6 August

Partners.

by Jon Katz
Partners
Partners

I admit to a lifting of the heart when I see Fate and Red work together. She adores him, and watches him closely. He is unfailingly gracious and generous with her – I have had several border collies who would not be so gracious as to share their sheep. This morning, Red took up position at the top of the hill and Fate went off to move the sheep and circle them, her new phase of training.

She is turning the herd, getting ahead of them, she is not yet forceful enough to move them by eye, that will come as she gets bigger and older. Fate is approaching the age when border collies normally begin their training, but she is well along. I’m glad I started her early.

When the sheep put their heads down, Fate sometimes runs back up to Red and checks on him, touches his nose and then tears back to the sheep. Border collies are not really supposed to leave the sheep like that, but it seems like a beautiful thing to me, and I will allow it. If I ever need Fate to work the sheep alone, I’ll put Red inside. She is just as focused as he is when she is alone. The relationship between this two was unexpected, and very touching for me.

I use the two of them most often now when I need to work the sheep, they brace the sheep well and handle them gently and professionally together. A terrific experience for me. After her adolescent outburst the other day, I did a lot of calming and obedience work with Fate, and she has settled down. We are having much fun.

6 August

Meet Plato: Thanks For Subscribing

by Jon Katz
Meet Plato: Thanks For Subscribing
Meet Plato: Thanks For Subscribing

Thanks for subscribing to my blog.

And met Plato, the newest member of the Bedlam Farm family. Plato lives in the pond in the back by Lulu’s Crossing, he first appeared a week ago, and I barely noticed him. But each day he gets closer and he seems to be at ease with Fate, who loves to jump in the pond to cool off. I thought he would jump off, but he hasn’t budged. She stares at him, I think she hopes to herd him one day. Even my fevered imagination cannot conceive of a frog-border collie friendship.

I’ve named him and started talking to him, he seems an old soul to me, contemplative, I think I hear him at night.

I want to thank those of you who have voluntarily subscribed to my blog, and encourage those of you who have not to think about it. Blog subscriptions are the future of the word, moving steadily online, the future of writing, the future of me.

The blog will remain free to those who cannot afford to subscribe. For everyone else, there are cheap and safe options for you – $3 or $5 a month, $60 a year. I have been urged to raise these numbers, but am not comfortable doing it right now. Millions of people come through the blog each year, very few subscribe, but people are getting more comfortable with it. It matters, it makes it possible to keep the blog free and to support the high costs of maintaining it and the pictures.  No financial information stored here, only you can control subscriptions and cancellations, both of which are simple to do. You can cancel at any time.

So think about it. The blog is my living memoir, my shared experience, my new kind of dialogue with the world. Sometimes it is lovely, sometimes jarring, sometimes uplifting, but it is real in any case. And authentic. And I love it, you can’t fake it every day five times a day.  My blog began as a way to support my books, I could not have imagined all the changes that followed. Today, the blog is the book, and is a lot cheaper for you.

I appreciate being paid for my work and for the photographs. It took me a long time to do, but I feel grateful that I did. It feels good to be paid for your work. I do not bookmark anything here, you are free to use and share the content and images any way you wish. Thanks again for subscribing, thanks for thinking about it. Thanks for supporting my work, the dogs, donkeys and now, a frog to think about.  I’m off to Vermont for two days to give a talk and celebrate my 68th birthday. Wow.

I think it says something that I have become attached to a frog. And that you can support him. I’m not sure what it says, either.

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