I love the morning light as a photographer, as a human being, and as a person who loves Maria. She is a shepherd now; among other things, the sheep trust her and follow her in and out of the pastures. This morning, I followed her around a bit and took some photos that hopefully captured the feeling of the farm in sunlight, in the morning light.

It’s a unique, peaceful, beautiful time. Maria is a natural shepherd; the sheep know it, Fate knows it, and so do I. I love the sheep but mostly met them through my sheepherding with dogs. It’s different. From the first, she was their shepherd; they loved her back. It shows.

You are invited to come along. This morning, I go to the Mansion for my Meditation Class. Tomorrow, I’m going to the County Fair with some of the Mansion residents, and I will help and take some pictures. I pleaded with Maria yesterday to take a day off; she’s been working nonstop on the farm and in her study for weeks, and she worked especially hard on her Raven fiber work.

To my surprise, she agreed, and right after breakfast, she went off with Fate into the woods. You can’t badger Maria into doing anything. You can only make a suggestion and then back off. She’ll either do it or she won’t. I think we are similar in that regard.

Maria gets up, brushes the donkeys, opens the gate, and walks the sheep out to the pasture. I feel like seeing something people and sheep have done for thousands of years. And I am.

Thanks for coming along.