Down the lane

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

As I drove down the lane at the McNary Farm, there was a combination of remembrance, new sights, and a touch of rebellion. After all, my family no longer owned the farm, that came to an end many decades ago. So, I was a trespasser on another’s land.

The old granary was still, by and large, standing. The corncrib/machinery shed had long since collapsed, and given up its noble fight against gravity and the elements.  

The barn was pretty much still standing, but its swayback roof was giving in. Not long for this world.

The house had been collapsing for years; the old log portion had fallen in upon itself, and the frame addition had fallen into the stone basement.

The tall fir trees in the front yard had long since been harvested. How I remember the wind howling through those trees on winter nights. It was the most lonesome of sounds.

I was out of the car now; I had gotten out of the car at the barnyard and walked down to the house.

Feeling brave in my illegalities, I decided to walk over to the orchard, about a quarter of a mile behind the house.

I knew the orchard was long gone already.

Yet, there was a surprise. At the back of the orchard, it being April, the Jonquils were in bloom, a huge patch, probably 100 feet across. Then I remembered, in the late 1950s, Dad had transplanted a few of these from the yard at the house. He had also transplanted them along McNary Road, but about 15 years ago, the township had plowed out the drainage ditches alongside the road and destroyed the ones there.

This may seem like a strange recollection for the dark days of December. However, my favorite astrological day of the year is coming soon – Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year.  It is all brightness and renewal after this, just like the Jonquils that thrive in the elements and are not beat down by the winter.

The 21st, followed by the 25th, gives this old soul hope.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.