Cutting the power

Our barn roof started to leak many years ago. Richard bought materials to fix it, but got sidetracked before he could repair it. The leak did not heal itself, and the roof started leaking more and more, and then rotting. And then it needed a new roof, not just a repair job. Richard concluded that the barn basically sucked. It was poorly constructed and designed, and not really usable. Bottom line: he was not going to spend any more money on the barn. When it collapsed, we would build a new barn. He used the materials to fix the roof on another part of the house.

The roof was still hanging on, up until the ice and snow storm that hit here a few weeks ago. It really did not seem to be that bad of a storm, but the ice was heavy and the snow was heavy. Many metal buildings in town were damaged -- $3 million in damage at the walnut mill.

The walls of the barn are still standing and seem solid enough...



but all of the roof rafters are now cracked and sagging dangerously. Part of the roof came down on top of the pack rat's nest.

Richard decided we better cut the power to the barn to avoid live wires on the ground, a short in the electric circuit, and possibly a fire, and so the power company sent a man out in his bright red truck.



It was starting to drizzle, and I wanted to ask him if it was such a good idea for him to be messing about with electricity in the rain. But I didn't ask, and I guess that it was starting to rain didn't matter.



He did his job and the lines were cut, and now the barn is truly dead. Soon it will be a pile of rubble. I am somewhat sad to see this happening. But it is too late now to fix it -- a stitch in time really does save nine -- but perhaps eventually a much better barn will take its place.