Take 5 with Kathy - "Old things..."

Sugar Moon Farm, Nova Scotia

I love spending time looking at old things…ancient ruins, antique kitchen utensils, time-honored majestic churches, early musical instruments, classic old-world town squares, medieval castles, ancestral homesteads, old-fashioned clothing, timeworn fishing boats, crumbling graveyards, aging statues, decrepit barns…it causes me to ponder  times I never experienced and become immersed in wondering what it would be like to live when those old things were the newest reality.

Wentworth Valley, Nova Scotia

Last Sunday, my husband and I took the day to just relax and do some things we’ve found mutually enjoyable since our dating years – going for a drive to view the stunning fall colours, getting off on little side roads to explore what many people don’t take time to see, and of course, sharing our joy of photography. Along the way, we saw many “old things” that captured our attention.

Sugar Moon Farm, Nova Scotia

One place we happened upon was a maple sugar farm. Surprised they were open in the off-season we followed the long country driveway into the camp and discovered they even had a small dining room serving everything from pancakes to omelette’s all flavoured in some way with maple products. They even offered a short tour of the maple sugaring shack, reminiscent of by-gone days but upgraded with modern stainless steel equipment. They still retain the old tradition, however, of using a wood-fired furnace. The pungent aroma of burning wood  took me back to my childhood when we visited the maple sugar farms in the early spring…watching them boil down the sap, the heat from the fires, the sweet fragrance of the maple syrup, and anticipating them ladling out freshly made maple syrup on the snow so we could sample the quickly hardening maple “candy”. It seems funny talking about this in the fall season, but it was really novel being there this time of year. We went for a long walk in the deep woods surrounding their farm, with one eye and ear open to the sounds and sights of rustling leaves under our feet and the other keeping watch for wildlife – this is deer, bear, and coyote country!

Sugar Moon Farm, Nova Scotia

As we walked along, we came across a few old things which you can see in my pictures. Of special fascination was the rusting piece of farm equipment in which a tree had grown right through the wheel!  “That’s been there for a few decades,” my husband remarked. We also happened upon a tiny old sugar shack probably dating back to the early 1900’s. What a view from there! Even though the spectacular red leaves had fallen from the sugar maples, we still thoroughly enjoyed the lovely colours God has given us to appreciate.

Sugar Moon Farm, Nova Scotia

Old things are fun and intriguing, but we often have to leave them behind in order to move on and be stimulated to embrace new things…fresh opportunities, modern equipment, up-dated technology, innovative ideas and methodology, renovated homes, creative business initiatives…these things employ the ingenuity, curiosity, and wisdom which God has put within us.

We are also encouraged by Paul in Ephesians 4:22-24 to, “…put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

It’s important to remember where we came from, but vital to keep moving ahead!

Until next Sunday,

Kathy

Joining:

Seasonal Sunday
Farmhouse Friday