Once every couple of months, I ask for blog support. I used to hate it, but I learned that I have a right to get paid for my work and work hard every day. So does Maria.

That revelation made the blog possible now.

Don’t get me wrong, we love our work and choose our work. We do what we love, but we need some help to do it. Everyone in the world needs money and is asking for it.

So am I.

The Internet provides Maria and me a living and keeps us from retreating to our beautiful and peaceful farm.

We are connected to the world, and somehow, the fates have put us in a position to do some good for our wonderful place.

Maria asked for fabrics for Sue Silverstein’s exciting new art program at Bishop Gibbons, and boxes are coming in from all over;  we are getting thousands of contemporary books sent to the school’s library, and our wish list will give the students at the school art supplies that will surprise and excite them.

We have helped the Mansion refurbish its new Activity Center and bought raised garden beds for the people in Memory Care so they won’t have to try and lie down to plant flowers.

We got a family from Ukraine to New York City.

The blog is at the epicenter of all this good stuff, and I need some help and support if it is to continue and offer a safe space during a time of conflict and tension, not to mention inflation. I spent money every month maintaining and upgrading it.

And it is free. I spent countless hours taking pictures. And they are free.

(You can support the blog here.)

Maria and I love our lives here and work hard to maintain them. But we are, alas, not free from the realities of the other world.

The animals are adorable, but they cost a lot to keep healthy and safe. Hay will be $9 a bale this year, twice what it was when I began ordering it. I won’t even get into veterinary bills.

The photos are hopefully beautiful, but photography is expensive. I never imagined having two Leica cameras, but I believe it is paying off.

So are my photo lessons, which make those photos possible.

The blog is a joy for me, but the costs of running go up too. I stopped taking them, and they were too expensive.

We feel it, too; producing a blog is getting more expensive, and my photography, which I see as a gift to my readers, is also pricey.

We do everything we can to keep our costs down, from solar panels to (Maria) stacking our own firewood to driving a Hybrid car. There is no such thing as a day off on a farm, even if you’re not a farmer.

That wood will save us a lot of money in the winter.  Wood cost $160 a cord when we first moved here. It’s $200 a cord now.

I keep updating the blog to keep it contemporary and readable, and I keep taking photos because I love doing it, and many people love seeing them.

I love taking my flower photos, but my two Leica Cameras will take a while to pay off.

None of this would be possible without the blog. It’s the engine behind all of it.

I want it to be a safe and coherent place; I want it to be a place of good. I am not always sweet or good myself, but the blog has led me to a better place, and I will always be working on myself.

The blog is my living memoir, my story, the focal point of my creative life, and my life with animals and Maria.

There are several ways you can support it.

The blog is free and will always be free.

Donations are welcome and accepted.

You can get the blog e-mailed to your computer at no cost (there is a cost to me); you can pay small monthly amounts, and you can offer one-time donations through Paypal ([email protected]), Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-13, or by check, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

You can cancel at any time.

None of your financial information is stored on the blog or its server.

I hate to ask for money for myself, but I don’t mind asking on behalf of the blog, which is me. I want to keep it up and running and be healthy during a time of change and division.

It helps me, and I hope it helps you.

If you find it grounding, thought-provoking, entertaining, or spiritual, think about helping to keep it going.  If you find the blog irritating, save your money.

And thanks.

(photo by Maria Wulf)