Red and Maria went to the greenhouse at Stannard’s today to buy some flowers for our garden. We got a rose bush and some other stuff. Red wandered around greeting people and following Maria, always keeping her in sight. I have some other nice photos of this trip, but I’m worn out, ol’ Lyme reminding me that I am not the boss. I’ll put it up tomorrow.
The windowsill gallery is never open to the public, it is a private and rotating exhibit, there are no agents, reporters, critics, patrons of the arts to see it. At night, an art curator comes in the dark and moves the exhibits around, removes them, rearranges and imagines them, or re-conceives them. Still, the gallery is a work of fertile imagination, it is never the same for even two days in a round. No one has ever seen the curator or had an explanation of his or her decisions, all that can be said is that he or she is gdrawn to color and shape in many different ways.
I was mowing the lawn and looked over at the birdbath shadow and likes how perfect the circle was only it wasn’t quite perfect. Her Majesty, Flo, once the the flower girl, now with a whole farm to run.
I was waiting for dawn at Lulu’s Crossing this morning, stand out there in my slippers and bathrobe, up to my knees in mud. Was worth it, for sure. Red had a great test in Vermont, he passed, working alongside five other great dogs. He sat, stayed, lay down, walked by my side. He handled people rushing at him, crowding him, grabbing every party of his body, toys and rattles and walkers banging all around him.. I completely trusted him and he grasped the spirit of the moment, as always and took the first step towards becoming a certified therapy dog.
There are three more. We will be evaluated over three different visits in the next few weeks, all of them at nursing homes. The Vermont Therapy Dog program was thorough and experienced. All of the things they tested Red for happened to Izzy a dozen times in hospice work. For me, it always feels good for the dog to be evaluated as thoroughly as possible. The evaluators had two concerns about Red: one that he is almost never on a leash (that will be simple to work on, as he will have to be leased at all times in nursing home and hospital visits) and two, that he sometimes had his tail between his legs. They knew this was a border collie working position, but wondered if some patients might be intimidated by it. I don’t think anyone has ever been intimidated by Red, but we’ll see over the next three visits.
He is a wonderful dog, and I was immensely proud of him. He has come further than they could have imagined.
I I woke up in the middle of the night with some chills, and I gather this may be a more or less permanent part of my life. I woke up later with a lot of excitement, also a permanent part of my life. I got up at dawn and took Red and the Canon 5D out to Lulu’s Crossing and there she was with the other donkeys and sheep. She turned up to look at me and gave me one of those donkey assessment looks that are familiar to donkey owners. As if to say, “yes, you’ve crossed your own bridge, I see, come on over to mine.” And so I did, and the donkeys gathered around me for a few minutes as Red went out to keep an eye on his and Maria’s sheep. And the sun burst right through the clouds and my Canon did not fail me.
I am feeling good, am full of myself.
I am excited about today for other reasons. Last night, before I went to bed, I started an Open Group For Bedlam Farm in which I invited members of this community – and all animal lovers, photographers, creatives and writers, seekers of a meaningful life, refugees from the fear machine, recovering cable news watchers, survivors of the corporate machine, former members of the left and the right – to post their own photos and videos, stories about animals, hopes for a full and loving life, their own space – and when I woke up there were more than 150 people already waiting to join. How great, this community is deepening, connecting and expanding.
Take a look and sign up if you like it. It will be a safe and communicative place, no selling, arguing, political posts.
And then there is this: Red and I are heading to Vermont this morning to begin the process of his becoming a therapy dog as well as a working dog. Today’s test is an hour-and-a-half of obedience and temperament testing. The group is Therapy Dogs Of Vermont. They are not kidding around. I will, of course, report back.
