John C

Allyn and I have been doing a lot of walking recently, walking anywhere from three to over four miles a day on a loop close to home. On this route we pass the Day farm which I mentioned recently in a blog. There are a lot of beautiful places nearby, but the Day farm has to rank at the top of the list.

It is, to my way of thinking, literally the crown jewel of the town of Ira. It sits high on a hill, overlooking the activities of the valley below from its heavenly perch. I don't know the history of the farm well except that it was run and managed by the Day family for generations. When we moved to town in the early 80's, the farm was owned by a wonderful old Vermonter, Lewella Day. She was the last of that lineage, and when she died, the farm was sold. I think it's fair to say that the Day farm went through its ups and downs for a number of years. It was recently purchased again, and is now known as the New Day Farm. This wonderful place once again seems to be on its ascendency.

https://www.newdayfarmvt.com/

Throughout this period of recent instability, there has been one constant at the Day farm, that being the caretaker, John C. He worked for Lewella for years, and continued to tend to matters on the farm after she died. John C came to mind recently as I passed by this pasture, one of the many fields he has cared for during his tenure there.

The fields at the Day farm are, and have always been, maintained in pristine condition. Keeping fields in perfect condition is not easy here in Vermont. I should know as I have battled blackberry bushes and multifloral rose in our own pastures for many years. With a little bit of inattention, they can really get out of control. The next photo is from a nearby field, not one of ours.

You get a lot of time to think when you are out walking 41/4 miles. As I walked by the field from the New Day Farm, I couldn't help thinking of its exceptional quality, it's beauty, and of the blood, sweat and tears that went in to keeping it that way for so many years, through the years of unstable ownership. This field and all of the pastures there are works of art. If the New Day Farm is a work of art, and I think it is, then John C must be an artist. Granted he had a lot to work with here, but the presentation came in large part from his efforts over the years. And he is not the only one. Here are some more photos of farms not far from here.

I've heard it said that what separates Vermont from New Hampshire is the number of pastures and open spaces that exist in Vermont to this day. Vermont is a jewel, but it continues to be a jewel because of the unsung efforts of old Vermonters like John C. Hats off to him and his like.