Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

25 April

Pantry Need Of The Day: Relief For Parents, Decaf Columbia Whole Bean Coffee (And Canned Chicken)

by Jon Katz

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve been concentrating on getting healthy food to the children of the Cambridge families who need food support. The program has been a great success; there was plenty of good for the children at today’s backpack stuffing.

(Above, students from the school pick up the backs at the pantry and discreetly and privately bring them to the school. The families come and get them.)

This week, Pantry Director Sara Harrington is asking for help in giving the parents some relief. She has chosen two items from the Amazon Pantry Wish List. Both are gone from the shelves:

Amazon Fresh Decaf Columbia Whole Bean Coffee Medium Roast, 12 Ounce (Pack of 3), 19.99 dollars.

And for the family, something else the pantry has run out of:

Swanson White Premium Chunk Canned Chicken, Breast in Water, Fully Cooked Chicken, 4.5 Oz. Can, Pack of four: $7.93. It’s a great price for an easy and healthy family dinner.

This morning, volunteers packed more than 70 packbacks; your donations were a tremendous help. Everyone got what they were supposed to get and more. Thank you.

Getting the packs stuffed. Photo by Maria Wulf

Preparing the kitchen for people coming to eat a meal.

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Sue Silverstein

25 April

New Column: Donations And Art By Sue Silverstein, From Bishop Gibbons High School

by Jon Katz

Art teacher Sue Silverstein’s amazing art program is now a regular part of this blog. Sue teaches 80 art students at Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, New York, and the art her students produce is amazing, thanks to the Bedlam Farm Army Of Good donations and discarded or forgotten objects. It’s creating some buzz in schools all over the country. She now has a weekly column here to talk about what the donations of discarded objects are inspiring and the stunning work of her students. This is the second one; they’ll be posted once a week, according to Sue’s choice of the day.

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So much is happening in the art room this week…always something new. Sometimes, it’s like an orchestra, everyone doing different things in different ways yet working together. The go-big or go-home cake sculptures keep growing.

It’s always great when the first group to finish sets the bar high. Thanks to everyone who sent treasures this week. Lynn, who describes herself as a proud soldier in the Army of Good, took the time to send a note with a quote from Mary Oliver: “Maybe the desire to make something beautiful is the piece of God that is inside each of us.”

We will be adding that to the art room wall. I’m excited that Rick dropped off a box of trophies and medals, the minds of the kids were instantly designing when they saw them. We will keep you posted. A couple of finally rain-free and warm afternoons allowed us to get outdoors for photography class. Cyanotypes (sun prints) are always a sign of spring in the art program.

The most fun by far was the bubble photo shoot. You never know. During grocery shopping last weekend, I passed a row of beautifully colorful bubble wands. It was the colors, like a new box of crayons. I grabbed a couple of packs; no one in my life questions what I come home with anymore; they are used to me. I took the class outside, and we talked about capturing moments that would otherwise be fleeting. Also, about light and filters, using reflections in the photos.

They produced amazing images, and we had fun. Nothing like watching kids twirl and jump like they are 5 again. They have enough time for pressure and grown-up concerns. There is not a day that creativity does not happen because of your help. I sometimes tell the kids that we have no business having the number of materials that we do. The best part is finding a new purpose for them. We can always use paints, canvas, foam, and anything else that we think we can turn into art. A huge thank you to everyone for your constant support.

See you next week, Sue. My e-mail is: [email protected]

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Bedlam Farm

25 April

I Want For Nothing Else

by Jon Katz

I’m happy as I write this and in the present moment.

I don’t ask for, want, or buy anything I don’t need. I am still determining what tomorrow might bring. The past does not matter to me; I don’t look back as a rule. I live in the present.

I’m loving today.

The sun was brilliant this morning, and I walked around with a camera looking for flowers lit up. I then went to the podiatrist, who told me my feet looked great and congratulated me on the care I was giving them.

I came home to my wonderful wife and partner in life.

I’m relieved to be getting my Ozempic diabetic medicine after my previous medicine was sold out and no longer available.

Yesterday, my medicine cost nearly $300, people without insurance have to pay $1,000, and many diabetics can’t get their medicine at all. It is being bought by millions of people who want to lose weight and is often unavailable now.

I couldn’t go to the food pantry to help stuff the backpack this morning, but Maria went and told me there was plenty of good for the children’s bags today. I am thankful for many things, especially the Army Of Good these past few weeks. I’ve never been prouder of us or happier to see the good we do.

Zud scratches his claws beneath Maria’s haystring sculpture.

Bud, champion Rat Fighter and Bedlam Farm Hero

I love this picture and the image of Maria starting our days tending to the animals.

My health care policy. I share my life, including my health care issues, crises, and challenges. I don’t wish to waste anybody’s time.

I never post medical advice or opinions apart from trained physicians or even often from them.

People have to make their own decisions and choices.

I have some excellent and experienced doctors, and I confer with them frequently, especially since the diabetes medicine crisis flared up.

It’s dangerous for people not trained to advise strangers on social media. I don’t ever do it or post messages that do.

I had a long talk with my doctor this morning about my new medicine, Ozempic, which is much in the news today. I’m eager to try it starting next week.

I don’t follow and won’t share any medical advice or opinions from strangers online, no matter how well-meaning. I consider it unethical and dangerous. I am not competent to do that.

I want my medical advice to come from people who know my history and have examined and tested me.

I’m not writing this in anger or condemnation, but I get long messages advising me on my health care from people I don’t know and whose advice I can’t and won’t share.

It might be excellent advice, but I won’t post or follow it. I leave that to my doctors. I’m just being honest, as I always hope to be.

Thanks for caring; I appreciate it.

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Flower Art

24 April

Color Art, Making Our Own Sun. Signing Off For Today, Chess Appointment, See You Tomorrow. Got Some New Flowers Here.

by Jon Katz

I had my first real medicine crisis this week; the very popular Moundaro medicine I’ve been taking for diabetes is so much in demand it has suddenly not been available for weeks at a time, and when it is, it is a different measure than my doctor wants me to have.

The advice I got from a nurse was to call different pharmacies and see if it was available anywhere. It isn’t, and I had a confab with my primary care doctor, Dr. Dodge. We agreed I would switch to another diabetes medication, which has also become wildly popular with people seeking weight loss.

Todd, my Walgreens pharmacist, really came through for me. I got my first dose of another medicine today—Ozempic, an older and well-tested one.

It was unnerving, as medicine is essential for stabilizing my blood sugar.

The doctors and the pharmacists told me they are swamped with angry people demanding the medication. Many don’t seem to accept that the pharmacies and physicians don’t make it; they only sell it.

The medicine is often life-saving, but the process is, as we all know, a hideous mess.

Ozempic is not a weight loss drug; it improves blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics like me. My doctor has great faith in it. I’ve been losing weight with Mounjaro, which has become wildly popular primarily as a weight loss drug.

Many diabetics can’t afford it anymore. I’ve heard good things about Ozempic, and I’m eager to try it.

I’m eating well. I have a nourishing and healthy breakfast and lunch, and on most nights, I skip dinner. Since overnight is a sensitive time for blood sugar, this has been helpful (sometimes).

I go out to dinner with friends or Maria, but I have very small amounts of food. My blood sugar is good, but it’s been creeping up a bit as I get older. We want to get out front on that. Ozempec will help, and I’m lucky to be able to get it. ($249 per month right now, $1,000 without insurance.

I’m told lots of people who need it can’t afford it, and if they could, it’s hard to get.

As you can see, I got a couple of purple flowers today. I want more color contrast in my photos. This is an Iphone photo; the Iphone is great on vivid color.

My friend Ian McRae is coming over tonight to play chess with me; He’s bringing a pizza. I told him I’m not eating dinner these days; he should get the pizza, eat a slice, and take the rest home when he leaves. I might cook a few dumplings so he doesn’t eat alone.

We have become good and easy friends.

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Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

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