Before the sun sets on Earth Day

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world
is not given by his fathers,
but borrowed from his children. 

– John James Audubon

Every day feels a bit like Earth Day to me around Farm Dover. We spend most of our working days trying to be good stewards to our 40 acres – planting trees, tending to our garden, foraging for salad fixings, installing bluebird and owl houses.... 

Today was no exception. We started our day by dropping off our recycling at the new Shelby County Recycling Center. We separate and recycle all our glass, plastic, aluminum, metal, cardboard, and newspaper. We compost all our kitchen scraps, which leaves very little "garbage" which we also drop off at the new center. They charge for "garbage." This month cost us 90 cents. 

Afterward, we stopped by the Kentucky Utilities office on Main Street in Shelbyville. They were giving away red bud seedlings. We left with six; two of which we dropped off at our neighbors. Once we got home, we planted the four seedlings – two down by the creek and the other two in the tree line along the drive. 

After lunch Ed cut a walking path for me along the creek while I finished weed whipping out by the front gate. Ed walked out to help me finish and then showed me two nests that he found while walking out to meet me at the entrance – one I think was a robin's nest, newly build, but still eggless; and the other a wren's nest that was the coolest thing in that it had a roof made of green moss and a tiny round front door. The photo I took just doesn't do it justice, so I'll try again tomorrow. 

We finished the afternoon chores by harvesting a few asparagus and some sage and oregano, placing a cover over our strawberries as it is forecast to frost tonight, and changing the water in the birdbaths. 

It is an honor and privilege for us to tend to this small piece of earth. It is Ed's and my intention to leave it in good shape for our children's generation, as it is from them that we have borrowed it.