The roof is up. It took Ben two days to get this farm, and he will close up the two sides so the animals are protected from the weather, and install clear plastic on the South side so they will have sun and light in the winter. He is an amazing worker, and we are grateful to him. Without Ben, we would simply not be able to move in next month.
Yesterday, I shot a sequel to the movie “New Bedlam Farm.” This one is a bit more personal. It is about a hard working carpenter, Ben Osterhaudt, and a blind pony trying to make sense of his changing world, and of the friendship between the pony and a border collie, and about the love between the pony and a loving human being, all, hopefully, captured on film. I am liking making movies. A new dimension in my life. Come and see.
It is said that life is a theater, and I often think my animals – my donkeys, dogs, and cats especially – understand this. They spend much of their times in the theater of life, and I imagine my front law as the front row in the big show.
Frieda: Do you think they will let me chase and eat that rabbit? Or go after that motorcyle? If I charge the fence right now and bark I can just make it before Jon comes running out to yell at me. Where are they anyway, meditating? I can see a deer, two hedgehogs and some mice. What a great seat. I can see the poodle coming up the hill..Teddy they call him. Can’t wait to scare the crap out of him.
Lenore: Look at that sheep pasture…Hmmm. I can’t wait to get out there. And there is some great stuff on the path under those leaves. I can smell it. This is a wonderful spot, because I can turn around and watch the pasture and the donkeys and the sheep too. Drives Jon crazy when I get out there eat stuff..and the best part is I can throw up on the bed at 3 a.m. and watch them all jump up and down and take me outside where I can get some more good stuff to eat.
Red: This is the best show around. I can see both sheep pastures. I can work, and then I can..work. And do some cuddling. In Ireland they would only let me work, but I am Irish and I love the girls and love sitting in their laps and if you can chase sheep around and chase women around in the same day, well you have it made. I agree with Jon. Life is a theater and we have great seats, if you look at it that way. This gig is great. I get treats, I can sleep on a sofa once in awhile when nobody is looking and I can ride around and see my girlfriends all day. Ireland is a beautiful country, and I miss Karen, but this is a good job. I think I’ll let Jon and Maria stay.
I think what makes Maria such a wonderful photographic subject, aside from the fact that I love her, is that she has this very distinct balance between sensitivity and reserve. My friend George Forss was the first person to notice that, I never thought of it in that way. But it’s true. These days, I am spending time on two farms. Living on Bedlam Farm with our donkeys, dogs, cats and chickens, and also racing back and forth to the New Bedlam Farm to work out all of the many projects under way there.
Today, you will notice some Google AdSense ads on the right hand side of my blog posts when you open them. It will take a couple of weeks for Google to figure out the precise match between ads and content but hopefully it will offer you some information you want. Everytime you click on these ads, I will get about 10 cents. We’ll see if this works. Maria is very happy with it, and people seem to appreciate it. It is a good way to keep the blog free and still support my work and the farm, and the blog too. So thanks. Should be coming up later today. This will not be visible on the main front page, only on posts that are opened. We have also added a calendar and list of recent posts, as requested by many of you.
