I just got the first proof of the cover for the new book “Tales Of The Mansion” a collection of short stories compiled by the residents of the Mansion in July’s short story contest. Robert, the winner, is in the cover shot, he is wearing some of the Fourth of July glasses sent to all the residents by one of the readers of the blog, a member of the Army Of Good.
Robert wrote a funny story about life in the Mansion from the perspective of a new residents. There are 15 stories in “Tales Of The Mansion.” We are planning a reading at the Mansion when the book comes out – it will be open to the public. I’m ordering a first printing of 200 copies.
Every resident and members of their families will get a free copy, some will be given to the Mansion, and some will go to Battenkill Books in Cambridge for purchase and shipping anywhere in the world.
Thanks to Connie Brooks for agreeing to sell them.
The stories are surprising,compelling and revealing. There is loss, hope and tragedy and yearning. We did little editing, I wanted the stories to be in the true voices of the residents, not all slicked up. It was a wonderful experience for me.
They came out of a story-telling workshop I conducted with Julie Smith, the Mansion Activity Director. I told them their stories were important, and I think they heard me. In assisted care facilities, there is often the feeling of being abandoned and forgotten. That’s why it is so important that their stories be told and read.
We have not yet set a sale price for the book, which will also include about a dozen of my photographs, all taken when the stories were first presented.
The book was designed by the very gifted Abrah Griggs, and artist and book illustrator from Vermont. The stories were organized and compiled by Julie Smith, the Mansion Activities Director, and myself. I’m having the books printed on CreateSpace, it’s the best price we could find.
Any profits or revenues from the book will go to support outings for the Mansion residents -plays, parks, picnics, historic sites, etc.
I hope to have the books in hand in several weeks, if not sooner. I’ll wait to begin pre-ordering until we have a price, it will be as low as possible. Your support made this happen, I thank you.
We dropped Art’s Portable Air Conditioner off this morning, Kevin, who heads the maintenance staff, hauled it out. Art is moving from an upstairs room to the first floor today. Kevin is working on installing a new portable air conditioner in the Activity Room, then he’ll install Art’s.
Art moved into the Mansion from far away to be near his brother, who was ill. He died last week. Art is moving into his room. Art loves to correspond with deeply religious people. I sat with Art and last week and I prayed with him, I meditated and he prayed silently. (you can write him or the other residents c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
I visited Bill in his room yesterday, and he said he would very much appreciate some air conditioning, that will be arriving tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out just how many more people need one. Things are not as simple as they seem. Sylvie told me she would like one, but she also told me she is cold every night and needs extra blankets. I’ll have to sort that out before ordering one.
Before I order any air conditioner – or any other thing – I check with the administrators and maintenance people at the Mansion to make sure they know about it, and that there are no mechanical, electrical, medical, emotional, financial or regulatory issues involved. I am hyper-sensitive about making sure everything I do is known and approved by the staff.
And I have set clear boundaries for this and for my life.
I am not there to supervise the Mansion’s work, recommend changes, or look into the future. They do their work well, and I do not interfere with it in any way. I do not write about or follow people who leave the Mansion.
I am there to fill the holes and spaces that exist in the lives of people and in a world where there are scarce resources for elderly car. Drug and insurance companies make billions of dollars off of the elderly, but nobody is spending much money to ensure the quality of their lives.
This week, I started a new program for the Mansion residents. I want to support their regular outings to parks and public spaces. I’m giving the staff $20 for each outing for ice cream or other refreshments. The money will come from your donations, I made the first ice cream contribution yesterday. I’ve also bought a two-year subscription to the large print Reader’s Digest, which the residents love for its photos, games and riddles.
The people who worried yesterday about the electrical bills and also about leaky windows in the winter are exceeding the boundaries I have set for myself and this program. I worry about the residents, I am not concerned with the Mansion’s finance.
We fill holes and carry out small acts of kindness and empathy, we are not changing the reality of the resident’s lives or the operating systems of the Mansion. The Mansion is an unusual place, sensitive and open and caring. They let me do my job and I let them do theirs. It’s working.
We have very open communications, if there is a problem, they will tell me about it, and I let them know about everything I am doing. I should say in response to yesterday’s small avalanche of concern about the Mansion’s electrical bills that each room is on its own separate grid, the five (or at most six) air conditioners that we are bringing in will not affect the power supply or the Mansion’s monthly electrical bills in any significant way.
Kevin and I talk often.
Apart from everything else, the new units are the most energy-efficient on the market, and they will only be used for several months of the year and different parts of the day The Mansion has plenty of heat in the winter
So I’m happy to be moving forward.
Once I gather more information, I will make sure that every resident – with the approval of the staff – who needs an air conditioner will get one. Thanks so much for your help in making these people feel comfortable. It’s a small thing, but a very big thing in their lives. The heat is difficult for many of them to manage.
If you wish to contribute to the Mansion project, you can do so by sending a check to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Please mark it for “The Mansion.” You can also contribute via Paypal, my ID is [email protected].
P.S. Thanks for your comments on the blog. It is working out well. Yesterday we launched another project, an idea of the residents. You send in animal photos of any animal and they will select three winners and award three prizes. The deadline for entries is August 31.
