Maria and I were walking on the beach in Rye, New Hampshire, the closest ocean to our farm in Cambridge, N.Y. We found a shabby and poorly kept-up cottage for $150 a night.
The kitchen was so tiny if you opened the refrigerator door your butt would turn a knob on the gas stove.
The front door was broken as were the front steps. There were few screens on the windows, and the plumbing was barely functioning. The bed was barely big enough for one, let alone two. It was the ugliest and most uncomfortable bathroom I can ever recall in a hotel or motel.
We gave thanks we were not there in the hot weather, it was stuffy and suffocating as it was.
It was interesting because there were nearly a score of 5-star reviews up on Air N’ B. The owners must have a lot of friends and relatives.
We loved the beach though and I had the best lobster rolls I had ever had in my life. Fresh lobster and fried whole clams as well. We had a great time, the cottage reminded us of how lucky we are.
We especially loved walking on the beaches and sitting and staring at the waves.
On our first day, I saw an elderly woman walking in circles on the silky sand as the tide went out. I realized she was drawing a perfect concentric circle with her left toe, she had great balance and perspective, the circle was perfect and as she walked around and around beautiful.
It was a mystical kind of moment for me, a meditation, the making of art, the creative spark, this woman, all alone, making this perfect circle in the sand just for herself. And for me, of course.
The human spirit is beautiful and good, given the chance. And amazing to behold.
On almost every public beach, up and down the East Coast, the dogs come out, their owners usually carrying plastic waste bags (this has only recently been required of dog owners on the beach, as all the other creatures out there eliminate at will).
Lots of the dogs and their people know each other, they are regulars, the beach is paradise for many dogs, especially Labs who love to dig in the mud and run through the water.
I love watching the beaming faces of the dog people as they watch their dogs play so joyously, people love to see dogs play, it touches the deepest parts of their emotions, they often love and need it more than the dogs.
Maria and I were staying in a cottage on the beach in Rye and we walked to the beaches every afternoon, when it wasn’t raining. There were always dogs there, and they were always having great fun.
In a sense., this is become a national ritual, you can see the dogs on the beach almost anywhere on the East Coast where there is a beach. Dogs are no longer separate from any kind of human activity, they have finally, and after thousands of years of hard work, made their way into every part of our lives.
I prefer not to bring my dogs on vacation, I think we all need a break from one another sometimes, but that is another of my minority opinions when it comes to dogs. My dogs are very happy here, Nicole Tanton keeps a close eye on them and the farm, and I’m not sure they really even know when we are gone.
I don’t see many border collies on the beaches, but I’m sure they would love to chase frisbees there and perhaps herd the other dogs. Then again, they love to chase frisbees anywhere. Good to be home.
I’m going to the ocean for three days before it gets too cold, it will be raining just about the whole time, I see, which is good for us, Maria and I will have no choice but to rest and read and sleep and love.
I have learned the long way of the importance of re-charging. The thing is, I love my life, and always miss it when I am gone. Writing is not work for me, it is breathing. But we need more than work to be healthy and whole.
Every day, here or there, I spend an hour in silent meditation, I open my heart to any God who wishes to hear me and to the experience of being alive. I am eager to do this near the ocean.
I am buoyed the news that Bud is coming. For reasons I don’t completely understand yet, this means a great deal to me. A new dog is a new chapter in life, and even as I begin to get older, I have never lost the ability to be excited, or the desire to love and be loved.
I am so excited for my young friend Sakler Moo, who is setting out on an exciting new adventure at his new school, and for the other children and adults I am learning to know and figuring out how to help.
Community is really about heart to heart, I am learning. I am living heart to heart, in so many ways. My heart, which I have learned to take seriously, is tell me to go to the ocean and sit and think, at times in solitude and come back looking at the world anew, preparing for Fall, for our Open House and new dog and new friends.
I want to say that I will miss my farm and my dogs and donkeys and my very much-loved blog. So that is the point, I will be reminded once again of what my life means to me, I worked hard for hard and will work harder still.
My farm is in good hands. Nicole and Keene and the border collies will keep an eye on things.
Every minute I spent with Maria is good and precious and meaningful time, talking about heart to heart. We are heart to heart, a daily miracle that never tires or wavers or fades. How lucky I am. See you Wednesday.
I met with Sakler Moo and Ali at our “Office” at the Stewart’s Convenience Store in Schaghiticoke, N.Y. this afternoon. He just finished his orientation at the Albany Academy, and he feels comfortable and at ease in the school.
Classes haven’t started yet.
I wanted to meet with him privately and talk about how we would work together over the next few years to ensure his privacy and also raise the money for our share of his tuition and costs, between $5,000 and $6,000 a year.
We both agreed that I should see him once a month – anywhere of his choosing, school, home, my farm, our “office.”
I said I didn’t need to see him at school every time, or even often I now thought it best to keep that private, we could meet periodically at his home or elsewhere to talk about how he is doing at this private school, considered one of the best anywhere.
The family was upset last week by an aggressive reporter who approached Sakler at the school without permission. The school called Ali who said no permission had been given. So we’re talking about how to protect Sakler from this kind of intrusion in the future.
Sakler is shy but very self-possessed.
He doesn’t rattle and doesn’t want to be treated any differently than any other student. And of course, he wants to feel just like any other student, not a “refugee” student in need of help and attention.
He said he is completely comfortable with me and trusts me, he will be happy to talk to me and be photographed any time and at any place. He said I have never made him uncomfortable or uneasy.
I said that meant a lot to me, I wouldn’t abuse the privilege, I know he needs lots of space and support to deal with this enormous change. I also know he can and will handle it, and I told him we will do our part and support him as quietly as I can.
I said people do need to see him periodically and he said he understood that. “I am grateful,” he said.
Ali came with him, and we are all planning to have dinner next week in Albany, my family, Sakler’s family, Ali’s family, including his legendary mother. We are excited.
Ali’s mother has loved belly dancing all of her life, and she and Maria are very anxious to meet one another.
I feel very good about Sakler, I believe we have more than $2,500 in his tuition fund for 2019 (Maria and I are going away from Sunday to Wednesday morning) and I hope to have the full amount in the bank over the next few weeks if I can.
We are not seeking any further support from the school or from anywhere but the Army of Good.
We will do this ourselves., in part so Sakler can enter into this new experience and not have to worry about where he is going next year. His money is in a special bank account that cannot be used for any other purpose.
Sakler is an impressive person, I am proud and delighted to support him, and I thank you all for helping to do this. We are doing good, and in the right way, I think.
If you wish to contribute, you can send a donation to me, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark it “Sakler Moo.”
Federal regulations now require that all monies coming into me must have my name on the Payable to line – these accounts are registered under my name – people can write out what the payment is for anywhere on the check.
The money will go precisely where you want it to go, the account will be audited monthly by a bookkeeper and an accountant in New York City.
