I’m thinking more and more that Flo was a house cat, not a barn cat, and that she was left her or made her way here after we moved in. She seems so at ease in the house. Minnie likes to get outside now in the morning, even in the cold. Flo seems to have lost interest in that. In our morning meditation, I thought a lot about my future as a writer. I thought about how much the blog has grown, and how much book publishing has changed.

I am committed to doing books, it is at the heart of my work, I think I am just learning how to write them. I am eager to start my “Talking To Animals” project. I am excited about all of the things I am learning on the Internet: how to blog, how to promote my work, talk to my readers. The book tour for “Second Chance Dog” was an education for me, so are the Kickstarter projects for me, Maria and George Forss.

The writer’s life is not grim and doomed, it is full of opportunities, new ways to connect with my readers, new ways to have conversations. Here I am in upstate New York having a conversation with people all over the country about the Carriage Horses of Central Park. Every day people tell me my pieces should appear in newspapers in New York City, and I shake my head and smile. The newspapers of New York have nothing to do with the fate of the carriage horses, they will not determine the outcome, that is an old way of thinking.

This issue will be decided on blogs and websites, through messages and shares. We talk directly to one another now, we don’t need middle-men and gatekeepers very much. My blog got four million views last year, it is seen all over the country and the world. This is where I need to be, this is where my words need to live, not on some dreary op-ed page filled with the arguments and declarations of politicians.

I often say the the blog is my mother, any people say they want to start blogs and work on them, but I find that very few people really do, even now. I do, the blog is my creative heart, my lifeline. Two new things coming to bedlamfarm.com. A message ticker at the top of the blog where I can communicate Bedlam Farm news, stories and announcements to you in a Broadway-style news ticker that moves across the top of the page. Also a new timeline that will permit you to easily browse past posts and photos in a calendar format for easy browsing. More to come.