About the Author

My father worked and lived on Shelburne Farms for most of his life.  I have also lived there and spent my entire working life managing properties on the estate. My two sons were raised on the farm and now they work there too. Three generations of my family have been connected to Shelburne Farms.

I also had four uncles that worked on the farm in its early years. One of those uncles, Joe Thomas, also wrote rhyming quatrains; the impulse to write everyday poems about life and the beauty of Vermont’s landscape seems to run in the family.

Initially, I only wrote poems occasionally; however, after both a falling accident that required months of bed rest, and the death of my father, I began to take more notice of the beauty and the peace in the things that I see and hear every day. And I began to take note and to write more frequently.

I no longer live on the farm, but live nearby and work still brings me there almost every day. I also no longer take “simple” things for granted and try to capture these moments in words. It is a very rich heritage and one for which I am truly grateful.

—Rick Bessette