A reminder that Maria and I will host our second Bedlam Farm Open House on September 1, from noon to four p.m. Anyone is welcome (not dogs), there is no charge or donation. You can meet our donkeys – Simon, Lulu and Fanny – they are not veterans of Open Houses and happily line up for carrots and pats and watch Red herd our sheep. He and I will do several herding demonstrations.  You can also visit Maria’s Studio Barn and buy some of the great art she and some other artists will be showing and selling there.

We cannot open up the farmhouse or offer restrooms, but food and drink and bathrooms are in plentiful supply at nearby restaurants – the Open House Cafe, Momma’s – and at Battenkill Books in nearby Cambridge. We had between six and seven hundred people last time and expect more this time, judging from the e-mail and reports from hotels and guest houses, there may be more. It was intense, it was great fun. Red had a great time chasing the sheep around and greeting the guests and so did Lenore. I took Frieda out for a couple of walks and talked about her and her training. I’ll also talk about Red’s therapy work.

My friend Jack Macmilian is handing logistics like traffic and parking and our friend the poet Mary Kellogg will read some new poems.  I will also give a talk around 2 p.m. about the move, why we put Bedlam Farm up for sale and move to Florence Walrath’s beautiful old farmhouse. Details of the Open House will be posted on Maria’s website.

We are doing this to give the people who follow the blog and my books and Maria’s work and art a chance to meet us, see our new home, share our good fortune at being in such a great place with such amazing animals. I can’t guarantee the barn cats will make an appearance, but the chickens had no trouble wandering through the crowd, looking for crumbs. Please, if you bring children, remind them not to chase the chickens or anything else around here. Thanks much.