Another cold and beautiful morning. Another excellent Meditation Class At The Mansion.  Zinnia and Zip cement their relationship. A Beloved Business Comes Back To Town. This and other good news are coming up this afternoon. I’ve got to get the morning Farm Journal up first. Here it is. Zinnia and Zip have begun touching noses every morning. It was just a matter of time.

 

The first thing I do in the morning is photograph the farm early.  I love to catch the morning sun. It’s a trademark now. (thanks for your kind words about the pictures) It’s become a trademark of the blog and a very satisfying morning ritual. It’s a beautiful way to begin another day. I like wearing a bathrobe rather than nothing. It’s warmer.

You are invited to come along for the ride.

This morning, Zinnia became the newest animal to make peace with Zip, who has dominated and charmed life here. We are returning to the Peaceable Kingdom once more. The hens don’t mind returning to the barn or Zip coming into the roost.  Zinnia stopped trying to chase Bud, and they touched noses today, a formal sign of peace and friendship.

It always takes our animals a few months to acclimate to a new resident. Zip fits right in; even the donkeys have taken in his presence. Now, I have two animals walking alongside me when I walk around – Zip and Zinnia.

Zip started out chasing the hens and keeping them out of the barn. Now, they just all hang out together. Bud goes in and out of the pasture as if he was born there. We are serious about having a Peaceable Kingdom here on the farm. We’ve learned to let our animals work it out for themselves. They know how to do it. Few people don’t. Farmers almost always do.

Instead of harassing and lying about farmers, the animal rights movement would do better to live with farmers for a while. They know animals better than any animal rights warrior that I know.

I love the shape and design of this old farmhouse down the road. It captured the snow yesterday.

Zinnia and I usually walk together in the pasture while Maria is showered and dressed. It’s a sweet time; Zinnia is one of those dots who can go anywhere, anytime. We have the most excellent relationship; it is love without words.