Big House, Little House, Back house, Barn

Dear Diary,

Funny how some place you see all the time suddenly triggers a memory.  This old farmhouse is one I see every week but this week it made me pause and photograph it.  First, it was the dark sky and the contrasting sunlight that caught my eye and then an old jump rope song entered my head..."Big House Little House Back House Barn" which is also the name of a wonderful book of rural New England architecture.

The connected dwelling is very prevalent in my area.  In fact, my little farmhouse is a modified version of this variety only after "barn" I have "studio".  I can walk from one end of my house to the other in my slippers in a blizzard...no need to go out side which is a very convenient feature in this climate. 

Thinking of jump rope songs, I remember my grandmother telling me about my early efforts to learn.  Because I had very long hair, big fat "banana" curls my grandmother would brush each morning around a broom handle, my rope would constantly get hung up on my curls and I became very frustrated; foot stomping, red faced frustrated.  She said she would watch me from the kitchen window but finally I mastered it.  I loved all the songs that went with solitary jumping and "double Dutch".  Personal favorites, "A my name is Alice..." and  "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear".  Many of them ended with "hot pepper", when you would jump as fast as you could.  In the beginning I just used a length of clothes line but then I went to Woolworth's to get a "real" one with red wooden handles.

And I thought I was just making a photograph of the dark sky and sunlight...