1 November

Video: Simon’s Bray, Simon’s Eye. The Zen Hen

by Jon Katz
The Zen Hen

 

Jeannie Lindheim did a communication with Simon Friday but I haven’t had a chance yet to think about it and write about it. Perhaps this weekend when I finish the book tour. Jeannie is doing Rose next, I think, or Orson.  Toots was in her customary position quietly sitting on the roost watching the valley out of the window while the other two hens scrambled continuously for food. I did some video of our meeting with Simon last night and checking on him today.

Some Ipad users have had problems seeing recent videos. I am told this is an issue with Apple, Flash Players and IOS 5. It isn’t anything I or my Web designers and techs can control.

Come and see and hear Simon’s bray and his rapidly healing eye.

 

1 November

Occupy Myself

by Jon Katz
Occupy Myself

 

Going to New York City Wednesday, to thank the people at Random House for their great work on behalf of “Going Home: FInding Peace When Pets Die,” a beautiful launch, book tour, and publicity campaign. No writer could ask for more, so we’ll have some pizza in Manhattan. I’m going back and forth in one day, and then Thursday, to the Deerfield Elementary School, Wilmington, Vt.  6 p.m. for a talk and signing on behalf of Lisa Sullivan and Bartleby Books, flooded during Hurricane Irene. Should be fun. Saturday, signing books at Barnes and Noble, Saratoga Springs. 2 p.m.

I am not political, and am not a joiner. I dislike the narrow labels – “left” or “right” – that we give one another.

But Saturday I am thinking of dropping by the “Occupy Glens Falls” demonstration in Glens Falls, N.Y., one of my favorite towns. I am not ready to join this or any other protest, yet I am very drawn to these demonstrations, and to the things they seem to represent. I don’t blame Wall Street or anyone else for my life, it is my life to make or break, yet I do have this sense that we seem to be worrying more about corporations than individuals, and that government is listening to corporations more than people,  and that has been a long-standing belief of mine. Commentators squawk that the protestors have no goal, but that is a media notion, not a human one. Everyone who comes to these protests has a goal, or they wouldn’t be there. I want to hear more from them why they are there, since journalists seem completely flummoxed. In my heart, I am drawn to them.

Personally, I feel totally responsible for my life, and  I don’t seek to occupy anything.  If I want to speak up for anything, it is the power of the individual to answer the creative spark within them and alter their life, at any age. It is not easy to do, but it is possible to do. More and more, it seems to me, we are looking to others to tell us what to do and think, from the animal world to politics to our financial, work and medical decisions. Increasingly, my life has been about taking responsibility for those things myself, and not looking to others to blame or to alter my reality. I am out of Struggle Stories. I have noone to blame for me and my life but me. Still, I am stirred by the message I am hearing that corporations are both too big and too powerful, having seem these behemoths devour one American institution after another, from media to publishing and the environment, from farming to movies to the very  nature of work and personal security.  For me, politics is not an argument but a personal expression of belief. When I e-mailed an Occupy Glens Falls organizer what, if anything, I should bring, she said “ideas.” Might be my kind of group.

It is not a simple thing to demonstrate in upstate New York, it is usually quite a lonely thing, and I admire the small band of people who have gathered at the Civil War monument in this neat but staid city and are speaking out for themselves. A very American thing to do.

If individual people need to take responsibility for their lives – I do – perhaps corporations could take some responsibility for the world they are creating as well. I think the only thing I can really occupy is myself. If Occupy Glens Falls is speaking up for individuals to keep control of their lives and have a larger say in what happens to us, then I might well get a tent and a placard. Let you know this weekend.

1 November

The “Going Home” Video: Free from Battenkill Books

by Jon Katz

 

Battenkill Books is heading for 600 sales of “Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die” as the holiday season approaches. Connie Brooks now has Paypal on her website and we are aiming to sell 1,000 copies of the book by New Years. Connie is offering buyers a choice either of the free signed video of “Going Home” or a signed Bedlam Farm notecard along with any books purchased. This experiment is drawing national attention from bookstores and publishers,  a collaborative venture between a bookstore and a writer, just as this video was a collaborative venture between my readers and I.

I think we can get to 1,000. The holiday season is just underway and it may be an appropriate gift for friends or family members. This offer also apples to “Meet The Dogs Of Bedlam Farm,” my first children’s book. This is important, I think. It makes a powerful statement, not only about books but about how important bookstores are for us. In America, things have gotten big. We are Wal-Marting the world. I understand why people shop at Wal-Mart and on Amazon, but I believe as many of you do in the right of the smaller, community-based individual to survive. We have lost pharmacies, grocery stores, family clothing stores. We’ve lost enough. We should have both, not one or the other.

I don’t want anybody buying any of my books they don’t want or need, but if you might want or need one this is a good way for you to get one. Connie will ship anywhere, and something good and free will come with it. Thanks for your support so far. It is amazing and Connie and I are thrilled. You can also call her 518 677-2515 if you miss contact with an independent bookstore and a devoted bookseller. (And her very wonderful mother Marilyn also.)

 

1 November

Simon’s Eye

by Jon Katz
Simon's Eye

 

Simon’s Eye is looking better. Runny. Getting three kinds of medicine three times a day and he doesn’t like it. Vet is coming today at 2 p.m. and I’ll ask her to clear him, so we can stop the medication.  I have many memories of vets leaving me with donkeys and pills and syringes and detailed instructions, except the donkeys don’t usually go along. Simon was good this morning. Grateful for Jessica Barrett. She said Frieda and Izzy got into a brawl earlier this week and she thinks Rose looks tired, slow. This is so.

1 November

The Daily Egg

by Jon Katz
The Daily Egg. Interlude

 

The Daily Egg. An interlude. A frantic day of rushing to catch up with things before heading out again tomorrow. We are tired. I look for the egg every day. It is a symbol to me, of my life, of my work, of renewal and rebirth. It always seems to find its own space.

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