Zip was a magician this morning; wherever we went, he popped up there, curious about what we were doing.

It’s hard to tell if it’s the cameras he’s drawn to, or if it’s just us he loves to be around—or maybe it’s both. He’s definitely a bit of an attention-seeker, but you can’t deny he’s good at it. He’s always ready for his close-up.

And I don’t mind taking his pictures; he’s drawing many new people to the blog.

He has undoubtedly lived up to Bedlam Farm. You can see how here.

This morning, he popped up like a cartoon character. He gnawed on twigs, scaled an apple tree (or two), playfully taunted the sheep below by knocking off an apple, emerged from the burn pile, ignored Fate’s attempts to catch him, and leaped onto the table I used for my photography when I looked at the flowers. Here.

His actions were a whirlwind of energy; he kept us laughing all morning.

Then, as quickly as he appeared, he was gone, bored and off to hunt. He had made himself known.

He climbed up the apple tree and just popped his head out, panicking the sheep for a second.

He popped up above the sheep as they tried to steal some apples. He loved doing that, and most of them got used to it.

When he was done with the tree, he slithered over to the burn pile and hit out there, fooling no one. It’s one of his many hiding places. He visits each one several times a day.

Fate loves to stalk Zip and rattle him. Zip ignores him and swats Fate in the nose if he can. Fate usually runs away when Zip takes a swat at him.

This is where Zip and I have our afternoon meetings on hot days. I appreciate the company.