Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

In the past few days I’ve written what I hope is authentically about the excitement and pressure of committing to support Sakler Moo’s admission to the Albany Academy, I agreed to pay $6,000 this year and $5,000 each year for the next three years to make up the difference between the scholarship the school offered him and their normal tuition.

Sakler was born in a forest near Burma, he grew up in a refugee camp before coming to America. His father is the family wage earner, he works at a local Wal-Mart,  stacking goods.

I realized his family couldn’t really handle their share of the tuition, which was $2,000. Rather than see them struggle, I decided it was something I can do. And it is.

I raised the $6,000 almost overnight, it was the fastest and most generous response to anything I have asked for so far.

As is almost always the case in America these days, some people wanted to argue with me, they suggested I had gone too far, or that the campaign to get  Sakler into this wonderful and justly famous school was unnecessary, or even a mistake.

It was the biggest campaign I have yet launched. I think it was also the best. Was I rattled? You bet. I do try to stay small, and this is not something I will do every week, I’m not rich enough not to gulp over that much money.

I feel the pressure and responsibility of knowing that if I don’t raise this money every year for the next three years, Sakler will get kicked out of this school, which is not a charity.

Does that mean I shouldn’t have done it?

Let’s talk about that. Some people think so.

“Perhaps committing to pay those school fees was a step too far,” wrote Ruth in a comment she wanted published on my blog. “Keep it small and manageable, help those in real need to enhance their lives. There will always be bright and intelligent kids who will do ok without going to expensive private schools.”

I got a couple of the now familiar bigoted responses from people who believe kids like Sakler and refugees like his parents are taking things that are rightfully theirs. “Why should refugees get this support?,” wrote Alan from Keansburg, Pa. “Those spots should go to Americans. Why don’t you raise money for us?”

Ruth’s message was typical of some of those I have received, it was not in any way overtly bigoted, it was expressed politely and with seeming concern for me, yet there were some sharp ideas hidden in Ruth’s message if you read between the lines, which I do.

One was that she knew better than I did or Ali did or Sakler’s mother or teachers or anyone did what it was that Sakler Moo needed, sitting at her computer in some unknown place without ever having laid eyes on him.

The other was that what I do is like running a small business somewhere on Main Street – keep it small and manageable, balance the books each week, take no chances or risks, don’t let anyone run a tab.

She does not know Sakler, she does not know me.

Another message was that this was not real help that would enhance a life. Presumably, Sakler ought to  stay where he is and go and take a plumbing course, there is a real demand for plumbers.

The third that was Sakler could get what he needed in the Albany Public Schools where he was, even though every one of his admiring and dedicated public school teachers told us that was not true, their classes are enormous, their resources scant.

He needed something more.

Ruth was right about one thing.

It was a big step for me, and it was a frightening step in some ways. I gave up being macho some time ago, I admit to having emotions.

I also believe it to be one of the best and most meaningful steps I have ever taken, and one I am absolutely certain about and committed to. I raised that money in couple of days, and I’ve already raised another $1,000 for next year that people sent me without my even having asked.

This bird is going to fly. We have changed a life, and that is worth taking a lot of risks.

Unlike Ruth, I do know Sakler Moo. I am proud to know him.

I have known him for several years, and I have seen how intelligent and unchallenged he is in the public schools. My friend Ali is a great champion of Sakler’s, he is thrilled beyond words at this opportunity for him.

It is not his teacher’s fault that Sakler needs more, they are underpaid, overworked and often overwhelmed. They are also dedicated, if they couldn’t give him what he needed, they fought for him to get it elsewhere. Unlike so many Americans these days, they are not selfish or narrow-minded. They thought of him first.

It was his public school teachers, in fact, who have been lobbying for several years to get him into the Albany Academy, a school that is prized for its emphasis on solid academics and balanced activities.

Sakler got straight A’s in his school without hardly breaking a sweat, he got the highest honors in his entire Middle School.

He is that smart. He needs to be challenged and taught, he means to be an engineer or scientist. He may well do some great things, or design some remarkable buildings. That is the richest and oldest American story, coming her to find success and make your mark on an open country.

I answered Ruth, and I told her that just because something is difficult doesn’t mean that it is wrong to do. In fact, I believe almost everything worth doing in life is difficult. I am not about being safe, I am about being compassionate, and also responsible, and also transparent.

This is not a step too far, I am glad to say it is also not a step too late. I will get this tuition money for Sakler, and I will be proud and grateful that I did. And thanks to those of you who have helped me.

If anyone wants to help with the remaining (approximately) $4,000 that I need for 2019, it’s never too early. You can send a donation to the Sakler Moon Education Fund – I opened a separate bank account for him so all the money goes immediately towards his tuition fund – by donating to me, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

New federal regulations require that all money comes in my registered name, although it can be distributed in different accounts. I now have a refugee/ Mansion account, a Sakler Moo account, and my own personal banking account.

I never thought I would ever have three bank accounts.

Please mark your payment or contribution “Sakler Moo,” and thank you. It’s fun taking a step too far with so many good people.

We might fall off the cliff together, or we might just fly to the stars.

Sorry to report some sad news.

Evie, the cruelly mistreated Chihuahua mix who never knew a single day of life in a loving home, died last night from respiratory failure, she contracted pneumonia and according to Dr. Jonathan Bradshaw of the South Arkansas Veterinary Clinic, succumbed to respiratory failure.

Evie, who was 10 years old and was rescued from a notoriously negligent shelter in Texas where her owners had abandoned her,  along with a second dog named Jen, was taken in a few weeks ago by Carol Johnson and the Friends Of Homeless Animals, the good people giving me Bud. Evie had heart disease, hernia and heartworm and was recovering from years of awful neglect.

On the blog, we launched a successful campaign for Evie to find a home along with Jen, and a wonderful animal lover and excellent human named Debra Otta – she lives in Minnesota – adopted Evie and she and  Carol were working very hard to figure out how to transport her that far from Arkansas.

Jen was also adopted, she is moving to upstate New York.

Debra desperately wanted Evie, she and Carol had just about worked it out. The clinic had done a wonderful job bringing the emaciated and nearly died dog back to life.

Evie is a powerful symbol to me, she is the first dog I have actively tried to get adopted, a new project I have taken up. We worked hard to find a home for her. She had bad luck all of her life, she was about to catch a miraculous break.

She is, to me, a symbol of the emotional intensity of the rescue culture as well as of the extreme cruelty some human beings show to dogs.

I want to say that Evie symbolizes both the caring and uncaring nature of human beings. She shows how poorly some dogs are treated, and how much they are loved by so many others. The drama of the human experience is that we can be so good and loving and also so cruel and  destructive.

Evie was important to me, in that she challenged me to look at my own sense of humanity and empathy. She is not the kind of dog I would ever have adopted, yet she touched me deeply. She was important to Carol Johnson who could not bear to leave her to die in that awful shelter, she wanted her to know some love.

Before she died, Carole went to the veterinary clinic to give Evie some chicken and treats – she went every day – which Evie took eagerly.

She was recovering rapidly, growing hair, eating, enjoying the loving attention she was receiving for the first time in her life.

“I am sick about this,” Carol message me at midnight. I brought treats to the vet for her last night and she ate well. The only comfort was she didn’t die in that hellish shelter. She did know love and care. I am so sorry for Debra, I know her kind heart would have given her a loving home.”

Carol, who sees the dark side of animal cruelty every day, wrote that Eve was “just another victim of uncaring owners. Dogs are called man’s best friend but sadly we are often not theirs.” I am sorry for Carol, who also has a great big heart, and gives it away to dogs every day of her life. I think her heart was broken a bit last night.

She wanted so badly for Evie to find a loving home.

(I e-mailed a message to Debra this morning thanking her for her great heart, and if you wish to do the same, her e-mail is [email protected]. I think she would appreciate hearing from other animal lovers. So would Carol, who saved this dog from certain death. Her e-mail is [email protected]. I think they both could use some support).

So a sad and unexpected end to what we all thought would be a happy final chapter in Evie’s life.  She didn’t have many years left, but it seemed they would be good years.

Carol is right, Evie did know some love and caring, from the veterinary clinic as well as Carol and the volunteers at FOHA.

By now, many of you know my philosophy, I’d like to move forward beyond grief and sadness and think of ways to make this death productive and meaningful. My idea is to get another needy dog adopted from the ranks of the FOHA adoption lists.

I’ve asked Carol Johnson to help me choose one.

I identify with this rescue group. They don’t ride around collecting adorable dogs to ferry North, they look for the lost dogs, the saddest and most hopeless cases, and they seek to bring them comfort and affection.

Evie was a hopeless dog who found hope. This is right up my alley.

Godspeed Evie, you deserved a better life than  you got, but I think your death will mean something to people, and teach all of us something.

A peaceful journey to you, I like to think of you in that beautiful place the shaman told me about by a beautiful stream where the spirits of dogs go to rest and shine as sparkling blue lights, and wait to return to the earth again to brighten the life of a human being.

I think Evie will get another chance. And I’m going to try to get another dog adopted in her name and memory. Stay tuned.

Audio: In Memory Of Evie

Maria sold her hanging piece “I Don’t Need For You To  Die For Me To Be Happy” within minutes of putting it up on her Etsy page. I wasn’t surprised, the piece, a fabric painting took months to make and was, I thought, striking.

Maria wrote about the process of making this on her blog. It’s a compelling read.

Emma says she asked Robin to please not  feed the new puppy Sandy her cereal in the morning, but that request didn’t make much of an impression.

Robin, as you can see, loves feeding Sandy cereal from her breakfast. I think Emma is giving up on that command. I would.

Today, new Amazon Mansion Wish List, three sets of different tablecloths, the new tablecloths we have been sending have mesmerized the residents and greatly brightened their meals.  They change them three times a day, and they make a difference in lives that need color and change.

I get complaints every day that when people to go the list there is nothing there, but these tablecloths ought to be for awhile, I would think. There was an electric skillet up on the list, but that went fast.

The staff is asked for 15 sets of table clothes in all, representing three different colors and themes and styles:  print fabrics, Christmas and Thanksgiving. They cost about $26 apiece. The old tablecloths had been there for a very long time, much excitement over the new ones.

Check the tablecloths out here.