I have this unofficial rule, I don’t generally take photos inside the farmhouse, but sometimes, an image captures a moment, and I can’t really resist. Maria is a private person, poor thing, but also an artist, and she understands this compulsion to share images of light and beauty and meaning.  Izzy has a remarkable gift of connection, even for a dog, and so does Maria. All of the animals here love her dearly, and she is a loving and thoughtful advocate for them and has opened me up to the love I feel for them, and my connection with them. As she was reading, Izzy came over and you could almost feel the connection passing between them. I am grateful for these two remarkable creatures in our lives. Izzy and I are doing some unofficial hospice work, seeing an elderly woman down the road who is at the edge of life and who loves him. He will help her cross to the other side.