Day: October 10, 2015

The Open House went over the top today, it was a feast, a celebration, and even something more than that. The big white horses from Blue Star – Piper and Foxy – brought home with great power the human connection to horses, and the need to connect with them and keep them in our world rather than banish them to rescue farms or slaughterhouses in the name of animal rights.

They are gorgeous animals, they are curious, intelligent and gentle. How foolish and misuided is the argument that these domesticable creatures do not belong in our cities. Brian and Mithra from Blue Star took our some metal panels, attached them to our fence, the horses stool calmly while people petted them, fed them carrots, came into their enclosure to pet them and touch them.

The animals arrived this morning, Maria escorted Piper out of the trailer and guided him to his paneled enclosure.

Fate and I just went out to check on the horses before going to sleep, they are standing quietly right  by our farmhouse, eating hay. Fate almost fainted dead away when she saw them, she settled down. Chloe seemed very drawn to the horses, the donkeys vanished for several hours, large crowds of people came to touch them and see them, they were content in the middle of a big crowed making lots of noise.

This Open House went over the top. There was so much to do, to see, good things to talk about, great people to meet, beautiful poems to be read, lots of very creative and inexpensive art to look at our buy. Maria is selling a lot of art. Ed Gulley sold three pieces, Rachel Barlow sold a lot of her prints and sketches, Maria was busy all day long.

Pamela Rickenbach’s talk to the people at the Open House was powerful and revealing, she spoke so eloquently of the horses history with humans and of our need for them. My head is spinning, and I am so tired right now. Pamela is staying with us, Brian and Mithra from Blue Star were fascinated by sheep-herding, we took the sheep out into the far pasture, they saw me work Red and train fate.

Jim McRae, our shearer and and well-known border collie herding trainer, watched me  work with the two dogs, and he said Red was an exceptional dog. He said I had a lovely way with dogs, and that my training with Fate was going very well, she was confident and responsive and showed a lot of instinct. She also did not quit, he said, she was determined to work it out.

He suggested I permit Fate to “meet the sheep,” to work with her in enclosed spaces so she could have a chance to strengthen her eye and gain more confidence. I know very well what he means, I am beginning to do that, but not enough. I am grateful for his advice (I asked for it.)

So there has never been an Open House like this, gorgeous weather, flocks of people, many things to feel and witness. More tomorrow. A friend took me aside and said he was worried about me, I looked exhausted. I am exhausted, I said. But in this content, it isn’t a bad thing. I had many good things to be exhausted about.

The horses will be here all day tomorrow, farrier comes just after noon. Sheep-herding is done on and off all day. And I am nodding off, right at the typewriter.

At the Open Houses, many people want to speak to me, and I have little real time to speak with anyone. I think the people who need to find me find me. I was heading to give a talk in the middle of the afternoon when a young woman, smiling but somewhat shy and a bit nervous, came up to me with a big smile.

“I’m sure you don’t remember me,” she said, but when I was struggling with my life I wrote you a message and i was surprised when you answered me. It was just one line.

“Never give up on love,” you answered. “I came a long way today to meet you and to tell you that message transformed my life. I did not give up on life. And he brought me here today. His name is Rodney.”

And this smiling – no, beaming, man – came up to me gave me a handshake and a bear hug. “Thank you,” he said, “she really wanted to thank you in person. So did I.” I was humbled and very touched by her message,  her name was Lois. I thanked them for telling me, this, I said I wanted to introduce them at the talk I was giving.

A few minutes later, as I walked over to begin the talk, Lisa came running up to me, her eyes had filled with tears.

“What’s wrong?,” I asked.

“Rodney just got a cell call,” she said, “just a minute ago. He just got the news that his sister had tied suddenly. He is heartbroken.” I took Lois’s arm and began walking her to her car, she was upset for Rodney. When we got to the car he was crying, I shook his head, he could hardly speak. Obviously, he cared for his sister very much.

I was holding a bag filled with sandwiches for Maria and her friend Mandy, they were working together in the Schoolhouse Studio selling art and keeping track of the sales. I felt the need to give Lois something, a book, something from the farm. They were in a rush, I handed her the bag of sandwiches, so they might have something to eat on the long drive home. I thought of my grandmother, Minnie, that is just as she might have done.

I thought of the curious passage of life and fate, it gives so much and takes so much away, sometimes in the same instant. Lois has fulfilled a long dream to come and meet me and to thank me personally for encouraging her to keep love alive, she wanted me to meet Rodney, she was proud of him, and they were so obviously deeply in love and happy together.

Love and death, right there, bracketing a moment and reminding us that life has its own plans for us, grace is acceptance. Lois, if you are out there reading this – I never had time to get your name and number – thank  you, you gave me a great gift.

This morning, an e-mail: “Thank you so much for your kindnesses today to Rodney And me.  We were in such shock having just heard the terrible news about Rodney’s sister. They were extremely close and it was so unexpected.  Thank you for the sandwiches.  We are still on the road and they were our dinner. Please also tell Maria goodbye and thank you.  I admit I embarrassed myself by crying in front of her. But hey, we are women. Rod is struggling. Please say a prayer for us tonight and perhaps we will see you again sometime.  Loved looking into Reds eyes and stroking his fur.
Dreams do come true.”

How nice to know someone of such grace and feeling.

Pamela Rickenbach and Syl Strawbridge did not know one another before the Open House, they have each experienced one of life’s most powerful and transforming experiences. Each lost a husband to suicide. Syl traveled across the country to come and meet some the online friends from the Creative Group at Bedlam Farm who supported her, Pamela, the director of Blue Star Equiculture,  came to talk about the meaning of the horses in our world.

Both are eloquent, their powerful and eloquent voices have risen up in grief and sorrow, their loss and confusion. They fell into one another’s arms and hugged and cried, a ballet of compassion. Everyone has suffered more than me.

Today Jim McRae, the shearer, tomorrow Ken Norman, our farrier, he will be at the farm shortly afternoon to trim the hooves of Chloe and Lulu and Fanny. We will open up the pasture so people can line the pole barn and see this beautiful and ancient process, a craft practiced by a dwindling few of artisans and individualists.

Jim McRae surprised me. He has been coming to our farm for years, and was always a quiet and reserved men. Today, he was different, he was amazing. He was so different with an audience, he lit up, he danced, sang, joked, told stories and explained his ancient and wonderful craft. I don’t know how many people lined the barn, but it was an awful lot of people, they were fascinated to see the sheep shearing process.

I think Ken Norman will also be compelling to see, we will incorporate these two remarkable people into our Open Houses in the future, people just drank up McRae. I imagine they will feel the same way about Ken Norman. Then, there are these two giant white horses spending the night in a paneled stall right next to our farmhouse. Tomorrow, the farrier.

The dogs and donkeys and horses get all of the attention, mostly. But we have a love cat, a barn cat who loves the Open  Houses and manages to find someone to love her every time. Cheryl, a young girl from New Jersey, fell in love with Flo and carried her all around the farm for much of the afternoon. They were both so happy.