Memories

After almost five years of being on the market, my grandparents' farm sold last week.  It is bittersweet for me.  The land was not being used and honestly needed to be sold, however, so much of my life was spent on the farm.  I am happy that it has been sold to farmers who are going to make good use of the land and are already working to restore the old house and barn, but it also means that it is no longer in my family. 

For starters, the farm held a classic red Vermont barn.  One my cousins and I spent many hours playing in.  Its old milk house had become our club house and many dares were made around the old hayloft.  We were lucky we never fell though any of the old boards.  It was the type of barn that tourist and locals stop to take pictures of, and I hope more than anything else that the new owners will restore it to its old glory. 

 In addition to the farm, there were several remnants of the past.  My grandfather had kept three old Ford tractors in working condition along with an old Jeep.  All of these were things that he would often take us along for the ride on.  I have several memories bumping up the hill to the blackberry bushes in that old Jeep.  There were also several old broken down cars along what used to be an old country road along the back portion on the farm.  This was by far one of my favorite places to walk with my mother when we would visit the farm.  There was something magical about that old country lane that I will miss dearly. 

 Along with the amazing land surrounding the farm, there were all the little places hidden within the house. My favorite place was a bed upstairs next to an old bookcase.  Both of my grandparents were avid readers and it was evident throughout the house.  Even before I could read I would sit on the bed and flip through the pages of classics such as "Call Of The Wild" and look at the pictures in the books I would someday sit there reading. 

I am sad that I will no longer be able to visit the farm, but I am hopeful that the new family that will live there will make many memories of their own, and put the land to good use.  It is what my grandparents would have wanted.