The temperature is over 90 and the horse flies are nasty, so we put Simon and Lulu and Fanny in the barn, where there are few flies and it is cooler. Sometimes, he comes over and looks me in the eye, and it is a bit disorienting to have such an intense donkey look you in the eye like that. I look back at him, and I am thinking, what a gift to be able to take such good care of him and give  him comfort, affection and safety on the farm. It is always selfish to help a person, to help an animal. I told a young woman the other day – she said she often hated people because of the way they treated animals – that some animals are treated badly, many are treated well. And if abused animals are a reason to hate people, then well-cared for animals – and there are so many in America – are a reason to love people.