Fate is the perfect dog for Maria. She is independent, unpredictable., unique, fascinating. She loves to be around sheep but stubbornly resists hearing or trying to move them around. She may be the only border collie from a champion Wales herding family who loves sheep too much to boss them around. The sheep pay no attention to her at all.

When you call her, she sometimes comes – but only if she feels like it. She adores people, even people she’s never seen before.

But she is the right dog for Maria. She loves to sit with her in her studio while she works and has never set paw on a quilt, not even when it’s stretched out on the floor. She loves to walk in the woods with us, always pauses and waits if she gets too far, and never runs out of sight, even when chasing a color that lasts about 10 seconds.

She loves to stay in the pasture and be with the sheep even after the morning chores are done. When she’s ready to enter the house, she goes to the gate and stands beside the donkeys. They are at ease with her but pay no attention. I love the image of the three of them just standing there.

I notice that my new Iphone takes different photos of Fate sleeping. I’ll have to explore that. Fatre is beautiful when sleeping; during daylight, she is never at rest; at night, she rarely moves. It has a different feeling.

In this and everything, Fate is unique; she is not like the other children.

She tolerates Zinnia, but just barely. She is the only animal on the farm who doesn’t love Zinnia.