Cove Barn

I always thought a big barn would be a great addition to a piece of property. I was living in a fantasy world. The home we bought was once a working farm that at one time had a huge barn. We have a picture of it standing. Luckily, when we bought, it was no long upright. You see, barns are big time in the upkeep department. And as they all do eventually, barns fall. I do have two adventures associated with barns that I recall. The Allen Avenue apartment house had a barn attached, and while searching the stalls out back one day, I came across a sweet potato. No, not the root vegetable but the musical instrument! An ocarina! I had no idea what it was, but Mom cleaned it up, showed me how to play it, and I had made a new 'friend'. It was faded aqua in color and fit right in my pocket. Tweet! Tweet!
On Washington Avenue, I was older and in summer almost daily ventured up the stairs in the old, musty smelling barn. Dad stored boxes and boxes of remnants of his WW2 experiences on the floor there. There were uniforms with medals, old newspapers highlighting the end of the war, stacks of old books, discarded furniture and one mighty 'find' for me. Two books of Bill Mauldin cartoons featuring the mud-covered Willie and Joe soldiers.
I thought they were so cool.
Now, if the black crows weren't forever coming through the broken windows, I'd probably still be sitting on the floor.
They scared the heck out of me, flappin' about.
Dive-bombing me.
Yikes!
Confounded crows!