Barns
We
all have pet peeves and one of mine is hearing the complaint, “Someone ought to do something!” It may be an unsafe playground,
abused children, isolated elderly, or any number of things. But just who is that ‘someone’ who should do something? Get
busy and make a positive difference! Trying to make a difference means networking, referring, educating, encouraging, speaking
out, supporting, assisting, donating, thinking and acting creatively. It means not taking “can’t be done” or “we’ve always
done it that way” for an answer. Visit www.barnlady1.com to see what I mean.
Email me to share your thoughts on what you’re doing and what is working or not working, especially as it pertains to saving heritage barns and other structures. We can learn from one another and one thing I know for sure is that teamwork begins with dropping the E from Ego so we can GO get something done together!
It was in the
process of working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save a barn in Ionia, Michigan, (visit
www.barnlady1.com for the full story) where Wal*Mart was building a super-center,
that I acquired the nickname “The Barn Lady.” Of course, I don’t hold exclusive title to it. There are several of us around
the United States.
Large-scale projects like the one in Ionia are rare. More often, trying to make a difference means networking, referring, educating, encouraging, speaking out, and photographing.