I felt bad for Maria this morning, she hasn’t had a chance to unpack before being thrown into the reality of life in the real world of real animals, it is rarely cute or fuzzy. This morning, she had to stuck her hand in a sheep’s butt, wrestle with Ma to keep her still, hold Liam while his testicles were banded.

I faced a lot of reality this week also. For the first time, I acknowledged to myself that I can no longer run a farm properly by myself. The wrestling with ewes, bending over, hauling hay and water, feeding dogs, cats and chickens, watering plants – these were all things I did mostly by myself for some years. The first lambing wrecked my back and it stayed wrecked.

I was alone at the first Bedlam Farm most of my time there, Maria’s presence makes such a great difference in so many ways. This morning was crazy, but it was manageable, even meaningful. It is what we do. It is hard to see Ma struggling, it is hard to put a lamb into pain. Liam has his blood in the place, he is staying here.

My legs and my back have their own ideas about what I can do, I am grateful to Deb Foster for coming to the rescue, she saw me trying to bend over and just started showing up. Maria and I are both a bit loopy this morning,and it’s time for me to pivot and get ready for New York. I hate to leave with so much going on, but I’m meeting a Native-American Chief on behalf of the New York Carriage Horses in Central Park Sunday and Monday I’m meeting with my new editor. I  hope to be able to announce who he is on Monday.

In America, we are losing touch with the real lives of real animals, I feel I am called to share my experience of living with them as truthfully as possible.