stewardship

A Steward is a person responsible for the careful use of a precious natural resource.

My Whiting cousins definitely fit the definition.

One of their pastures planted with Timothy grass for hay.

Another field is planted in Oats.

Stone walls have been built to protect an ancient apple orchard.

….and they use a brush hog to clear paths for the tractors to work the fields.

On the edge of the forest, they have planted spruces for family Christmas trees.

There are bird boxes on every fence post, including one for a Kestrel family that returns each year. (Right side, in front of the tall trees.)

“Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources.”

Songbirds are nourished by the kitchen window.

Trees are considered a treasure. This Black Walnut’s branch is so heavy with fruit, it rests on the lawn until fall when the nuts drop. No thought was ever given to lopping off the branch for aesthetic purposes.

Great measures were taken to bring this Scotch Pine back to health after it was attacked, like so many in New England, by a fungus.

Wildflowers drape the hillside at the edge of the lawn and surround a playhouse.

Trees that fall into the fields are beautifully cut for aging, then used in the….

……….woodpile for burning during the reduction of Sugar Maple sap into Maple Syrup.

The Sugar Shack!

The bounty from the trees on the windowsills in the kitchen.

Neighbors are welcomed and comfortable with a visitor who treads gently on the Earth.

Everywhere, there are signs of the old farm built in the 1700’s.

My cousins have, and continue to, protect and care for this beautiful land.

I admire them.