I’ve seen it happening daily, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen on the farm. Today, I decided I needed to share it with Maria and the White Hens, who talk to each other every day. I don’t know what they are saying, but they know what they are saying to one another. This is one of the most touching things I’ve seen with animals here on Bedlam Farm. Maria is a mystic; she can talk with animals and listen to them. They love her for it. The White Hen is more than 12 years old and edging towards death. Maria is communicating with her, and she is responding – every time.
Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz
6 April
Sunday Morning Journal, Bedlam Farm. Maria, The White Hen, Fate Running, And Zip (Postcard) Smiling
by Jon Katz
Maria marching with hay, followed by her much-loved animals, has become an iconic photo from Bedlam Farm. I love these photos; everyone is different yet the same. She’s out caring for the gardens right now; Zinnia and Zip keep her company. This is our idea of a day off. No Farmers Market today.
The White Hen seems stable. She will let go any day, but she is a tough bird and wants to live. She’s got a beautiful, safe, and well-stocked home in the barn and seems very happy there.
Zip Postcard: This is my favorite Zip photo. I’d love to give them out for free, but they are expensive to print. Anyone who donates any amount through the blog support program will get one, and so will people who send money via Paypal, jon@bedlamfarm.com or Venmo, Jon Katz@Jon-Katz-13 or by mail, Jon Katz, Blog Support, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, New York, 12816. Thanks, they are being printed now. Thanks for your support.
Morning Bird Watch
Fate on the run.
6 April
Sarah’s Cambridge Pantry Item Request For Sunday: Kids And Adult Shampoo, Urgent Item Spaghetti And Meatballs.
by Jon Katz
I’m touched by the care the Pantry families and mothers take to keep their children clean, healthy, and presentable in the most challenging circumstances.
They repeatedly ask Sarah and the pantry for shampoos and soaps so their kids can go to school looking like all the other kids, who monitor them closely and strike when they seem different.
I know one mother who gives up food items to keep her children clean. She sacrifices some of her meals. It’s a painful thing to be poor.
Today, she is asking for both adult and children’s shampoo. I hope we can help them:
Alberto VO 5 Extra Body Voluminizing Shampoo, 15 Ounce (Pack of 3), $3.03.
BARGAIN: Urgent Item For Today:
Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14.5 Oz Cans, Pack of 4, $4.48.
(Kyle is getting some of the corn cans onto the shelves.)
The Amazon Cambridge Pantry Urgent Wish List is accessible anytime, day or night. Click on the links here or use the green button at the bottom of every blog post. Every item on the wish list is urgent and updated several times daily. Some people are adopting favored items and sending them when they can. Thanks for the messages; the pantry volunteers greatly appreciate them.
5 April
Abstract Flower Art: “Nobody Sees A Flower…You Cannot Ignore Its Beauty If It’s Painted On A Large Scale…” Georgia O’Keeffe.
by Jon Katz
Georgia O’Keeffe, my unconscious teacher and inspiration about flower photography, said in interviews that her style of flower photography came from the fact that most people didn’t look at flower photos anymore because they saw so many photographs that they had lost excitement or interest. Flower photos had become boring. That was true of me.
“Nobody sees a flower,” O’Keeffe told an interviewer, “really. It is so small, we haven’t got any time. And to see things takes time – like having a friend takes time. I decided that you could not ignore its beauty if I could paint that flower on a huge scale.”
(My assistant often looks like the devil he can be. When I go out to paint my photos, he comes along with me. He sits outside the back door window if I am late, glowering at me until I come out. I call them “Devil Eyes.“)
I am no Georgia O’Keeffe, but seeing her ideas creep into my work and creativity is an extraordinary experience. I’m ever grateful for the chance to try and do it. She helped awaken the hiding artist in me.
I rarely looked at flowers in one piece or any other traditional way. They also have to be original to me. And I present their hearts on a bigger scale.
O’Keeffe’s idea was to go inside the flower, choose one part, and magnify it in her paintings and pictures. The color could accompany it or be mixed with other colors to bring different flowers together.
Since people had not seen flower photos presented in that way, they began to look again.
So she kept painting the sense of it – the inside and soul, if you will – of the flower; suddenly, it was different.
Good advice; it is what I am learning how to do. On my end, it is mesmerizing and compelling. According to the messages I get from readers, flower lovers are paying attention. I can’t take any credit; it wasn’t my idea. But I am slowly and carefully exposing different versions of her idea to present flower photos differently. Day by day, I’m putting my stamp on that, which is both scary and exciting.
“I know I can not paint a flower,” O’Keefe said. “I can not paint the sun on the desert on a bright summer morning, but maybe in terms of paint color, I can convey to you my experience of the flower or the experience that makes the flower significant to me at that particular time.”
That’s the idea. I look for the spirit of the flower and try to convey the experience.
I call it Abstract Flower Art, art that goes deep inside and is colorful and different, almost like a photo painting. Thanks for coming along on the ride and supporting me. I hope it deepens, and I keep learning how to capture the heart of flowers differently and hopefully beautifully.
5 April
Protecting Love: Amazon Bargain Day: V8 Splash Fruit Juice $2.28. Lemonade, $2.24, Plus Spaghetti And Meatballs. Miracle Item: Canned Corn On The Shelf! Thanks.
by Jon Katz
Sarah had a big smile when the first Can of Corn from the Army of Good arrived at the pantry hours before service was set to begin. She was as upset as I recall when the pantry bank truck pulled up with no Cans for the first time.
She was pleased to receive more than 300 cans, as Canned Corn is the most popular vegetable on the pantry list.
I’m very proud of our work.
Today, with some drinks and an Amazon Bargain, we can get what she needs for less than $5. You people are the best people.
Sarah was relieved and grateful when the Army of Good stepped into their crisis and filled a significant and troubling home with canned Corn, a favorite. She is immensely thankful for your help. This was a huge deal.
V8 Splash Fruit Medley Flavored Juice Beverage, 64 fl oz Bottle, $2.28.
Lemonade from Concentrate, 64 fl oz, $2.28.
Several cans came to my farm by mistake. I brought them to Kyle.
Urgent:
Chef Boyardeee Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14.5 Ox Cans, Pack of 4, $4.48.
Faces Of The Pantry. Portraits of the volunteers. Elaina volunteers at the pantry on weekends. For her birthday today, Sarah made her a beautiful cake. She’s going to college to be an artist. She and Maria hit it off right away.
Barb is another volunteer who helps fill the shells when the people needing help are coming. The goal is to make the pantry comfortable and respectful to the people who need it badly.
Sarah had enough to store a few for next week on the first Amazon load. By Monday, she’ll have more than 300 cans, which is a big deal.
The Amazon Cambridge Pantry Urgent Wish List is accessible anytime, day or night. Click on the links here or use the green button at the bottom of every blog post. Every item on the wish list is urgent and updated several times daily. Some people are adopting favored items and sending them when they can. Thanks for the messages; the pantry volunteers greatly appreciate them.
