Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

The Cambridge Food Pantry
15 November

The Cambridge Pantry Cold Weather Campaign For Today, Friday, November 15, 2024: Canned Ham And Canned Beets!

by Jon Katz

I’m told the Cambridge Food Pantry differs from most food pantries. People are not advised to take or leave the food; they are asked what they want and miss, and Sarah and her staff think ahead: what’s best for summer? For Fall? For holidays?

And especially for all kinds of cold weather. Today’s food request is really all about winter, gathering foods in cans that the best pantry banks can’t give them.

Sarah is leading a crucial cold-weather campaign to provide warm and healthy food for the pantry’s members, primarily as the holidays draw near. Your support is needed now more than ever.

Please help Sarah and the volunteers prepare warm, easy-to-cook, and healthy dinners for their patrons if you can. The more we help, the fewer choices they have to make.

Today, she asks for support for the “C’s,” canned bees and smoked canned ham:

Del Monte Fresh Cut, Canned Beets Sliced, Canned Vegetables, 12 Pack, 8.25 oz can., $12.72.

Hormel Canned Ham, Smoked, 5 Ounce (Pack of 12), $23.87.

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Bargain food of the day:

Happy  Belly Creamy Caesar Dressing, 16 fl 0x, Pack of 1, $1.99.

 

As a reminder, you can access the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Food Wish List by clicking on any link here or the green “Cambridge Fancy Food” button at the end of every blog post.

We deeply appreciate your potential support. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a significant difference to the patrons of the Cambridge Food Pantry. Thank you.

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Meditation Video
15 November

Video:Four Minute Wood Stove Meditation. With Friends. This Is Your Own Time.

by Jon Katz

“This is your own time. This spot where you sit is your spot. You can become enlightened on this very spot and in this very moment. You don’t have to sit beneath a special tree in a distant land. Practice like this for a few months, and you will begin to know a profound and renewing delight.”  –  Thich Nhat Hanh

 

When it’s cold, I meditate in front of the wood stove for 10 02 20 minutes; it’s warm and comforting. I didn’t notice it at first, but over time, each of my three dogs – Zinnia, Fate, and Bud would quietly come over and sit and meditate with me, even if the meditation lasted for an hour (usually 10 to 15 minutes.)

I felt their presence,  and it calmed me. It made the meditation more comfortable. I hope the video reflects that meaning and connection.

Zinnia was the first to join me, followed by the always intense Fate and Bud, who loves a good fire. Zinnia and I are one; she knows what I am going to do before I do.

The dogs were still silent as if they understood what I was doing and had come to meditate. They comforted me, and I felt their love and understanding of me. They make excellent and genuine meditation partners. You can see that for yourselves in the video.

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Sue Silverstein's Art Class
14 November

Sue Silverstein’s “News From The Art Room.”

by Jon Katz

Welcome back, Sue (she didn’t miss a single post.  Thanks so much for your messages and donations; you are helping to transform the lives of young people and, from what I see, spawning some new and gifted artists. Sue is tough as iron, and her faith and big heart sustain her and the people around her. I am proud to see her column on my website every Friday, and thanks for appreciating her genius and good work.  She is a gift to our world. Jon K.

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News from the Art Room – It’s great to be back!

It is so good to be back with the students. The first remarkable things about leaving a hospital are a shower, bed, and a night’s sleep without the noise. Noise is definitely necessary in a hospital, a part of healing people, but the quiet of my bed felt incredibly good! 

Thank you so much to all who sent emails, packages, cards, and texts. I am definitely a lucky human. 

When I came in on Tuesday, there were many boxes waiting by my desk. The kids are always so excited to see what has arrived. 

Sophomore Emma loves to design beautiful creations from donated items. She was helping me unpack this week and found a mirror she loved in a box from Andrea. I cannot wait to see what she does with it. Thank you, Andrea, from MA. So many unique and wonderful items are always in the boxes you send, like Mary Poppins when she opens her magic bag.The vintage wool skirts were a hit as well!

Thank you to Melissa for the pillow fluff and aprons!

Thank you to Gloria from NY for the beautiful yarn!

Thank you to Kathleen from NY for the new winter boots and tablecloths! 

Thank you to Melissa from MO. for the fabrics, trims, jewelry, cotton, and more!

Thank you to Karen from VT. for the wood and textile samples. What a great idea!

Thank you to Blain’s Farm & Fleet for the adorable stuffed animals and blankets; that’s a sure way to brighten the darkest days. Every year, they never fail to keep us extra warm with a generous donation.

The younger kids were making pinecone decorations before I was out. They were eager to finish and bring them home. They often wrap things up as a special gift for someone at home. 

My sculpture queen, Paige, is again knocking it out of the park. Her designs are fanciful and incredibly detailed. Some of you will see donations used in her latest work.  Several students love specific things, and when donations arrive, I save things for them. Each has a unique ‘hiding place” in the art room. She plans to use a lovely, donated tea set, a train set, doll chairs, and a large wooden spool for her next design. Stay tuned!

If you have extra stuffing for pillows around the house, it goes fast during gift-making seasons! We are always seeking donations for anything you feel could be made into something new: rolled gauze, wire, glassware, canvas, art supplies, heavy foil, pinecones, glue sticks, seashells, sea glass, bottle corks, sandpaper, and wood. Holiday Items!!!

I love hearing from you. My email is [email protected]. 

Have a blessed day!

Sue

ND-BG

2600 Albany Street

Schenectady, New York 12304

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Pantry Art
14 November

Note: No Flower Art Tonight

by Jon Katz

I am holding off on a full flower art tonight, mostly because I’m trying to figure out a new creative venture, Pantry Art, using art and photography to capture the world of the food pantry, one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Because of understandable privacy, we rarely see the inside world of the American food pantry, now charged with the

The United States has over 60,000 food pantries, agencies, and programs that help needy people. These organizations work with food banks and rescue organizations to distribute food to the food insecure. 

The food pantry is usually invisible in America. I want to capture its feel and shed some light on it. Food Pantry Director Sarah Harrington has graciously agreed to let me take my pictures. I thank her. I hope they have some meaning for you. I’ll take some photos of the volunteers with their permission, but not of the members.

In addition to food pantries, the United States has over 200 food banks that are part of the Feeding America network. Feeding America is a non-profit organization that provides food assistance to all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.In 2022, about 49 million people, or one in six people in the U.S., turned to the charitable food sector for help.

 

The food pantry is a powerful place with lots of energy feeling, compassion and suffering. I’d like to try to capture the intensit of the food pantry and the awful power of hunger. So I’ll do a Pantry Art every week or so and my flower photos the rest of the time. Thanks for understanding. I’m excited about this challange.

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The Cambridge Food Pantry
14 November

Live Vigorously: Don’t Let The Peckerheads Get You Down

by Jon Katz

Living Vigorously. (Above, sign on the Cambridge Pantry Wall.)

 

“Mindfulness practice is not an evasion or an escape. It means entering vigorously into life – with the strength generated by the energy of mindfulness. Without this freedom and concentration, there is no happiness.”

–Thich Nhat Hanh, Your True Home.

 

“From MJ in Idaho: Hi Jon, do you realize the impact you are making in the many areas you reach? For instance, I live in Idaho and have chosen to donate to our local food banks because your efforts show a great need. Your daily reminders get me purchasing double of what is on Sarah’s list. I keep one and donate the other. Your work with the nursing home got me to visit our local ones and see how I could help. You are a great inspiration, Jon. You keep your readers on their toes. Thanks! MJ”

–Thanks MJ that’s a wonderful message to get, I appreciate your sending it to me.

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