Day: September 27, 2013

Last night, for no reason, I started crying,

like a small and frightened child,

my heart was broken.

And for no reason,

I turned into a frog,

and began hopping across a busy

road, praying the big trucks would race over me,

as I hopped bravely to the other side.

And yesterday,

for no reason,

a thousand swallows

lined up as a choir,

shaded me from the sun,

bowed to their conductor,

a venerable old pigeon,

and sang a golden song

from their crystal hymnals.

And last night, for no reason,

I turned into a beautiful red leaf,

and was blown all over the barn

and pasture, in a wonderful ride.

And last night, for no reason,

my heart found a joyful work,

and I began singing, and then dancing,

and I ran out to kiss the stars,

and the angels,

my beautiful friends,

and I just melted into the

wonderful and awful thing,

that I am.

Brushing and combing is only partly about grooming. The donkeys are always poking their noses and heads around, in tall grass, undergrowth and bushes, always getting burrs, scrapes, dirt stuck to their hides. But grooming is really about intimacy and connection, it is a way of speaking to animals, and listening to them. They love to be groomed, they seem to need the attention, through it we speak to them and tell them we love them and ask them to trust us and through grooming, they learn to do that. In the morning, they always present themselves for grooming and this is when I listen to them talk to us and how I learn to listen to them.

My driftwood cross has finally find a home, she has been with me for more than 20 years and has wandered up and down the East Coast with me, going to the cabin where I wrote “Running To The Mountain,” to Bedlam Farm, where she ended up in a closet and now, to the new Bedlam Farm, where she graces the back porch. I fell in love with her in an art gallery in Provincetown, Mass. my family and I vacationed there for years before I moved upstate and my family fell apart. I love the feel and style of this cross, I am not a Christian, but I love the cross and always wear one around my neck. I don’t really know why, I have always loved the true Jesus, not the one angry people invoke and our politicians hide behind and exploit.

I worry that she will be too exposed to the elements out there, she is made out of driftwood salvaged from old sailing ships off the coast of Provincetown, Maria says she is under cover and protected from the elements, she will be all right. I’ll keep an eye on her, it is good to see her every day.

This is the sixth, and I think, final design for the new header for bedlamfarm.com, designed to connect the blog more to my words and the idea of a new kind of book. Mannix designers have done a great job of taking my vision and translating into something that works for my blog, not an easy thing to do, this has not been done all that much before.

I want the blog to come alive, to have vibrant and moving parts, like a new kind of book.

The goal is choose a score of more of my quotes – those that capture the themes I write about –  and fade them in and out at the top of the page. They can be changed or added to over time. We wondered about a line to separate the quotes from the Farm Journal and that is helpful, that works for me. I love the Times Roman type face, it is graceful and literary. The only issue that remains for me is the color, I think the soft blue is too weak up there, I’m thinking of something stronger, a deep red perhaps, let me know what you think.

Your comments have been valuable, wanted advice is so much better than unwanted  advice. I appreciate them, take a look at this final design, except for the color, I think we have it. I loved sharing this with you, a great  way to start and develop this new kind of book.

Two days after his acupuncture, Red continues to show an increased calm and groundedness, it is a modest but distinct change. I am happy with it, am eager to see if it spills over to the next days and weeks.

Also, Maria and I are happy to announce the dates of two Open House At Bedlam Farm for 1014. The first will be Saturday, June 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second will be held over two days, Saturday, October 11 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Sunday, October 12, (noon to 4 p.m.). Maria will show and sell her art and that of some other artists, I’ll do sheepherding demos, conduct donkey visits, give talks. My neighbor Moon has volunteered to bring some music, Mary Kellogg will read her wonderful poetry, George Forss will take human portraits, lots of good stuff. We invite you to share our fortunate lives together and our new home.