The Bedlam Farm Spring Open House is a little more than a week away. It will be held on June 10 and 11, from ll a.m. to 4 p.m.

It is a gentle and low-key kind of affair, one part art show, one part farm and animal tour, with some other parts – sheepherding, donkey hoof trimming, some poetry and other talks, Ed Gulley with a sweet young calf Silly Sally and his exciting farm and folk art.

Maria holds forth in her studio, showing and selling the fine work of local artists, I run hourly sheepherding demos with Red and Fate (see Fate run) and the donkeys are always eager to receive visitors, nibble on carrots and get brushed. Maria has listed the artists and their work on her website, and there are also details of the Open House on her website.

People come from all over the country to share our lives and say hello and visit our town – the Round House Cafe will be open by then and will be happy to welcome visitors. I will be reading from my new book “Talking To Animals” and signing copies.  You can also visit Battenkill Books in town.

We call the Open House a celebration of the art of rural life, but it is also a celebration of our own lives together with the people who follow us and help make our lives possible.

There is good food and some fun shopping in our town, Cambridge, N.Y. Sadly, we cannot accommodate dogs or other pets, it makes the animals nervous. We are pleased to open up our farm to visitors twice a year – our next Open House is on Columbus Day Weekend in October of this year.

She is too shy to say so, but the Open House is also a celebration of Maria’s ever-evolving life as an artist and a curator. That is something we both cherish. Check it out here.