Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

It’s hot here, and in many other places, so even Maria is holding off on her many outdoor projects. We are going to a movie—Janet Planet—in Williamstown and then having lunch or dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It’s too hot for me to go out and take pictures, so I’ll check in later. Tomorrow, I will see Sarah Harrington,  the Pantry Director; she will be in a Cambridge Pantry Booth at the Farmer’s Market from 10 a.m. to 1 P.M. I’ll be there to take a photo or two. Maybe I’ll get a selfie.

Hot, Hot, Hot…

Donkeys behind the flower bed.

Sheep staying out of the sun.

Two donkeys are sticking close.

Our sills and low-hanging boards across the front of the barn were rotting, and some porches on our porch were also rotting. Dan Rogers, our friend and the hero of the beautiful Compost toilet upstairs, finally had some time to work on the farm—he is very much in demand.

Sills are critical for an old barn structure; they can cause the whole barn to collapse in a strong wind or snowstorm.

I’ve become fond of Dan. He’s funny, intelligent, and honest, and he has many great stories to tell. He is also meticulous and does great work.

Maria jokes that he and I spend a lot of time gassing each other, country style. But when he gets to work, there is no stopping him until he’s done, no matter how cold or hot. We are friends now, and we have a lot of fun together.

I love having him around.  He’s swamped, but he comes running when we are in trouble. He spent the morning working on the sills rotting in our barn; he’ll return soon to finish the job around the barn and front porch. We know when he is coming, but he always texts me the night before.

He is the best, as you can see from the photos.

This is the first layer of wood he installed around the electric pipe wire – it was tricky.

He was keen on putting stains on the wood to protect it.

The stain made a huge difference. Dan even makes sure that there is what the farmers call a “cat hole” for barn cats. All the farmers have one. Zip will have quick access to his heated cat house in the barn in the winter.