Vasher meets American Gothic

The re~repost of an oldie but goodie from 2011 when I was on Blogspot.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Vasher meets American Gothic

My next blog will be about the Vasher that descended on my little town on March 27. But first I must share with you this sight.When I first entered the throngs of people who attended the street fair, I saw this couple who’s striking resemblance to a classic American painting was undeniable. Well, at least to me. The American Gothic is a painting came to life with an older Serbian couple. The husband carrying, the traditional, Serbian, wooden  pitchfork.

The pitch fork is better pictured  here…

Can you see the resemblance?

Grant Wood/Associated Press/Art Institute of Chicago

I think it is the look of  hardworking folks who know what a hard days labor in the field means.  Tired and unsmiling, going about with things that must be done.

Farm life of the 1930’s in the US is not unlike the modern-day life of Serbian villagers. When I show my Grandpa Jones pictures of my Serbian village, he sees things he hasn’t seen since childhood.  Surely it brings back memories of yesteryear. I don’t think the good old days were as good as remembered. Work on the farm is backbreaking labor. Life without microwaves, washers and dryers is not as cool as we may believe. Serbia does have these things available. But, many people don’t have them like we do in the US.

I find that I am torn between the antiquities of South Eastern Serbia and the modernity of the US.  There are so many pros and cons to both worlds.
But the things I love about Serbia are below.

The shepherds tending their sheep,

the line dried, home-made socks,

The wonderful home-made bread and other goodies,

and shared meals,

And pitchforks in use, creating the kind of haystack any “little boy blue”  could fall asleep under.

Hope you had a nice break from your day with some pics of not so modern Serbia.

Dobar Dan Y’all!