Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

9 February

Flower Art Tonight, Monday, February 9, 2025. Shoveling For Much Of The Day, Flowers, Of Course….

by Jon Katz

 

 

“...a blessing of these years is being able to live so open-heartedly, and to adjust so well, that others can look to us and see what being old can bring in terms of life, of holiness, of goodness to make the world new again….” – Joan Chittister, The Gift Of Years.

I’ll sign off tonight. Tomorrow I’ve got to take my car to a car repair after the bumper got bashed up, and then Maria and I will pick up her wool. I’m not sure when we will be back, so I’ll hopefully get my pantry request items up early and head out of town. We are also going ot pick  Maria’s will downstate. Not sure when we will be back. These flowers were a work of love today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 February

Day Three: Living In The New America: Our Experiment Is A Success. Three Days Of Peace… It’s Simple. No More Political Drama For U Turn Off The Phones And Find Someting Meaningful To Fill The Void

by Jon Katz

Several people have messaged me asking for more details about what might disturb me from the outside world so much that I want to change my life and its expectations. I don’t have many answers, and I am not eager to share more information about my life than I already have.

When I think about it, I turn off my cell phone and find something satisfying and meaningful. It’s really that simple.

Then you can do it, rather than think and talk about the disturbing things that keep you up at night. I cheated a bit yesterday when I saw a news alert that caught my eye while trying to buy an electric water bowl online.

I saw a report that President Trump had decided to fire the entire board of the Kennedy Center in D.C. and make himself its President.

At first, I was confused. Was this a scam or a joke? Did he not have enough to do? Then I wondered about Hulk Hogan, a longtime friend of the President,  wrestling on the center stage as he collects the President’s Award. No more Aretha Franklins up there.

Then I stopped laughing. It was a poke in the belly, a wake-up call. Do I need to listen to this or get angry or upset about it? Thanks for the reminder, I thought. I hope you can get back on track.  I turned off the phone. By staying away from the news, I had missed nothing, lost nothing, and slept well.

This is just what I do not need or want in my life. I had nothing to say about it and no practical reason to pay attention. I’m on the right track.

 

 

 

At dinner, we never mentioned this news or the dozens of strange and often troubling stories pouring out of the White House. A shrink once told me there is not enough room in one’s head for evil or irrelevant lousy news. There will be no room for the good stuff.

Instead, she said, include the good aspects of your life—the people you love, the things you love to do, and the good things you do for others.

She said that if you have enough of these things in your head, you will be amazed at how lighter your head and soul will be. You have to make room for good.

I’m filling my head with the good things in my heart and life.

I am amazed by the first three days of my new experience of living calmly and purposefully in the new America. Life was instantly lighter and better for Maria and me when we undertook this experiment. Three days into

I learned as a journalist that there is no reason to listen to the same story 50 times a day when there is nothing new to say or hear about but more endless argument and accusation.

When I heard about the President’s plan to “make music in America great again”- honest, he said that (watch out, Bob Dylan), I immediately went online and bought three boxes of diapers for the Cambridge Food Pantry.

For people thinking of this plan, it means getting off the news and onto life. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having something meaningful to do.

Instead of being angry, fearful, or too anxious to sleep, I had a great afternoon. I wrote, blogged, took photos, went to the barn, had lunch with Maria, read a mystery, and napped.

Today was the third day of my experiment with Maria: to get through the years without being sad, anxious, or afraid.  I have heart disease, and I am 77 years old. I have good reasons to focus on what is suitable for me, on what feels good to me, on finding people who are not hateful, greedy, ambitious, or dominant men or women.

Worrying or arguing about politics is not a good thing for me to do.

We are going to keep it going.

Linda captured the dilemma well in her message to me Sunday morning: “Thank you so much for this! I’m also going to start practicing it. I’m letting the news ‘get into my head’, and I feel tired physically & emotionally. I read the news on my phone right away in the morning & check it through the day using the excuse that I need to stay informed. So, this will take some deliberate behavior change! In the evening, I ‘visit’ your farm. Your blog posts & photos are meaningful, relaxing & enjoyable.”

Linda’s message struck a chord with me because it echoes the feelings of many others, including me. Yes, Linda, it will be hard, and I suspect you, like me, will need some help.

We tend to think of addiction as mostly about drugs or alcohol, but the truth is much more complicated. I needed to understand that this endless news trolling was an addiction. I was afraid not to do it and obsessed with hearing what was neither reasonable for me nor necessary or informative. Fear is addictive as well.

Linda, who seems both good-hearted and intelligent, may understand that this is not a simple thing to try and do; it goes against the very flow of American life now; the need to check bad and disturbing news day and night is like a person with an addiction might describe an addiction. I’m not diagnosing her; I don’t know her, but fear is an addictive feeling, as are the things that cause it.

She sees the value of my sanctuary idea.

No wonder many struggle to get their heads and feet on the ground. Years ago, the so-called media discovered that most people ignore good news, but they quickly become addicted to bad news because it creates fear, which creates need.

Then, Bob’s message was on the same page: “Jon, it will be constructive to understand your fears and your readers if you give specifics on what is bothering you and your readers. Just stating ‘noise’ makes it sound like a ‘boogeyman’ is lurking in the dreams. To date, democracy has not ended as predicted by some pundits. The majority of the public favors the actions being taken by the current government branches. Not sure why your readers are getting upset. You asked for a cordial dialogue with your readers. Let’s begin a conversation.”

I feel no obligation or desire to argue my beliefs with Bob or take his unwanted writing advice; he can express himself all he wants. But I don’t see it as a healthy approach to persuade strangers worldwide that I am writing the right thing or that I am obliged to share the details of my life and thoughts with every person on the globe.

I could be arguing all day for the rest of my life.

I’m not even sure of what I believe. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not at this point.

The whole point of the new Sanctury Blog is to avoid arguing and expanding on it. This will not happen here. That will take some discipline; a lot of anger is still locked inside of me.

This is the tragedy of modern media; everyone gets half the truth and lives unconscious of the other half. Somebody has to be wrong about something sometimes—no one is taking responsibility for anything,

I am happy for Bob; he is happy. I want the same thing, and Linda does, too. She is not obliged to explain it or argue it with anybody. That is not even close to the conversation we need as a nation.

Ideas have a right to live without being swarmed by people who disagree.

I consider myself empathetic and seek the gift of empathy. To talk to people openly, I’d like to see evidence that they are willing to put themselves in my shoes, and I would need to do the same for them.  That would be nice to see on my blog, but it’s not ready to happen.

That is what I see breaking out all over the country – smugness and contempt, no real conversation or dialogue of any kind.  I’ve been there before, and we all have. Sadly, I’m not going back.

There is nothing there for me.

And yes, both sides do that all the time. That will not be solved on my blog and is outside the range of my skills or intentions. Your feelings are welcome here, Bob, but it won’t happen here until the response does not become an argument.

I hope he stays and speaks his mind. I don’t wish for more argument here, but a zone of safety and free expression, not arrogance or contempt.

So, for all the complications,  the experiment is going well. It won’t be easy.

It fits my need for a spiritual approach. It fits my gift and skills. It fits my need to go good and spiritual work and keep my life devoted not to arguing but to doing good and having meaning. I hope it fits some of yours.

After writing this, I’ll return to the new program, post flowers, and send cat food to the Cambridge Food Pantry. This will work for me, and I can feel it in my bones for Maria. It’s a way of moving on.

Welcome to the Sanctuary Blog.

 

 

 

9 February

Hygiene Continues To Be The Plan At The Cambridge Food Pantry, For Humans And Cats, Bargain Prices. Sarah Is Asking For Tide And Dish Soap, Plus Cat Food For The New Animal Shelf

by Jon Katz

For just a few dollars,  you can help cats (cat food is the urgent request of the day) and help the Cambridge Food Patry help its members stay clean and healthy.

(Sarah’s Urgent Food Of Today: Children and their parents are tremendously interested in this urgent item, and the pantry is out of it; the demand is so high. The food banks do not send it. 🙂 Photo above: arrivals from the Army Of Good.

Purina Friskies Wet Cat Food Variety Pack, Tasty Treasures Prime Filets (With Ocean Fish and Tuna, With Chicken and with Turkey, (Pack of 12), 5.5 oz Cans, $8.79.)

Thanks for your help.

 

(The Empty Dog and Cat food shelf.)

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As many of you know, Tide has been the most popular laundry detergent in the country for decades; a New York Times Study found it to be the best detergent at removing stains, healthy skin, and the best smells for clothes. The Pantry mothers swear by it and will give up food to get some; they see it as good for their children.

In most markets, Tide can cost up to $20 a bottle. Sarah can get it from Amazon for $5.49. However, it’s not in their budget either; they focus on food. Pantry banks don’t stock it, and families can’t afford it, so they have often traded food for a jug of Tide. Mothers have chosen it for decades; we can get some for a little over $5. Help if you can, and thanks.

 

Item requests for today:

Tide Laundry Detergent, Hygienic, Clean, Heavy-Duty, Original Scent, 24 Loads, 34 fl oz, $5.49. (This is a Bargain Price.)

Gain Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap, Original Scent, 38 fl. oz, $3.44.

_____

 

Thanks for the messages, please keep sending them from Amazon.

 

 

Jan, Margaret, and Barbara are two of the pantry’s Saturday volunteers. They would love to get a message from the Army Of Good. They bring banked goods and other delicious things for the families to take home. It takes a lot of good people to make the pantry work.

9 February

Update. The White Hen Got Her Long Nails Clipped. She’s Doing Well. Come And See. She Had Visitors Today.

by Jon Katz

Many people ask us about White Hens’s health; we have no answers, no drama.

This is animal chicken hospice; we’re not looking for cures. We are not trying to save her or keep her alive for months or years. We’re just making her comfortable. She’ll die when she is ready.  No vets, no medicine, no investigation, no hand-wringing. We are very fond of her, but she is an animal, and people worldwide suffer.  I always keep that in mind.

She looks better every day, but not dramatically. I have no doubt she is near the end. She spends the day in the stall with food and water, and at night, hops up on the railing to spend the night.  She eats for herself.

She has no interest in going out, and there is a foot of snow on the ground anyway, so that is not a choice. She continues to get excited when she sees Maria, and I believe the two are communicating. She sat perfectly still for her nail trim.

I love our dogs; they are always curious and rushed in to see her, and she was calm and at ease when they did. I don’t expect her to live until Spring.

 

See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil. The posse showed up together.  Everyone showed up to see what was happening with the White Hen. I told them to get lost. They did have a worried look, but it could be my imagination. The dogs have never harmed any of the chickens. Zip annoys them and steals their food when we aren’t around, but he’s never tried to hurt her. They reminded me this morning of relatives visiting a loved one in the hospital. Thank God Bud was inside the farmhouse; there was too much snow for him, and he didn’t like chickens.

 

Maria clipped her nails, which were getting way too long. White Hen was calm around Maria. They seemed to talk to one another, and she let Maria pick her up and move her around. She was getting to the food and drink herself.

 

One last hug and back in the stall.

9 February

Photo Journal: Winter Pasture: They Weren’t Kidding This Time: We Got Whopped. Foot Or More. Lots Of Shoveling Ahead.

by Jon Katz

The forecast was finally dead on. It snowed from 7 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m., about ten feet this morning.

It took Maria and me over an hour to remove a foot of snow from our cars. I need mine tomorrow, and we plan to go south to collect Maria’s wool. As you can see, it was beautiful, but I’m a bit worn out. I’ve never shoveled more snow than that off of a car. I’ve got some photos to get up, and then lunch: hot tea and some rest. Zip, as usual, walked back and forth in the snow and played tag with Zinnia. Mike came and plowed the driveway. We aren’t going anywhere today. I took some photos of the white Hen. Up next. Then the Cambridge Pantry. Needless to say, I love taking pictures of the Winter Pasture. More to come.


Zip walked through the piles of snow, and they weren’t even there. Nothing seems to stump this cat.

St. Joe was happy to see the sun around 10 a.m. The skies are always beautiful after storms; nature wants us to feel good sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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