stall was on one end of the calf barn. I remember walking into that barn on a cold, dark winter evening. The first thing noticed was the mixture of scents - hay, calves, horse, urine, and milk replacer for the calves. (The urine and milk replacer were kept separate, btw, in case anyone is concerned). ;-) Clouds of water vapor rose up from the warm breath of the animals (and me) coming in contact with the cold winter air. Shammar's coat was thick and rough during the winter. And then as springtime appeared, he shed that extra hair and became pretty, shiny, and sleek. I loved that horse. I hated it that he threw me so often.
Old Wood Stall, Calf Pens
from a different barn -
But it made me start thinking about my horse and the calves.
But it made me start thinking about my horse and the calves.
Just this morning I was thinking how thankful I am for warm winter outerwear that is easy to get on and off. My feet stay warm in my insulated Neoprene boots, which slide on and off my stockinged feet so easily. I don't have to put plastic bread bags over shoes to get them into my boots, I don't have buckles that get packed with snow and become nearly impossible to unbuckle. I have a down-filled coat that keeps me warm, and my hands are not stiff and cold because of mittens that are soaked and then frozen.
We've got it pretty good.
See? My January attitude is already improving! And besides, January is now half over!
We've got it pretty good.
See? My January attitude is already improving! And besides, January is now half over!
I couldn't find the Daguerreotype of my horse and me,
but I did find this one - of our daughter and her horse
in a time gone by.
***
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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties: Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage) and Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above and Artsy Corner Thursday and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday's Critters
BEAUTIFUL PICS! I had a horse once--LONG AGO---such great friends!
ReplyDeleteOh I love that, I am sure you miss it some days but those memories stick don't they? LOVE the shots. Hug B
ReplyDeleteI love old barns and your pictures were a beautiful way to start my day. I'm glad you're staying warm! Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I forgot about bread bags in boots - I did that too. Or, I'm the last of 6 - no mittens left - so you wore socks as mittens...those were the days!
ReplyDeleteGoodness, fence and child way too cute to stop and look at fences, or great barns for that matter! Perfect winter moments!
ReplyDeleteI spent my whole childhood dreaming of one day owning a horse and a ranch with a cowboy for me. LOL... i love this farm you found. so beautiful. and this proves photos of anything can bring back memories from the past.
ReplyDeleteforgot to say your daughter is beautiful as is the horse and I am so happy you have all those warm toasty clothes...
ReplyDeleteSweet memories and beautiful barns! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post! My father in law often told us of the winters in Minnesota when he was a young boy in the 20s and 30s. He said you never got really warm. I cannot imagine. We had horses on our farm too as well as Holsteins. One of the horses I remember most was Tulip. She loved you until you tried to ride her...then forget it.lol. I love the picture of your daughter and her horse...don't all girls love horses? And I am glad you have nice warm clothes...there are positives about this day and age.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo of your daughter and her horse. It sounds like you have fond memories. That is a very nice-looking farm!
ReplyDeleteI can almost smell the barn, it's been a long time! Glad you are keeping warm. My husband has a cousin who married a Nelson. They live in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteNice fences around a lot of interesting things. I'll have to look for those boots, because my feet are always cold :)
ReplyDeleteHave a fine day
【ツ】Knipsa
Such pretty pictures. Love the picture of your daughter and the story of your horse. Precious memories.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful--my husband was raised on a thoughbred farm. One day, we will get back to the farm living...one day...thank you for the smiles. Blessings
ReplyDeleteThank you for dislodging long ago memories from my time as a child on the farm. We rented the farmhouse and other rented the land, but we considered it all "ours". We ran the fields, played in the hay mow, and kept horses in the pasture. What beautiful memories to start off a Thurs. morning. Thanks so much! :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice photos! Yes, "barn" life is very trying in the winter! Horses do get so fuzzy-- always glad to see them start shedding!
ReplyDeleteYou describe so well everything about the barn when you went into it... it reminds me of my tours with my dad who was a veterinarian. In late winter / early spring (which often was like winter anyway) he went out to all the farmers to vaccinate the cows, and I often went with him. I loved to be in the barn with the animals, and I could exactly feel what you describe here. Beautiful. Thanks for the journey down memory lane.
ReplyDeletealways love when you post the wisconsin farm scenes, although it always gives me a pang of homesickness, too. :) can never have enough barns or enough silos to run a dairy these days! :)
ReplyDeleteloved the memories of the bread bags over socks, then into buckle-up boots. weren't they just the worst!? ALWAYS ice and snow-packed and SO hard to get back off! :)
You have great memories and I bet your daughter does too.
ReplyDeleteO, my...what a lovely childhood you must have had. I was never around horses (lived in downtown Dallas in early years) so now, I'm afraid of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat sweet memories you have and that barn... Wonderful! Love the silos
ReplyDeleteI just love that picture of your daughter and her horse!! I wanted a horse when I was younger so badly... still do! Maybe one day :)
ReplyDeleteLove hearing about the memories. Beautiful horses and barn. We also had horses growing up, loved to ride. Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteLots of memories in this post for me - buckle overshoes, bread sacks slipped over socks, steaming noses, and the smells - great but COLD memories
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures. An your story reminds me of when we lived on a farm and we had a horse too. She was extremely old and her name was Honeybunch. She was not beautiful, but I loved her anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a wonderful picture of your sweet daughter and her horse! I LOVE your description of your horse barn with all the smells, I have never known anything like that. It must be very special to own a horse. Wow that farm has a lot of silos!
ReplyDeletethat is a gorgeous image of your daughter and her horse.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite photos of yours are the ones with horses in them and the ones from England, of course.
ReplyDeleteLoved this . . .
ReplyDeleteThe barn sign, triggering memories for you . . .
The horse reminder . . .
Plastic bags in boost, frozen buckles, awwwwwww, the memories . . .
Happy you are warm now to do your chores!
Wonderful photos of Wisconsin Barns. Much like the Iowa Barns of my mother's family. I have many photos of them and have even painted a few. Such a sweet photo of your daughter and her horse. The connection between horse and horse lover is so special and you have captured it perfectly. January is not my favorite month either...it ruined most every birthday party my mother planned. However, I am so grateful to still be experiencing the month of January....aren't we all. Looking forward to SPRING.
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
I really enjoyed this post..I love 1st, 2nd, and 4th photo for sure. Just the other day was talking to my friend about how blessed we are to have the warm clothing we have, water in our house, as well as inside bathrooms, plenty of heat. I often think the people that came before us were a tougher breed.
ReplyDeleteDaguerreotype. Really???
ReplyDeleteNo, not really, but you might have been the only one who caught that. LOL
DeleteI love that last picture! And all the ones before it. But especially the last one. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to be raised!! There is nothing better than a barn smell....seriously.
ReplyDeleteI love these beautiful pics!
ReplyDeleteHave a very Blessed Day!
Gorgeous pictures! I remember that smell so well!
ReplyDeleteHello Judy, you surely have some really beautiful memories, thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteI do love your photographs of lovely subjects.
A really nice post, thank you :D)
Nice fences, barns. I enjoyed dropping in for fences to you.
ReplyDeletei don't think i have visited you since last year - so i will say Happy New Year to you!! i have been cutting back on my blogging and commenting. lots to do. i hope you are well. i love the shot of your daughter. so pretty. gorgeous horse too! have a great 2015!! ( :
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post. I so enjoyed your stroll back in time to your childhood and the family farm and your horse. Loved the photos too. Especially the 2nd one with the horses.
ReplyDeleteThose are great looking horses. And what a sweet pic of your daughter!
ReplyDelete~
The photos are pretty. Glad I stopped by to see the horses and the vegan soap.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog.
Peace :)
What fabulous shots.
ReplyDeleteI had a horse....Lucky was her name.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your days of memory here today. My fondest memory on the farm was the hay mow. As a kid, when the chores were done, my brothers strung a thick rope from the barn's rafters and we'd play there for hours...swinging and jumping into the fresh green hay...what a wonderful scent.
Gorgeous pics, especially the last one :) What a lovely smile :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a barn nor a horse. I did have a hutch and two rabbits and a big back acre lawn to traverse in those boots you describe. Every morning. Every evening. November, December, January, February, March, and April were very long. You've made me grateful for the cat this morning.
ReplyDeleteFarmgirls are natural beauties. What a wonderful picture. Even the horse is smiling.
Stay cozy over there!
How fun to find a barn with your maiden name to start the memories flowing.
ReplyDeleteAs a teenager I went horseback riding a lot but didn't have the desire for my own horse. At the stables I frequented they had a wild pair of palominos named Bonnie and Clyde that were only for the more experienced rider.
Staying warm in winter is important and even though hubby laughs at some of my hats, my ears are toasty!
My sister and I worked a stable for awhile. I loved the barn in the fall and spring, loved the horsey smell. But watering 20 horses in winter was murder!
ReplyDeleteJudy, thank you so much for helping me with my blog. This week I have been thinking of reverting back to blogger. But, I'm wondering about the followers already on G+. I updated to the G+page from G+ profile and I seem to be having more problems. Anyhoo, I moved my `follow by email` where it could be seen. How do I link my posts? I appreciate your help.
ReplyDeleteI love these pictures, it sounds like a really nice memory.i grew up on the countryside and there's something about the smells, I don't know but I just like it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful post in picture and thought. Nicely done, my friend.
ReplyDeleteLovely post! I love all the silos in the first pic. Sweet shot of your daughter.
ReplyDeleteYou can enjoy things better when you're dressed for the weather! I love your photos. Have a great weekend sweet friend! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteJudy, wonderful memories. I do love seeing the barns and silos..and working farms.. The horses and cows are my favorites.. Cute shot of your Daughter and her horse. Thank you in advance for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeletePS, thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteAre you comparing your winter garb now to say, your childhood? It sounds like you've had some experience with less easy outerwear. I remember the bread bags--I thought it was to keep our feet dry, maybe there were holes in our boots, I don't remember --it might have just been to ease the foot stuffing into boot.
ReplyDeleteWhat a barn picture--would you call that a "Gaggle" of silos?
I always enjoy your photos!! I hope you are doing well!! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know what Neoprene boots were until I read this blog! But yes... you are blessed... There is so much in the World that is going on that us Americans have no idea about, we are the lucky ones.
ReplyDeleteI Hope you're well!! And I Hope you have a great upcoming week!
Much love to you,
Tammy
PS... As usual, I LOVE your photos!
Love those silos and of course that cutie with her horse. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteI love this barn with all the silos in the background! I'm working on my attitude this year. It isn't a resolution, but I need an adjustment. Seems all I did last year was complain about this or that. So even though we have a newly elected boss, and she has a narcissistic personality, I'm not going to complain. lol
ReplyDeleteMore beauties. And yes, we are very, very fortunate. If you find that ancient photo of yourself and your horse, be sure to share it with us. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty old barn complex! Loved hearing about your horse memories. I've always adored those animals. Ah, I remember all to well about buckles on rubber boots and gloves that got soggy in a hurry. Thank goodness for modern materials like polartec and fleece!
ReplyDelete