6 October

Ed Gulley Sees: He Gets His Goose

by Jon Katz
An Artist Rises
An Artist Rises

An artist friend came by the farmhouse today to look at the art being gathered there, he especially wanted to see Ed Gulley’s lawn sculptures.

Like me, and like Maria, he was immediately drawn to the goose, one of Ed’s latest sculptures. I wasn’t sure what he meant, but Maria and I talked and I was able to understand it more clearly. Ed gets it, he sees it, he has the confidence and vision to do it, and in that sense, his Goose is a landmark work of creation for him.

When we first met Ed, he was understandably tentative. He was a life-long dairy farmer, gruff and insanely busy. He had a tendency to adorn some of his work, to clutter it up or listen to people who told him what he should make.

He has been around animals all of his life, and Ed is, in so many ways, just like any other artist and writer, he has been watching and observing, collecting images, stories and ideas.

When he saw this twisted metal that was buried and dug in on his property, he saw a goose, he knew it was a goose, and gathered the parts. I am not a curator or art expert, but I can see the piece has authority and originality. We are fortunate that Ed has chosen to debut it at our Open House, along with his wind chimes and other works.

He didn’t need to clutter it up, he just needed to make it as he saw it and put it out into the world. That is just what writers and artists do.

Ed sees. He gets it, he has the touch, and to me, the Goose is a landmark piece for him.  The wind chimes are pretty amazing too. All of Ed’s works are made from discarded tools, engine parts, buried debris. He looks at things other people would call junk, and sees the art. You can read more about him on the great blog he and his wife Carol publish daily, the Bejosh Farm Journal.

He writes well too. We are pleased to have his work at our Open House this weekend. The Goose and most of his sculptures are for sale (several have been sold already.)

6 October

First Wave: Creative Conference Opens Tomorrow At Pompanuck Farms

by Jon Katz
Conference Begins
Conference Begins. Kelly takes care of (from Left) Sue Smith, Janet Bednarz, Susan Crosby, Christina McCarthy.

The Open House kicks off Friday with a day-long Creative Conference at Pompanuck Farm. I’ll start the first class – writing/blogging, Maria will do an intuition fiber workshop the rest of the morning, Paula  Bogdan will be teaching a photography course, Carol Law Conklin will be teaching and demonstrating the art of Batik, and Tom Atkins will be teaching a course on creativity and marketing.

About 12 people will be attending, we really wanted it to be small this year, to foster a sense of intimacy and draw people who are serious about their creative work. Last year, more than 50 people came, it was much too big, my fault. This one feels just right, the people coming can talk to the teachers, the atmosphere will be safe and intimate, and hopefully stimulating.

The people coming are serious about growing creatively, I can feel it. It is for members of the Creative Group At Bedlam Farm only, some have come a long way. I can feel their interest in growing.

The first for people came out for dinner at the Bog, they got to meet Kelly, who many of them knew. This is a prelude to the Open House weekend, which comes on Saturday and Sunday, 11 to 4.

I am thinking of the people and Florida and the Southeast coast tonight and over the weekend, I imagine life will be difficult and frightening for many of them, we appear to have another Superstorm. On Monday, many of our political leaders will continue to deny the reality of climate change, even as the citizens they are sworn to protect, suffer greatly from another episode of extreme weather.

I am selfishly grateful that this storm will turn sharply away from the East Coast, for many reasons.

I’m excited about tomorrow and the weekend that follows it. It all feels very special to me and Maria.

6 October

Get Well Gift For Fate: The Donald Trump Dog Doll

by Jon Katz
The Donald Trump Dog Doll
The Donald Trump Dog Doll

This was a big surprise for me. An admirer of Fate’s – she asked to remain nameless – sent a “Donald Trump For Dogs” doll to Fate, it arrived this afternoon. I can’t say where it came from, and I was puzzled about how to deal with it, at least for a bit.

I suppose it was thoughtful for someone to send Fate a get well doll, but I’m not certain.

I don’t care to be disrespectful to anyone, I mean, but I did hesitate to give this to Fate,  do I really want my dog playing with a presidential candidate doll?

Fate sort of made up my mind, (the vet let us take her bandages off, less than 24 hours after her surgery, her limp has vanished, we are taking it easy), she just flipped for the Trump Doll, tossing it into the air, racing around the yard, she brought it into the farmhouse and is sleeping right next to it.

The Trump Doll For Dogs does not squeak or rattle, like Fate’s other toys, if you squeeze it in the middle, the head fills up with air. As I write this, Fate came into my office with her Trump doll and dropped it at my feet. I thanked her and threw it back into the living room, she is running around with now.

I gather there is a Hillary Clinton For Dog doll as well, but I’m not sure how the politics work – is it good for the dog to love the doll, or bad if it loves a presidential candidate doll?  Perhaps people can release some of their hostility in this way and get off of all those ranting blogs.

One friend said he would never permit a Trump doll in his house, no matter how much the dog loved it. Another said it would be healthy and healing for him to see  his dog chewing on a Trump dog doll.

I can tell you Fate is very happy, and she has not yet chewed on his hair. I advised her to stay out of politics and off of Facebook, she is playing with more than a doll.

 

6 October

My Hip For Life. Welcome!

by Jon Katz
My Hip For Life
My Hip For Life

I went to see an orthopedist in Vermont. I had some nasty falls in Hebron, at the first Bedlam Farm, and one of my doctors thought I might be having residual trouble with my right hip. The doctor was brisk and efficient and very confident – like most male  doctors, he didn’t say a single word more than was necessary, and we were together about five minutes.

My basic theory of medicine is to try and see female doctors and nurse-practitioners, they will talk to you if they can. I guess to be honest, I heard what I needed to hear, “your hips are fine.” I was quite prepared to hear that I needed a new one.

The X-ray technician was fun, the process of wandering around the medical center in a hospital gown with my butt sticking out was a bit on the de-humanizing side, but I was more than lucky. My hips are in great shape after six decades, said the doctor, I will have them the rest of my life.

This was good news, I am keen on my body parts, I already have a refurbished heart and want to keep the rest of my bones and organs. This was big news for me, as I have a passion for walking.
The doctor thought my muscle difficulties were a kind of sciatica, and he said it was quite treatable, I already know the stretching and exercises, I think.

As I get older, I suppose I am more resigned than before to doing some serious maintenance work on my body, but I am perhaps too willing, perhaps,  to be pessimistic. Older people do a lot of lamenting about their bodies, I try and avoid that.

I am delighted that my hips are strong, and I welcome them to the rest of my life.

For good measure, and in the interest openness, I took a photo of my hip with my Iphone, and decided to share it.

6 October

Busted!

by Jon Katz
Busted
Busted

Fate knows how to push open the back door, she has done it many times. After two months of intensive training, she doesn’t do it much anymore but after a nigh tin the crate with a cone on her, she was crazed and eager to get out, I caught her with the door open, she was halfway out. Unfortunately for her, I was on the way in.

She had her plastic wrap on the bandage to keep it dry from the dew on the grass.

I will figure out if I can trick her into thinking she is working. Otherwise there will be no peace.

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