I’m looking forward to today—no rain in the forecast (afternoon storms, maybe) until Thursday. My Zoom meeting with blog readers is now good friends in the real world as well. The experiment to make human connections in the digital era has been successful beyond my expectations.

There are eight people on Zoom, and I love each one of them. We talk openly and honestly for an hour each Wednesday morning; it has become essential to me and Maria, who joins us when she can.

I love my blog, but I also value human connection. I need it.

Half the group is from California, one Zoom friend lives in Chicago, and others live in Ohio, Colorado, and Texas. It’s a great mix.

One member, my good friend Ron Dotson, is visiting the farm next week; we are having dinner and breakfast.

He’s a wonderful person and a good friend, a Vietnam vet who was wounded in the war and has devoted the rest of his life to doing good. He lives in Ohio, we’ve met several times before.

He is, for me, a role model and inspiration.

Maria is holed up finishing the last five quilts she makes for a friend. It will be another hot day, and I have some trimming and cleaning to do in the garden and lots of writing.

The blue sky returned to me this morning; I was very happy to see it back.

I see the clothesline as the Bedlam Farm flag. When it flies, it means we are in residence.

Maria starts every day by brushing the donkeys and singing a song. This morning she was singing about the sun shining. The donkeys love this attention.

Maria is opening the gate for morning grazing. They get three hours at a time—twice a day.

When it’s hot like this, Bud stays inside, still looking for the sun but not wanting to be in it.