The Dixie Barn - I
Originally an old dairy farm, the barn was built in an unknown year but the farthest back on documentation we can find has it listed on an old tax record in 1946. We assume its been there longer than that but there is no one who knows that we can ask. We asked Brooklyn’s grandparents in they have any photos of it back in its hay day but there response was “We didn’t have a camera”. We will have to use our imagination.
What we can tell is that there are two rooms separated by a hallway. One has a door to the outside and on the other side to to back of the barn. The other has a window and a door that opens to the hall way. The hallway leads to a large back area that has since fallen down. There appears to be a small lean-to on the right side. There are two openings on either side and what used to the a large barn door on the back center. The wood is beautiful but badly deteriorated. We will save what we can.
Earlier we mentioned that it had been used as storage mostly. That appears to be the case for a long while. There is wood stacked three foot high that spans the entire back area. Boxes of memories from various years. Old furniture, some in decent condition and some warped beyond recognition. And the glass bottles. There has to be a hundred different kinds of glass bottles littering the entire structure. Apparently chili powder was a necessity back in the day because there are about twenty bottles labeled as such in varying sizes. So many treasures hidden but no easy way to get to them. First, we need to clear around the structure.
We load up the dogs, the baby, the four-wheeler, and the chainsaw and head out to the property on a Friday. We will start with cutting the stuff up next to the barn and piling it up away so that we can brush hog the rest. Brooklyn straps on Baby Hope in her carrier and Jaken gets his gloves on and revs up the chainsaw. The dogs, Duke and Duri, are having a blast exploring their new future home. After a few hours of hand clearing up next to the barn we take a break to grab some lunch and take Hope to Jaken’s mom. We then resume the hand clearing as much as we can with the remaining light. Jaken’s sister and brother-in-law pop over to see things and take a ride through the land. One can only explain in words so much, to understand you just have to see. We end the day with dinner back at Jaken’s mom’s house where we stay the night.
The next day we wake up early and go grab breakfast with Jaken’s grandparents at the local diner that has been a staple of the area since 1956. We discuss the plans for the day and meet back up out at the property with Jaken’s grandpa who brings over a tractor. The clearing process speeds up exponentially with the use of the brush hog to clear all the brush and brambles while we hand clear more. We get creative and drag some of the bigger limbs with the four-wheeler and it become apparent just how long these vines have been growing. Grapevines as thick as your arm intertwine and wrap around everything holding on with all their might. Any time we cut one clear liquid pours out of the opening as if it’s crying. The conflicting feelings of cutting down the nature and honoring the ancient barn well up but sacrifices must be made so we continue the clearing.
Toward the end of the day we get a surprise visit from the king and queen of the land themselves, Bettie and Charlie rode out on their four-wheeler to check on the progress. It is a so sweet to see them together riding up, Bettie with her curlers in and Charlie showing her their land. She said it was the first time she had seen the hay field in years and didn't truly realize how big it was. We resonated with her as we felt the same when we saw it and still do.
As we near the end of the day we turn and look at our work and see the full structure of the barn now fully realized. It is it quite bad shape but the hope of a new future shines through. We now have the space around it to get into it properly and to rebuild. It is sad to see the earth so disrupted with the ruts and mud the wheels have made but a necessary evil to bring the land back to its former glory. We cap the day with a ride across the hay field as the sun sets and the dogs run full speed across the open land. Pure joy flowing from their open mouths to their flowing tails. This is the freedom they deserve, the freedom we desire.
