I swear she obsessively reads this blog and all the comments-- a few days ago someone mentioned her crowdfunded camera, and VOILA, in the coldantlerfarm post you linked to she mentions your camera at the end!
Strangely, she constantly professes she doesn't care what people think about her life and life style. But, clearly that is not true because she spends so much time and column inches writing about what is commented on here and defending her life and her life style.
Just another inconsistency in a long line of inconsistencies.
Who's to say it's the fancy camera. Could just be some old one. But yeah, it's clear she reads this all the time. It's like we are preprogramming her blog posts...
I really find it disconcerting that the blog - us, you, them - seem to be the significant other. The whole farm is a Stockholm syndrome if you ask me, if wifi stops the world ceases. where the hell is italics?!
It's weird how dependant she is on the Internet in general. I wonder what's going on with italics, too. And the rest of the animals there. The whole place seems like a disaster.
I think since it's clear JW reads this blog (and why wouldn't she!) we should sent her some comments. My direct comment would be: Jenna I truly wish you no ill will and I do want to see you succeed at your homesteading adventure. That's why I was a reader of your blog for years. Here's a few suggestions that might help you succeed: I think it'd be great if you weren't so defensive towards your readers. If someone emails you privately respond to them as a real business would (example: the woman who emailed and said she wasn't paying for the blog anymore). This was a woman who voluntarily gave you money each month. Instead of posting inflammatory, immature comments on Facebook or your blog, respond to her directly, and in your response THANK HER for sending you money all these months (years??) and take note of her dissatisfaction. If you had done that she might have left feeling heard and acknowledged; not ridiculed and belittled. If she took the time to write you, know that at least 5 other people think the exact same thing but are too lazy to send you a note. Please sell things you have already created and don't pre-sell anything ever again. Since you have a lack of follow-through this will be your best bet in future endeavors. This will also keep customers happy and will keep you honest. Don't ask people for money. Period. You're not a homesteading hero if you routinely beg, ask, hint, and plead with your audience to send you cash. Also stop posting your 'wish list' on Facebook knowing full well a reader will buy that item for you. Your old readers see what you're doing and its tacky and immature. Build a budget, take the Dave Ramsay Financial Peace class, online or in person and stop adding to your collection until you're in a financially secure place to do so. That also includes having savings. This will give you credibility to your readers because you will do this on your own, without handouts from the public. Be nice to your family. I, of course, don't know your personal relationship with them but they comment on your blog and Facebook and these are the only people in the world who really and truly care for you and love you. Pick one or two activities you really want to showcase and work on being the best (archer, fiddler, bread baker, horse rider, whatever) in your area. Your attention span is short and by claiming you're a professional in all these areas (by offering workshops) you become a Jill of all trades, master of none. Thanks for listening and I hope you take my suggestions to heart.
Katz writes, "I've written books, blogs and given a lot of talks about my move to the wild of upstate New York, my surviving blizzards, coyote attacks, rabid skunks and racoons, bitter cold, rampaging sheep, torch-carrying mobs of angry townspeople looking to burn strange outlanders. It was, well, sort of the brand, you know, me and the dogs, up here in the wilderness, toughing it out together."
That's it in a nutshell. JW is all about her carefully crafted image. Her brand. It's "Christmas in Connecticut" all over again.
WOW that Jon Katz blog is totally about Jenna! I loved the part about shooting the squirrel and eating on my video camera in order to post to FB. What does Jenna say about being called out like this? She does have to know its her he's lampooning, right??
Omg - just read Jon katz's blog. What on earth did she do to get him so po'd? There is no question he is satirizing her - right down to the do-rag she wears on her head.
He also calls her on constantly begging firewood from others despite living on a heavily wooded lot.
It is possible there was actually a person who drove a long way to give her supplies and requested an overnight stay to which she refused. Can't know for sure, but that's my best guess.
it's possible..small town and all. imagine if someone stopped at a general store or gas station and asked for directions and simply made a comment they were in town to help the damsel in distress and were asked to leave on the brink of a major storm. word spreads FAST. all of his comments seem spot on. I hadn't imagine it was possible for that part to be true...traveling such a distance to help and be turned away from a rest because there's no heat upstairs (true story right?!)..it totally makes sense. i'll buy it.
who knows...if its true they could have even asked katz for a place to crash.
...and of course she makes note of a recent email from a neighbor in her post today. who is she kidding?
I LOVE how on her 9 to 9 challenge she asks people how they are doing following it...before 9 am in the morning?
for other people, checking her blog before 9 is exactly what she is challenging them not to do. facebook to jenna is cold antler farm to anyone else. it's not a how to blog or full of any type of facts, it's simply one persons drama.
I am so happy I have clarity but get a nervous chill thinking about the people that have gotten one or two over on me when I couldn't see what was going on.
this is getting bizarre and despite how entertaining this jon katz aspect is, I don't even want to dedicate another moment of my life to these jokers.
what I want to focus on is 1. animals are taken care of 2. people are not defrauded. this banter (while entertaining) if for the birds.
remember folks...we can't get ANY of our precious moments back.
I really liked where you posted the reader question about chickens. Maybe you can put a post up calling for more reader questions, and then pick one to post once a week?
"this is getting bizarre and despite how entertaining this jon katz aspect is, I don't even want to dedicate another moment of my life to these jokers. "
That is an excellent idea. Instead of devoting so much time to poring over other people's lives on the internet, put that energy into improving your own life and the lives of those around you, it it much more deserving of your time and energy.
I think these posts of Jon Katz's, bizarre as they are, are actually giving us a glimpse into how the locals are starting to feel about her. Maybe if the enabling stops at the local level, she will have to start acting responsibly.
I suppose the next step will be to report Katz to the police, warn her family, and contact her lawyer of course. That's what she usually does when someone on the internet does not like her or makes her feel she's not being respected for the totally awesome badass warrior woman she thinks she is.
I thought that post was ALL about us... did you realize? If she can get in and HUG her horse, then she does get in his paddock somehow... and the little building in the back, is that showing us that he does have a 3 sided shed now? Hmmm...... I believe that was just all arranged neatly, right down to the photo header and all.
Anon 12:22 - I think you are absolutely right. Notice you don't see a photo of the entire horse, but there's a good shot of the shelter. Also, the emphasis was on how warm his coat was, as opposed to the last picture of him caked with ice and snow.
Gosh I was thinking about how much I used to enjoy CAF. I then wondered if CAF has always been the same and I've just read long enough now to see the cycle of repitition, or if it really did have interesting content? I went in her archive and read this week in 2009 and it actually made me sad. I read a talented, relatable woman's words with evocative photos, healthy-looking animals, and a broad range of topics. the posts are endearingly, genuinely quirky and interesting. It makes me so sad to think about the smoke and mirrors game she plays now with her farm. Rarely are animals photographed in a well-lit shot with a full frame. We only see her garden when it's buried in snow, and even then there is evidence it's been ensconced and choked by weeds. I wonder if her current blog, with its heavy and distracting tones of magic and fantasy, is really her way of admitting that she wants to hide and keep her farm and animals hidden. I wonder if she lives in constant fear of a reader driving by and seeing the real materialization of her writing. I don't mean to give her a pass, not at all. There is no excuse for ever enabling the poor care, illness, or suffering of an animal. Ever. But I wonder if she even feels it anymore? Reading her old writing against her new shows regression and an out of touch point of view. I think she may have gone blind in the care of her animals because she doesn't see the world through her own eyes anymore; but through blog posts and comments instead. She says the bulk of her life is off-blog, but I think the bulk of her life has been turned off by her blog. I wonder if she dumped the blog, lost the feeling of eyes over her shoulders, she'd be able to step back and evaluate what's happened--and rebuild her life. JW-if you do read this, think about it. Reading your old stuff today reminded me that you do have real talent and passion. I think it's just been suppressed by a devastating game of charades.
^^^^^ Well said. I also used to love her blog. Now its devolved so much and seems so.....defensive... all the time.
If you're searching for another good blog Tara and Tyler at Goingslowly have been documenting their journey of building a house. I got into them for the bike tour but also love seeing their homestead come together.
Anon 10:31 - Well said indeed. I wanted to expand on your question of whether she feels for animals anymore. There are some things that are really bothering me. I know she is trying to act like a tough warrior woman, but this lack of feeling is disturbing to me.
These are a few things I can recall. If I got something wrong, please let me know.
From a chicken workshop a few years ago she described it as "a day of fun and slaughter"
Raising her first turkey from birth and witnessing it's slaughter - said she didn't feel anything. She wrote delightful things about him when he was growing up. I know he was always meant to be food, but come on, to not feel anything?
The joke about crying over an onion but not over her slaughtered lamb.
Letting Maude die a slow, painful death, when a quick bullet could have ended her suffering. Then abandoning her in her last hours so she could go in her house and write about it.
Showing pictures of a bloody rabbit that she shot and writing about how happy she was and how she couldn't stop smiling.
I eat meat and have no problem with it, but I can't quite explain why I find some of the things she writes about disturbing.
I think those comments and her behavior is all about getting attention. She's like a child who will act a certain way to get parents to notice. Even negative attention is OK with her, in fact she likes to make provocative statements like these in order to draw attention to herself. Most sane people who butcher their animals do not describe it in these ways or act like she does.
I was an avid fan of the blog until the tide turned, and she started the begging and the hustle. It makes me really sad still, because then she was an amazing writer (I too, did a look back, and she was great).
It is almost like there was a mid-twenties emergence of a disorder - and suddenly there was naught but emptiness and hustle. Like a bright light flickered out. Maybe she was always like this, and I didn't see it. But following forward from 2010-11 you can clearly see the emergence of lying, fraud, a victim mentality, carelessness, animal neglect and downright cruelty. Personally, if I could give her a suggestion it would be this - rent out the farm to an eager homesteader for a year in exchange for cash plus dog care, put on a backpack and go travelling.
Get your perspective in order about your relative privilege and what it looks like when people really live off the land. Go to a place where people put their lives together on 5 dollars a day. Where people don't have an amazon account and wifi. Get in the rice paddies and help bring in the harvest. Pull the net in with the other women on the shore. Help with the reindeer migration and bundle in over the fire. Hard work with no bailouts by blog readers, only real community, where everyone pulls their own weight.
It will be clarifying, and maybe you will get better, and maybe the light will flicker on again...I know some of the comments on this blog hurt you, but take a deep breath and hear the truth in them as well -- something needs to change, you know it does. Blessed be.
I dream of the day (sorry to admit it dogs) I am not responsible for a canine companion and can stuff everything I own in my trailer storage and go do those types of things. Live and breath hard work, community, sustainability. I always coveted the simple life outside of America. We are so delusional...no offence!
Im glad I am not alone in thinking that the blog has changed. Maybe part of it was being part of the journey when she was learning things and making discoveries vs now where she realliy only posts about how great her life is or posts that the repo man is at the door. i couldnt even finish the last book it was so wordy and self congratulating it made me sick. She did also admit the other day that she is having a difficult time selling a publisher another book about the farm. I mean how many times can you say the same thing. I wanted a farm I got a farm arent I fantastic? SHe needs to find some new materials thats for damn sure. The blog started to sour for me with the constant asking for money like the time it was in deep winter like now and she said Im bored anyone can come see me today but you have to either bring fire wood or a few other things I cant remember? Really people have to pay to visit? ANd what happened to the freaking camera her faithful bought for her? It certainly wasnt used to take pictures for the blog. Over the past few years I offered help via email severely times just little things I had on hand that I wasnt using that I knew she needed and she never even replied thanks for the offer or anything but on the flip side send her an email about a workshop and she answers in 10 seconds. Thats just being a bad human and terrible business person. If you are in business for yourself answering emails is just part of the day to day customer service aspect of building your brand. Thats when I started realizing how cutthroat she had become. Sad maybe traveling would be good but she aint leaving that farm (used loosely) for nothing.
This sort of thing is very common, the feeling of being trapped - parenthood can bring it, or illness, or economic insecurity and staying in a job or relationship past it's healthfulness. I would say a therapist might help, or a priest but I doubt that would be chosen. I say it's only having animals as significant others, Jenna needs a human companion, doesn't even need to be romantic, do an internship for the summer, let someone else take pictures and write a blog post or two. And yes, let Jenna take a 3 week trip out of freaking Cambridge to see what others do besides hipster homesteading. It would be good for her to learn farm finances from others who purport to live off the land, and I bet it don't include food stamps or camps, blogs or vlogs. I wish her well as the cold in cold antler is freezing bad right now but she needs to embrace some changes or nothing is going to change
She needs to spend a summer at the Kimballs farm CSA and see what a real homestead farm operation looks like. Those folks are amazing! And Kristin blogs and writes and all that. I loved her book... A Dirty Life.
Jenna, if you are reading this, know that the windchills in your area will reach 30 - 50 degrees below zero Sunday night. PLEASE, put ALL of your animals into some kind of shelter. A few straw bales are not shelter. Don't leave it optional. Force them in.
Ditto that Anon 5:42. PLEASE Jenna, have a heart. Animals are mammals just like us, and they CAN and do freeze to death, or can get severe frostbite. Maybe a call to animal control is in order.
Jenna, if you just surround the pig straw pile with bales 2 high, then cover it with a boards or an old piece of metal roofing, ANYTHING. Then their body heat MIGHT keep them warm enough to make it through the night. I feel so bad for Merlin. You need to MAKE him go into the barn with the goats.
I feel like trying to give advice to Jenna is like screaming into the wind; useless and you only hurt yourself trying. I know she still reads this blog and the comments (so obvious) but she won't listen to anyone that tells her different than what she has decided on.
I'm more worried about the pigs. It is my understanding they are not even heritage breeds that "might" have the coats to keep warm in appropriate shelter...let alone conventional breeds/mixes in no or marginal shelter. Bring The darn pigs in the house. They are innately potty trained! Other than the sheep all animals will fit in her buildings...based on what people who have been there have told me.
They're all ALIVE! Today's blog indicates that CAF has survived the hoarfrost and arctic annihilation of Birchthorn for one more day, pop the champagne and pick up those rose petals, it's all good
I don't think she was dropping Katz' name as much as saying she is better off at her farm than he is on his b/c she has a mountain to block the wind whereas he is in the wide open on a flat road. She may be feeling defensive from his "satire." He is better off, hands down though, b/c he has actual shelter for all his animals. Say what you want about that guy, but he is doing the right thing for his animals in this weather. MAKING his animals stay inside is smart.
She is definitely reading these comments. Her blog post was meant for us. Also I agree that she is giving a slap back to Jon Katz after his satirical post. Notice that she does not use his first name. And I also agree that he takes much better care of his animals than she does.
How does she know how Merlin feels? Empathy was never her strong suit. And living in a hilly area is no excuse for not having proper shelter for her animals.
I glanced at some of the comments and her justification for not providing adequate shelter is that animals kept in barns often die of respiratory disease.
That's bs Jenna black and white talk. There are endless outside shelter options for pasture kept animals. Its not open range vs full time stall kept. Anyway she does keep a pig in a stall full time/his entire experience at Jennas house. She dogs herself through her hypocrisy.
The idea that more animals die of respiratory diseases than out in the cold (as per Jenna) is ridiculous. Animals kept in well insulated barns with no ventilation can indeed have respiratory issues. Most barns have enough ventilation to prevent that from happening.
A nice 3 sided shelter offers protection from wind, rain, and snow. A stall with the top half of the door open offers more than enough ventilation for any animal. Trying to justify lack of shelter by saying it's because of fear of respiratory issues is totally hilarious.
I have a chicken-care question for some of you more northerly readers:
I live in southeastern NC, where I can't ever recall winter temps dropping below about 15 degrees. Forecast is calling for temps as low as 0 to -5 (not accounting for wind chills) later this week.
I keep my flock on fenced-in pasture, with a coop that's made out of a 10x10 steel dog kennel (can be moved w/ 2 strong people), covered with tarps over the roof & 2 sides. In the winter we cover all 4 sides, including the door, which gets shut tight overnight. I may sound like a southern wimp compared to some of you, but this is record-breaking cold for us. I've stuffed the coop with extra straw, wrapped the roost bars in foam padding so their feet don't freeze, and triple-checked the tarps for tears or drafts.
What do you all think? Is this going to be enough for them on a zero-degree night? I've kept chickens for a long time, but don't have experience w/ this kind of cold.
Fire away; I don't upset easily; just looking for any useful information/suggestions.
I swear she obsessively reads this blog and all the comments-- a few days ago someone mentioned her crowdfunded camera, and VOILA, in the coldantlerfarm post you linked to she mentions your camera at the end!
ReplyDeleteI noticed that too
DeleteI noticed that as well! Well I'm just glad to see it wasn't sold to help 'save the farm!!!' Bleh!
DeleteStrangely, she constantly professes she doesn't care what people think about her life and life style. But, clearly that is not true because she spends so much time and column inches writing about what is commented on here and defending her life and her life style.
ReplyDeleteJust another inconsistency in a long line of inconsistencies.
Jenn
However, in another blog post she said that her only camera is the one on her computer. Now she still has the camera (?).
ReplyDeleteWho's to say it's the fancy camera. Could just be some old one. But yeah, it's clear she reads this all the time. It's like we are preprogramming her blog posts...
ReplyDeleteI really find it disconcerting that the blog - us, you, them - seem to be the significant other. The whole farm is a Stockholm syndrome if you ask me, if wifi stops the world ceases. where the hell is italics?!
ReplyDeleteIt's weird how dependant she is on the Internet in general. I wonder what's going on with italics, too. And the rest of the animals there. The whole place seems like a disaster.
ReplyDeleteI think since it's clear JW reads this blog (and why wouldn't she!) we should sent her some comments. My direct comment would be:
ReplyDeleteJenna I truly wish you no ill will and I do want to see you succeed at your homesteading adventure. That's why I was a reader of your blog for years. Here's a few suggestions that might help you succeed: I think it'd be great if you weren't so defensive towards your readers. If someone emails you privately respond to them as a real business would (example: the woman who emailed and said she wasn't paying for the blog anymore). This was a woman who voluntarily gave you money each month. Instead of posting inflammatory, immature comments on Facebook or your blog, respond to her directly, and in your response THANK HER for sending you money all these months (years??) and take note of her dissatisfaction. If you had done that she might have left feeling heard and acknowledged; not ridiculed and belittled. If she took the time to write you, know that at least 5 other people think the exact same thing but are too lazy to send you a note.
Please sell things you have already created and don't pre-sell anything ever again. Since you have a lack of follow-through this will be your best bet in future endeavors. This will also keep customers happy and will keep you honest.
Don't ask people for money. Period. You're not a homesteading hero if you routinely beg, ask, hint, and plead with your audience to send you cash. Also stop posting your 'wish list' on Facebook knowing full well a reader will buy that item for you. Your old readers see what you're doing and its tacky and immature.
Build a budget, take the Dave Ramsay Financial Peace class, online or in person and stop adding to your collection until you're in a financially secure place to do so. That also includes having savings. This will give you credibility to your readers because you will do this on your own, without handouts from the public.
Be nice to your family. I, of course, don't know your personal relationship with them but they comment on your blog and Facebook and these are the only people in the world who really and truly care for you and love you.
Pick one or two activities you really want to showcase and work on being the best (archer, fiddler, bread baker, horse rider, whatever) in your area. Your attention span is short and by claiming you're a professional in all these areas (by offering workshops) you become a Jill of all trades, master of none.
Thanks for listening and I hope you take my suggestions to heart.
omg read jon Katz's blog today he totally parodies her says hes going out to shoot a squirrel and then eat it live on camera almost peed my pants....
ReplyDeleteKatz writes, "I've written books, blogs and given a lot of talks about my move to the wild of upstate New York, my surviving blizzards, coyote attacks, rabid skunks and racoons, bitter cold, rampaging sheep, torch-carrying mobs of angry townspeople looking to burn strange outlanders. It was, well, sort of the brand, you know, me and the dogs, up here in the wilderness, toughing it out together."
DeleteThat's it in a nutshell. JW is all about her carefully crafted image. Her brand. It's "Christmas in Connecticut" all over again.
I'm wondering if she might have sociopathic tendencies. Either way, she needs counseling at the very least.
ReplyDeleteWOW that Jon Katz blog is totally about Jenna! I loved the part about shooting the squirrel and eating on my video camera in order to post to FB. What does Jenna say about being called out like this? She does have to know its her he's lampooning, right??
ReplyDeleteOmg - just read Jon katz's blog. What on earth did she do to get him so po'd? There is no question he is satirizing her - right down to the do-rag she wears on her head.
ReplyDeleteHe also calls her on constantly begging firewood from others despite living on a heavily wooded lot.
There's a lot more - here's the link.
http://www.bedlamfarm.com/2015/02/09/superstorm-pickles-vol-2-gets-an-agent-i-eat-a-rabbit/
It is possible there was actually a person who drove a long way to give her supplies and requested an overnight stay to which she refused. Can't know for sure, but that's my best guess.
ReplyDeleteit's possible..small town and all. imagine if someone stopped at a general store or gas station and asked for directions and simply made a comment they were in town to help the damsel in distress and were asked to leave on the brink of a major storm. word spreads FAST. all of his comments seem spot on. I hadn't imagine it was possible for that part to be true...traveling such a distance to help and be turned away from a rest because there's no heat upstairs (true story right?!)..it totally makes sense. i'll buy it.
Deletewho knows...if its true they could have even asked katz for a place to crash.
Omg his pickles series is clearly about her, at least partially. And he even pokes a bit at her enablers.
ReplyDelete...and of course she makes note of a recent email from a neighbor in her post today. who is she kidding?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE how on her 9 to 9 challenge she asks people how they are doing following it...before 9 am in the morning?
for other people, checking her blog before 9 is exactly what she is challenging them not to do. facebook to jenna is cold antler farm to anyone else. it's not a how to blog or full of any type of facts, it's simply one persons drama.
I am so happy I have clarity but get a nervous chill thinking about the people that have gotten one or two over on me when I couldn't see what was going on.
this is getting bizarre and despite how entertaining this jon katz aspect is, I don't even want to dedicate another moment of my life to these jokers.
what I want to focus on is 1. animals are taken care of 2. people are not defrauded. this banter (while entertaining) if for the birds.
remember folks...we can't get ANY of our precious moments back.
lets make them count!
I really liked where you posted the reader question about chickens. Maybe you can put a post up calling for more reader questions, and then pick one to post once a week?
Delete"this is getting bizarre and despite how entertaining this jon katz aspect is, I don't even want to dedicate another moment of my life to these jokers. "
DeleteThat is an excellent idea. Instead of devoting so much time to poring over other people's lives on the internet, put that energy into improving your own life and the lives of those around you, it it much more deserving of your time and energy.
-SB
I think these posts of Jon Katz's, bizarre as they are, are actually giving us a glimpse into how the locals are starting to feel about her. Maybe if the enabling stops at the local level, she will have to start acting responsibly.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt you are correct. But looking away from any train wreck is so hard.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the next step will be to report Katz to the police, warn her family, and contact her lawyer of course. That's what she usually does when someone on the internet does not like her or makes her feel she's not being respected for the totally awesome badass warrior woman she thinks she is.
ReplyDelete"Her lawyer", oh yeah, she snagged some in "Tort Camp, come with a summons and leave with a plea bargain"
ReplyDeleteSince there is no more talk of "libel" my guess is that she was told there is nothing she can do about commentary on her blog.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Jenna realizes you can ride in the winter? Like the horse picture with a building in the back?
ReplyDeleteI just can't help it...
ReplyDeletehttp://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2014/11/fiddle-day-camp-this-may.html?m=1
"So hear this: this will not be a camp, just a long day here at the farm."
"This day camp will include:"
The camp that is not a camp at the farm that is not a farm.
ReplyDeleteI thought that post was ALL about us... did you realize? If she can get in and HUG her horse, then she does get in his paddock somehow... and the little building in the back, is that showing us that he does have a 3 sided shed now? Hmmm...... I believe that was just all arranged neatly, right down to the photo header and all.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:22 - I think you are absolutely right. Notice you don't see a photo of the entire horse, but there's a good shot of the shelter. Also, the emphasis was on how warm his coat was, as opposed to the last picture of him caked with ice and snow.
ReplyDeleteThat is the sheep shelter, not Merlin's.
ReplyDeleteGosh I was thinking about how much I used to enjoy CAF. I then wondered if CAF has always been the same and I've just read long enough now to see the cycle of repitition, or if it really did have interesting content? I went in her archive and read this week in 2009 and it actually made me sad. I read a talented, relatable woman's words with evocative photos, healthy-looking animals, and a broad range of topics. the posts are endearingly, genuinely quirky and interesting. It makes me so sad to think about the smoke and mirrors game she plays now with her farm. Rarely are animals photographed in a well-lit shot with a full frame. We only see her garden when it's buried in snow, and even then there is evidence it's been ensconced and choked by weeds. I wonder if her current blog, with its heavy and distracting tones of magic and fantasy, is really her way of admitting that she wants to hide and keep her farm and animals hidden. I wonder if she lives in constant fear of a reader driving by and seeing the real materialization of her writing. I don't mean to give her a pass, not at all. There is no excuse for ever enabling the poor care, illness, or suffering of an animal. Ever. But I wonder if she even feels it anymore? Reading her old writing against her new shows regression and an out of touch point of view. I think she may have gone blind in the care of her animals because she doesn't see the world through her own eyes anymore; but through blog posts and comments instead. She says the bulk of her life is off-blog, but I think the bulk of her life has been turned off by her blog. I wonder if she dumped the blog, lost the feeling of eyes over her shoulders, she'd be able to step back and evaluate what's happened--and rebuild her life.
ReplyDeleteJW-if you do read this, think about it. Reading your old stuff today reminded me that you do have real talent and passion. I think it's just been suppressed by a devastating game of charades.
^^^^^ Well said. I also used to love her blog. Now its devolved so much and seems so.....defensive... all the time.
ReplyDeleteIf you're searching for another good blog Tara and Tyler at Goingslowly have been documenting their journey of building a house. I got into them for the bike tour but also love seeing their homestead come together.
Anon 10:31 - Well said indeed. I wanted to expand on your question of whether she feels for animals anymore. There are some things that are really bothering me. I know she is trying to act like a tough warrior woman, but this lack of feeling is disturbing to me.
ReplyDeleteThese are a few things I can recall. If I got something wrong, please let me know.
From a chicken workshop a few years ago she described it as "a day of fun and slaughter"
Raising her first turkey from birth and witnessing it's slaughter - said she didn't feel anything. She wrote delightful things about him when he was growing up. I know he was always meant to be food, but come on, to not feel anything?
The joke about crying over an onion but not over her slaughtered lamb.
Letting Maude die a slow, painful death, when a quick bullet could have ended her suffering. Then abandoning her in her last hours so she could go in her house and write about it.
Showing pictures of a bloody rabbit that she shot and writing about how happy she was and how she couldn't stop smiling.
I eat meat and have no problem with it, but I can't quite explain why I find some of the things she writes about disturbing.
I think those comments and her behavior is all about getting attention. She's like a child who will act a certain way to get parents to notice. Even negative attention is OK with her, in fact she likes to make provocative statements like these in order to draw attention to herself. Most sane people who butcher their animals do not describe it in these ways or act like she does.
ReplyDeleteD.
I was an avid fan of the blog until the tide turned, and she started the begging and the hustle. It makes me really sad still, because then she was an amazing writer (I too, did a look back, and she was great).
ReplyDeleteIt is almost like there was a mid-twenties emergence of a disorder - and suddenly there was naught but emptiness and hustle. Like a bright light flickered out. Maybe she was always like this, and I didn't see it. But following forward from 2010-11 you can clearly see the emergence of lying, fraud, a victim mentality, carelessness, animal neglect and downright cruelty. Personally, if I could give her a suggestion it would be this - rent out the farm to an eager homesteader for a year in exchange for cash plus dog care, put on a backpack and go travelling.
Get your perspective in order about your relative privilege and what it looks like when people really live off the land. Go to a place where people put their lives together on 5 dollars a day. Where people don't have an amazon account and wifi. Get in the rice paddies and help bring in the harvest. Pull the net in with the other women on the shore. Help with the reindeer migration and bundle in over the fire. Hard work with no bailouts by blog readers, only real community, where everyone pulls their own weight.
It will be clarifying, and maybe you will get better, and maybe the light will flicker on again...I know some of the comments on this blog hurt you, but take a deep breath and hear the truth in them as well -- something needs to change, you know it does. Blessed be.
I dream of the day (sorry to admit it dogs) I am not responsible for a canine companion and can stuff everything I own in my trailer storage and go do those types of things. Live and breath hard work, community, sustainability. I always coveted the simple life outside of America. We are so delusional...no offence!
DeleteIm glad I am not alone in thinking that the blog has changed. Maybe part of it was being part of the journey when she was learning things and making discoveries vs now where she realliy only posts about how great her life is or posts that the repo man is at the door. i couldnt even finish the last book it was so wordy and self congratulating it made me sick. She did also admit the other day that she is having a difficult time selling a publisher another book about the farm. I mean how many times can you say the same thing. I wanted a farm I got a farm arent I fantastic? SHe needs to find some new materials thats for damn sure. The blog started to sour for me with the constant asking for money like the time it was in deep winter like now and she said Im bored anyone can come see me today but you have to either bring fire wood or a few other things I cant remember? Really people have to pay to visit? ANd what happened to the freaking camera her faithful bought for her? It certainly wasnt used to take pictures for the blog. Over the past few years I offered help via email severely times just little things I had on hand that I wasnt using that I knew she needed and she never even replied thanks for the offer or anything but on the flip side send her an email about a workshop and she answers in 10 seconds. Thats just being a bad human and terrible business person. If you are in business for yourself answering emails is just part of the day to day customer service aspect of building your brand. Thats when I started realizing how cutthroat she had become. Sad maybe traveling would be good but she aint leaving that farm (used loosely) for nothing.
ReplyDeleteThis sort of thing is very common, the feeling of being trapped - parenthood can bring it, or illness, or economic insecurity and staying in a job or relationship past it's healthfulness. I would say a therapist might help, or a priest but I doubt that would be chosen. I say it's only having animals as significant others, Jenna needs a human companion, doesn't even need to be romantic, do an internship for the summer, let someone else take pictures and write a blog post or two. And yes, let Jenna take a 3 week trip out of freaking Cambridge to see what others do besides hipster homesteading. It would be good for her to learn farm finances from others who purport to live off the land, and I bet it don't include food stamps or camps, blogs or vlogs. I wish her well as the cold in cold antler is freezing bad right now but she needs to embrace some changes or nothing is going to change
ReplyDeleteShe needs to spend a summer at the Kimballs farm CSA and see what a real homestead farm operation looks like. Those folks are amazing! And Kristin blogs and writes and all that. I loved her book... A Dirty Life.
ReplyDeleteJenna, if you are reading this, know that the windchills in your area will reach 30 - 50 degrees below zero Sunday night. PLEASE, put ALL of your animals into some kind of shelter. A few straw bales are not shelter. Don't leave it optional. Force them in.
ReplyDeleteDitto that Anon 5:42. PLEASE Jenna, have a heart. Animals are mammals just like us, and they CAN and do freeze to death, or can get severe frostbite. Maybe a call to animal control is in order.
ReplyDeleteJenna, if you just surround the pig straw pile with bales 2 high, then cover it with a boards or an old piece of metal roofing, ANYTHING. Then their body heat MIGHT keep them warm enough to make it through the night. I feel so bad for Merlin. You need to MAKE him go into the barn with the goats.
ReplyDeleteI feel like trying to give advice to Jenna is like screaming into the wind; useless and you only hurt yourself trying. I know she still reads this blog and the comments (so obvious) but she won't listen to anyone that tells her different than what she has decided on.
ReplyDeleteJenna, take Merlin over to Patty's barn. At least he will be protected from the elements there.
ReplyDeleteI'm more worried about the pigs. It is my understanding they are not even heritage breeds that "might" have the coats to keep warm in appropriate shelter...let alone conventional breeds/mixes in no or marginal shelter. Bring The darn pigs in the house. They are innately potty trained! Other than the sheep all animals will fit in her buildings...based on what people who have been there have told me.
ReplyDeleteThey're all ALIVE! Today's blog indicates that CAF has survived the hoarfrost and arctic annihilation of Birchthorn for one more day, pop the champagne and pick up those rose petals, it's all good
ReplyDeleteLast night wasn't that bad (relatively speaking). Tonight's predicted low in Cambridge is -13 with windchills as low as -34.
DeleteI wonder if she ever checks her stock for frostbite.
ReplyDeleteJon Katz name drop like clock work.
ReplyDeleteI just cannot believe no shelter for those pigs and horse. She totally sucks. I'm sorry, but it's true.
ReplyDeleteShould we call animal control to go check on the animal's shelter in this weather?
ReplyDeleteI don't think she was dropping Katz' name as much as saying she is better off at her farm than he is on his b/c she has a mountain to block the wind whereas he is in the wide open on a flat road. She may be feeling defensive from his "satire." He is better off, hands down though, b/c he has actual shelter for all his animals. Say what you want about that guy, but he is doing the right thing for his animals in this weather. MAKING his animals stay inside is smart.
ReplyDeleteShe is definitely reading these comments. Her blog post was meant for us. Also I agree that she is giving a slap back to Jon Katz after his satirical post. Notice that she does not use his first name. And I also agree that he takes much better care of his animals than she does.
ReplyDeleteHow does she know how Merlin feels? Empathy was never her strong suit. And living in a hilly area is no excuse for not having proper shelter for her animals.
ReplyDeleteI glanced at some of the comments and her justification for not providing adequate shelter is that animals kept in barns often die of respiratory disease.
ReplyDeleteThat's bs Jenna black and white talk. There are endless outside shelter options for pasture kept animals. Its not open range vs full time stall kept. Anyway she does keep a pig in a stall full time/his entire experience at Jennas house. She dogs herself through her hypocrisy.
DeleteThe idea that more animals die of respiratory diseases than out in the cold (as per Jenna) is ridiculous. Animals kept in well insulated barns with no ventilation can indeed have respiratory issues. Most barns have enough ventilation to prevent that from happening.
DeleteA nice 3 sided shelter offers protection from wind, rain, and snow. A stall with the top half of the door open offers more than enough ventilation for any animal. Trying to justify lack of shelter by saying it's because of fear of respiratory issues is totally hilarious.
I have a chicken-care question for some of you more northerly readers:
ReplyDeleteI live in southeastern NC, where I can't ever recall winter temps dropping below about 15 degrees. Forecast is calling for temps as low as 0 to -5 (not accounting for wind chills) later this week.
I keep my flock on fenced-in pasture, with a coop that's made out of a 10x10 steel dog kennel (can be moved w/ 2 strong people), covered with tarps over the roof & 2 sides. In the winter we cover all 4 sides, including the door, which gets shut tight overnight. I may sound like a southern wimp compared to some of you, but this is record-breaking cold for us. I've stuffed the coop with extra straw, wrapped the roost bars in foam padding so their feet don't freeze, and triple-checked the tarps for tears or drafts.
What do you all think? Is this going to be enough for them on a zero-degree night? I've kept chickens for a long time, but don't have experience w/ this kind of cold.
Fire away; I don't upset easily; just looking for any useful information/suggestions.