August 9, 2007 – Cool, beautiful, warm. One of the many things I love about living on the farm are the fascinating, highly individualistic people I meet, like Don Cavna, someone I barely knew before who has spent the summer working on my barns and farmhouse and is an integral part of farm life now. We quarrel about the fact that he tends to undercharge, and undervalue himself, and insists on giving me complex and detailed receipts and accountings, which I hate to read. He says eventually, I will turn and bitch and complain. I think not.
  He doesn’t like to be told what to do. He likes to be by himself, and works long hours and wears dress shirts in 100 degree heat (I had to chase him off of the property yesterday, it was so hot). He has a compelling backstory, but it’s not my place to write about it here. He  moved up here from New York City, and, like me, is an immigrant in the country.  Like me, he loves to read about Abraham Lincoln.  He does great work, and works hard. For my birthday, he gave me a beautiful and very useful book on photography, and it has already helped me, and so has his prescence. He is one of the few people I can have working on the grounds while I work, and not be distracted. He loves animals. He has a quick temper and a great and understanding wife.
   He has been up on the hill all week repairing and expanding the pole barn, which now has to house four donkeys, 26 sheep, and three goats for much of the winter. Don shows up around 10 and hauls wood and tools around all day by himself. Other than giving my my birthday book, I rarely see him. If I don’t bring him cool water on the hill, he will stand there all day. He has a hat, but rarely wears it. I am glad he is here.
  My style of employment drives him to distraction, in that I hate discussing the details of work, as I don’t understand them. I am realizing, quite seriously, that I have perhaps suffered from variations of ADD my whole life. I just can’t absorb details that are not related to my writing or photography and even then, I often can’t absorb those.  I admire Don, for his independence, great integrity, craftsmanship and friendship. Like me, he understands the need for and concept of space around a person, without being distant or uncaring. Not many people get that.