I’ve decided to post Maria’s excellent Monday morning videos; they offer a fantastic view of life on the farm as she makes her morning rounds with the dogs, the donkeys, the sheep, the chickens, and Zip. As often as possible,

I often go along with her to help and take my pictures, but rather than describe what I see, I like it better when she shows and speaks her truth. We each see and write about the farm differently; I love putting her unique and loving voice onto the blog on Mondays as we start the week.

We each see different things, which is a nice feeling for me.

This morning, she focused on Bud and showed me why I love him and why he and I have so much in common. Bud sees his job as driving the donkeys and sheep away from the farmhouse as they graze. This is a hopeless task; it is never successful, and it can never be successful.

Bud is a courageous working dog who fights rats, mice, moles, and squirrels. Last night, he alerted us to two mice, which I captured and executed (more in a few minutes).

You can see in the video how the donkeys and sheep ignore him and go about their business (just like they ignore Rose). This says something about the place.

Bud is never discouraged or intimidated; he never gives up. Maria says this is my connection to him and Zip (Zud to some people). I hope you enjoy the video. It will be up every Monday here on the blog and her website, www.fullmoonfiberart.com.

This morning, I thought about the first time I invited Maria to write on my blog more than a dozen years ago. She was terrified of writing and of using a computer.

Those days are far away and long done. Please take some time to look at her video and get a feel for life on Bedlam Farm, for all the ups and downs (except mice and rats),  a very Peaceable Kingdom. This is the tenth year of the Monday Morning videos, and many more to come.