I had a mad dash day – paying bills, rushing to pick up the flowers for the Mansion and getting them there, rushing to get to the gym before lunch (failed), talking to my therapist in the afternoon, and spending a sacred hour with the animals in the pasture, something I love to do but haven’t done enough.

(The Pied Piper of Bedlam Farm doesn’t yell or shout or sic a dog on her sheep, she just politely asks them to leave the pasture and makes them think it is their idea. She leads and they follow. Works every time. Red would be horrified. Above, Fanny is chewing on a mouthful of rising grass.)

It rained heavily for much of the day, but in between, Zinnia and I went outside to walk with the animals, sit with them, and photograph the experience.

The Photo Journal is mostly about that – grazing with the sheep –  since that was the highlight of my day. I’m making it a sacred habit to do this eery day, as I once did.

(I like the way the Leica Q2 sees the sheep, soft and engaged with their heads down and green all around them.)

Tomorrow is already full. I’m having a Zoom Meeting with my Web editors at Mannix Marketing.  I’m seeing a physical therapist about my shoulder.

The Web people love the idea of love, care, and hope, but they don’t live putting in the daily logo. Just do it, is the idea.

(Out in the pasture, the animals started to head for the Pole Barn, and the temperature began to plunge and the sky turned dark. I saw why –  our Green Mountain was covered in mist and rain, and the clouds were moving fast. I got inside before the deluge came.)

We will talk about “my motto,” but I think they may be right.

The most credible things are the things we do, not what we say we will do. If I am making the blog a safe place, let’s do it.

We will be darkening the font (thanks for asking me to do that), adding color, simplifying the buttons, and adding badges to identify threads like Army Of Good, Essays, Farm, Spirituality, Etd.

(I love the crunching sound the donkeys make when they pull up a mouthful of grass and get their whiskers all wet from the rain. This is Lulu, chewing away. I can get as close to her as I want when she’s eating, she trusts me and I trust her.)

I asked the designers to make the blog lighter, easier to read, and more colorful. And I do want it to be a calm, well-designed, and beautiful place. I deserve to be abandoned if I can’t put out a lovely blog with two Leica cameras and some excellent and thoughtful writing.

The blog will continue to be free; it will depend mainly on contributions and donations. Now that I’ve give up book writing, this is my paycheck. Thanks for supporting me.

(People sometimes seem to think Zinnia is overweight, but she isn’t. She eats two less than full cups of kibble each,  runs through the woods and chases balls, and does her therapy work. Zinnia was bred in the British tradition, as a hunting dow, she is square and solid, great at tearing through bush and marsh and freezing water and mud without blinking. She’s in great shape and is the tank she was meant to be – calm, responsive, loyal.)

The Web people and I are zooming at 11 a.m., and things should move quickly.

Not too much gardening here over the weekend.

We have a rough heatwave on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures in the mid to high 90s. I might need the AC in my study; my body is not crazy about that kind of heat.

I’m testing out the new camera and getting a feel for it. It’s as good as everyone says it is. It’s going to be a great addition to my photography, two such wonderful cameras, but the Iphone, which is no slouch and does some things much better than the Leicas.

Thanks for all the lovely comments about the first pictures; the grumpy old photographic traditionalists have faded away, searching for other photographers to discourage and praise the old days.

I’m feeling pretty good about what I’m doing, never forgetting how much I have to learn.

(We have the most photogenic chickens I’ve ever had. They are big, active, and very white. Cameras love them. They are laying faithfully, every day, and scrambled fresh eggs are a delightful addition to our diet.)