A friend wanted to see the first Bedlam Farm and I wanted to check on it and see it, so we drove up there with Red this afternoon. I will be honest, it is not easy for me to go back there, I loved the farm and it was so important to me in so many ways, and so creative a space for me. One of the ways in which it was important was my first encounter with Red at this gate in the lower pasture, the moment where we bonded, and he became my dog. A friend drove him up from Virginia, and when I took the leash off, he spooked and ran off a ways.

I always make this mistake, I forgot that animals need to acclimate to strange environments, but he didn’t go far, he came back to me, but was anxious and confused. I walked him to the pasture gate, and he looked out and saw sheep, went into a crouch, and we bonded, we both just sort of fused. I will always remember that spot at that gate, it was when Red became my dog.

Today, we walked back over to that gate, and he looked intently across the beautiful meadow, but he couldn’t find any sheep.  That’s okay, I told him, we have some at home. Bedlam Farm looks good, it is on the market, up for sale, waiting for someone to claim it. A lot of history for me there, a lot of feeling.