Day: June 17, 2010

Head for some color. Do what the poets say. More love. Be happy. Put your lips to the world. And just live.

Something spiritual about sheep grazing. Something peaceful.

You can love two donkeys at once if you are Maria.

I’m writing a story about cats for my short story collection. I like it. Black flies are wicked, mosquitoes about to really break out. We are fending off lots of ticks.

Like many men, I’m not especially demonstrative. I keep some distance from animals, in part because it’s my nature, and also because it’s my work. I also believe life has the most meaning for me when I connect to people, and animals are not a substitute for that for me. Still, I have come to open myself up to the dogs. Izzy, Lenore, Rose and Frieda are all loving and almost irresistible. They have all done a lot for me. Even though I have had these donkeys for more than five years, I am just beginning to really connect with them in some ways.

Donkeys are almost frighteningly intuitive. They sense where you are emotionally, I believe. Maria and I have made a commitment to them. Yesterday afternoon we went up into the pasture and sat down with them and Lulu and Fanny came over and nuzzled us, leaned against us, and nearly purred as we scratched their ears and fed them carrots. We both felt we had had one of those transcendental animal experiences, one of those sweet moments that open you up and challenge you to be more human.

Bartleby is growing up a bit. Likes to gnaw on grass in the pasture.

A good and wise friend sent me this quote this morning from the poet Hafiz:

“When all your desires are distilled

You will cast just two votes:

To love more.

And be happy.”

Those are the two votes that matter most to me.