Jane
As a child growing on Dimond Hill Farm, I was guided by my father’s cautious hands and nourished by my mother’s warm meals. I made my daily adventures in the vast open pastures where the cows roamed. At a young age, I was given great responsibilities; I helped raise my own herd and tended to the farms chores. My best tools were the hammer and the broom. Both of these were gifts given to me by my father and were soon followed by a lesson. If you had visited the farm when I was a child, you would have found me using my hammer on loose nails and tinkering with anything that looked as if it could be hammered. You would also have found me sweeping the barn floor, until every piece of hay was gone. I was my fathers little helper, and I stuck by his side until the cows came home, in the very literal sense. My mother dressed me in the latest fashions, as she was an elegant farmer’s wife with the taste of any modern metropolitan. My dad and my mom were always ready to educate me about our past history as well and to the ever changing times at the farm and in the world itself. I dedicate much of my wisdom to their memories and grace. They laid the foundation of the farm and the foundation of my life. Without them, the farm would not be the beautiful, well-maintained, and well-known landmark it is today.
As I grew older, my adventures stretched beyond the granite rock walls and out into the world. I continued working with my father while attending Plymouth State College. I found my passion in the world of teaching where my natural skills proved to be both compelling and provocative. I have taught well over 6,000 students in the past 34 years and they have been a vital driving force in my life. Teaching was a full time job that lasted until it was time for chores. Coming home from school to work outdoors cleared and restored my mind as I enjoyed the animals and the land. Teaching at Rundlett Middle School and Concord High School, coaching the lacrosse and field hockey teams and refereeing athletic women’s teams taught me many wonderful lessons. As a leader and advocate for women’s sports, I helped to make possible many opportunities for young women who would otherwise have been on the sidelines. The greatest lesson of all was the awareness that I have choice--the choice to be a strong, independent woman, the choice to dedicate myself to my family and students, and the choice to farm the land on Dimond Hill.
The farm has always given me tangible results, physical workouts, an outlet for creative ideas, and a close relationship with my parents. Best of all, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. At the end of a day, it is refreshing to think that with effort, hard work, and a vision, I--Jane Abbott Presby--can make a difference for the community. The farm has always enabled me to flow with the sense of time, the cycle of the seasons, and life changes that are inevitable.
Now that I am retired from teaching, I can devote all of my time and energy to the farm. By hiring high school and college students to work at the farm, I can continue to teach and to learn from young adults. I plan to extend the farm’s services to better meet the ever changing diversified needs of the community. I look forward to meeting you when you visit the farm.
