I started my day shifts this week. Getting up at 4:30 AM is a bit of a shock to the system, and I'm still trying to figure out when I need to eat to get through the day. But it feels good to be able to drive home from work and not worry about falling asleep behind the wheel! And on the days I don't work I have the whole day to accomplish whatever my goals are, instead of having to sleep all morning or try to nap in the afternoon. I feel much more productive and sane!
The picture is from my trip back from Iowa last month. I took a side trip when I saw a sign for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. I was expecting fields of virgin prairie, which were there, but there is also a wonderful old ranch with huge limestone buildings. The limestone was quarried locally in the 1870's and the rancher recognized the fact that the best use if the land was to leave the native vegetation and use it wisely for grazing cattle. This building, believe it or not, was the chicken coop! Notice the sod roof. Classic prairie style. (The second picture is the inside with a roost and a bit of straw for effect.)
The last picture is the most impressive three story barn. Notice the ramps up to the hay lofts. They are wide enough to drive a hay wagon up there to move the hay in or out. The whole barn is the size of a small city block. It's enough to make this small ranchette owner very envious....
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Another Transition
Posted by
nancyturtle
at
9:45 AM
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4 comments:
I love the sod roof! I attended a wedding of some older friends when I was in high school. The family home was a very old limestone farmhouse on a hill. The windows were set into the walls at least two and a half feet and they were centered in the wall, equidistant inside and out. The upstairs wasn't heated and they had many huge fluffy blankets.
Thanks for triggering that memory.
Apparently Google doesn't like my barn picture. I'll have to try again later to get it posted.
I forgot to say: "Welcome to the daylight, o creature of the night!"
Thanks. It's 8:30 PM and I'm thinking about going to bed. And I don't have to work tomorrow!
I didn't really notice where the windows were in the limestone walls, but I bet they were something like you remember. My straw walls are about 18 inches thick and we had the options of at the inside edge, centered or at the outside edge. We chose the outside to maximize the space inside. We have shelf space at every window.
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