Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

The Cambridge Food Pantry
3 April

Food For All, The Boxes Keep Coming. I’m Using Up Thank You’s. Thank You. We’re Pushing Coffee Today, Spaghetti Tomorrow

by Jon Katz

Every afternoon, I get a bit nervous. Will this excellent flow keep coming? How long can it last? Will people lose interest? I don’t have an answer to any of these questions.

Around 4:30, I text Sarah, and in a minute or two, I hear the beep and see the photo she sent me of the afternoon food delivery. (There are two deliveries a day). It’s always amazing.

I can’t predict the future, so I want to treasure and appreciate the present.  What we are doing is extraordinary, a rare but beautiful experience.

I wish you could all see the faces of the people receiving this food.

As long as this lasts, we will all get the sweet satisfaction of small acts of great kindness. I go to sleep every night, knowing that we did something to make the world a bit better.

This morning, a request for urgently needed coffee. The Amazon wish list has New England Coffee Breakfast Blend ground, 12.0z a bag, pack of 3, $14.39.

The storm will hurt many people here tonight. At the very least, they can have a fresh and good cup of coffee in the mornings afterward.

_____

Here’s a peek at tomorrow’s food request from Sarah: Barilla Spaghetti Pasta, 16.0z, Box Pack of eight, non-GMO made with durum wheat seminal, $13.38.

Friday, we’ll ask for dish soap, which is already on the wish list. Thanks.

Today’s afternoon delivery. Good feels very good.

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Bedlam Farm
3 April

Preparing For The Storm, The Lion Part Of March Is Here

by Jon Katz

We’re bracing ourselves for a severe winter storm tonight – with strong winds, heavy rain, snow, and ice, all expected to persist through the night and into tomorrow. The situation is so serious that even Maria has decided to skip her belly dancing class. This storm is not to be taken lightly.

We fed the animals early and moved things into the barn that could blow around. The temperature drops, the wind rises, and the sky darkens. We just got the generator out, which we rarely do in advance. If the power is on, I’ll blog. We’re out of control if you are still waiting to hear from me. My heart goes out to thousands of people already suffering from this storm. Stay safe.

 

Filled up, the generator is good for 12 hours. We filled it up. It’s ready to go. We didn’t want to root around in the dark when the storm hit the hardest. We only need to pull a switch or two to turn it on. Seeing the generator power up the whole farmhouse in a dark storm is lovely.

 

The sky began to darken even as we watched. When the color goes out of the sky, I switch to the monochrome camera. This is a storm sky, for sure.

 

 

The Weather Map above looks like one of my abstract flower photos. It is beautiful, if a little unnerving. The storm starts soon and goes on all night.


Early on, the wind had already blown down Ed Gulley’s beautiful goose. It doesn’t stand up long. We tried to stand it up today, but Ed wasn’t into details—he was great at vision. I miss you, Ed; we’ll leave it down until the ground dries.  I can hear you laughing at me.

Fate has suffered from wicked diarrhea the past few days (believe me, we suffered along with her). However, she was back to herself today, running rings around the sheep for pure joy. She’s tired and covered with mud. We turned the feeders upside down, we’ll feed the animals inside of the Pole Barn, if necessary.

I took this flower photo this morning; I thought the storm needed some brightening, and so did the storm post.

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Zip
3 April

Zip In The Window. He Wants To Rule The Whole Kingdom

by Jon Katz

Last night, I went out on the porch to pick up a package. Zip came out from beneath the porch. We sat together for a few minutes, and then I came inside. When I came downstairs this morning, Bud was sitting on the wicker chair looking into the farmhouse. He was waiting for our morning meeting and was curious about what went on inside. When I got outside, he was waiting at our usual spot on the back porch.

He seems irritable when I’m late. Too bad.

(Photo above by Maria Wulf)

Zip is not interested in coming inside but has investigated, inspected, and often dominated every part of the farm. He definitely wants to do the same with the farmhouse. It isn’t going to happen. We all, including Zip, are happy with how things have turned out. A big storm is coming tonight, and he has a lot of places to go and be comfortable.

I love him dearly, but he will only get into the farmhouse once he’s pretty old. It might be hard if I thought he would want to, but he would have less fun inside the house than outside. He is curious about what goes on there but has never come to the door and waited to get in.

We love the absence of rats and mice in the home or barn. It seems Zip got rid of all of them.


Zip has taken the title “imperious” away from the hens. I went outside with Maria for the afternoon feeding, and Zip sat atop the woodshed waiting. He got his scratch and then moved on to inspect a chipmunk hole.

Sun or rain, Zip’s throne is the table on the back porch. It’s his spot, from where he rules the kingdom.

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The Cambridge Food Pantry
3 April

The Compassion Revolution Begins: In March, The Army Of Good Send 2,716 Pounds Of Food To The Cambridge Food Pantry

by Jon Katz

(Sarah’s food of the day, April 3, 2024: New England Coffee Blend, Pack of 3, $14.39. We can return coffee to the pantry shelves, where it has disappeared. It is very much missed. Coffee is not available from commercial sources.)

I’m pleased to bring you some real news:

Congratulations to the Army Of Good and Cambridge Food Pantry Director Sarah Harrington for your astonishing work and generosity.

In the final weeks of March,  you sent 2,716 pounds of food to the pantry. Your combined efforts have changed the lives of hundreds of people, altering their lives, health, and well-being in profound ways.) Something big is happening here.

I am honored to be a part of this. This is a bright moment for us.

The Army Of Good has never shone brighter, and I feel strongly that this is just the beginning. You’ve also done fantastic work, Sarah, and I am eager to work with you and support it for as long as possible. We’re just getting started.

This initiative resonates far beyond my small town in upstate New York. It is a testament to the compassion and decency that defines our nation. We are a country that stands together in times of hardship, helping those in need. We are not the country of the raging and hateful news.

The pantry can store some food for the first time in a long time.

Children will eat the food they love, want, and need, and families are pleased to be able to eat, boost their morale, and get the food they want from the best possible sources.

Under Sarah’s guidance, you have all made a statement that will rebound and echo nationwide. I believe the Compassion Revolution is underway.

(The pantry needs everything on the wish list, which is updated daily. If you’d like to browse the list, you can do so here. Thank you.

“I sometimes wonder if anybody out there cares about people like us,” one mother told me. Your Army of Good is changing things for us, including the hope we can have. When we see that food coming in, it’s hard to believe we can take it home. It makes me proud…”

I hope to keep it going. They need more help than ever. Sarah’s choice of the most needed food of today is coffee,  The New England Coffee  Blend of Roast Ground Breakfast Blend Coffee, 12. Oz a bag, Pack of 3 is on sale on the Pantry’s Amazon Wish List for $14.39

Note: If you send food from sources other than Amazon, the address is the Cambridge Food Pantry, c/o Sarah Harrington, 24 E. Main Street, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

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