Sunday, January 17, 2016
Pine Buff, Arkansas

Here in the Delta, regardless of some misguided rumors, we accept new concepts and ideas just like everyone else.  Apparently, what we also do when those new ideas and concepts lock-in and become routine is to not jettison all of the paraphernalia, structures, and other bits and pieces associated with the concepts and ideas that were superseded by time and trend.

Hence, here in Lower Arkansas, it's commonplace to see certain parts of our landscape rife with old buildings, old vehicles, and other vintage knick-knacks to remind us of days past.

What Might It Have Been?

It appears that this structure was originally a cord-crib or some sort of a small barn.  Then again, I could be entirely wrong.  One thing for sure:  It is old.  Past that, your guess is as good as mine.

Perhaps we like history.

Perhaps we are having so much fun with our new stuff we can’t find the time to dispose of, sell, give away, burn, have demolished, or otherwise part company with those things we formerly considered essential and non-negotiable.

Perhaps it costs too much to banish from sight, so we decide that the most economically sound method is to let Mother Nature and the laws of physics take care of the task for us.

Or, perhaps our reluctance to let go encompasses a bit of all of the above.

The Last Rose of Summer

No discussion of abandoned thingies is complete without mentioning a vehicle.  This old truck appears to sport a homemade lifting device, a handy piece of equipment to have on a farm, where this vehicle is now enjoying retirement.  The old truck worked for a while — maybe a long while — then, one day, its handiness disappeared like the last rose of summer.

In the greater scheme of things, we’ll probably never know the answers to the several questions posed here because — even after all these years— we still have not figured it out.  And even the most liberal of grant-passer-outers would not touch research into this subject with a ten-foot pole.  That said, the answers will remain mysteries.  I hope you can sleep tonight.

Don't You Call Me Old!

After all this old stuff, here’s a glance at some relatively new residents of the Delta.  They are part of a herd that grazes on the Arkansas River levee.  It’s a symbiotic relationship.  The levee needs the grass mowed, and the cattle need something to eat.  As a bonus, they also fertilize the levee with material we normally associate with politics.