This morning, when I woke up King Zip was on his throne on the back porch, cleaning up. I suspect a mouse gave his life for that scene. Later, when I was in Maria’s studio, we looked out the window and saw Zip in the woodshed, keeping an eye on what we were doing from a distance. Zip is everywhere, seeing everything, watching everything.

He has changed, accepting all of the animals, befriending them, even playing with them. He is growing and changing all of the time. It’s surprising to accept how much of a presence he is on the farm and in my life.