Day: May 27, 2017

Saturday was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, day ever at Bedlam Farm. The RISSE refugee and immigrant soccer team – recent arrivals from different areas of the world – came to our town for a day out in the country and a window into a warm and generous and open side of America.

I can’t say enough about what a great day it was for me, for Maria, for the animals on the farm, and for parts of our community. The refugee kids – 16 plus their teacher Ali (Amjad) – came to our farm first.

We herded sheep with Red and Fate, climbed trees, hugged and brushed donkeys, saw Treasure Wilkinson’s baby goats, asked a zillion questions.

We then headed six miles to Pompanuck Farm where Scott and Lisa Carrino served fresh-baked pizza from their wood-fired ovens, and showed the kids their beautiful farm and retreat center. They fed the fish on the pond, walked around the fields, toured the gardens.

It was a beautiful meal under an open tent.

Then we drove down the hill to Bejosh Farm where Ed and Carol Gulley showed the kids new calves, old barns, milking parlors, farm dogs, Peacocks, new corn plantings, dairy cows, sheep and coats and served heaping bowls and cones of ice cream and homemade brownies.

Just about everyone was exhausted by 4:40 p.m., when the RISSE van headed back to Albany, N.Y. We all loved these wonderful children, many of whom have suffered greatly, but who have kept their hearts and spirits and affectione for people.

Last year, their refugee center was burned to the ground by arsonists who have never been identified, and all the tires on their vans were slashed. Ali tells them again and again that this is not the real America, this hatred and fear. I hope we showed them that today.

I would be proud to call any of these kids my own.

As the above photo shows, I let groups of these kids into the pasture with Red, Fate and the sheep.

They admired Red, but identified with Fate and her crazed racing around.

Some of them decided to herd the sheep with her, which she loved.

They cheered her on, hugged and petted her, and even chased after the sheep with her (above.) She loved it.

They had a million questions, this was the first time any of them have been out of Albany to see the countryside or the true nature of America.

I can’t say enough about today, except that we will do it again a dozen times this summer, until every one of the 100 children at the RISSE Summer and Day School for immigrants and  refugees has come to our farm, herded sheep,  had pizza,  and  swum in the Pompanuck pond, and seen cows and eaten ice cream at Bejosh Farm.

Our small town is rising to the occasion. Ken Norman, our farrier, is going to demonstrate trimming and equine care; Mandy Meyer-Hill, a massage therapist and healer, is going to talk to the kids about dealing with stress, physical and emotional. This is becoming a community thing, which makes it even more precious.

There wasn’t a difficult second at any of our farms today. The kids were loving and appreciative and curious. The bond between them and Ali (Amjad Abdullah Mohammed) is strong and poignant, he is much like a father to these young men and women. Maria has such a gift for connecting with people, one of the kids, Thet Naing Min, was fasting today in keeping with the holiday of Ramadan, and stayed back while the others ate.

Maria skipped lunch to sit with him and talk to him.

These children are further evidence that they have not come to America to  harm us or take our jobs, they have come here to live, grow and be free, just like most of the rest of us. Many have come to escape awful brutality and violence.  Maria loved the day just as much as I did, and she will show the next arrivals her studio and talk about her work. This is a wonderful day that we shared with one another.

Early this evening, Ali texted me: “Thank you so much, we really had a great time. The kids are so happy, they all had a good time and send a big thank you. We made it home and they were all sleeping on the way. Thank you again.”

I was afraid we overdid it – maybe three stops were too many – but All said the three stops were “awesome” he said the kids began the day with soccer practice and were tired but happy. It was, he said, an awesome day. They all invited Red and me to come to their next soccer came Thursday. I’m going to try.

It was an awesome day for us, too. One of greatest days in the life of Bedlam Farm.

I think my favorite moments with Robin are not with the animals, or even reading or playing. They are showing her a bit of the world, bits of wonder, I call them. The cabinets, the fixtures on the lamp, the sun coming through the trees. I feel part of my work is to show her the light and beauty of the world, not necessarily to be a playmate or toy-giver or adorer. I treasure these moments, they are the foundation of our relationship I think, our future together, my legacy to her.

This morning, we both wondered at the beauty of the lamp. Sometimes we go out and look at the sun.

Emma was up half the night with Robin, she was exhausted. We chased her back to bed and took charge of Robin. The big news is that Fate is absolutely crazy about her. Last night, she went upstairs into Robin’s room and sat by the crib, sticking her nose in to lick Robin’s hand while she was sleeping.

Emma saw this on the baby monitor, we shooed her out. But she just loves the baby and loves to reach over and give her a soft lick on the forehead or cheek. It is a very touching thing to see. We took Robin out on the porch to meet the barn cats and Flo also seemed to love her. A nice and new kind of family tableau.

I do think the farm has a kind of magic to it, it touches almost everyone who comes. Maria is a love machine, she has the gift of connection to other living things, animal, plant and human. I am so lucky to know her and love her.

Leroy, the four-week old Boston Terrier puppy we have been visiting, is coming to Bedlam Farm at the end of the month. We met with Robin Gibbons, Leroy’s breeder, and her family,  in Cambridge yesterday and we said we’d love to bring Leroy to the farm when he is eight weeks old.

Robin Gibbons agreed to sell Leroy to us.

She said she wouldn’t accept a deposit until she was sure there were no hip or other problems in the litter, she struck Maria and I both as being warm, ethical and very serious about her breeding program. We each held Leroy for a while and looked at each other and nodded.

We were on the same page.

There were no reservations on either side. We met Leroy’s mother, Hannah, a sweet and dutiful mother and heard about the father, who lives a few hours away.

We both were taken with Robin and her family, they are profound dog lovers and very serious about proper and conscientious breeding. And Leroy was calm, affectionate and responsive. We were very comfortable with her. Her son named Leroy, but we both liked the name, and he just seemed to be a Leroy.

This is a big step for me, I’ve never had a small dog before, and I think the Boston Terrier is a good choice for me and for all of us. They are high-energy dogs (when you have border collies, the term is relative), smart, playful and loyal. Like a lot of small dog breeds, they seem not to know they are small.

Fate loves to play. Red accepts everything.

I can see Fate and Leroy tearing up the yard chasing each other around. Border Terriers are active. Nothing bothers Red, the new dog will not be an issue for him. The breed is well known for loving children, people and animals. Lots of farmers with Boston Terriers e-mailed me to tell me how good they are on farms. They don’t run off, they don’t bother animals.

My plan is to start Leroy’s training as a therapy dog the day after he comes home. We’ll head right over to the Mansion and get to work. I love training dogs for therapy work, I have become good at it. This is a good breed for therapy work, they love people and are happy to sit in somebody’s lap.

Robin said to expect company in bed at night.

I have some things to learn with this breed, I’ve mostly trained Labs and border collies, and I will share the training and the learning, honestly and openly. As you know, I think we learn as much or more from mistakes as from successes, and I have made too many mistakes to count. I’ve also had great luck with some wonderful dogs.

I am ready for this change, creativity and emotionally.

So is Maria. She took to Leroy quickly and he seemed very happy cuddled up against his chest, as Hannah came to clean him up and check on him.

I was very impressed with Hannah’s temperament and her loving care of her puppies, this is a good indicator of how dogs are likely to turn out. If their litter experience is safe and loving, they are much more likely to be calm and social. Much of their behavior is determined in the litter.

I will start an aggressive socialization program once Leroy has adapted to the farm, and we are both quite certain and excited by this new dog.  He will meet everyone in town. I even think this could be a book, given the change and the learning, and the personality and loyalty that the breed is known for.

And yes, Leroy will add to the photographic and editorial core of the blog. I had an editor I disliked, who urged me to get a puppy so I could write a book about it.  I was offended, that seemed no good reason to do a book. That seemed cold and opportunistic to me. It doesn’t seem such a bad idea right now. We’ll see  how it goes.

I had a slight pause about my age, I will be 70 next year, and wondered if it was ethical to get a dog who might well outlive me. It is, for me, quite ethical. Giving a good dog a good home after thoughtful consideration an research is very ethical. Maria is  younger than I am, and in any case, a dog like this will not want for a home. Any animal of Maria’s is a lucky animal.

I can’t think of a better way to stay young and healthy than to accept challenges and grow and learn.

It is lovely that Maria and I are doing this together, Maria is serious about doing more training, and I am  serious about learning. The things we do together really seem to work. We see the world in the same way.

I hope Robin Gibbons continues to breeder, she is the kind of breeder who looks to protect the best qualities of dogs. I think she will and will keep in close contact with her as she moves forward.

I am very happy Leroy is coming to us. I will do a Leroy Journal, we plan to visit him often before he comes her to live. Thanks for all of your interest and support. This trip is just getting underway.