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| I could not find a "perfect" photo of the old house as I remembered it. This one sets the mood a little of the house and grounds. There was a driveway leading to the house and green grass. |
Recently I wrote in a previous blog about trying to find a beautiful old farmhouse that I had not seen for many years, about fourteen years to be exact. Around 1997-98, some of my relatives and I would attend a country auction in La Follette, Tennessee. My mom, aunt, uncle and I would usually attend this auction together on Saturday nights. I had remembed one afternoon, we had driven up this old road, farther north from the old auction barn and had come across the most beautifiul old farmhouse. The scene took my breath away and I had remembered an old water pump in the yard, the kind that is pumped by hand. You would think you were back in the 1930s when looking at this house and the grounds. Of course I had no camera with me at that time but I had never forgotten this memory. I have thought about it often through the years.
About two weeks ago, Clint and I went to Kentucky for an overnight trip. On the way up, we drove up Old Middlesboro Road looking for the old house. On the way down, we looked for the old house. Somehow we had even missed seeing the old auction barn. We never found the old house, it is possible there might have been one stretch of the old road that we missed. I plan on searching one more time but the mystery may be already be solved.
A couple of days ago I was at my aunt's house and was talking to her former caregiver. My aunt passed away about two months ago. Somehow the topic of auctions came up and the caregiver said my aunt wanted to be taken for a drive to see the old auction barn and an old farmhouse. "FARMHOUSE?" The caregiver said my aunt was so upset that they could not find the beautiful old farm house or the old auction barn. My aunt had the caregiver to stop the car and ask farmers and a storekeeper if they had any knowledge about these two sites. Sure enough, my aunt had also remembered this old farmhouse being on the right after passing a curve.
They were told the old farmhouse had been torn down. (Fourteen years ago I remember it looked to be in great shape) They learned the old auction barn had burned down and a metal prefab building was on that site. Gerl, the owner of the auction, was very thoughtful to call mom and me, giving us the dates and info about the auctions.
The old farmhouse is gone, my mother's mind is gone, my aunt's gone, my uncle's gone, the old auction barn is gone and while Googling for this post, I learned that Gerl, the owner of the auction barn passed away on May 8, 2011 at the age of 56. This Twilight Zone is getting to be a bit much for me ...
9 comments:
The timeless wisdom of the bible addresses the "things of this world". They are temporary, even though in our human minds we somehow think they are permanent.
Probably a good thing we never found the old farmhouse. It lives better in your memory. Have you ever noticed how time so often changes the beauty of past grandeur for the worse? We cannot recapture splendor in the grass....
Great-looking old farmhouse, Cindy. It would be awesome to prowl around inside.
Only 56? It's another link in a very unfortunate chain of events, Cindy. I'm truly sorry that your story about the old farmhouse ended this way. I agree with Clint. Oft times when we try to go back and recapture a special moment from the past all we manage to do is corrupt our memory of it.
You might recall our discussion a couple of months ago about my return to the Shady Dell as an adult in 1984. I went back hoping to get a contact high from the place, recharge my batteries and drink from the fountain of youth. What I found left me deflated and depressed and contaminated my original happy memories. The Dell of the 1980s was not the merry, magical, musical place that delighted me in the 60s. It was silent, dark, dingy and dilapidated and, as you reminded me at the time, appeared smaller in dimension than I remembered it to be.
You are fortunate, Cindy, if you choose to look at it that way. Your memories of that quaint farmhouse, the old auction barn and of Gerl remain intact. They haven't been tarnished. They are yours to keep and no one can take them away from you. Cherish them.
Come not from scarcity but from abundance. There are other perfect spots waiting to be discovered and other fond memories to be made.
That's sad :-(((( Sorry for you to hear about.
Greetings
Like you Cindy, I love old things. The old farmhouse..once smelled of cooking and ecchoed with the sounds of people living their lives. Happy and sad times were recorded within the walls..then all gone.. to quiet and stillness. It is sad. Glad you shared it. Blessings and love. Crystal xx
Carol ... It sure would be fun to roam around in an old house like this but things like rats and snakes might put a big damper on the fun! I do always wonder about the families and their stories that resided in these old abandoned houses. Thank you, Carol! Have a relaxing weekend!
Shady ... Perfectly said, Shady. It was sad to read of how you felt depressed after you visited the Shady Dell in the 1980s. Really, I am not surprised and it does go back to that splendor in the grass quote ... about nothing bringing back the "glory of the flower" and finding "strength in what remains behind." In the early 90s there was to be held a reunion and dance on my old high school's basketball court/gym. At first I was so excited and even thought maybe I could recapture those old times. As it turned out, for some reason I didn't even attend.
"Come not from scarcity but from abundance" was such a good quote. I Googled it to find the author and it appears I know the author ... the author is YOU! I could not find this exact quote.
BTW, on your blog we are acquainted with some of the sounds and sights from the former Shady Dell. What about some of the scents and smells from the Shady Dell? Did they have a popcorn machine? A fireplace? Colognes, aftershave and perfume scents? I have often wondered what was the popular scents at the time for the guys? And girls? I found a little spray can of Wind Song a while back at the drug store. If I want to remember the old Dragon's Den dances, I just have to spray a little of that 1960s scent. :-) Thank you, Shady, have a relaxing weekend and spend some time in the shade. :-)
Petra ... Yesterday Clint showed me how to use the translater on your blog. This should help me read your blog better and be able to leave comments. Thank you, faithful friend, for your visits and comments to my blog. Wish we could sit down and have some tea together! ♥
Dear Crystal Mary ... I left comments on your last two blogs. Thank you so much for your comment on this blog. I hope you are home by the time you read this. I said a prayer for you this morning, Clint and I were thinking of you this morning, too. I hope you are pain free and that your irregular heart beat is better. Our love to you and your family. ♥
Hi, Cindy! Ever notice that your comments section is longer than most peoples blog posts? That indicates a high level of interest in who you are and what you're doing. To answer your questions, the Dell didn't have a popcorn machine during the years I was there. The barn had a fireplace and in winter the smell of smoke from burning logs hung in the air. Lots of guys wore English Leather and Old Spice but I experimented with different scents like Hai Karate and one that probably few people remember, Hawaiian Surf. My scarcity/abundance quote is merely a reshuffling of the principles that I learned in "est" (Erhard Seminars Training) a series of motivational programs that I took part in during the early 80s just before I became an NLP trainer. I hope you and Clint have a great weekend, too, dear friend!
Thank you, Shady, for answering my questions. I have had those questions on my mind for some time, now. I will have to look up Hawaiian Surf, I don't remember hearing about that one. The motivational programs would be an interest of mine. Just today I typed the word "motivational" in my blog draft that I did not get finished to post this evening. Hopefully early in the morning I can finish it. This evening Clint has been trying to "motivate" me to get a backbone! I think it's working. :-) Good Saturday night to you and Mrs. Shady and Toto!
Oh my gosh and LOL ... I knew I was beyond exhausted last night before bed but did not realize I did not know what day it was when I thought it was Saturday as in "Good Saturday night to you and Mrs. Shady and Toto! Oh well, one way to look at it is the wishes were made a day early!
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