My Barn and the Wreaths

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October 01, 2018

One of the very best things about living in an 1840’s farmhouse is that it has a barn! Having a spouse, who is a writer as a vocation and an avid reader as an avocation, trends to a lifestyle of not having the barn filled-up with “spouse tools”, a workshop, sports equipment or motorized adult size “toys”.

After we moved into our old house – we got the bad news; over the years, the barn had slowly slid off of its original foundation – and we had to have the entire foundation rebuilt. Now repaired and safe; delightfully, it looks like the sides of the barn still rest on old stone walls!

Now, I consider the barn “my barn”. It is used for a garage in terrible weather but it also is a great place to store items for staging homes – and my collection of wreaths.

I love pretty wreaths!

I have a front door that is exposed to all types of weather – but I have a side door and a covered porch; I use much more ornate wreathes on the side porch. I change both wreaths about every 2 months – so I have a lot of pretty wreaths!

I have two walls of wreaths in my barn. They are covered with see-through plastic bags (dry cleaning bags are perfect). It feels like I measure the passage of the seasons by changing my wreaths. My wreath for August and September is filled with bright sunflowers and dahlias. My wreath for October and November is filled with straw ribbon, gourds and seasonal dried flowers. The big ribbon is all of the colors of fall leaves. I also put a big wire basket (thank you Brimfield!) of pumpkins on my front granite steps under the pretty autumn wreath.

At Christmastime, a pine bough wreath, on the front door, is festooned with old fashioned Christmas bulbs, in traditional colors, with red ribbon. At night, the wreath lights up with tiny white lights. I also put a big wreath on my barn at Christmas! The wreath has a big red plaid bow – and it also is ablaze, at night, with tiny white lights.

After the holidays, in January, I take down the Christmas decorations – and begin my wreath rotation again…such a nice way to enjoy the change of seasons!

By Valerie Achorn

Valerie Achorn, M.P.A., President of Simplified Lives has many years of experience managing moves for clients around the country. Holding a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from Harvard University, Valerie brings a broad management background and savvy networking skills to Simplified Lives.

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