Keep Lofty Thoughts and Make Hay While the Sun Shines

A barn is an agricultural building usually found on farms.  Barns can be used to shelter livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and in some cases grain. The term barn is often qualified as tobacco barn, dairy barn, cow house, sheep barn, horse barn or stable, pig barn and potato barn to name a few.  Dairy and beef cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, and poultry are the most common animals housed in barns.  

Why is a barn painted red?  Rust was plentiful on farms and because it killed fungi and mosses that might grow on barns, it was used in a sealant.  The rust turned the mixture red in colour.  When paint became more available, many people chose red paint for their barns in honour of the tradition.  

Farmers began building barns on hillsides.  This allowed for a full basement with lower-level ground access on one side.  The uphill side allowed upper-level access to the first floor.  This style is called a bank barn.  It was developed to be most efficient during harvest time.  

A loft is a second story wood floor supported by beams and joists.  A hayloft is a space above a barn, stable or cow-shed.  It was used to store hay or other fodder for the animals below.  Many barns have a door at the top.  Its purpose is to make it easier to load hay into the loft.  Usually this was done with a pulley system.  A large opening in an upper gable is usually called a hay door.  This door allows for loading hay into the loft from a hay wagon or a lift.  

Livestock barns often have dirt floors. When you have animals in a barn, the dirt floors provide softer ground to stand or rest on than other types of flooring such as concrete.  A dirt-floored barn is a safe place to store agricultural equipment as well.

Why do barns have high ceilings?  If rain water was allowed to sit on the roof it would eventually soak through. Therefore barns needed to have a very high pitched roof.  This is still true today. 

Farming communities such as the Amish would get together and have a barn raising ‘frolic’.  These groups find joy and value in working cooperatively on these work projects.  Barn raising combines socializing with a practical goal of building or rebuilding a barn and allowing for everyone involved to feel helpful.  

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Barn.

• Spend Time in the Country

• Keep Lofty Thoughts

• Build on a Stable Foundation

• Be a Horse of a Different Colour

• Make Hay While the Sun Shines

• Don’t Leave Your Barn Door Open!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Spend Time in the Country - Take time to get out of the city and get out in the country.

• Keep Lofty Thoughts - Lofts are on the second floor.  Lofty thoughts - dream big.

• Build on a Stable Foundation - A stable foundation provides stability.

• Be a Horse of a Different Colour - Be different.  Be unique.

• Make Hay While the Sun Shines - Make good use of an opportunity while it lasts. 

• Don’t Leave Your Barn Door Open! - As kids, whenever we would forget to close the door, I remember my Mom using the expression. ‘Were you born in a barn?’

Have a great day everyone.  Keep Lofty Thoughts and Make Hay While the Sun Shines.

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