Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

18 August

Beautiful Day, Saturday, August 18: Alvin Outsmarts Zip Once More, Lulu Gets Her Apple, Pink Hydrangeas And Beautiful Dahlias

by Jon Katz

This may have been the most beautiful day of the summer. I sat out with Zip, looking out at the pasture. The wind blew the clouds away,  and the sun came out in the afternoon. Maria returned from her long walk in the woods and joined us for a few hours. I needed to get to work but couldn’t get up for a while. On to my Flower Art. I’m negotiating for a used Sigma 50 mm lens that works well with my flower photography.

I can’t afford a Leica lens or a new Sigma one, for that matter, but this one is three years old, inexpensive, and supposedly in good shape.  I have 60 days to return it if I don’t like it.

I almost traded in my Monochrome lens, but I couldn’t do it.

(Above, Zip is hiding out in Alvin’s space. It didn’t work.)

The lens is inexpensive, and I have a year to pay it off. Every year, I work hard to advance my photography. I don’t want to get static or lazy; I work hard at it and love every minute.

Photography has been one of the healthiest and most satisfying things I’ve ever done.

 

Lulu couldn’t get the apple off the fence. As soon as I got the picture, I got it for her.

 

St. Joseph holding his lilies in the sunlight. He is our weather saint.


 

When I’m taking my flower photos, Zip knows to give me space. But he is always nearby, keeping me company and staying close. I hate to think of these sessions without him.

Zip tried to lay a trap for Alvin, but Alvin popped up on the other side of the fence, 20 feet away, chirping and – it seemed to me – teasing and laughing at Zip. Zip is getting the message; he’d love to call Alvin but needs to focus on it. Alvin sounds the alarm every time he comes near, and all of the chipmunks vanish to safety.

Pink Hydrangeas

 

One of the first Dahlias is in Maria’s Dahlia garden.

18 August

Baby Day Was A Huge Success, Thanks: Now, The Most Popular: On To Spaghetti O’s, $$11.44 For 12, And Clam Chowder, $16.08 For Eight. The Pantry Is Out Of Both

by Jon Katz

Today’s request is a bigger deal than I expected. The response from the Army of Good was so strong that she took the items off the wish list today. “You guys were great on Baby’s Day,” she said. You guys are great every day, thank you.

(The Size 5  Baby Diapers remain on the list and are still needed.)

You can see all the items on the updated Wish List and 11 other items the pantry is out of by going to the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Wish List or clicking the green pantry button at the bottom of every blog post. I’m told that wish list browsing has become popular. Please go to it; I start every day that way.  It feels better than almost anything. Please feel free to join the Compassion Revolution.

Sarah tells me that this is the most popular soup next to chicken pot pie, which will be on the list in a day or so. Clam Chowder soup has never been available through the food bank, where the pantry gets most of its food. Spaghetti O’s are also extremely popular and unavailable from the food bank. They are an easy dinner to make, and the kids love them.

But the spaghetti O’s and soup are also much needed and missing from the shelves.

Spaghetti O’s, Canned Pasta With Meatballs, 15.0z Can (Pack of 12), $11.44.

Campbell’s Chunky Soup, New England Clam Chowder, 16.3 Oz Can (Case of 8), $15.68.

Thanks so much for your help. Baby Day ranks with Women’s Day and Dental Day. You are making a difference, and I can’t even begin to tell you how appreciated you are.

 

 

18 August

Put A Woman In Charge. Something Profound Is About To Happen.

by Jon Katz

 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams.

A friend sent me this video this morning; I hope you get a chance to see it.

Like many of you, I share a deep frustration with the media’s persistent focus on trivial matters. Whether it’s rehashing a statement made  15 years ago or indulging in name-calling and shallow policy arguments, these distractions are preventing us from addressing what truly matters in our lives.

They have turned our political system into a horse race.

The people rushing to dance and cheer at Kamala Harris’s rallies are not there to applaud her latest interview or policy plan. They sense something very different is happening: a significant and unprecedented shift in leadership – a woman leader.

This is a great big deal, one of the biggest in my life regarding politics.

The video I’m talking about argues that it’s time to Put A Woman In Charge, and this change is of immense significance.

The media views the world as a football game or wrestling match and can’t do much more than pass along arguments and insults or try to predict a winner like a soccer match —always keeping score.

We need to find the meaning and significance of what is happening.  It’s not what we are told but what we feel. That’s the danger of labels. We stop thinking.

But I can feel it. This is a cosmic change.  It has little to do with Donald Trump and his ranting or Kamala Harris’s uptight and cautiously worded plan for making the middle class wealthy again.

Many of us have long awaited the imminent rise of a woman to a position of power. The men have screwed it up and horribly.

Those who understand the political climate can sense it without waiting for a pundit with a laptop to confirm it.

I’m fascinated by the positive change that Kamala Harris already represents, and she’s just getting started. How great to see young people paying attention to politics again for the first time in years.

Her presence has injected joy and a renewed sense of hope into our political system, which has felt stagnant and disheartening for too long. Many of us have given up.

There was no hope. The issue for me is not red versus blue; they are not that different, after all.

The difference is men and women.

This excitement is not about policy positions or name-calling but the potential for a brighter, more inclusive future, a kindler, gentler, more compassionate country.

I don’t judge people by left and right. I look for heart.

We’re all so weary of the same old political circus. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Women are very different from men.  I’m not suggesting they are all perfect. I am stating that the world desperately needs them to be in charge. Harris and her rallies are different.

Women think very differently than men. They don’t seem as willing as men to hurt people; the ones I know care significantly about the needy and people experiencing poverty. They are proving that nurture doesn’t reduce or remove power.

It’s dangerous to generalize; there are many nasty and combative females.

Yet the differences are fundamental, and they do matter. Men are doing what men always do—fighting, dominating, conquering, and hating. We need to try something different, and it is about to happen. It seems that men are just as violent in their politics as they are in their lives.

Mr. Trump and his allies are on the wrong side history. As terrified as they are, they cannot stop it.

The women I have known are more in touch with their hearts than me or most of the men I know, more empathetic than men, and willing to listen and compromise. They care about other people.

I’m so sick of men that I switched every one of my doctors to female physicians, and I have never regretted it for a second.

They want to know me, talk with me, and listen to me. That, for me, is the more considerable promise of a woman in charge.

America desperately needs a leader who understands passion, community, listening, and caring. The world is on fire; I never understand that our leaders feel what they mean. Donald Trump pretends he thinks this is a hoax, but Karmala Harris doesn’t mention it much.

Harris strikes me as someone who has these qualities of empathy; they are much more critical than her promises to appease the media and their demands and the male critics lining up to stop her and call her stupid, a bitch, lazy,  dishonest, and dangerous.

Men have always called these women evil and dumb; they have always persecuted them, demeaned them, dictated to them, and even burned them alive.

My mother, first wife, daughter, and Maria were strong women. I respect and love these people for their warmth and strength, and I rarely get to say that about a man.

I love the idea of not going back.

Women know what going back means to them. It isn’t going to happen. They will speak loudly in November: we aren’t going back, the words many male white politicians most dread to hear.

This morning, a friend sent me the video composed by Keb Mo and Roseanne Cash. I almost cried. I do hope you get a chance to look at it.

It speaks to my heart and my feelings. The country is about to give a woman a chance to be in charge. This alone will transform our country and perhaps much of the world.

Being a politician in America these days means lying to people about what you can accomplish. When failure becomes evident, there is no trust in leaders. Harris has a chance to change that; I hope she does.

As our planet and humankind are on the edge of destruction, it’s time to try something different. Women can change the world, or at least try harder.

I don’t know much about Harris; I pay much more attention to the people cheering for her.

I am drawn to her warmth, smile, and love for other people and their love for her. That means a lot more than any poll.

That means more to me than any speech. That is what a natural leader is – someone who can care for the people they lead. I can see that people like JD Vance are smart. I can’t see warmth or caring;  I only see cruelty and anger.

Warmth is one thing he couldn’t seem to learn. Sadly, he is not weird to me, just very male.

Men like that have failed to lead us to a better or more necessary place.

They seem too often stuck in the male disease—domination, power,  anger, and greed. The world is praying for something different.  Our survival depends on it.

That is what the feminine divine is. That is what I am seeing and feeling in Harris. She isn’t afraid to laugh or smile.

We ache for a leader with a heart, not a gun, a threat, or a nasty name. I’m hopeful and excited. Something profound has begun to happen. I’m grateful to have lived to see it.

Women have never been stronger, more powerful, or more determined. I see it in the faces of the people coming in miles to cheer Kamala Harris on, and I can’t help but contrast them with the faces of the old, sour, and threatened people gathering in those ugly and bleak rallies.

I’m excited. The story of Kamala Harris is just beginning, and she knows it. Making history is different from arguing about taxes. When it reaches the heart, you know something big is happening. The nation is sensing that perhaps even our media will get it one day.

The man in the red cap will never get it. But because of him, in no small way, we may be on the verge of being great again.

 

17 August

Flower Art: Some Of My Greatest Hits. Quarantined Today. I Got A Few Shots, Hit The Archives. No Stopping Flower Art.

by Jon Katz

I had to stay inside today for my body and for my eyes, which are already getting prepped for my cataract surgery on August 27th. I really have to stay out of the sun, which has caused a major hive breakout due to the heat and allergies brought on by the rains. I can’t keep pretending I don’t have to pay attention.

I’m strongly instructed to stay out of the sun for now, and I am listening for once. I got to take a few photos, then went back and dug into my recent archives for a few more and visited Zip. I’m happy with my photos lately and planning what I can do next year to improve my photography even more.

I will be able to take photos and blog regularly during the cataract period; one of my doctors is suggesting some preparatory work on my eyes before the surgery date, August 27th. I’ll figure out how to do it. I had to stay inside today, except for a brief ride with Maria for food shopping. She drove. See you in the morning, and thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 August

Chronicles of Zip. Hanging With Me, Stalking Alvin, Flirting For Scratching, Gazing At His Kingdom

by Jon Katz

 

I can’t be out in the heat rigt now, but I did manage a quick visit with Zip. We had a good talk. and a selfie.

Zip was out looking for Alvin today; he was thwarted as usual. Alvin popped up 20 away, squeaked, and disappeared down a hole. Once again, Zip was too late. Alvin 12, Zip 0.

Zip in newly constructed Castle Zip, he can gaze out over almost of his vast kingdom.

 

This is what Zip does when he wants me to scratch his belly. It works too, just like the donkeys know how to get me to give them an alfalfa cube – they look at me with their big round eyes and seduce me with their soft bray, reserved exclusively for me.

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