Day: June 27, 2017

The retreat for some of the refugee children from RISSE, the refugee immigrant and support center, began at 2:30 Tuesday when a van pulled in with the first wave of children. Some more are coming tomorrow. Scott and Lisa Carrino, the co-owners of the Pompanuck Farm Institute and Retreat Center, gathered the kids in the second floor of the Round House, for a welcoming ceremony “opening circle,” where we all explained what will happen this week.

Scott and Lisa explained Pompanuck, and went over safety and other issues that the kids needed to know. Ali drove the kids here and is spending the night with them in the yurt. There is much love and community in this group, they have seen a lot and been through a lot. This is great experience for them.

After the circle, Scott and Ali and I led the kids up to the big yurt where they will all be sleeping tonight on sleeping bags on the edge of the beautiful woods and forests that surround Pompanuck. All the animals – Gus, Red and Fate – were invited into the center of the circle, and were happy to be cuddled and petted repeatedly.

Gus sat in Scott’s lap, and was then passed around and loved  by everyone. It is a gift to have dogs who enter into the spirit of events like this. The children love having them their, the favor is returned. Fate was born to run around with young kids.

Maria and I are heading back to Pompanuck tonight for an opening dinner.  Tomorrow, Maria is leading a hike, I’m running a story-telling class, a friend is teaching movement and exercise for young athletes, a young local musician is coming to help the RISSE singers and musicians, and on Thursday, a popular Vermont artist is coming to teach drawlng and illustration.

This evening, we will sit by a roaring fire when it gets dark, I’m reading a short and scary story, there will be roasted marshmallows and singing.

This is just a beautiful thing to be a part of, and once again, I thank the angel Helen who made this possible. The Army of Good, it seems, is powerful and everywhere. I am so happy to be a part of this, I will post updates and photos. The retreat runs until Thursday after lunch.

It is so much better to do good than to live in fear and anger and worry about what good is.

Connie nodded enthusiastically at my assertion that I was as big a pain in the ass as she sometimes could be, she was a bit short of breath at the time, but she nodded her head enthusiastically and offered a big, wide, smile. I sailed into her room with Red ahead of me, and sad, “we are here.” That was all it took.

Connie has a sharp and ready sense of humor, even when in great pain. Maria and Red and I descended on the poor woman again today shortly after lunch, we didn’t even have to say anything, she hooked up her oxygen tent, sighed, and got up. We walked more than twice as far as yesterday, this time all the way to the Mansion administrative offices all the way down the hall, to see the shocked staffers there.

Maria and I both believe she already looks so much better than she did a few  days ago, when severe back pains – she pulled all of the muscles in her back, and has severe spinal issues.

This  sidelined her kept her from walking for nearly two weeks. Connie has a number of chronic illnesses and it was especially dangerous for her to be immobile, so the staff was gently but firmly urging her to start walking, the doctors and physical therapists are convinced it will heal her back problems. and help her other issues.

Connie was very much buoyed by what are now hundreds of letters from all over the country encouraging her, supporting her, telling her the stories of other lives.  She reads every one and tries to answer every one.

“It seems that Connie has a lot of sisters out there,” said one very pleased  Mansion administrator.

I should be clear that the person most responsible for Connie’s walking is Connie herself.

She is strong-willed, sharp as a new razor and determined to live her life as best she can in the Mansion. She has made scores of mittens, hats and sweaters for residents, sick children, and people in hospitals. Your wool and patterns have made this possible. This has given Connie renewed focus in her life, and the opportunity to contribute, something that is important to her. The pain has been too great lately for her to work.

Red is playing a major role in this very affirming experience. He and Connie have formed a special attachment, and it is almost overwhelming to see the degree to which Red has joined in this support of Connie’s walking, he rushes into her room, pokes his head into her lap as if to say “let’s go, let’s go. We have work to do.” Red loves work, and he has absorbed the spirit of this, he rushes back and forth, from Connie to me, up front with my camera.

The Mansion staff has gently and persistently encouraged Connie in every possible way, they are a powerful cheering section.
Maria and Connie love one another, they have formed a special bond of trust and communication. Connie opens up to Maria in ways that are beyond me, and Connie and I are close. Maria has a great deal of love and feeling in her, as I can testify, and that is a power all of its own.

On every visit, Connie has a letter from the Army Of Good to read to her and show her or me. It is a beautiful thing to see. Your letters and messages spur her on, lift her up, give her strength. (You can write her at 11 S. Union Street, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.)

It is too early, of course, for the taking of bows. Red, as I have said, is a remarkable creature, he is an empath, he can connect to people in the most intense of ways.

Connie has some hard days ahead of her. It is humbling to see how hard it is for her to walk, how short her breath is, how she has to focus on every step, how tethered she is to her oxygen tanks. I have no doubt she will get there, carried on a cloud of love and encouragement and community.

It is nice to have so many sisters, a powerful thing all of its own.

I believe sometimes that Red is a saint living in a dog’s body. Gus is in love with him now, poor Red (he went through this with Fate) and he chases Red’s tail and tries to bite it, while  Red lies still and patiently.

This morning, Gus decided to lick the moisture off of Red’s fur after he came out of the pasture, and Red just stool still and didn’t seem to notice. Fate on the other hand, is  rattled by Gus, and is contemplating ways to destroy him.

She avoids him when he comes near, stares at him as he moves around, and has gathered every boy and bone in the house – she hides them often – into a pile underneath the dining room table and guards them.

She is easing up a bit and letting Gus come near her for a minute or two, then she moves. I think she doesn’t know what he is and is waiting for him to go away.

Red, on the other hand, is Gus’s security blanket, she sometimes curls up next to him and hides behind him when Fate is too close. They will work it out, dogs always do, but I appreciate Red’s graciousness. It makes life so much easier, for us, for Gus.

I am not a farmer, but a writer with a farm. But it is still a farm, and when a dog comes into the family – especially a small one the size of Gus  – the acclimation of the dog to animals like donkeys, sheep and barn cats is important and must be thoughtful and gradual.

All of these animals are different. The donkeys are intensely protective of the sheep, they are wary of any strange animal coming near them. It takes weeks or months to satisfy them that the newcomer is safe. And that means the newcomer must never be alone with livestock or off-leash around them.

Today, we brought Gus to the sheep for the first time without Red to act as his bodyguard. The sheep – prey animals always on guard – came up as a flock to check him and get close enough to sniff him, I think they didn’t know what he was.

It went well, they came in for a close look, then went back to grazing, a good sign. Gus was curious about the sheep, and I wondered how he saw them, but after their encounter, he went back to sniffing the grass and didn’t seem much interested in them either.

Many people don’t know that donkeys are guard animals, they protect farms and sheep and livestock from predators and stray dogs, when something strange comes into the pasture, their ears go back, they lower their heads and they charge. They can kill a dog with a stomp. Since I got Lulu and Fanny, no coyote or fox or stray dog has harmed a single one of our sheep or lambs, and they are all around us.

Yesterday, we showed Gus to the donkeys for the first time, today, we took him out to the pasture with us, and we gave Lulu the time the needed to make a thorough and detailed security check. That takes about 20 minutes. Lulu, who is the most protective of the donkeys,  sniffs every single part of the intruder, she sees that Gus is with us and she trusts Maria completely.

Gus responded by sniffing Lulu back and staying calm (although wisely protected). At one point, he leaned forward and licked Lulu on the nose. We were quiet and patient, giving Lulu the time she needs to feel okay about Gus being in the pasture. Yesterday, it looked like she wasn’t so sure.

Today, she finished her security check and walked away with Fanny to graze. We will be cautious with her and Gus for another month or so, but once Lulu has satisfied herself, it will be apparent, we have seen it before with every dog we have gotten, and she has never harmed one of them.

This is case where one needs to listen to the animal and let them work it out, without our shouting or being nervous or intervening. Gus was totally safe, he is no fool, and Lulu would never be aggressive around Maria. It was a good encounter. Soon, and once she realizes that he lives there,  Lulu will pay Gus no mind.

Fanny sniffed Gus once, and was bored by him.