Emma sent me this lovely photo of Robin, and I took it personally, I decided she was smiling for me. We are entering a new phase in our relationship, I probably won’t see her for several months, until Spring, when she may come up to see the farm for the first time. I’ve been to New York City a number of times, but things are frantic on the farm in the winter, it is harder to leave, and we are coming up on Maria’s trip to India, which will consume life for a good while.

I’m also working on my book “Lessons From Bedlam Farm” and am honing in on it, and I can be quite obsessive. So as you can hear in my voice letter, we are going to have to find some new ways to communicate with one another and stay close. That will fall on me, I think, not her.

This is my start, it is a creative solution, and I will get use to it – this took me four or five tries, I was a bit nervous, which is unusual for me. I love this child’s smile, it radiates personality and touches me. The first, I think of many.

As I’ve written, Robin and I face a number of geographic and even emotional obstacles, when I came up to the farm, I made it difficult to be a close part of my family. Emma and I are working that out, I hope Robin and I can do the same. Robin and I will have to find our own way to love one another and stay in touch. I’m in.