A summer or two ago I had the old stone wall out front by the road repaired. After a hundred years old it was finally caving. It made a valiant effort all those years but now that front drywall presented too much truth for a public face- in what this neighborhood has become, at least.
On the other hand, at a hundred and fifty years of age, the wall at the back field is a ruin. And that's how it will stay: viewed only by me, or a few kids cutting through, who take no notice of an old drywall. Those kids don't give a thought about who farmed the great stones, fit together the jigsaw of irregular shapes, had the patience to wait for plow or harrow or frost to mine the flat capstones.
In memoriam I light that ruined wall, and stone slab bench. The old settlers who built the wall are laughing in their great beyond that the slab alone would cost over $1,000 to buy and move and place today. It's worth much more just where it is - holding up English Ivy, framing Bracken. To the upwardly mobile who live beyond, should they by any slim chance stop to examine their lives, there is the lesson the ruined wall could teach them about 'Here' versus 'There', and not making judgment. On the other hand, at a hundred and fifty years of age, the wall at the back field is a ruin. And that's how it will stay: viewed only by me, or a few kids cutting through, who take no notice of an old drywall. Those kids don't give a thought about who farmed the great stones, fit together the jigsaw of irregular shapes, had the patience to wait for plow or harrow or frost to mine the flat capstones.
True, dat (as the kids say). When I was a boy, I would sometimes sit and think about old buildings and tools and imagine what it was like to live back then. We might be surprised what some kids think about. I actually still get nostalgic about old draw-knives when I think of what a staple they once were to the carpenters of old. Now they hang on walls for decoration mostly.
ReplyDeleteI adore old things. My kid, not o much. The auctioneers will have a field day here one day. So be it. :)) Until then, I'll enjoy the imaginings they bring.
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