I woke up around 6 am. Maria was missing, which isn’t unusual. She might be out in the pasture chatting with a Sheep. She might be out in the woods (the dogs were still in the house, so probably not). She might be sitting out in the cold and darkness meditating with Zip under the Apple Tree. She might be upstairs in her office preparing to ship a Meditation mat to California.

She might be sitting in the kitchen (so as not to wake me) reading a book or pondering puzzles.

She might be anywhere.

Nothing is ever really still in the farmhouse or the farm, not with Maria living there.

Life with Maria is never boring, and she never seems to tire except towards dark, when she slows for a few minutes.

I guessed she was out in her study as the sun rose; Fate wasn’t in the house, and when I looked out the window, I saw a light on in her studio. Last night, she was talking about her Cat Lap idea.

I slipped on some shoes (it was cold) and went to the studio, and there she was, kneeling on the floor, busy and happy, making art. Work on the Cat Lap was underway.

“What are you making?” I asked. I was excited to hear she had started putting together her newest idea. What is a Cat Lap? I’ll let her announce it, but it’s a brilliant idea.

She is putting together a Fiber quilt for people who meditate with cats on their laps and don’t want to be clawed. This is for people who do Yoga with their cats, and for those who like to sit in the living room with a cat on their lap, which is pretty cozy, and don’t want to be clawed by their loving cats.

I want one. Zip inspired this work; when she goes outside to meditate in subzero weather, Zip curls up under her sheepskin and goes to sleep. He likes to claw at her knee as a gesture of love. He’s in for a pleasant surprise. Cat people know this odd habit. I am now one of them.

From what I saw on the floor, it’s going to be beautiful. You’ll have to wait for details. She never talks while working. I loved that she had a flash of inspiration in the dark before the sun came up and just went out to work on it. I just took the photo and left; she was focused. I knew to go back into the house.

What can I say? This is why I love Maria: a sort of nuclear artist who can work on several things at once and do them perfectly, a portable AI system. Today we are both going to the Cambridge Food Pantry as we do on Tuesdays. I’m going to take pictures, and she is going to help unload the weekly truck from the Food Bank.

Every time I stick my head in her studio, I see something new and beautiful. She can make beautiful art in one minute and chat with a donkey the next.

I love my life with Maria. I’ve never known anyone like her, and I can say this about being married to her: it is never boring, not for a minute, any time of the day. I do sometimes feel quite old in comparison, but I’ve always felt that way around her.

Here is my e-mail: [email protected].

____

On the way out, I took a photo of the sheep and donkeys grazing and of the new Amish couple now living across the street and down the road. Our western landscape is different, but they already make perfect neighbors. We went over to say hello, drop off some flowers, and volunteer to be an emergency food source if they ever needed one.

We also have some Amish horses as neighbors. The dogs don’t seem to mind either.

The sheep and donkeys don’t mind either. Just another dawn at Bedlam Farm.

Maria rarely tires; I got her some word puzzle books to keep her busy while she “rests.”

____

Just after dawn, the Amish are already out working.