Most mornings, we begin life here with a Bedlam Farm Daily Parade. One day I’ll invite people to come and watch our parade, they can line the route and cheer the animals on as they head out across Lulu’s Crossing and into the far pasture, an old cow pasture we have re-imagined as a grazing spot for our animals.

Everyone has a role. Red walks he sheep down the hill and keeps them away from Maria,  the donkeys follow at their own pace and in their own time (with donkeys, everything has to be their idea. Maria or I start the parade by heading towards the gate, closed when not being grazed for rotational grazing.

Fate runs in circles, a joyous romp with no ostensible purpose that I can see although she is positively thrilled with herself. The sheep go halfway up –  you can see the animals well-worn path. We have to be a big careful with Chloe, when she enters the gate she loves to take off for the far corners of the pasture, where there are all kinds of shrubs.

You wouldn’t want to be in front of her when she does this, she would happily run right over a dog or plow right through the flock of sheep. Red gets out of her way now, he didn’t used to, and Chloe loves Fate – Fate is the only animal she will run around to avoid. Sometimes I see a sheep go flying but Chloe isn’t out to hurt anybody she is just focused.

The sheep to up into the shade and graze, Chloe runs all the way to the rear fence and finds grass to eat. Red lies down near the gate to keep everybody where he can see them, and Fate runs in wide and beautiful circles. I do believe she thinks she is accomplishing something.

I love the daily parade, Maria is the Pied Piper here, there is no yelling or trouble or cajoling, everybody seems to trust everybody else and knows what to do. Maria and I often hold hands and walk out among the animals to eyeball them and make sure everybody looks good, no one is limping.

I take a few photos, she picks flowers and hugs donkeys and stands with me. In all of my now longish life, I have never experienced a better way for me to start the day than with our Bedlam Farm Daily Parade.