The city of Safford has an older established community of site-built houses that surround the hospital, a few dentists’ and doctors’ clinics. A few blocks from the hospital is a wooden house, barn and a few sheds that are half standing and are slowly continuing to crumble. This beat up farm house and its buddies, which include a pick-up truck, are quite the eye sore amongst the beautiful, modern brick houses with their surrounding simple, meticulous landscaping. I remember when I drove down this street in 2006 and assumed that this neighborhood monstorousity was to be torn down. Its still here and calling my name.
I placed, photographed and documented #79 on the edge of a cement feed trough, in the only stall, of what was left of the barn still standing. There was some old horse manure in the stall, of course. However, in a stainless steel wire basket were what appeared to be the folded, fairly clean clothes of a very small child. Not far from the basket of clothes was a cherry red, dirty, brocade, polyester sofa cushion. That was it. It looked more to me like these items were from the former occupant and not one of a squatter.
Later on in the day I asked someone who worked at the hospital and use to live on that street - the story of the old farm house. He has some ideas but wasn’t really sure though. The man appeared to care less about its existence.
All I could think about as I drove home that evening was the basket of neatly folded children’s clothes left in the stall. Some little boy or girl either out grew their clothes and got all new ones or went without any at all because of their forgetful parent. Hopefully the former instead of the later.
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