One morning this week I dressed in a pair of black pants and a black sweater.  As I was leaving, I went to the coat closet and instinctively reached for my black jacket.  Just before I touched it, my hand slide to the red quilted jacket next to it.  When I got to my destination the clerk at the window complimented me on my red jacket.  I explained that I have a similar jacket in black but chose the red today because all black would be so depressing, especially on such a beautiful sunny day.  She mentioned people would be reminded of Johnny Cash; I said, “The man in black.”  Her co-worker joined the conversation in saying that her wardrobe now consisted of a lot of pieces in black.  I mentioned that it helps me “camouflage” a lot of things.  I have enough black pants in my closet to wear a pair each day of the week and then some.  That doesn’t include my summer wardrobe of cropped pants and shorts.  The first lady spoke up and said the camouflage comment remined her of something a man said once, “A barn is a barn no matter what color it is.”  We all laughed.  The second lady said that once, as she was freshening her makeup, a man said to her, “Even an old barn is prettier with a fresh coat of paint.”  Again, we all had a good chuckle. 

The paint colors of the barn, as it turns out, has significance.  The tobacco barns in Kentucky were painted black because the darker colors aided in the curing of tobacco by retaining heat and raising the temperature in the barn.  The oil or creosote also deterred termites.  Red barns had rust or blood from the slaughter added to a mixture of skimmed milk, lime, and linseed oil which left a hardened shell that lasted a long time and had anti-fungi properties.  White barns were typically associated with dairy farming to suggest cleanliness and purity.  The whitewash was made from lime, salt, and water and had antimicrobial properties as well.  The next time you see a barn, note its color, it may just give a clue as to its duty on the farm. 

But, I diverse. As I left there my mind was trying to make sense of why the comparison to barns.  I could have been offended that men would compare women to a barn.  I chose to look at it differently, in a positive way.   Men love their barns.  They trust them with the keep of their most prized possessions.  Their “big boy toys”, their trucks, tractors, 4-wheelers, other equipment, their horses, cattle, other farm animals and even their harvests from the fields.  All these things, part of their livelihood.  A source of income, food or entertainment for their families.  They paint them and adorn them with their family heirloom quilt squares.  Across Kentucky and Appalachia, these old barns stand tall, on guard in the fields, like the matriarch of family, protecting them from the harshness of time and storms.  So, if I must be compared to the broad side of barn - I choose to think of myself a strong woman, the matriarch of my family of three, adorned with my red quilted jacket or basic black and gifts of jewelry; caring for my family and home, protecting them, advising them, supporting them, the best I can from the storms of life. 

My 50 Something Quest – The best me at 53.  Not quite the size of the broad side of barn but a strong loving caregiver, supporter, and protector of my family of 3.