Like Red, Fate has two lives. One is the intrepid sheepherder, taking her lumps, learning the ropes, the other is Maria’s new and much beloved pal. The two are together all day, riding into town, doing for walks, working in the art studio. A very sweet thing to see. This week, Fate began to calm down a bit, the herding is grounding her, I think. She is actually sleeping in the house sometimes. She loves to jump in my lap and chew on my face a bit if she can. This is not permitted.

Maria loves to talk to the animals in the morning, sometimes the donkeys, sometimes Chloe, lately, a new and nosy partner to join in the conversation. Fate keeps trying to get Chloe to play, jumping in circles around her, nipping at her nose. So far no luck. But she hasn’t gotten stomped either.

Both of our wonderful dogs have at least two lives, one soft, the other hard. A life in balance for them, affection and good work.