Today, I’m asking for support for myself, the blog, and payment for my work.

A few years ago, I realized that my great and risky blog adventure would only succeed if I had the financial support of those who find value in my work and are willing to voluntarily support it. There would be no more royalty checks or fat contracts. I was out on my own.

So far, so good. But times change, and many people are under pressure.

I’m one of them.

The blog is essential to many people, and I am eager to keep it going and improve it with your help. It’s free to you, but not to me.

I don’t charge for or watermark photos, posts, or the blog; all contributions are voluntary. However, I need some help to afford the cost of taking these photos and maintaining the blog, the farm, and our good deeds.

Support for the Mansion, the Food Pantry, and the refugee children are potent examples of the good we can do. I want to do that and more.

I’m asking for help as I enter a complex and expensive period.

My blog, cameras,  and computer are central to everything I do. I need to make sure they are powerful and versatile enough to carry the weight I put on them.

My computer is getting a new hard drive early next month. It will cost eight hundred to nine hundred dollars, but it will spare me having to buy a new computer for at least a decade if I live that long. I’ll be offline for three days.

I have two valuable cameras whose warranty has expired and that I need to insure. That will cost at least a few hundred dollars, perhaps more,  but will ensure that if the cameras are lost, broken, or stolen, I can replace them—otherwise, no more flower photos, at least no more like the ones I am publishing.

I have also paid over $2,000 to update the blog and make it accessible to people who want it mailed. I  also disconnected from a costly credit card option that cost more in fees than I was earning.

If you value the blog in any way—thought-provoking, amusing, stimulating, entertaining, uplifting—please consider supporting my work. I believe in being paid for it, even though I won’t ever charge for it. But I do need to be paid somehow for the work I do.

I cherish the work of the Army of Good, but it is essential that the blog and my computer function reliably and well into the future. For this work to happen, I need help. I’m good at raising money for good causes, but I need to be good at raising money for myself.

You can follow the different ways to make voluntary payments here and others listed below.

I depend on your support if you appreciate what I do and find it helpful or useful.

It’s an essential time for me, and I need to invest in the blog and provide the level of thought, images, contemplations, and animal life I’ve been producing so far. The blog is living up to its potential—a creative, welcoming, and safe place to think, learn, and grow.

I’m sure you know that beyond this, the blog is the story of a life, a marriage,  of aging and growing and learning to be authentic. It’s a radical new kind of virtual memoir.

You can support the blog in many ways. One is to pay a weekly, monthly, or annual donation.  One-time donations are welcome in any amount. You can learn about that here.

Another option is to donate once or monthly via Paypal, [email protected], or by Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-13 (one-time only.)

Additionally, you can donate by check, Jon Katz, Blog Support, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Thanks so much for listening.