30 August

Poem: Hey There, Old Man. Is That You?

by Jon Katz
Is That You?
Is That You?

Hey there, Old Man.

Is that you?

inside of there,

hiding in that shadow?

Walking up the road,

your faithful dog by your side,

is that your stick?

to click and clack?

Is that your big hat

to keep the sun off your face?

A little shuffle in your walk,

a tilt to your stride.

Just another old man,

walking his dog,

up a country road.

Nobody gives a second look.

Who are you, old man?

Are you me?

Who walked for miles each day,

bouncing up and down.

who would live forever,

and put off life until then.

Are you me? I know your soul

burns bright, look how long

your shadow is, how straight.

you are a blessed slave to truth, old man,

that is your work.

your mind a divine instrument still,

reflecting His spark, his grace.

How many men on this earth exist,

to whom I can utter my blessed secret,

I am you, always and forever.

God has sewn himself into my shadow,

he helps me melt pearls up in the sky

he returns like a divine lover,

to shower me with a million gifts,

he leads me on my walks, to nourishment.

And peace.

30 August

Interactive Story: What Story Do You See In This Photo?

by Jon Katz
What Story Do You See?
What Story Do You See?

This is one of my favorite old farmhouses, it has great character and mystery and I can never quite figure it out. This is the third in my interactive story project series in which we tell a story together – I present the photo, you all tell me what story you think it suggests. I have really loved the story ideas so far, they are creative and evocative. Writers have never been able to share this experience with their readers before and I am very happy to be doing it here. Please post your stories on Facebook and thanks for them..

30 August

Three Friends From Ohio

by Jon Katz
Three Friends From Ohio
Three Friends From Ohio

Two years ago, I was walking down Main Street in Cambridge when I ran into three women who laughed when they saw me, and said they had come to Cambridge from Ohio in the hopes of seeing Bedlam Farm and running into me, they were very courteous, very anxious not o disturb me. I like them instantly – Sally, Nancy, and Chris were lovely, great fun and I invited them to come and see Bedlam Farm. They became valued friends, and Sally has visited the farm on her way to and from a family vacation.

This afternoon, I ran into them again at the Round House  Cafe in Cambridge and invited them to the farm this afternoon. They are coming to the Open House on Sunday, staying in nearby Manchester, Vt. They saw the donkeys – Simon completely won them over – look at Maria’s Studio and watched some sheepherding with me and Red. They have become donkey lovers, got to meet Flo.  We appreciate them so much, they are interested in the farm, support our work, and are just the nicest people. They remind me to be open to new people, to new experience. When you let good things enter your life, they sometimes magically appear.

30 August

Cranking Up For The Open House

by Jon Katz
Cranking Up
Cranking Up

Things are heating up in Bedlam ahead of Sunday’s Open House, the second in our new home. Motels around Cambridge are booked and I’ve run into Open House people at the Round House and at Battenkill Books, where they have been popping in all day. I found a favorite crew from Ohio and they are coming over for some private time with Simon and Red this afternoon. Jeff Anderson and Jay have been here to check out the site of the Open Group At Bedlam Farm table, where will be showing some of the great work from that group on a laptop. I’m going to do some mowing this afternoon, Maria is crazed tearing about her Studio for the art display.

We are raffling off a signed galley of “Second Chance Dog”  Sunday and then online Monday and Tuesday (details to follow). I’m selling four photographs which Maria is hanging in her studio. She has some beautiful scarves and potholders and pillows done for the show. I’ll be giving a talk or two on our new life here, perhaps reading a bit fro the new galley, also doing herding demos with Red and also a demonstration of his therapy dog training.

We are pleased to share our good fortune in finding this wonderful place to live, opening up our creative lives to the people who make them possible. I call it Bedlam Farm 2.0, it fits us well right now, we are happy Bedlam Farm is going to occupied by some nice renters. The Twitchell family – the new residents of  Bedlam Farm –   will be the Open House Sunday in between football and soccer games. Mary Kellogg will be reading from her books poetry and also some new poems. A full four hours, we are getting excited. Got some mowing and about 1,000 small chores to do. The donkeys will be very happy, they love Open Houses, I suspect Flo may be out to get her belly scratched.

Kim Macmillian will be making scarves to order in Maria’s studio, showing how they are assembled, her husband Jack will be helping out with traffic and crowd control.

Please, no dogs and don’t let your kids chase the chickens. Thanks. More details on Maria’s website.

Email SignupFree Email Signup