Monday, May 09, 2011

Glimpsing a Quieter Time

Visited the Shaker Village
at Pleasant Hill in Kentucky
this past weekend.


The Shakers are long gone,
but a non-profit group has restored the village
to more of what it was like
back in the day.


While it seems quaint and old fashioned today,
when the village was at its peak in the 1800's
they were ahead of their time,
including having the best and latest in farm equipment.


Today it is a shock to see
a horse team pulling a plow or discs,
but it was a beautiful thing.
No tractor roar or fumes
and fertilizer added as you go.
Plus, the sound in the air
was the song of dozens
of small birds.


I was fascinated by this window to the past.
The Shakers controlled this land from 1806 to 1910.
At that time hundreds of people lived and farmed here.


Such historical sites teach us
not only who we were,
but a little about who we still may be.


And they remind us of the beauty and dignity
of a horse drawn plow
on a spectacular spring day.