Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

So, things are coming into focus.

We have three, perhaps four, issues to deal with in the Pole Barn, things got a bit out of hand in there.

That’s the thing about a farm, unless you are a rich person – they call them gentleman farmers – you can never quite catch up with all of the things that need to be done, and sometimes, they catch  up with you.

I am not a real farmer, but I am not gentleman either.

First, the back  wall has bowed to the point of cracking. The animals lean against it and too much dirt has built up. Secondly the donkeys were eating up the rear wall. The gates (left) were disintegrating and failing to hold the sheep.

And then, there were deep gouges and gulleys on the rear wall, we put too much gravel in and the animals lean against it when the sleep so we have deepening trenches all along the wall.

This morning, we dug out both sides of the rear wall, pushed it  back into place with the tractor shovel, and then Ray built a post and crossbars so that if there is any further pressure, the wood will bear the brunt, not the wall.

Ray built two new gates and put  hinges on the others. And Vince is using the tractor to lower the level of gravel and dirt by two or three inches and level off the gulleys. Like most farm things, it looks worse than it is, and I have the blessing of calm and competent and honest people.

They will take care of it. The Big Men In Trucks are used to moving the landscape around and making the earth bow to them. And it needed to be done, for sure.

If we didn’t take this on right now, we would be paying the piper down the road, and in a much more serious way. I have enjoyed the practice of radical acceptance. True peace of mind comes with accepting life as it presents itself, and not wishing for things it is not possible to have.

I will not ever speak poorly of my life. Or even of my barn.

 

Our barn crisis seems to be expanding. This wall is bowing, and needs to be straightened and shored up. To do that, Vince and  Ray had to dig out both sides and then shovel them out further, to expose the wood.

We’ve been putting fresh gravel in the Pole Barn every year, but in the process, raised the dirt level too high, it was causing the wall to bow and leaving ruts along the back wall.

They have to be flatened, the dirt level lowered. Vince and Ray keep asking me what I think, and I keep looking at them blankly. Frankly, they are both vastly more knowledgable and confident then I am, and I told them to do what they think is best.

Looks like the whole Pole Barn has to be dug out. I’m retreating into my study with Red.

I guess we weren’t paying attention, or perhaps we were distracted, or maybe we just didn’t want to face it, but it appears our Pole Barn slipped into disrepair and potential disintegration over the last year.

The donkeys had gnawed big holes in the Pole Barn wall, and the North side of the PB had bowed out so badly it was about to blow apart.

We had to get Vince Devecchio in here with his digger and Ray Telford with his shovel, they had to dig out both sides of the wall and try to push the wall back into its proper place.

This will also require inserting posts and attached beams into the foundation to keep the animals from pushing it out again. They lean against the wall at night.

The sight of three skilled laborers and a huge tractor working out in the barn for hours definitely makes me uneasy, this will not be cheap or easy.

We realize that it is imperative that we do this work now, especially in advance of the Open House. We thought were were simply flattening out the gravel for the winter, but that is the least of it.

We already rebuild the boards in the back and two of the gates to the pasture. I see we are not done. One thing connects to another, and we want the Pole Barn to last a good long time. No big vacations this year.

On the other hand, we are fortunate to have been alerted to this mess in time. And you can’t do better than Vince and his son and Ray. The barn is in very good hands. I think I’ll go take a walk.

At night, Fate likes to sleep downstairs, by the door, so she can keep an eye on the sheep and the pasture. My dog Rose used to do this. When the sun rises, she comes upstairs and hops onto the bed and sits quietly in the hope we will get up and to out to work.

Maria and I are both early risers, so very often, we do get up when Fate comes, she is a kind of alarm clock.

When the sun bursts through the window, and  silhouettes this very special dog, it’s usually time for us to get up.

My territory is usually the little things that people need and that they need help in getting. Sylvie is a passionate letter writer, she reads every letter she gets very seriously and struggles to reply to them all. I try to help her.

She told me yesterday  that she needed envelopes and so I brought her some today. Sylvia is the busiest resident in the Mansion, she is always on her cell phone, reading her mail (Sylvie, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816), writing letters, poring over religious texts.

She is one of the most colorful and inventive dressers I know,I love  her scarves and flowing skirts and blouses. And I love supporting her letter writing. She is unique.

Envelopes,  stamps, seasonal clothes are the things I am most asked to buy, by now, I am an expert at women’s shoe and bra and underwear sizes. I have a network of thrift shops that help me.

If you wish to support the Mansion work, we could use your help. You may, if you wish, send a donation to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark your contributions “The Mansion.” Thanks.