“B,” our new employee at Bedlam Farm, made history today. He became the very first person in the world that Maria agreed to let help her stack the last of the firewood that needed to get into the shed before winter.

She has never let anyone, including me, help her stack the hundreds of logs that keep us warm in the winter.

I never thought I’d see it, she said he did a great job and loved doing it.

Maria said he did a great job stacking the wood, and she is meticulous about how it’s stacked.

This was a great day for “B,” also known as Braeden . He left with the $10 fee, a cactus he loved that Maria gave him, and a big fat book on American history with all kinds of beautiful pictures from me. I am the giver of books for him; I’m good at it.

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This was a landmark day for “B”; he’s got the farm animals down, and they all go crazy when they see him. The dogs bark, the donkeys and the donkeys bray loudly when he appears. It’s not easy to charm donkeys and some sheep; “B” does it instinctively, the best way.

I don’t talk with “B” all that much, but we have a good vibe. We always smile when we see one another, and “B” loves being photographed, especially as he’s gotten to know the farm. I used to have to invite him to smile, but he does it naturally and more easily now, as he does everything he does. I love that smile. He gets me; I can feel it.

I love the smile; it has become genuine and natural. He and Maria work beautifully together, and easily.

Maria and I are lucky to know him and be lucky that he wants to work here on the farm and loves our animals with us.

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This photo has nothing to do with “B,” but it captures the change in the seasons, which is beginning. Schools are getting ready to open, the leaves have begun falling from the trees, and the flowers are starting to die. Every season is beautiful here, and I can’t say which one is best. Fall is always beautiful here too, and I’ve come to love the winter pasture, although the bitter cold wore me down. But for my photography, there is no such thing as a season of Ugly.