[Preliminary Thoughts: VI]
The word husband comes from the old Norse word “hus”, meaning house or house dweller. A husband was the head of a house, which included the possession, the people, and the land. So, one could be a husband (n.), but could also husband (v.), meaning there were certain responsibilities that must be filled to properly lead a home and land.
There’s this other word that is very interesting to me: husbandry. The “ry” suffix makes a big difference. Those two letters are actually a word forming element that means “the place for or the art of.”
To husband is to care for the people, place, and things within a domain. To practice husbandry is to practice *the art* of such endeavors.
When done with intentionality and care, farming is an art. I think this is most evident (or, at least, the negligence of this is most evident) when it comes to “husbanding” animals. I anticipate learning a lot by reflecting on our relationship to animals. I agree with a farming friend of mine who said, “The best philosophy is done in the barn.”
