The Grass Isn’t All That’s Greener

Rod Pickett
3 min readDec 9, 2024

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot

“Big Yellow Taxi,” Joni Mitchell

Weathered barn siding.

For years I have coveted every decrepit Barn and shed I passed.

I wanted to get my hands on the weathered siding so I could use it to make cool rustic wall art.

I played out imaginary conversations with the property owners that would allow me permission to take a few boards from the leaning building that was soon to be demolished.

But none of these strategies seemed very promising.

At the same time, I fantasized about having a rural property with lots of trees and hiking trails.

This dream felt further out of reach than scoring a few boards of barn siding.

However, for the past couple of years, I have been searching online for lots larger than 20 acres with plenty of trees, an existing house, and at least one outbuilding.

I found several but they were either too far away from the grandchildren or too expensive.

I was about to give up when I saw a listing for a property that seemed to meet all our criteria and that was just within our financial reach.

Three days after it went on the market, we made an offer which was accepted.

All the details of the transaction went smoothly.

All except one.

The house and pole barn had been built on a lot with an old house and old garage.

The house had been demolished, but the garage was left despite not being in great shape.

Our insurance company refused to insure the property because the old garage was in bad shape.

We asked if we could exclude the garage on the new policy, but they said they insure everything or nothing.

Fortunately, my wife found another company to provide the insurance so we could get the mortgage.

My intention was to get the garage repaired as quickly as possible.

The peeling white paint was unsightly. The window glass was broken.

When guests came to see our new home, we showed them everything else, and then we said, “And then there’s this old garage.”

The guests would then give us a sympathetic nod.

One of the guests was enthusiastic, “That would make a great background for a portrait.”

I was stunned. She was right.

My plans for the garage shifted completely.

I looked closely at the siding, “That looks just like barn siding.”

I had seen the garage as a liability.

It is an asset.

How many liabilities do you have that are assets in disguise?

— Rod Pickett

Now available at Amazon: The Courageous Heart: Wisdom for Difficult Times in paperback and eBook, an Eric Hoffer Award Finalist, a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and guidance. Get your copy today.

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Rod Pickett
Rod Pickett

Written by Rod Pickett

Rod Pickett is a writer, pastor, teacher, photographer, real estate broker, personal trainer, consultant, trained hypnotist, woodworker and life-long learner.

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