Ten days til Christmas

Dreams of barns, watercolor card

What is it about a barn that captivates our attention and imagination? Even city folks have these stereotypical images in their minds, and for those of us who've lived on the Great Plains and in the mountains, we know they come in all shapes and sizes and colors, from mere sheds to gigantic structures you can see for miles. Those aren't being built any more, as agriculture increasingly goes in for post and lintel metal buildings, but still.... Everywhere across this country in rural areas, those barns stand as sentinels to a way of life, to hope and living, of dreams and memories and changing ways.
 I remember how Mom would snipe at me to shut the door with "What's wrong with you, were you born in a barn?
This season celebrates the birth of one who was born in a barn. Stop and think about the words, Away in a manger..."