There was nothing to suggest a garden in the corner of the back yard of the house, by an old stone wall next to the new fence blocking off the pasture. These red Irises just came up suddenly this week and they were almost completely obscured by the tall grass. Looks like there will be some excavating to do. I think this might have been Florence’s main garden.
Florence’s spirit keeps popping up, in the house, and especially, outside, where her long buried gardens are still alive still sending beauty and light up into the world. Florence was 104 when she died, and it was probably a long while back that she was able to tend the gardens that once ringed the farmhouse. We have found a few of hers, planted some of her own, but another secret garden has appeared, out by the birdbath, out by the pasture fence. This weekend, I intend to dig it out and restore as much of it as I can. It will probably take more than one try, but her blue and red Irises have appeared out of the tall grass and sent a signal to me that another gardens wants to come back to life. I’m just the man for that.
There are now four ways for me to be compensated for my work and for you to support it, if you wish and are able. This morning, we’ve added a new subscription program. There are additional options for you. One is subscribe to the blog and read it for free. That will continue. A second, the existing option, is to donate occasionally when I think of it or you do. A third – this is new – is to subscribe to the blog for $60 a year in one payment through Paypal. And a fourth – also new – is to subscribe to blog for $5 a month, also through Paypal. In the latter two cases, Paypal would deduct the payments automatically, as it does for magazine and other subscriptions.
I could offer all kinds of fancy and high-minded notions about how important my work is in the world, and how you should support it, but that is not what I believe. I surely hope that is true but the simple truth is publishing revenues have declined and the costs of the blog – Web maintenance, photography, podcasts, social media, computers and other equipment, time and energy – have risen. I am not looking to become a charitable organization – I am responsible for me. But when things change, part of being creative is changing also.
The new publishing model is different for me, and the blog has become a major focus of my work, not an optional add-on. A few years ago, I couldn’t imagine accepting donations, contributions or other payments for my work. Now I am comfortable with the idea of being paid for my work. I spent many hours taking photos and writing on the blog. I can’t do this for free and shouldn’t, really. Paying for the things we read is important. Responsibility works both ways.
I work hard at the blog, love it and add to it all the time. Unlike a lot of blogs, which are moving to subscription-only models. I will insist on keeping the blog open and available for free unless that becomes impossible to do. Many people have been following me for years and supporting me, and some of them are on fixed incomes or have little money. I won’t walk away from that. But it’s also true that my books are now selling for $2.99 and hardcover books – the staple of my income – are not selling the way they used to. If I wish to survive as a writer – I do – then I need to be paid for the work I do, and also to develop alternative writing incomes.
Otherwise, consider which, if any, of these options work for you. Many people like the subscription model, it fosters a sense of community and civility – important on the Internet. It makes payments automatically, so you don’t have to think about it. It stabilizes my blog finances. It pays me for my work – fair and important to me and long in coming. It keeps the blog strong. Subscriptions provide some regular income, important to planning my work and carrying out it. They can be canceled at any time. I think blogs are becoming the new books, the new magazines, I am absolutely committed to mine, it is the focal point of my creative life.
Whatever you decide to do, I appreciate your being her and riding along on this quite remarkable journey. I hope you will get on board this train, heading for the New World. I intend to be there. Thank you. Check out the new program.
Simon and Lulu and the sheep went into the new pasture to graze a bit, Lulu ran back to the Pole Barn and brayed until they came out. There’s a lot of water and mud – rain off from all the recent storms, so Lulu may just wait until it dries out a bit. Nobody else seems to mind.
Frieda has come a long way in her life with us, but she is not allowed to go hear the sheep or come sheepherding. For Frieda, the line between herding and hunting is still a little blurry. She always manages to get to a window and watch while Red and I go out to the sheep, and I suspect she would like to herd the sheep one day. I don’t see it, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. Frieda is smart, love to work with people, and is trainable. A bit too much prey drive though, I think. Sometimes I feel bad for her – there is much guilt in our lives with animals – but then I recall that she is having a very good life.
