Day: July 19, 2012

Maria encourages Rocky to come inside.  The first thing Maria and I did after closing on the new house was to go give Rocky a new home. Rocky has always been loved and cared for, but as his beloved owner aged and struggled, and the barns filled up with family belongings or collapsed, Rocky was left outside in the pasture for the last 15 years. He had the shade of trees and water, but no shelter from ice, rain or the summer heat and flies. It was what he was used to, and he is healthy and strong except for his blindness. But it is not our way and we felt he needed the option of shelter.

So when the family cleared the barns out we put some bedding in one of the old cow stalls and set it up so that Rocky can go in and out as he pleases, if he pleases. Maria has established a strong bond with Rocky, as I have, but he is totally blind and was clearly unnerved at climbing the step into the stall. Maria got some grain and put in a pain. She talked to him, coaxed him, encouraged him. At one point, Red joined in – there is no work this dog does not want to join in and he and Rocky also seem very at ease with one another. It was poignant to see this blind creature use his nose and smell and hooves to feel his way to the step. You can see what happened better than I can explain it in the photos. I am putting them up on Facebook. Come and see. It was a defining moment for Maria and I and our new home, it set the tone we wish to set. Rocky drew us to this house, introduced us to Florence Walrath and her beautiful home, which we are now lucky enough to own. He has a roomy stall with hay and bedding if and when he wants it.

I was deeply moved watching this ballet of trust and love. Florence loved Rocky and worried deeply about his fate after she died. I suspect her spirit is resting easier. Album on Facebook.

Our house was waiting for us. It opened itself up to us. We walked from room to room. We made lists of things to do. We will bring chairs over and then a bed for our first sleepover sometime in the next few weeks. Then we set out to finish our first task at the new farm. Get Rocky into his stall. Maria has been waiting for weeks.

We closed on our new home today, the New Bedlam Farm. As closings go, it was fun, quick, it felt good. We were surrounded by bankers and lawyers and realtors, all nice, all with a sense of humor, all dog lovers. Red, already a rock start, was invited. We brought a bottle of champagne and some biscotti from Gardenworks. The title  specialist said he had never been to a closing with a dog, champagne and biscotti. Well, it’s about time.

My mortgage bank is Farm Credit East, a farm co-op bank and I love working with them as we were treated like human beings throughout. Afterwards we went over to the new place to walk around, and to bring Rocky into a stall and shelter for the first time in 15 years. It was a loving ballet between Rocky and Maria. Red, who never tires of work, and who has gotten quite close to Rocky, joined in. There is no work beyond him, none that I have found. He greeted all the bankers and then lay down. We are heading to the new place Saturday to begin cleaning up Florence’s wallpaper, which we intend to keep.

Something about lace curtains in farmhouses is sensual. You can feel the breeze moving the curtains. Something about lace curtains is timeless. Long and exciting day. We have the new house and it is ours, and I’m about to put up some photos that really touched me – Maria talking Rocky inside to shelter for the first time in 15 years. But I had to put up the summer breeze.

An amazing thing, Rocky inside in his stall. Maria talked him in. Photos later.