Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

27 March

Color And Light, Calla Art, The Power Of Inner Silence

by Jon Katz

Because of what is happening inside and outside of me, I’ve become increasingly drawn to what I call inner silence, the quiet that comes from inside, from the heart, not from what is happening outside of me.

This has helped to calm and ground me. I never thought of silence as healing, but it is a powerful healer. I need something like this right now; many people do.

So, I share what I am learning. I’m not preaching. It’s a take-it-or-leave-it thing; I don’t tell other people what to do, say, or think.

I’m a talker, but silence does not mean giving up talking or not being active or busy. It means making time for quiet and working and listening to still the churning inside my head.

It means that I am quieting down inside; no talking is allowed there. But thinking often interrupts. It makes a noise of its own. I can’t always control it.

When I am genuinely silent, I can appreciate and enjoy the silence no matter what happens to me in the outer world. It takes concentration and practice.

Much of the time, my inner silence isn’t completely silent, at least not at first.  There is almost always talking going on inside of my head.

My challenge is finding inner silence while connecting with the outside world or listening to what people call the news.

I have two worlds: the inner world and the outer one. Today, Maria is going to her belly dancing class, and I will be alone in the farmhouse with the dogs for several hours.

I want to wash in silence.

I intend to meditate for much of that time and read when I get restless. Mostly, especially when I get angry,  I want to drink up the silence and let it flow over and through me.

Silence does come from the heart, not the head. I need to remember that.

27 March

Two New Books I’m Eager To Read. Tea Obreht On Our Future And The Last Dalgliesh Mystery By P.D. James.

by Jon Katz

I have two exciting books to read; they both came today. My to-read stack keeps growing; I need to stop or slow down, but some of these books are just irresistible. I love it when a new hardcover book comes in the mail. It’s always a special event for me.

The first is The Morningside, the much-awaited second book by Tea Obreht, author of the much-acclaimed The Tiger’s Wife. This review, published in the  New York Times, got me to buy it.

The review can describe the book more thoroughly than I can since I have yet to read it.

I love everything I’m hearing about it. The Tiger’s Wife was a terrific book; Tea Obreht is the real deal. She has a unique voice. Originally from the former Yugoslavia, she now lives in Wyoming. It is also a book about hope.

The Morningside is ostensibly a Dystopian novel set in the future ruins of America. But it is not a frightening, depressing, or violent story. It is magical, a story of migration and the search for love and belonging,  a story that imagines the human capacity for survival and love in a very uncertain world.

This will be one of the year’s significant books,  so I might move it up my reading list.

Sadly, the second book that arrived today is the last in P.D. James Adam Dalgliesh’s mystery series: The Private Client.

This is my favorite mystery series and my favorite detective. James’ mysteries are unlike any other because P.D. James writes them like no other mystery writer. Hers are the most intelligent mysteries that I have ever read, and Dalgliesh is the most intelligent detective; the plots are complex, even intricate, as we follow this brilliant detective and his crew.

I don’t need to say much about P.D. James or Dalgliesh; I’m sorry, this is the last book. I’m grateful to have read all of the others.

 

27 March

Dramas Of The Farm: In The Rain, The Hens Return To The Back Porch

by Jon Katz

The Imperious Hens have hung out on the back porch for several years, avoiding the sun or the rain. Zip didn’t want them in his favorite spot, so he chased them away. The hens and Zip seem to have reached an understanding, and today, in the rain, Zip was offered hunting in the marsh (he likes rain too), and the hens took back their spot. We’ll see how Zip reacts to this when he returns.

It was nice to see them back.

27 March

Food Pantry Easter: Getting Oatmeal To Hungry Children, Food Of The Day. $16.13 For 12 Packs

by Jon Katz

I can’t think of a better way to mark Easter than to send some instant oatmeal in with the backpacks we are preparing this Easter week for children and families without enough food.

For $16.13, Quaker Instant Oatmeal Express Cups in four flavors and a pack of 12 can be purchased and sent overnight to the pantry.

The pantry is currently facing a shortage of instant oatmeal, a crucial component of the 67-pack packs for children being put together this week.

(I’ll be one of the volunteers packing.)

This is an essential food for a healthy, filling breakfast for children.  It’s also simple to make for their mothers.

Your help sending some oatmeal, which should arrive from Amazon shortly, would be greatly appreciated.

Ten other items are on the Cambridge Food Pantry Wish List, including another favorite for the children: Annie’s Real Aged Cheddar Microwave Mac & Cheese with Organic Pasta, pack of 12—$ 12.94.

You can see this and all of the other items  on the Wish List today here.

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