Day: April 9, 2012

We are, I think, our dreams, no better, no worse. Every day we make choices about who we are, who we want to be. Every moment spent in anger is a piece out of our souls. Every day lives in a fear is the first death, in small bits and pieces, long before the other. Every second of regret is a lost dream. Tonight, I returned to Kinney Road, where I chased my dreams, fell in love, fell apart, saw my soul blow up that cold and lonely and beautify road. I chased after it. What were my dreams? To find love? To love my work? To shed anger, fear and confusion. To live my life. To be fulfilled. Still chasing, always and forever, every second, every day, each moment.

Monday night was Yoga Night, and I dropped Maria off at her classes and did my weekly shopping chores. Went to buy senior dog food for Frieda and for Izzy, some dry cat food for the barn cats. Went to the supermarket, got some of the good and healthy food my naturopath is recommending for me – lots of greens, fruit, grains. I am not a person who loves to take my dogs everywhere with me. I don’t like to bring them to other people’s houses, I don’t care for dog play dates, I have no problems leaving them on vacation, and I enjoy some time along wandering around alone. But in recent weeks, there has been a shift here. Lenore has become my ride-a-long dog.

She is an elemental part of my new health care. Today she came to the chiropractor’s with me, and she sat in the doorway and greeted all of the other patients, then came in and dozed under the table while I was adjusted. Lenore also comes with me to spiritual counseling, massage therapy and visits to the doctor, the naturopath. She puts me and others at ease everywhere, and she always wants to be with me, to come with me. She hangs out with Rocky now, and there are few places I can’t take her.

Frieda is not really ready for that, and Izzy is hanging out with Maria in the Studio Barn. So I now have a ride-a-long dog. She is great in the car, quiet (I almost forget she was there when I got home tonight) and this evening, she walked with me around Glens Fall after my shopping. I got some yoghurt at Cooper’s Cave and we wandered around the neighborhood until Maria was done. I am happy to have such a great ride-a-long dog. You get the dog you need, and perhaps, the dog you deserve.

Simon and I have begun our walks on the road again. “Two asses on the road,” a farmer yelled to me last Autumn. Simon loves to walk with me, but the ladies – Lulu and Fanny – bray and raise the roof when he gets out of sight. They are either kicking him in the head or missing him. A lesson somewhere. I have started reading “Platero and Me” to Simon again.

I bought an orchid for my girl,

but she made me give it back.

It’s too beautiful a thing, she said,

and I would be afraid to harm it,

it is so fragile.

But as I left the nursery,

the orchid whispered to me,

“bring me home. She will love me

and take care of me. I am just a flower,

wanting a home.”

The next morning, I went back to the nursery

and found the orchid,

waiting for me,

straight and preening,

and excited

and brought it home.

And my girl pretended to be angry with me,

for almost two or three seconds,

and then I saw her brush her lips against the

orchid, and then whisper to it,

and promise it that she would love

it and care for it.”

And the orchid winked and me,

and whispered, yes, I know.

Last year, shortly before Rose collapsed in the sheep pasture, I got up early and went herding with her, and took a series of evocative photos of her moving the sheep through the early morning fog. I love these shots, they captured the mystical side of this quite remarkable animal.  In these 8 x 10 photos, the sheep appear in the morning light, Rose to the right of them and behind them. This is the Rose I really remember. I am very proud to offer a small number for sale. This is the last time Rose was able to herd sheep.

The Image Loft in Manchester, Vt., did a beautiful job of printing these photos and fullmoonfiberart is offering 10 of them for sale for $60 plus shipping. In order to keep the costs down for people who want them, they are not framed or matted, but printed on very high quality paper stock. If there are more requests, Maria says she will consider ordering more prints. You can contact her and purchase these signed photographs on Maria’s website or by e-mailing her at [email protected]

I like the idea of offering a few photos for sale inexpensively. If this works out, we will offer more. We are working on a “The Story Of The Fox And The Hen” notecard series to be offered for sale in the next couple of weeks. People are also welcome to take any of my photographic images off of the website for free if they can’t afford to buy them.