“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 foc … | Continue reading
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 […] | Continue reading
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 […] | Continue reading
Two months ago, we celebrated Women’s Day at the Cambridge Food Pantry with a new and complete women’s shelf, and the other day, it was Mexican Food Day, marking the first time Mexican sauces and salsa were on a Pantry shelf. We also devoted a day to getting dental paste and fixt … | Continue reading
“Colour is one of the great things in the world that makes life worth living to me, and as I have come to think of painting, it is my efforts to create an equivalent with paint color for the world, life as I see it.” – Georgia O’Keeffe. I’ve written for years that I am […] | Continue reading
Sarah Harrington, the Cambridge Food Pantry’s Executive Director, is skilled at many things. She is a designer by training, and in addition to running the food pantry and fighting for its patronage, she is working hard to bring a sense of community to it. She acknowledges the vol … | Continue reading
This is another chance to make many of the Cambridge Food Pantry’s patrons happy for pennies. Sarah tells me that Velveeta shells and cheese disappear faster than any other pasta and are very difficult for the pantry to get from the food bank (they can only offer what the bank s … | Continue reading
Every morning, Zip sits on his wood debris throne to stare at the marsh and watch for his nemesis, Alvin the Chipmunk. We burned his first wood pile hideout the other day; it was getting too big. Maria went out and collected some fallen maple and other limbs and built another one … | Continue reading
Note: When I first met Sue Silverstein, she was going broke buying food and clothing for needy refugee children. Catholic school teachers don’t make much money; I talked her into doing a series of successful Amazon Wish Lists for her art supplies. The Army of Good responded with … | Continue reading
The Odds on an Empty Cosmos by Paul Gilster | Aug 16, 2024 | Astrobiology and SETI | 25 comments When Arthur C. Clarke tells me that something is terrifying, he’s got my attention. After all, since boyhood I’ve not only had my imagination greatly expanded by Clarke’s work but hav … | Continue reading
Maria got her ear treatment today; we had a long day. I need some ear drops for my cataract surgery on Tuesday. After next, the 27th of August. I’m all set; I have read a lot about it and have everything I need, from eye drops to medical clearances. Here are my plans for that […] | Continue reading
Sarah’s early morning message was to ask us to help get some instant coffee brands back on the shelves. “There are four coffee/tea choices on the Wish List right now,” she texted. ‘We don’t have much for the shelf, and only a little is available from the Regional Food Bank. We’d … | Continue reading
This morning, there were role reversals. I was driving Maria to see her doctor in Saratoga about an ear infection she’d had for most of the summer. Usually, I’m the one who gets driven. We take good care of one another. I hope to be back early this afternoon. An Amish son hay … | Continue reading
Tomorrow, Maria and I will pick up all the eyedrops I need for my two cataract surgeries. I’m not worried about the operation; they do it all the time, and people I know and trust are happy with it. I’m more concerned about the disruptions to my work, blog, and photographs. I’m n … | Continue reading
“I’m Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired…” — Activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Like Fanny Farmer, I am weary of Donald Trump’s relentless cruelty and politics in general. Both parties do it all the time. Politics is not about what people want; it’s mostly about who can tear the other … | Continue reading
Emma sent me another of her beautiful photographs of my granddaughter Robin as she grew up. She’s just about to be eight. I’m very grateful for these pictures. I found my role as a grandfather – undercutting her parents and sending her books they might not like her to get (nothin … | Continue reading
It’s another beautiful, misty morning. The sun was lovely when it decided to break out. Maria is out picking wildflowers, Zinnia is close by, the animals are grazing, and the garden bed is beautiful. I’m staying home all day to write, rest, and prepare for my cataract surgery. W … | Continue reading
Most major religions—Christianity mainly—were founded on love and care for the sick and needy. In my mind, that is what faith and God are all about. At the Army of Good, we have refined that a bit. Our idea is small acts of great kindness. Your faith is evident. So is your genero … | Continue reading
Zip had another run-in with his new nemesis, Alvin the chipmunk. Zip is a brilliant animal, has a big ego, and seems generally very pleased with himself. Every day, he and Alvin confront and teach each other, and so far, it’s Alvin 11 and Zip 0. The challenge began when Zip lef … | Continue reading
Every morning, when Maria goes out to the pasture, she looks in the water bucket and often finds an insect of one kind caught in the water, unable to fly or climb out. She lifts them out carefully with one finger and then watches them dry themselves off. She got what I thought wa … | Continue reading
Kim is our shyest sheep; she even runs away from Zinnia. Something is touching about her. | Continue reading
“If you take a flower in your hand and look at it, it’s your world for a moment.” – Georgia O’Keeffe. I’ll see you in the morning after my Zoom meeting with blog readers and friends. I won’t miss it. Tomorrow is a work day. I’ve got a lot to do. I’m all set for […] | Continue reading
Please take a look at what you did for the Cambridge Food Pantry. You are changing the world. Here is a photo and a word essay about what you have done for others in recent weeks. The Army of Good is, and will always be a non-political entity. Our sole focus is on helping people … | Continue reading
Please join the Compassion Revolution. Empathy is back again here at the Army of Good, a/k/a Army of Joy. The green pantry at the bottom of every blog post draws people to the cause, and they buy sets of different things. We thank you for that. We are about joy, not hatred, compa … | Continue reading
I’ve got to get tested (blood, etc.) so I can get clearance for my cataract surgery next week, and then to the food pantry (my green pantry button at the bottom of every post is very popular; thank you. You can donate at any time.) I want to take more photos of the many items [… … | Continue reading
I am signing off tonight. I look forward to seeing you Tuesday morning. Don’t let the peckerheads and toothless ducks get you down. – Jon Katz | Continue reading
“Not everyone is going to be willing (or able) to address their wounds, and those of us who do are in a tiny club. “My therapist reminds me that we (the healing) live in the unhealed world; they don’t t live in ours.” — Karla Kuriger, blog reader and friend. This morning, Karla’s … | Continue reading
Sarah did another great job ferreting out the bargains on Amazon that go with the needs of the Cambridge Food Pantry. Today, three urgently needed and wanted items for $6 will help dozens of families get the food they want and need. Join us in the Compassion Revolution. This is t … | Continue reading
“Well – I made you take time to look at what I saw, and when you took time to really notice my flower, you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower, and you wrote about my flower as if I think and see what you think I see of the flower – […] | Continue reading
One of my birthday presents was both odd and unexpected. I’ll explain. For more than six months, I’ve hosted a Bedlamfarm.com blog with eight long-time blog readers. I wanted to humanize the writing experience for people I had never met or spoken with. Sometimes, I forget there a … | Continue reading
The Final Parsec Paradox: When Things Do Not Go Bump in the Night by Paul Gilster | Aug 9, 2024 | Deep Sky Astronomy & Telescopes | 17 comments Something interesting is going on in the galaxy NGC 6240, some 400 million light years from the Sun in Ophiuchus. Rather than sporting a … | Continue reading
It feels simple, inexpensive, and timely today—an expensive lead-in into the weekend. Sarah was about to request chicken fried rice, but the Army of Goods surprised us with 24 boxes, a true testament to the power of collective generosity. The green Pantry Amazon Wish List button, … | Continue reading
9 August Video: Mud Dog: Zinnia, The World’s Sweetest And DIrtiest Dog (A Lab, Of Course) by Jon Katz Share This Email Read or Post a Comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my … | Continue reading
(Jon taking pictures of the Naked Ladies, which I picked from the garden this morning) It’s a new thing, the way Jon looks at flowers. I like to watch him. I know he’s seeing something I don’t. We’ll be eating breakfast or dinner, and he gets quiet. He stops eating and is gazi … | Continue reading
Sue’s column appears on the blog every Friday. We are very fortunate to have her here, and thanks for supporting her program. In a few weeks, we’ll be posting an Amazon Arts Wish List for Sue and her art program. Your donations to her make her work possible. Jon News from the Ar … | Continue reading
Well, it was an unusual birthday. Maria drove me to an ophthalmologist in Glens Falls, who tested my eyes for four hours. He agreed to perform cataract surgery on my right eye first and my left second in two weeks. I’m relieved. This is mostly about my photography; my eyes are ok … | Continue reading
I’m off to see an eye doctor about a cataract surgery. It’s my birthday, and the Mafia is threatening to take me out to lunch or dinner to celebrate my birthday if my dilated eyes can see enough to eat the food. She’s enticing me into the birthday spirit; I was grumpy about it. I … | Continue reading
I don’t have a date for when it happened—recently, I think—when we stopped being strangers far apart and became a new kind of family, but a valuable and loving one. We didn’t need to be together to stay in touch. It had something to do with Mr. Trump, the Army of Good, and the bi … | Continue reading
I was heading out to the pasture and walking by the Apple Tree when Zip appeared from far up the tree and locked onto something across the yard. There is an affectionate Zip, a playful Zip, an explorer Zip, a curious Zip, and a Hunter Zip. I think this was the last one. I ‘m […] | Continue reading
Sarah has asked for two healthiest foods for the pantry patrons, and neither is over $3. She is asking for black beans, a staple that the pantry is currently out of, and Cranberry Juice, a favorite among single mothers and one of the most requested juices. (The kids particularly … | Continue reading
“I paint because color is a significant language to me.” — Georgia O’Keeffe. ____ Note: Thursday is my 77th Birthday, a milestone I never expected to achieve. We are celebrating by Maria driving me to an Ophthalmologist in Glens Falls, New York, to see if I need cataract surgery. … | Continue reading
“I’m Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired....” — Fannie Lou Hamer I was surprised to learn that choosing Tim Walz, Kamala Marris’s most exciting and surprising running mate, was so uncertain. I call him the Velvet Shiv. To the media, it’s all a football game; it must always b … | Continue reading
Life with an artist. Maria bought a new pair of orange pants at a thrift shop—buying retail is an offense to her faith—and then, for various reasons, she decided to wear her new and expensive (for her) orange pants red, which she did. I love these pants; they speak to the true Ma … | Continue reading
The Search for Things that Matter by Paul Gilster | Aug 7, 2024 | Astrobiology and SETI | 23 comments Overpopulation has spawned so many dystopian futures in science fiction that it would be a lengthy though interesting exercise to collect them all. Among novels, my preference fo … | Continue reading
Old And Young Day. Pantry families have made numerous requests to the Army of Good for detailed teeth retention help and cleaning; Sarah is asking for help for this vulnerable community, many of whom are struggling to pay for their food and dental care. These requests come direct … | Continue reading
The new baby swallows have started to fly and explore the barn. I love how they sit on poles like judges and observe the world together. They still sleep in the next and get fed by mom and dad. We love having barn sparrows in the barn; it’s like having a Barn Cat. Life as […] | Continue reading
Animals taught me to meditate. They’ve been doing it for thousands of years. | Continue reading
“To create in one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” – Georgia O’Keeffe. I’m almost better; I had a bumpy night and morning. I did go outside for a bit, and now I’m coming in to rest. I look forward to seeing you in the morning. These photos were especially healing for … | Continue reading