Thursday, October 19, 2006

Stone Chimney

This stone chimney is all that remains and it stands there year & year. I have passed this beautiful stone chimney for several years now and as I pass by, my thoughts are taken back in time to a place many years ago, when a house surrounded this fireplace. And I wonder how many children stood in front of this fireplace to warm themselves on a cold wintery night, as their mother put the finishing touches on supper while their father was still out in the barn feeding the old milk cow and putting her up safely for the night.
After the dishes were done and the children bathed mother would pull out her knitting, while dad read scriptures from the Bible out loud to the children as they lay bundled in one of mothers hand made quilts.

Of course, he read by the light of an old oil lamp but, have you ever tried to read by this light? When our electricity was out last, Jimmy told me stories of reading every night by this light and we both tried it and it has got to be the dimmest light, a little above candle light. Of course, our vision isn't what it used to be when we were young either. Jimmy grew up in the country and didn't have electricity until he was 18 years old and I on the other hand never knew what it was like not to have it. So, this old chimney was more like in Jimmy's day...so I imagine.
There used to be an old log cabin that stood here and like most log cabins, they get bought and moved to other places...Where they can be on display and charged admission to see. I don't know what happened to this one but, I know it was dismantled and taken away.
Some of the beautiful stones have been removed from the front side of the chimney, but most remain. It didn't look like anyone had been there in quite sometime because there weren't any paths leading to it, with brush & weeds growing all around it.

While we're out riding, these are the perfect, out of the way places, that I love to stop and rest at...take a break from riding and walk around and let my imagination run wild.

"Take only pictures and leave only footprints"
It's a good rule to follow when you're walking around what appears to be abandoned property...Well, it's a good rule to follow when you're anywhere actually and I was quite surprised and very happy to see the lack of trash on this piece of property, that is so easily accessible by car.

I'm sorry that I haven't been reading your posts lately but we are still busy working with wood and today we are going to help the Four Bears gather wood in for the winter. I'll catch up as soon as I can, but I'm not used to carrying wood and each night I'm so tired that I drop into bed around 9:00 pm. Have a nice day.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful imaginary story,wish i was there in that little cabin being read to by a little lamp light.
Great post,I loved it.

I was home early for work and took a ride on my bike, the trees were beautiful and I was lost in them.

Tracy said...

Lovely blog with lovely photos!

I would be so tempted to go out to that chimney one night with friends and make a fire in the fireplace! But I think that would be breaking the "Take only pictures and leave only footprints" rule!

Alipurr said...

good to hear from you, pretty stone chimney with flowers, nice story

don't work too hard

Carole Burant said...

Anytime I see an abandoned building or what you show here, a lone chimney, I always wonder who lived there and what their lives were like. So much history in such a small stone structure!!

Susie said...

Gathering wood sounds like hard work! I loved how you wove the story about the chimney.
Don't overdo!

Kerri said...

Very 'Little House on the Prairyish' story :) You have a creative imagination (that reminds me...I'm missing Cucoo).
That's a really lovely chimney.
Don't overdo with the wood. It's easy to hurt your back when you're not used to using some of those muscles as much as you're doing at the moment. Be careful! (please) :)

LZ Blogger said...

Sandy ~ Cool fireplace... you can almost visualize what the house may have lokked like that it was built around. I have a friend how has a rock house built in the late 1800's and boy is it cool. ~ jb///

Pear tree cottage! said...

We both walk the same path you and I. the wonder of moments and pieces from days gone bye make my heart skip a beat and I wish sometimes if I could only just step back there and truely see for myself............You have done this for me today with your lovely post and description of the life of this little log cabin.

take care and do not work too hard with carrying of the fire wood.

see you again real soon.
Lee-ann

Susan Tidwell said...

Love the chimney! I love to find things like this while out riding or hiking. We figure this is what our place will look like many years from now, just the chimney still standing.

Finn said...

Gorgeous pictures Sandy....*VBS* I would love to see that old stone chimney. And I also would love to have a new log cabin built up around it..LOL, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride..and if wishes were watches, I'd wear on by my side...*VBS* Hugs, Finn

HORIZON said...

Lovely old stone - l love wooden houses that have stone chimneys like this one. Watch your back with carrying that wood!
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