Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

20 November

Sorry, But Time To Ask For Blog Support

by Jon Katz

I’m not sorry, but I love that the blog, photos, and stories are free. I believe in providing this content to you without any cost. However, I understand that the world is moving in a different direction.

It’s time to ask for blog support again; I do it bi-monthly. Your support has been instrumental in elevating the blog to new heights, offering more than it ever did for free. However, the cost of maintaining this quality is increasing. I’ve been faced with compromising photo quality to reduce storage costs or paying a $300 monthly fee for additional storage.

And I’m doing more than ever. If you love the flower photos, please help.

I can’t afford $300 monthly, so I may have to permit some compression. The Leica camera takes up a lot more space than most cameras.

My longtime website, Mannix Marketing, is excellent to work with, and we will try to work this out. I’m sure we will. I might have to delete many older photos or allow for smaller images or some other tech solution.

But it reminds me again that everything the blog offers is free, and I am determined to keep it that way with your continued support. It’s a nice mix of photos, spiritual stuff, dogs, donkeys, chickens, hens,  sheep,  occasional insight and wisdom, and, of course, Zip, an energy bomb that is lighting up the farm.

I need to get paid for the work I do.  I won’t do substack because I’m not going to ask people to pay for my best photos or writing. If you can, please donate what you can. You can figure out how to do this by visiting the blog support page.

You can donate once weekly, monthly, or annually. You can donate any amount for as long or as short as you wish—or just for once.

You can get the details here:  blog support.

You can donate via Venmo or PayPal. At Paypal, I’m [email protected]; at Venmo, I’m Jon Katz@Jon-Katz-13. If you prefer to avoid paying online, e-mail support to Jon Katz, Blog Support, Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Small donations are as important as large ones, and those are important, too.

If you don’t have the money, follow the blog without hesitation or guilt.

Please help to keep the blog growing and healthy. The animals need food, my cameras need upkeep, my flowers cost money, and my writing is free. If you like any of that, please help, and we can keep it as it is, a good and safe place long and long.

I’m in this for the long haul.

In the coming years, we will need each other; I need you as much as you need me. Together, we will do well. I’m full of hope. I appreciate any help you can give me. I have the best readers any writer, blogger, or photographer could want.

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Flower Art
20 November

Flower Art, New Horizons, Finding Myself? What Am I Trying To Do?

by Jon Katz

Tomorrow is Cambridge Food Pantry Thanksgiving Dinner Give-Way-Day. Thanks so much for your support. Today, I’m recovering from a wicked cold. I’m still a bit weary, but I’m getting more robust. Nothing seems to halt my flower photograph. Zip, my assistant, and I went over it together. See you in the morning.

___

“As with other subjects in her oeuvre, O’Keeffe made some of these flowers the objects of a series of paintings, seeking to refine the motif in each fresh version. The series was a concept she pursued throughout her career and suggested a parallel with Japanese art, in which the same subject is similarly treated again and again in new variations, from various angles and at different times of the year…The magnification O’Keeffe introduces in her flower paintings is opposed to the format traditionally employed in flower still-life. Here, a close-up view of flowers, presented as if from the perspective of a butterfly or bee, can best be compared with close-up photographs such as the pictures of a waterlily taken by Edward Steichen ten years earlier…”  — O’Keeffe, Britta Benke

 

 

 

 

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The Cambridge Food Pantry
20 November

Cambridge Pantry Support. Paper Day, Towel Paper Tissues. Tomorrow Is The Great Thanksgiving Turkey Give-A-Way

by Jon Katz

Paper is getting expensive. We need help

P.S. Also, Tomorrow evening is the Cambridge Pantry Food Giveaway; thanks to you and others, every pantry member will get a frozen turkeyand all the trimming. Thanks. I’ll be there. Abobe, the pantry chapel is stuffed with Thanksgiving food—all the trimmings. 

Above: Bananas on the shelf.

The cost of paper has surged, and food pantry banks are no longer able to purchase it. This is not just a financial issue for the pantries but a community problem.

The rising costs are forcing food pantry members and patrons to make difficult choices, sacrificing food for necessities like toilet and towel paper.

Sarah is reaching out for help, and community support is crucial. For the first time, the pantry is facing a shortage of paper products, and she’s hoping we can help.

I set out to understand the rising cost and had no trouble finding out why:

The cost of paper products is rising primarily due to a combination of factors, including increased demand for packaging materials from the e-commerce boom, supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, rising energy costs, labor cost increases, and a shortage of wood pulp caused by reduced timber production. These factors, particularly impacted by global events like the war in Ukraine, are leading to a gap between supply and demand for paper products. 

Food pantries are especially sensitive and vulnerable to fluctuations in food and paper products. This is yet another painful problem for these families.

I’m grateful for how much I am learning and am eager to share. There is so much to keep track of.

If you can, please help out. Here are the best prices Sarah could find for tissue and paper towels.  They are much lower than supermarkets.

Toilet paper prices are also soaring; we’ll get to that later.

Sarah’s choices:

Puffs Ultra Soft Non-Lotion Facial Tissue, 8 Family Boxes, 124 Facial Tissue, 8 Family Boxes per Box by Puffs, $13.49.

Sparkle Pick-Zize Paper Towells=12 Regular Rolls, Everyday Value Paper Towel With Full And Half Sheets, $7.28.

“We are out of both items,” reports Sarah. We used to get them through the Regional Food Bank, but now they are unaffordable, so we are going without them. We would be grateful for any help. People really appreciate it when we have them.”

Thanks for helping. You can access the Cambridge Food Pantry Amazon Food List anytime, day or night, and make your own choices if you care to. Everything on the list is urgently needed, as the number of people needing food support and government subsidies are falling.

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Beautiful Morning
20 November

Beautiful Morning At Bedlam Farm. The Sky Says It All

by Jon Katz

I looked out the bedroom window at dawn and saw that rare and beautiful sky, the sun coming up and bouncing its light off of just the right clouds. This is rare, and I rushed outside with no shoes or clothes because I knew I only had a minute before the sun would rise over the clouds and turn them red or blue. I have been running out for a while now. I wanted you to see this before I left. It’s a good omen for me, a sign of good things.  I think Lulu was in awe of the sky as well. It was cold.

I hope you have a meaningful day.

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The Cambridge Food Pantry
19 November

Sarah Scores A Big Award. The Cambridge Pantry Was Voted The Best Non-Profit In The County In Front Of 1,000 People

by Jon Katz

Sarah Harrington and The Cambridge Food Pantry Won A Big ward tonight, which could help raise donations, local attention, hunger awareness, and financial grants. There was a lot of competition.

It was a significant affirmation of the beautiful work she and her amazing volunteers have done this year to help the pantry modernize and use tools like the Internet (people like me) to advocate for it.

The Pantry Board of Directors President, Pastor Jim, a shy and quiet man who has done tremendous good, accepted the award with her. I got a wicked cold today and wasn’t sure I would make it, but it was worth a trip to the Christ the King Center in rural Greenwich. She got the award early on, so I made it all the way. I was eager to see the winner.

The overwhelming response from the community was a key factor in this achievement. Hundreds of county residents nominated individuals, and over 1,000 people gathered at the meeting hall, demonstrating the community’s integral role and unwavering support. This widespread backing is a testament to the pantry’s remarkable work and the impact it has on our community.

It’s a big deal in our country. Everyone follows these events, and Sarah has scored another victory for hunger awareness and the Cambridge Food Pantry. Sarah is determined to make the Cambridge Food Pantry the best food pantry in the country.

Tonight, Sarah has brought us all a step closer to her vision. Congratulations, friend. We are all proud of your achievement and inspired by your dedication to making the Cambridge Food Pantry the best in the country.

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