Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

2 May

New Fabric Painting From Maria. This One Really Speaks To Me

by Jon Katz

Maria calls these pieces Fabric Paintings, but I think of them as Wall Hangings. They are neither pot holders nor quilts, but they have a beautiful space in the middle.

On Fridays, if she’s in a good mood, I’m invited into her studio to see how some new work is progressing. She never speaks of a work in progress to me or anyone else; I have yet to learn what it is until I walk into the studio.

Maria is very humble about her work, which is appealing.

She’s never done with it until she feels she’s done. I love the simplicity of this work, just as it is, but it’s not up to me, and I don’t ever suggest changes in her work. We both keep a real boundary around our work.

But usually, when she shows me something, she isn’t looking for my opinion; she’s just starting to like it herself. She’s very self-contained; she doesn’t need other people’s views to like something. She works very much alone and in her own head.

I’m certainly not unbiased, but one of the things I especially love about Maria’s work is that it speaks for itself. It has a lot to say without saying it or beating anyone over the head. It always has something to say to me and a lot of meaning, this one especially.

This work still needs to be finished, she says. She’s working on the bird and other things. It’s a remarkable piece for its simplicity and power. And the tree is amazing;  it took a long time.

She will probably be done with it sometime early next week. She is still deciding what she will charge for it or call it. If you have any questions,  you can e-mail her at [email protected] or check on its progress on her blog, fullmoonfiberart.com.

2 May

From The Cambridge Food Pantry, Pictures: See What You Did, Let’s Buy Some Creamy Peanut Butter For The Kids. The Pantry Is All Out

by Jon Katz

I went to the Cambridge Pantry this morning for two reasons. One was to help the volunteers (I am one now, I guess) pack the backpacks that go to the children of the people who come to the pantry seeking food for their families.

The other was to show the good people of the Army Of Good what they have done and how they have provided these children with healthy, nutritious, and much-wanted and missed food.

And maybe we can get them some creamy peanut butter for next week.

I call it “The Army Of Good Wall.” You can see the number of Amazon boxes for yourself. You sent just about everything on the wall. Here, the food for the backpack children is stored, and it goes right out when the families come for food. Scott brings it back and forth to the stackers when it runs out. He knows where every single thing is.

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I took these photos so you can see what you are buying and what an enormous impact it has made. You have the right to see what you have done and are still doing. It is extraordinary.

While at the pantry, I learned that the children have a particular fondness for creamy peanut butter. They love it on their toast and sandwiches and miss it a lot. The pantry is currently out of stock, and Sarah asked if we could help replenish this beloved item.

She talks to her “customers” all the time.

Sarah is asking for another item from their Amazon Wish List, Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter, Made with Roasted Peanuts, great for Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Snacks, Gluten Free Peanut Butter, 16.3 Oz Jar (Pack of 12), $31.68.

This is the most expensive food the pantry has asked for and is also one of the most popular and missed. The pantry has no funds to buy it, and nobody will give it to them. We can help; I’d love to stuff some peanut butter in those bags next week or onto the pantry shelves.

 

The above protein drinks were for every child in the family. Every child who needed one got one.

Above are the contents of a backpack for two children. Notice the Campbell’s noodle soup, the oatmeal pack, Mac n Cheese, the fruit juice, and just about everything else in this one backpack; I’ve yet to see a bag that is as full and healthy for the children as this week’s was. Thank you for that. We ran out of nothing. Thank you. I want you to know what you are doing. I’m proud of it.

Last week, I reported that the pantry was out of salad dressing; this week, it is on the shelves and almost gone. Thank you. We can only meet some of their needs, but we can help with what they want and miss the most.

The process begins with volunteers collecting food from the bins.

Volunteers – they are cheerful, dedicated, and hard-working. It is hard work, as I am learning and seeing.

Every time I see Sarah, the pantry’s Executive Director, cheerfully hauls a box, opens a box, orders a box, stacks a shelf, breaks down the bog, and puts it in a truck to be hauled to the recycling dump. We are buying her two sizeable outdoor storage bins for donations.  They are animal-safe. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who works as hard as she does and with less complaint.

This was the table where we stacked the packs. At lunchtime, Sarah loads them into her van and takes them to the school. The kids come out to bring them inside, and the families discreetly pick the bags up so their children are never embarrassed. I just realized she does all of the hauling.

The food we give them makes an enormous difference; it provides the food they need and misses terribly, taking them through the weekend and into the following week. I won’t take their pictures; they need privacy,  but I know they and their families are grateful.

The youngest volunteers.

 

 

2 May

Splash, Art Work From Sue Silverstein’s Magic Kingdom

by Jon Katz

Sue Silvestein’s already famous art program at Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, Neew York, has a day called Splash Day for her art students.

“We threw rocks into puddles,” she says, “and the kids tried to take photos of the splash as it happened. Of course, then they started skipping rocks, too. We tried dropping marbles into the water, but the rocks worked better.”

I’m in awe of Sue’s innovative ideas; they transform art into a realm of imagination and intuition, igniting the creative spark in the young time and again. This is one of the rare activities in her 80-student art program that isn’t crafted from donated and discarded objects from the generous Army of Good.

Sue is what saints are made of; she has a column on my blog now, usually on Thursday or Friday. Could you check it out? If you have any discarded or forgotten objects, from hats to jewelry to children’s toys to wood, her young artists will turn them into art.

Thanks to your donations, art lives and thrives at Bishop Gibbons and helps Sue turn scores of kids from Tik-Tok to their innate creativity.

You can donate almost any discarded object to Sue Silverstein, Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, New York, 12304.

 

2 May

Images Of Warmth And Peacefulness

by Jon Katz

Scenes like this are memorable.

I am grateful to be able to capture and pass them on to me. I see them almost every day on Bedlam Farm, which is one of the many reasons I want to be here. These scenes comfort and calm me no matter what is happening out there.

I took these photos this morning after getting back from the Cambridge Food Pantry, where Maria and I were stuffing food into backpacks for children whose families need food support.

So many of you right me to thank me for posting photos of the farm where nothing much is happing, but if you watch them for a minute or two, you will find, as I have found, that this is not true. A lot is happening here.

These images are all about peacefulness and warmth, here are two donkeys, inseparable but looking in different directions. Fanny is on the left soaking up the sun – donkeys will only lie down if they feel completely safe – and Lulu, our guard donkey, is always vigilant, on the watch for predators.

The background chorus of songbirds is loud and beautiful; it frames what I see.

I stood and watch this scene, blue skies, and warm and gentle breeze, and our donkeys, as peaceful as they will ever be.

I call these pictures of warmth and peacefulness, things we all need more than ever in our turbulent world.

On the porch, some anemones

1 May

Flower Art, With The Help Of The Spring Sun And Some New Experiments. Come Along, It’s Free. Flower And Souls.

by Jon Katz

I’m experimenting every day with my camera and learning as I go. I promised myself that every season, I would learn more, experiment more, and get better. The journey is still out; it’s early in the season, but I’m off to an exciting start, trying to capture the true beauty of flowers, which has to do with our souls. I’m signing off tonight.

Maria is in a belly dancing class, and I’ve got a new mystery to read and watch on my iPhone. For dinner, I’m making chicken and vegetable dumplings.

I had another wonderful hour with my Zoom blog readers, who are now friends. We had a spirited discussion about the creative spark. I like what the Kabbalah says: God gave all of us the creative spark, and it is a sin not to light it.

Good night; I’ll see you in the morning.  In the morning, I’m packing backpacks at the pantry, then back at work and back home.

The flowers speak for themselves, and I used too many in the pictures to try to identify them all. You gardeners and flower lovers are welcome to try it. I know one is a Carra/Zud, Bip mix. The tulips, of course, are obvious, even to me.

 

 

 

 

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