When I am sick, there is no better companion than Red, he sits quietly by my side and doesn’t move. He barely eats, he never moves, he just lies next to me or alongside the bed for as long as I am still. This afternoon, going stir-crazy as usual, I got out of bed and went out to the pasture to feel the sun and move a bit, and I thought Red was lying back at the pasture gate. He never comes into the tall grass.
Red somehow knows I am sick, I don’t quite know how it works, but he simply is glued to me. And I appreciate it.
I sat down on a ridge, and I saw the grass parting and there he was, sitting next to me. When Red was sick, I was drawn to do the same thing, I went and sat by his cage all afternoon while he was on an IV for dehydration. Red is the sweetest and most gentle soul, and I was delighted to see him, I love him dearly.
I hope to get rid of this nasty cold soon, it is my lungs and chest digging in. I’m not good at being sick but was happy to write some during the day. The blog is healing for me, not work, and there are lots of things to plan.
I am, as always, grateful for Red. He and I are soul mates in every sense of the world, we communicate beyond words, fused in a mutual understanding.
Maria got excited this afternoon and rushed off to her studio – dumping some chicken soup on the table while I coughed and drooled. I knew she was up to something, I can always tell when she has an idea she loves.
I went into see her in the late afternoon and was delighted and surprised to see some “Red” potholders made in honor of Red, laid out all over the floor, still being worked on. Red is rebounding from his brush with some severe infections last week.
She said she just wanted to make something for Red. I love the colors and patterns.
We are both deeply appreciating Red this week, since we nearly lost him a couple of weeks ago. He is still recovering, but definitely is on the mend.
The potholders are not finished yet, she is making 20, some for sale right away, some for the Open House June 10-11. They are $25 apiece plus shipping. I have mine. You can e-mail her at [email protected] or visit her website for details.
Ed Gulley called yesterday and told Maria, his curator, that he was excited about a new “Tin Man” sculpture he was working on out of farm and engine and tractor parts from his farm. He wanted to bring it to the Spring Bedlam Farm Open House and offer it for sale here (June 10-11).
He was as excited as we’ve ever heard or him. We soon understood why.
The Tin Man was Ed’s favorite character from The Wizard Of Oz, he loved his search for heart and courage. We went over Thursday afternoon and we both flipped over this wonderful evocation, a true piece of art, a sculpture that marks Ed’s evolution as an artist.
Ed specializes in gruff farmer talk, but he has the soul of the poet, and has become a treasured friend to both of us.
Ed and his wife Carol are dairy farmers, and most recently, publishers of the Bejosh Farm Journal, a very authentic farmer’s blog now seen and read all over the country and some of the world. Maria, who curates the art show at the Bedlam Farm Open Houses, was dazzled by Ed’s early sculptures and the two of them have been working together on his works for the Open House.
We both urged Ed not to undervalue a piece like this, we could see it easily as an inside-the-house art work, he is still working on the face, and arms. Maria and I both thought he should charge $750 for this piece, a record for him.
The price is up to him, but he is selling more and more of his wind chimes and sculpture pieces on his blog, Ed is coming of age. He is worth it. In Manhattan, that piece would sell for thousands of dollars.
In a sense, Ed is the perfect poster boy for the idea of the art of rural life. He is it.
Ed is coming to our Open House next week with Carol, some wind chimes and lawn sculptures, the Tin Man and Silly Sally, one of his very live newborn calves. Ed is a tough and seasoned dairy farmer, but the artist in him has been pushing out, he and Maria are a wonderful team. Ed will be speaking at the Open House – he is a master story-teller – the Tin Man will be right out on the lawn, along with some of his other works.
In The Heart Of This World: A Sad Day For Our Mother
“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him.
“Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth. The pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet’s capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world. The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now. We need to reflect on our accountability before those who will have to endure the dire consequences.”
“Furthermore, when media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply, and love generously. In this context, the great sages of the past run the risk of going unheard amidst the noise and distractions of an information overload…”
This sister, our earth, now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted upon her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts…is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail.” We have forgotten that we ourselves are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”
When I get a puppy, I do not look to Facebook or Twitter for advice, I look to the breeder, the rescue worker or shelter aide to tell me everything they can about the dog.
I am especially interested in seeing the mother, if that is at all possible.
Many people either don’t know or forget that the mother is of profound importance in shaping the weltanschaaung or world view of a dog. Dogs are behaviorially shaped and formed in the earliest weeks of life, from eight weeks to months or even a year in some cases.
Very few people have even heard of the term weltanschauung, but the know-it-alls online would do well to study weltanschauung rather than tell other people what to do if they really want do right by their dogs and choose them wisely. I can’t overstate its importance to me.
The challenge of the dog owner who gets a rescue or older dog or a bred dog from far away is that they can’t see the mother or father or the dog’s interaction with the litter (the mother is most important, because she teaches the most, matters the most, and provides nourishment, life itself. The father mostly provides sperm and hopefully, good health. This makes it all the more important that people interested in older dogs pay close attention to their behavior and learn as much as they can about them.
When people demonize breeders, they either forget or didn’t ever know how hard good breeders work to identify healthy and grounded dogs. A dog like Rose or Red is not found on the street, they come from breeders who have worked hard, often for decades, to foster temperament and health.
That does not mean one shouldn’t rescue a dog, it means people have to do more work than simply feeling good about themselves and superior to others.
It is interesting for me to note over the years that the people who are the most adamant and intrusive about telling me how to get a dog are the ones who seem to know the least about dogs, or about how they evolve and can be understood.
People and animals acquire their worldview – the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the animal or the individual’s knowledge or personality – when they are young.
Children take years to form their worldview it can change even in adolescence and beyond.
Dogs form theirs in weeks, sometimes months.
A world view can include natural philosophy; fundamental, attitudes or themes, values, emotions, and ethics.
For a dog, this speaks to fear or love of people, food hoarding and appetite, sociability, aggression, adaptability and trainability. For many people getting a dog has become a fashionable or moral statement. For me, is a very practical and serious process. I really want to know the kind of dog I am getting, and how he or she will behave in most given situations
I want to see mom if I can.
The mother (see Hannah above) in the litter is central to shaping a dog’s world view. Is she attentive? Does she have enough food to give? Is she generous and patient? Does she take care to share the food equally and make sure every puppy is fed? For the puppies, the litter begins the process of sharing the way they see life, and can shape them as much or more as any other factor. Once a dog’s worldview is formed, it is very difficult to change it.
If dogs have to fight for food in the litter, they may fight for it when they get older, even if they don’t have to. If they are tormented or bullied, they might be wary of other dogs. If they can’t get enough to eat when they are most dependent on their mothers, they might snap or bite at people or children who come near their food.
At every reading I have ever been to, someone raises their hand and asks what to do about an older dog who bars obsessively, is aggressive to dogs or people, or refuses a crate. I have nothing to tell them, really, I have no how the dog was shaped or formed. They don’t either.
This worldview of a dog is something every person who acquires a dog – rescue, shelter, breeder – ought to know or be told or try to grasp.
Hannah is Leroy’s mother and when I visit him, I watch her.
I have lots of time to bond with him later, not much to get to know her. And more than anything else, I am taken with Hannah’s mothering. This speaks well of Leroy. He gets everything he needs – food, support, affection, play. His worldview ought to be strong and solid.
The minute I got a good look at Hannah, I knew Leroy would be a good dog for us.
First, she let me and Maria approach Leroy without any sign of aggressiveness or anxiety. She watched closely, and reassured him repeatedly that she was there – by licking, staying nearby, staying calm. She also permitted him to approach us, be touched, play with the other puppies.
Anxiety and timidity is a major warning sign to me when getting a puppy or older dog. Fearful dogs are unpredictable and difficult to train. They cannot generally be therapy dogs, and I don’t trust them around children.
Hannah was affectionate with Maria and me, but she was aware of Leroy all the time and never forgot to watch over him. Yet she also let him explore and experience new people and was not threatened by them.
She was not neurotic or overly protective in any way. She was appropriate, an important term when choosing a dog. Helicopter and Boomer parents could learn a lot from Hannah.
So in my two visits to Robin’s breeding pen, I am beginning to see some traits in Leroy that help me to project the kind of dog he is likely to be, and I am happy to put my money where my mouth is and predict the kind of dog he will be with us.
If I am wrong, it will be apparent and I will admit it. In the past few years, I have grown confident of my ability to do this.
First, Leroy is a dog of entitlement. He is used to being treated well, getting enough food, getting attention, being secure. For a dog, that means he is likely to be calm and secure. And adaptable. I don’t see this dog freaking out.
This will benefit him greatly in the therapy work I hope to do with him.
He is fine being held, he approaches people with curiosity, neither too bold or particularly fearful, right in the middle, where I like him to be. When he wanted to get past me, he climbed right over my shoes. A good sign.
He is learning affection and playfulness from his mother, who does not see the world as a dangerous or frightening place. That means he probably won’t either.
I see an active, high-energy and curious dog, but a dog who is intrinsically calm and grounded. That is a dog I can work with, and do almost anything with.
The more I see of Hannah, the more I believe Leroy is an exceptionally good choice for us.
Leroy will be living with Red and Fate (a very high energy and dominant dog) he will need to speak up for himself. And put up with rough play, and athletic companions.
There are also barn cats, chickens, sheep and donkeys around here. He will have to get used to all of them and move among them. And he will have to put up with me, no small challenge either.
He is up to it. He will have a good weltanschauung.
