There is nothing more content than a border collie with sheep in a pasture. Red and Fate did some vigorous work this morning. Red got the sheep in and out of one of our pastures and Fate ran hard in her widening circles.
The two of them took up bracing positions on either side of the sheep and the flock stood patiently between them. It is always a beautiful thing to see these animals work. We are getting excited about the Open House, now, it will be a special one.
These two dogs love to perform in front of crowds.
I’ve come to see the Blue Birdbath as a mystical presence in the garden, it shows me different visions of the world every time I look at it. The light is always changing, and so are the illusions and reflections in the birdbath.
The images are always different, always surprising. This morning, a window appeared in the birdbath and I thought if I looked through it, I would see a word on the other side. There is so much beauty in the world if I can only see it.
There is something magical about this birdbath, it brings me different messages almost every day.
My brave and beautiful wife is working hard to become a belly dancer, something that is surprising in some ways, but not in others. This is who Maria really is, the spirit that has always lived inside of her.
It is so natural and joyous for her the wonder is that she just started doing it a year or so ago.
The Belly Dancing is not, in my mind, something different, it is really her, it is what she is about. Belly Dancing is not about pleasing men or arousing them. It is a beautiful affirmation of identity and self among the women who do it.
They are saying, quite simply, this is who I am, and who I am is beautiful. Period.
Maria’s Belly Dancing groups is coming to our October Open House (they will be here at 1 p.m. on October 7). In this year of all years, this is the right dance for all of us.
Joan has a gift of finding the light everywhere she goes. I remember a cold day last winter when I came upon Joan staring out the Mansion window at the park beyond. Oh, she said, look at the beautiful flowers blooming in the garden, and can you hear the birds singing?
It was Springtime for Joan, and it is often Springtime for her, she has a sweetness and love about her that is infectious, and we have, I believe, come to love each other. I’m putting a series of portraits up to honor those who have lost their memory but not their souls or spirits.
I have come to believe that there two distinct realities for most people – darkness and light, although I tend to drift into the gray often. When I am in the light, I believe I am in the light of creation, and Joan is so important because she lives int he darkness and also in the light.
She has the most radiant spirit, and at times, is simply at a loss to understand what is happening around here. I think there is no gray for Joan, only darkness and light.
Monday, Joan is getting her new CD player installed, and her new batch of CD’s – the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, all among her favorites. Thank you, Army Of Good, for making that possible. Music is precious to Joan, it is calming and soothing.
Joan is one of the reasons our work at the Mansion is so important, and I am trying to build up our Mansion fund a bit – to $2,000 again – so we can continue to support the residents there.
If you can or wish to contribute – this is a good week to focus on feeling good – please send your contribution to me, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or to me via Paypal. Please mark your donation “The Mansion” so I can be sure it goes where you want it go.
There are no middle-men here, not administrators, the money goes where it ought to go. And thanks. This work is so important to me, and I hope to you. I am seeking to get the Mansion residents a Karaoke Machine, they are excited about it, that is my next project.
I also need to buy some more underwear for two of the residents. Small acts of great kindness, that is what we do. I’m publishing a different portrait of Joan every day. She will soon be moving to the new memory unit that will adjoin the current Mansion residence. Red and I will certainly be visiting her there.
Our friends Kitty and Charlie came to the farm Sunday to pick up eight or nine bags of donkey manure, some of the most wonderful garden fertilizer there is. This manure pile is more than a year old and the manure at the bottom is mature and wonderful for gardeners.
Kitty and Charlie took as much as they could stuff into the back of their care, they are welcome to come for more. This time of year, we try to give away as much of the manure as we can, Scott Carrino from Pomanuck Farm usually comes for a load, we take some for our gardens, and the rest is scattered over the pasture to help the grass grow rich and green.
The giving away of the donkey manure is one of the sweet rituals of loving on the farm. It is amazing to see how much manure comes from only two donkeys. I can only imagine what comes out of cows.
