I am drawn to my sleeping dogs, not just as a dog lover, but as an artist fascinated by the beauty of animal rest, they sleep lightly and deeply, always alert but able to rest beautifully and spiritually.
Kim is one of our most beautiful sheep and also our shyest. She comes from Asia and is not used to people or dogs; she is always ready to run away, and we have never won her complete trust. Lately, she has taken to watching me closely, and my new nature lens has permitted me to get portraits of her without getting close enough to frighten her. I love her eyes. She even runs away from Zinnia, who loves to chase her now.
No other sheep has ever run away from Zinnia.
Zinnia is the sweetest dog I’ve ever had. She is usually the first thing I see in the morning, and there is no lovelier way to start the day. Zip is my main squeeze her patience and sweetness and loyalty are comforting, she goes right to my heart.
When I wake up, Zinnia quietly climbs along the bed and puts his head in my hands. We have this sweet smiling touching, If I don’t get up, he backs away and sleeps.
So does Zip, I have to say, but it’s different. Zip is not sweet, patient, or even exceptionally loyal (he’ll go for a mouse any time), but he has a spirit and drive that connects with me. I think he loves and looks out for me, as does Maria.
But he has a much greater sense of entitlement than Zinnia does. Zip is assertive and dominant. He goes where he wants to go when he wants to go, and he loves me not in the way dogs love their humans but in the way some cats do – when they feel like it and on their terms.
Zip is quite loyal to me these days; he follows me all over the farm when I go out and has even begun posing for pictures. He waits for me faithfully in the morning and the afternoon, and sometimes, when I go out, he sits in the driveway and waits for me to come home. As cats do, he spends the most significant part of his hunting and sleeping.
Zinnia is generous and happy to share her treats with Bud and Fate and turn her bones over to them. Zip would never go for that.
Zinnia is the perfect dog for me; as I write this, she is asleep, snoring at my feet. She won’t move until I stand up and turn the computer off. If he were inside, Zip would demand attention and drive me up the wall. We are all where we should be. One is the essence of calm and acceptance. The other is a monster, claiming every bit of the far as his turf. He doesn’t care what any other animal thinks.
It’s a gift to experience the affection and attention of these two remarkable animals. I love them both dearly.
Zip enjoys terrorizing Zinnia when he can, primarily by slapping her in the nose when she gets too close. Zinnia avoids him generally; she’s a pacifist dog, but Maria encouraged her to come up close this morning, and Zip went over on his back to let her know she is trusted. He wants to be nice but doesn’t know how to do it yet. Zip is loaded with mischief, but he also has a big heart.
The language of animals is impressive. Zinnia and Zip are destined to be friends. Zip did his charm the newcomer roll. I wish I could tell Zinnia that she is ten times the size of Zip; she doesn’t seem to know.
I sat in the blue chair with Zip for a half hour this morning; it’s one of our favorite meeting places when it isn’t too cold. Zip crawled up onto my shoulder, purred, and seemed to go to sleep. I scratched and stroked him for a good while; there is something about that cat that I love.
Sandy, please write me a letter suggesting I ask my daughter Emma about Zip sleeping in the farmhouse. She said she had given up on me since I seemed to have no common sense. Funny, she mentioned it; I asked Maria once if I had a lot of common sense, and she still laughed. I mean, a 76-year-old man living on a farm with two donkeys, three dogs, two donkeys, a dozen sheep, and three imperious hens! I can’t disagree with Sandy. I have enough common sense to delete her message; sorry, Sandy, what did you expect from me?
OK, I did suggest that she mind her own business and then delete her.
That was fun. I always thought it rude to delete somebody, but now I can hardly wait.
Zip seems very happy in his heated cat house in the barn. We’ll have a sleepover one night, and I’ll sleep in the barn. The night photos could be awesome if there’s a bright moon.
Every night, Zinnia hops into bed when we go to sleep, and she offers her belly and some licks to whoever gives her a hug and a belly scratch, which practically hypnotizes her with delight. She practically purrs. The picture speaks for itself. Zinnia is all heart and all sweet.
