We’ve descended into a dreary, cold and borderline icy low stratus/fog weather period. We were going to go hear Michael Perry (Coop, Truck – a Love Story, and Population 485 ) speak tonight, but the roads seemed a bit dodgy to drive 45 minutes both ways. We did go to a panel discussion about literary agents and editors yesterday, part of a writing symposium at ISU – the panel consisted to agents, and editors from Milkweed Press, and Orion magazine.
So what we did do was head down to the pasture to keep hacking away at deconstructing the old granary.
Inside there are some nice boards that will be beautiful once they are planed down a bit.
Most of the nails are the old square-headed type. We’re saving as many as we can, especially the interior nails which are still in pretty good shape.
What kind of wood is that?
The wood is old-growth pine – much stronger than new pine since the it grew so much slower and the grain in much tighter.
White pine is not local to your area, is it?
No, while white pine is native to NE Iowa, it is not native to central Iowa. Most of the lumber in the state came from MN/WI, mostly via train. Our neighbors have a mail order Sears and Roebuck house that came via train, with instructions from around the turn of the century (1900, not 2000)!
Good wood in old barns! I have a gate-leg drop leaf table my Grandfather made in 1932, from walnut from an old barn in NW Missouri.