In 1984, the above painting of Poppy's Barn - the barn of John Means Sr. - was skillfully accomplished by his 14 year old son, Jeffrey. It wasn't executed in canvas. It was done on a small 4 inch by 5 inch piece of Masonite. Jeffrey is the brother-in-law of this SRN editor. He is a photographer currently living in New York City where he's been, in Brooklyn, since his graduation from the Maryland Institute of Art following high school.
The extended Means family of Pleasant Valley Maryland orbit around the patriarchic sun of John Means Sr. and his matriarchal partner moon, wife Jean. These powerful people are oriented toward life-saving, generally. There are many firefighters, a nurse, a beautiful and brilliant self-educated theologian (Mrs. SRN) - who successfully works the New York Times acrostic puzzles - and does many many other things.
They are also skilled in making do. John Means has for years farmed 22 acres and raised steers, food for all his family. Fruit trees and a vineyard augment the edible scenery. It is lovely, as the Masonite painting shows.
^.^
An example of making do (just one): Years ago, John Means was employed hanging billboards across a wide region of states. When there were billboards to take down, he had permission to carry home and stockpile many large signs that would have been otherwise discarded. When he had enough, he built that barn, from carefully-aligned, old but still serviceable billboards.
Recycling from before it had a name. Painted on the exterior in traditional barn red color with white trim, one must be right next to Poppy's barn to see that is a beautifully-assembled jigsaw puzzle.
From the inside, the utilitarian side, no paint was ever wasted cosmeticizing. One sees, behind stacked hay-bales in the working barn, the advertising of various businesses whose signage made a much longer-lasting three-dimensional, utilitarian structure.
The home is known as Means Rest, on Hughes Shop Road. John and Jean Means are the grandparents of this editor's children, Leland and Erin. Jeffrey is their uncle.
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