Day: November 15, 2013

At the feeder, Simon eats on one side, Lulu and Fanny on the other. Every few minutes, they switch.

The crew from Albany arrived just after 11:30 and everybody trooped into the Studio Barn for Maria’s first-ever interview about her work. The reporter, Elaine Houston does a regular segment for Channel 12 in Albany called “Today’s Woman,” about women who love their work, who love what they do. Maria was not nervous for her first interview, she loves to talk about her work, and I think she loved the recognition too. I took some photos and got out of the way – I have been interviewed enough to know it’s usually better without family and friends around.

The crew might want to film Red and the sheep or the donkeys – they all froze when Simon belted out one of his bone-curdling brays, it was not a sound any of them had ever heard before.

It is not a huge big deal, but it is a huge big deal, it feels like that to me, I am circling around like the Proud Papa, trying not to get in the way. Maria’s work is so important to her, she has worked so hard to build her community around her life and her blog, it’s just nice to see her getting some space in the spotlight. She seems quite at ease with it, handling herself like a pro. A good thing, I told her because this afternoon we will all be back at Battenkill signing books.

When sheep first meet their border collies, the relationship is not much different to a lamb seeing a wolf. They run, butt, stomp their feet, panic. Over time, if the dog is calm and strong, they settle into a different relationship, one of mutual respect but one where the dog is very dominant, the sheep are not. Sheep have no means of defense, they are not especially fast, they do not have sharp teeth or powerful claws, they tend to freeze when in danger, like chickens, and accept their fate.

After that first bout of tension, the relationship does not change. The dog controls the sheep with his eyes and body movement, the sheep are wary, vigilant, but not panicked. They accept the dog’s responsibility over them, the border collie keeps them on grass, away from obvious dangers like canyons or cliffs. But the dog will not fight off a predator, will not intervene, border collies are herders and watchers, not fighters. They are too smart to make war. This standoff, this distance, this acceptance, is the permanent element of the relationship between the border collie and the sheep, it does not change.

If the dog knows what he is doing, the sheep will respect him or her, if not it is always a brawl.

I am excited for Maria today, and proud of her as always. This morning, a reporter from an Albany TV station is coming to film her and do a piece on her work, the program is called “Today’s Woman” and the reporter is from Channel 12. Maria has come a long way since I met her – she had shut down her art for some years, and it as eating her up. It has been the joy of my life to see her do her work, to see it so loved, to see the packages that come for her every day filled with exotic fabrics and old hankies for her scarves, to see the wonderful work she has been producing for several years now, and how much people love it.

I suspect I am the only person on the earth who knows how hard a journey that has been for her, how bravely and graciously and creatively she has handled the challenges in her life, and by herself, with little help and support beyond her own great heart.

So it means a lot when a television station recognizes her and sees her as a model for the ascent everywhere of strong and creative women, something I have long appreciated seeing. This evolution of Maria has marked a major change in my life, I was a lone wolf for years, mostly living alone at Bedlam Farm, it was my farm, my blog, my dogs and animals, my books. Now there is an us, the letters and e-mails all are to me and Maria, they all mention her, they think of this enterprise now not as one thing, but our thing. At the Open Houses, people are as eager to meet Maria as me, at readings she has a line of admirers longer than mine. Some people, even our friends, think they detect some jealousy on my part, but that is a projection, I think, of the way they expect men to act. There is no envy in me for the light shining on this  remarkable human being.

I think she is a worthy role model for today’s women, she is strong and honest and filled with compassion.

There is nothing in my life that has thrilled me more or made me happier, Maria and I have worked so hard to support one another, she has done more for me than I could ever do for her, and it is quite a wonderful thing to see her getting the recognition and affirmation that she has earned. If there is a failing, it is that I do not have words for it.

So this morning, affirmation time for Maria. A reporter named Elaine Houston is coming to meet her, I will take some photos and get out of the way. Happy Day..

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Every day I learn something new about the new book tour and I am doing something new, things I could not be trying if I were on a plane or sitting in hotels rooms waiting for a ride. Quinne Rogers of Random House, a social media whiz, suggested using photos in a new format on Facebook, she helped me enable the posting of photos and videos on my Facebook Page, something I vaguely knew how to do but never really applied to my writing or my book tour. (It is hard to open up the mind.)

This really opened my eyes to a whole new window of opportunity for my new book tour, a way to sell more books at Battenkill Books (we are heading for 1,000 this week, the first week of publication for “Second Chance Dog”), promote my book to the wider world, engage my readers in the never-ending dialogue that is the hallmark of true interactivity. It is fascinating for me to see how my mind unfolds gradually and deliberately to the possibilities of this kind of a book tour, as opposed to flying all over the country, staying in fancy hotels (I liked that part) and leaving my blog – my umbilical cord to my readers – behind.

Many of you thank me almost daily for sharing my life with you, and today, I am offering you in earnest the opportunity to share you lives back, sharing photos and videos of your animals, your lives, your loved ones, your family – the things that are important to you, just as I share the things that are important to me. And every day.  I will be posting almost daily Facebook topics asking you to share the images of your life, with animals and beyond. Tomorrow I will ask you to post photos of your three-legged cats and dogs – a celebration of Minnie and her recovery and your pets and their recovery.

Technology gives us the opportunity to redefine not only what writing is, but how writers can interact with the people who support us and share our work. Readers have moved online, but this doesn’t mean the end of writers and writing as my new book tour is beginning to demonstrate, it means technology can connect us to them in new and very powerful ways. I loved following technology, but no one can follow all of the possibilities and opportunities, it is foolish to try, you have to be open and listen and find a Quinne Rogers to help guide you along.

This is another chapter in the new “Second Chance” book tour. Today Maria and I return to Battenkill (or call 518 677-2515) this afternoon to sign another few hundred books. I think we are a few hundred away from 1,000, the goal this week. Buy local, support individuality and creativity, save us from the corporate onslaught. People are liking this book for it’s happy endings, and for Plaid Friday and Christmas. You can check out the reviews of the book here and buy it from Battenkill or check out your other outlets here. And check out my Facebook Page where you will be able to share your lives with me and others in a completely different way.

I learn almost every day – and teach almost every day – that telling is one thing, showing is another.