Richard Quinney

The Preservation Diaries

The Preservation Diaries

by Richard Quinney

 

I began writing a series of diaries that stretched from the first days of the year 2018 and concluded at the end of 2022. The accumulation of entries documents five years of preserving the Old Place, the original home site of my great grandparents and the subsequent generations. These few acres are what remain of our family farm. In the preservation, there is the memorial to the lives of those that make their lives on the farm. At the side of the country road, the Old Place serves as a reminder of early settlement in Sugar Creek Township. It is a place for observing the wonders of nature, and as a source for contemplation and meditation. Gather at the council ring made of ancient stone boulders brought from the nearby quarry. Look into the pond at the bottom of the hill as it transforms with the seasons. Lilacs grow and flower around the foundation of the house that once was here, that once was home to the generations of ancestors. Let this Old Place be our country churchyard.