19 May

Saturday Shadows. Saying Goodbye

by Jon Katz
Farm Shadows

Went up to the top of the hill with Maria – we saw the fox’s den right behind the chairs we sit in. Looked out over our beautiful farm. Maria asked me if I was feeling sad about leaving, and I am. The farm has meant to much to me – us – and I experienced so much there. Seven books. Rose, Izzy. Lenore and Pearl, Clementine and Orson.  Cows, sheep, lambing, a movie, a divorce, the blog, photography and most of all, Maria. A lot to go through, more than I could list here.

I am not a person who spends much time looking back. I do not feel comfortable with nostalgia, always a trap. Other lives, other times, always seem better to us than our own. I am eager to move to our new place, our new farm, our first place together. I sense my time here is done. But yes, I am sad, and I cannot imagine ever living in so beautiful and evocative and stirring a place as Bedlam Farm. I am eager to meet the the lucky people who want to buy the farm and live here. I have a picture of them in my mine and am very curious to see if it is correct. I feel them coming, close.

19 May

Tucked In. On The Roost. New Tradition

by Jon Katz
Goodnight

I like the idea of ending the blog’s day with a goodnight shot of the chickens (I was going to say hens, but it seems we have a rooster in Freaky). It is soothing to Maria and I to check on them, listen to them softly clucking and grooming. A soothing way to end the day, a transition to night. A peaceful feeling. I’m going to put up a Saturday Shadows album on Facebook and say goodnight. A nice new tradition.

19 May

Gender News From The Roost: Freaky Is Not A She

by Jon Katz
Gender News

Maria was the first one to suggest that Freaky was not a she, as we thought. His looks and voice are changing, and he seems to be trying to mount the hens at various points in the day. Also developing a strut, a crown and a bit of a crow. I offered to feed him to the foxes (just kidding), as I am not happy about having a rooster, but my wife declined, reassuring me that he is good with people and protective of the hens. So it looks like we have a rooster again, and he surely is photogenic.

19 May

The Last Pig Barn Art Gallery Show: June 23-24

by Jon Katz
The Last Pig Barn Art Gallery

Well, the Last Pig Barn Art Gallery Show to be held on this Bedlam Farm (there will be others at the New Bedlam Farm) will be June 23-24 at the farm, the last opportunity to see Simon, Frieda, Lenore, the chickens and barn cats in this habitat (I think of my homes as habitats). We are closing on the new house in mid-July and moving in then. Maria has assembled a half-dozen remarkable artists and will be selling their works in the Pig Barn Saturday and Sunday, 11 to 4 p.m. both days. The artist’s reception will be Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. I will be giving a talk and selling some photos and notecards. Battenkill books will also be on hand to sell my books, and I will be happy to sign them.

Although Rose will not be here, our plan is to have some sheep here, and hopefully, Red, the new dog, to herd them.

Maria is calling her show “Anointing The Goddess,” and it will feature paintings, photography, 3-D collage, photo collage, potholders, streaming pieces, quilts. Details on Maria’s website.

We ask that people not bring dogs or animals. We are not able to offer rest facilities or food at the farm but both are available right down the road at Gardenworks (518 854-2520). The public is, of course, welcome and there is plenty of parking. I love Bedlam Farm, it is a sacred space to me, but it is time to go, and this will offer a chance to say goodbye with some style and bang.

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