Month: February 2017

Maria brought Connie a hanging piece, carved and painted elephants, from Udaipur. It’s going on Connie’s wall.

Maria is still sleeping off her trip to India, but she wanted to go to the Mansion to see Connie and to bring her a gift, a hanging string of elephants. Connie was very glad to see her, the two of them lit up and touched heads. These two women have connected with one another on a number of levels – as people, as women, as fiber artists, perhaps in other ways as well.

Connie asked after Maria every time I saw her, and Maria scoured the bazaars and stalls of Calcutta for a present to bring back to her. The Mansion invited Maria to speak about her trip a week from Friday, everyone is excited, a number of them were following our blogs to see how the trip was going.

it is quite rewarding to see Connie smiling in this radiant way – the two of them, really. I knew Connie for a long time before I saw her smile and she smiles all the time now. She is very busy making baby caps, sweaters, blankets and shawls. You can write Connie and the other resident of the Mansion c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Street, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Please take a look at the Mansion’s new gofundme page. They desperately need a new van, are 60 per cent there. It’s only four days old.

This photograph means a lot to me, I think I will print it out and hang it on my wall. It makes me smile just as much.

Connie and Red are old friends now, he runs down the hallway and into her room ahead of me, and the two have long talks with one another. Red started Connie on her new and exciting journey, she just lights up when she sees him and he soaks up every bit of it. The Mansion needs some help buying a van, if you can, check out their gofundme page. Connie plans to use every bit of yarn and wool, you can hardly walk in her room around it.

Connie wanted me to show you a sweater she just crocheted for a child, it’s going to the Albany Medical Center to keep a baby warm. Thanks to you – the needles, patterns, yarn and encouragement – she is churning out beautiful things every day. She has made mittens for the entire staff and many of the residents and is working on sweaters, blankets and  caps for newborns.

Maria was bowled over by the quality of the work Connie is doing, and her room is crammed with buckets and baskets of yarn. She wants to use it all, and I believe she will. Connie’s evolution has been just wonderful to see, and your generosity is so much a part of it. She is busy morning to night, and her work is beautiful and coming in a steady stream.

It is hard for her to leave her chair and oxygen, so this work has given her a great focus and activity, she has found so much meaning and purpose in it, she is so animated and excited. Hard to capture what you all have done. You can write Connie and the other residents of the Mansion at: c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I’m thinking Easter also.

The other residents who wish to receive your messages are Bruce, Allan, Sylvie, Jean G., John Z., Cari (Bob), John R., Alanna, Peggie, Ellen, Joan, Brenda, Christie, Connie, Alice, Madeline, Mary, Barbara, Bill H., Brother Peter, Diane, Helen, Jean.A., Gerry.

New arrivals coming soon. Please check out the gofundme page set up to help the Mansion get a desperately needed van to transport the residents.

Peggy was proud to show me what she won in the cracker contest at the Mansion. First prize was this stuffed rabbit. Perhaps it’s a dog. The Mansion invited Maria to speak there next Friday afternoon. Everyone was very excited about her trip. Please remember the Mansion Van Fund Drive. You can write to Petty and the other the Mansion residents c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Peggy is up for just about everything, she is getting her hair colored again this week. She is bursting with life.