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| From My Own Farm Bell |
Edna’s Farm Bell at the Edge of the Wildwood
I’ve never lived on a farm, nor had any connection with farming, although, of course, many of my forebears did. However, I have always wanted to have a farm bell mounted in my garden as a remembrance of those bygone days of simpler times. What a surprise it was last Christmas when my son’s family gave us an old farm bell that they had found in Warrenton, Virginia.
Well, good Captain Cliff does not like to work outside when the weather is cold, so the old farm bell sat, packed and boxed, all winter long in the garage, where we bumped and crashed into it whenever we were entering or exiting our vehicles. It was in the early Spring, when we were visiting a home on the Eastern Shore, that I was captivated by another old farm bell. It was so charming and I took photographs of it and even blogged one of them: Old Farm Bell
After we returned home, and I posted my pictures, Captain Cliff became a bit eager to install my Farm Bell. He opened the box and unpacked it, and to our suprise, it was identical in every way, including the manufacturer’s name, to the one that we had see at the Maryland home. How delightful! So we tried to copy that one, including the new black paint.
My son suggested that we not paint it; that we leave it in its original patina, as it is in this photograph. I think now that we should have heeded him, but we didn’t. This photograph is how it appeared before the paint job. We have not yet been able to find proper cotton roping for the pull cord, but we are still looking. This synthetic rope is not quite right, but it is all we have.
Edna, I came across your farm bell while trying to get ideas on how mine should be hung. My husband and I found one that is exactly the same as yours I don’t know how long ago. My husband died in 2003 and I still wanted to hang the bell. He always said that wherever on our farm he was, I could ring the bell and he could come on home. The man who is doing work at my sanctuary and my home hung the bell today but it just doesn’t look right. I’m thinking possibly the post is too big around and maybe too tall. Would you mind telling me how large and tall your post is? Yours looks perfect. And I really like your blog.