Sara Mannix from Mannix Marketing called me this morning to say there was some good news about my blog and some bad news.

This worried me because I know Mannix, my excellent web designer from the first, has struggled to handle the traffic on bedlamfarm.com for some months.

I know they desperately tried not to have to move me to my own server and raise the hosting cost. I was half afraid they were going to tell me to go away.

They have had to provide extra security to make the blog ultra-secure and find server space for the daily traffic. They have made this bog as secure as it can be, short of government military sites.

The good news was that traffic to bedlam is soaring. The bad news is that I now am too big and growing, I have to move to my own bigger (and even safer) particular server, and the hosting costs will more than double.

I asked Mannix to get me my updated traffic stats, and as soon as I get them, I will share them. I know there are millions of hits to the websites now each year, and the traffic continues to rise.

I am grateful about this and to be honest proud. I’ve never worked harder on anything in my life than bedlamfarm.com, or longer. And I plan to mke it even better.

Mannix is a big deal in upstate New York and the Albany area, and my blog is now their number one blog by a wide margin, said Sara. She felt badly about raising the hosting fee for the first time in two decades.

Mannix is my blogging partner and has been from the first post on Memorial Day in 2007.

Since then, there have been nearly 30,000 posts and nearly as many photographs, and I’ve stopped writing books to sustain, concentrate on and continue the blog, now the centerpiece of my creative world.

I saw this revolution coming and jumped on the train. I’m so glad I did and Mannix guided me every step of the way.

Mannix has worked with me to design the blog I wanted and make it clean and accessible.

They are available 24/7 to deal with tech issues and problems. They helped me assist people with site delivery problems and worked with me to make it as simple to cancel subscriptions and begin them.

They support what I want to do and stop what I shouldn’t do.

I am careful about money these days but happy to pay these good people what they are worth – I know their fee is still lower than most hosting sites. But I no longer have a one-time fee, but a monthly one. Mannix has helped me start the blog and expand it; they are central to the Army Of Good work.

The best-designed blogs cost a lot of money.

The good news for you is that the blog is healthy, booming, and free. I suppose that the bad news is that I will have to be a bit more disciplined about asking for blog support.

Success is a joy but is rarely without cost. The new cost is reasonable and fair, but I will have to be responsible when it comes to managing it. I can handle it.

There are many ways to support the blog; you can find them here.

There are one-time payments, monthly and annual subscriptions, Paypal and Venmo ([email protected] ID on both). There is also my post office box for people who don’t like to do business online, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Thanks for your support.

Of course, the blog will remain free to anyone and everyone; all payments are voluntary. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery by scrolling down to the very bottom of the Farm Journal Page and entering your e-mail.

I thank you.