On holidays, we stop and give thanks for the animals, who shape so much of our life and our work and our creativity. Maria goes out into the pasture with oat bran crackers, one of the things all of our animals love and they all gather in a cluster around her, and she is so happy to  be giving them treats and expressing our gratitude to them.

I don’t fear a thing as all these animals rush towards her at the same time, they are all gentle and patient with her, even her strong-willed pony.