July 2, 2009 – The Farm Journal, and this blog, is now on Facebook. Welcome to our world. We are imbedding a Facebook link on this page so any blog readers can also go to Facebook if they wish. That will take a bit. For those coming onto the site – and for those following it, there are now four dogs on Bedlam Farm. Lenore, the Hound of Love, Izzy, Rose, working girl, and Frieda, in training and in residence (formerly the Helldog). Each has their own story. There are also two donkeys, two barn cats, Mother and Minnie, three hens.
  More importantly, I am living with a gifted artist, Maria Heinrich, a maker of rogue and renegade quilts. I used to call Lenore “the Light.” Lenore kept love alive for me when I needed it.
 But it is Maria that has brought so much light and love into my life.
  I write non-fiction books, novels, and children’s books. I am also a photographer. This Journal, inspired by the old farm journals common on farms, is a hopefully honest account of my life on a farm in upstate New York – 110 acres, and my many ups and downs here.
  Some people write that living on a farm with animals is a perfect life, and I don’t believe in that. No life is perfect, or would be any good if it were. I write about the downs as well as the ups.
  I came to the farm in 2003, and it has been a wild ride. As E.B. White wrote, remember that there are 10,000, or more, of you and only one of me, so I can’t respond to all of the messages I get, and can’t accept friends on Facebook or from there.
  By Fall, I will also have on this site “Bedlam Farm for Kids,” a daily account for children in photos and stories of the lives of the dogs and other animals here. In August, I am  heading out on a book tour for “Soul Of A Dog,” an exploration of the spiritual life of animals, and the question of whether or not they have souls or not. Anyway, welcome. The blog has become an important part of my life, helped me evolve as an artist and a human in many surprising, completely unexpected ways.

  Colling Badger of Mannix Marketing in Glens Falls, N.Y., walking me through his ideas for a revamping of the website. We’re going to drop the Photo Gallery, and the Friends of the Farm page, put the site on Facebook, move Photos By Jon Katz onto the main site, build a kid’s page.
 I’m changing the welcome page and photo, and adding more photographs, simplifying the site, making some graphic changes. This time, they bought coffee for me – I love Dunkin Donuts coffee. Keeping the Hospice Journal, and the Books section – one place to check out all of my books, including the new children’s books. Keeping the book tour tag (now up for Soul of A Dog) and events.
  Mannix built this site, and it has worked beautifully for me, evolved beyond my imagination and expectations. Writers and artists are creatively challenged not only to create good works but to get their stories and messages out in a world teeming with new kinds of information systems.
  The blog has helped do that for me. These other changes may help as well.
  Change is as good as rest (Churchill). I think the kids section will go up on September or October, when I get done with the book tour. Collin has all kinds of ideas for making it graphically simpel and colorful. I’m also linking Maria’s quilting site – yesnoquilts.com – to mine.
  Exciting times, and challenging times.

  Rose does not play. She works. Lenore plays, and does not work. Lenore is always after Rose to play and increasingly, teases her into it, as she did above on the path. Rose usually chases Lenore in circles, and then trips her or grabs her by the collar and drags her around. Lenore loves it.

Rain predicted until Sunday. Tonight, rains are supposed to be heavy again. This bird took a stand on the top of the Carriage Barn and faced the wind and rain, for reasons not clear to me. Tough old bird.