Day: April 12, 2014

My short story class is pretty wonderful, great and enthusiastic students producing some very strong stories. On our third week we moved into a higher gear, I’ve extended the class for two additional weeks so we can polish up our stories and feel good about them. Today, Jim Reid played the role of Vanna White and showed some artwork that helped illustrate a wonderful poem by Karen Bruce.

I talked about the importance of detail and plotting in a short story, we passed our work around and the class offers good and honest feedback, is always supportive and  helpful. This class is special, it has a dynamic chemistry. On the way out, one of the students said, “you know, I sometimes think that anybody can write.” Yes, I said, clapping her on the back, now you are getting it.

Donkeys love children and children love donkeys, I am not sure why this is so but our donkeys are especially drawn to children and are patient and loving with them. Today we had a young visitor at the farm and Fanny and Simon came to the fence while he offered them dead leaves from the yard. They sniffed the leaves and patiently took them from him and dropped them to the ground, they did this for more than 10 minutes with great patience and affection. I have seen this so many times, something in donkeys connects with children, I think it is the innocence of their spirit and purity of their intentions.

Donkeys read intentions, they smell and sense emotion, you cannot fool them.

For so much of my life, I gave up on love. George Forss and Donna Wynbrandt have never given up on love, if George shows us that genius will triumph against all odds, George and Donna show us that love will do the same. I have learned to never give up on love. In any place. At any time. For any reason.

The writer Lisa Dingle author of the great blog “Welcome To Dingleville,” is taking my short story class at Hubbard Hall and at the beginning of each class, she takes a photo of Red and I take a photo of Red and Lisa. Red has become media savvy, living on Bedlam Farm, and he definitely grasps the idea of the photo shoot. This is the best evidence yet of his media skills.