The first text message from Ken Norman came in at 7:02 p.m. – if you have never seen Ken cursing at his old Iphone, you have not grasped the legacy of Steve Jobs in our time – and it said simply, “evening.” We started going back and forth. The surgery went well, he said, the pain management team was at his bedside.

I asked Ken if he was walking around yet – I would not have been the least bit surprised – and he said he won’t get the chan ce until Tuesday morning, when Ms. Popvitch, his rehabilitation specialist, came in to help him get up and start moving. I asked him if he could come and trim Simon’s hooves.

I can imagine him cursing a bit at that. At 8 p.m., he sent me a photo of his new knees dangling off of the side of the bed. Ken is as ornery as he is hard-working, he will be back at work in a month or so, I believe. He declined to Simon’s hooves and we are now calling one another unprintable names. He did text me to say “I’ll come and instruct you and  watch you trim him. I’ll even take a picture.” Deal, I said, I can do it with my eyes closed. “Ha,” he said.

Well, I can curse as well as he can, pretty much.

Ken is already texting and joking, he will be moving around soon. He is now one of the more famous farriers of the world, he helped save our donkey Simon, but that was nothing compared to now. He is getting gets fan mail from everywhere and people from everyplace are making donations to his gofundme site, the one he started to help raise funds to help him and his family and farm (and horses) get through several months without any income.

It was great to hear from Ken, he is in good hands and doing well, especially just nine or ten  hours after surgery for two knee replacements. I imagine the next couple of weeks will be a challenge for him, he is up to it. So many people appreciate him and the work he has done, he has raised nearly $30,000 for his project and he can use every penny of it. Ken originally asked for $17,600 on gofundme, a crowdsourcing site and he raised that in a day as animal lovers, horse people, farriers all rushed to help him.

Ken has a wife and daughter, a farm in Pawlet, Vt., and more than 30 horses, many of them rescues, to feed. He has known me since I came upstate, he knows the good and the bad, although he never refers to it, just chuckles sometime at the memories. Ken is one of the things I most love about where I live, good and independent people living their lives generously and in service to their communities. Nobody who knows Ken hesitated for a second to contribute to his fund, and that is a pretty high compliment in challenging times.

It is wonderful to see that Ken has the resources he needs to get through this winter, it is also very uplifting to think of him living and working without pain. He has been in a lot of pain for a very long time. Watching him tend to Simon and his twisted legs has been a powerful experience for Maria and I. Ken cares about the animals he works with, I doubt Simon would be alive if Ken had not rushed to help him when he was in so much distress.

Ken is taking a photo of mine of our donkey Fanny into rehab with him, I am proud of that. Fanny will watch over him.

Ken has reached his goal, he is not asking for more money, but I knew he could use any contributions people wish to give, he is always there to help a horse or donkey – or human – in need. We will always be there for him, and thanks to those of you who helped.

I send my good wishes to Ms. Popovich, she is going to earn her money in the morning. My advice to her is to yell, loudly and continuously.