30 November

Return Of The Carver: Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa

by Jon Katz
The Carver

Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa came to America last year from the Congo Kinshasa. He had been living in a refugee camp after fleeing the civil war in the Congo when he learned he could come to America.

A wood carver who learned his trade from his grandfather, he worked with his grandfather’s tools. As he boarded the plane to America, he was told he could not take his grandfathers tools with him, so he had to leave them behind on the ground.

Mawulidi was in the camps for more than a decade before he was chosen by the U.N. to come to America, his family perished in the brutal fighting, his brother died in the camps.

It broke his heart. Mawulidi has been working in a bakery in Albany, N.Y. making bread. I met him two months ago at RISSE, the refugee and immigrant  center in Albany, and hearing his story, I asked the Army of Good for help in buying him new carving tools.

The response was immediate, we raised $500 over night for him and got him some tools online. RISSE officials took him to Home Depot for the rest. Then Mawullidi came to see me at the farm and we went to Pompanuck Farm nearby – it’s a 90 acre farm – to get the wood he wanted.

Mawulidi hoped to carve some birds and other objects to sell for Christmas, but he had to go to the hospital for some surgery and was unable to work for six weeks. He has recovered and I am meeting him this afternoon at RISSE. I’m told he is bring some carvings with him.

If that is so, I will bring them home and Maria and I will offer them for sale on the blog, all proceeds going to Mawulidi (he may donate some of the money to RISSE). Maria has volunteered to handle the sales and forego any commission.

I will never forget the look on Mawulidi’s face when I told him he would get his carving tools replaced, he simply didn’t believe it at first. That look has lifted me up almost every day. Mawulidi has suffered great in his life, it is such a gift for him to be able to honor his grandfather’s teachings and return to his craft.

He has four children and I don’t know if he can ever be a full-time carver again.

I guess that’s up to him. But he is  working hard on his new life here, beginning to see the true soul of America. He can begin working as an artist again, practicing the craft his grandfather taught him. I’m excited to be seeing him again.  I’m eager to see what he has made, and hopefully, sell the first carvings he has made in America.

30 November

New (Mexico) Colors For Our Simple Farmhouse

by Jon Katz
Our Farmhouse

Our farmhouse was built shortly after 1800, it is a beautifully simple and well-constructed house, an engineer told us the foundation had not shifted one inch in more than 200 years.

The farmers were practical, they were not interested in color. The walls were either white or faded wallpaper. Formal, in a way. The inside of our house was drab and colorless, and we set about figuring out how to bring some color to it.

Maria, the artist, kept coming up with ideas I would never have thought of, and we started stripping and scraping. Room by room, the interior is coming to life. We re-did the bathroom in Mexico – Frida Kahlo – colors. And Maria just re-painted the kitchen and doors and trim in New Mexico colors (we were there a few weeks ago.

We’ve not only painted the walls, but re-tiled the kitchen and bathroom floors. Maria can see it all in her head, I am slow to grasp it.

It seems we are drawn to Latin colors, bright and warm. These colors are transforming the downstairs (we did the living room two years ago) and the dining room is probably next.

We go to the hardware store, look at colors, and then one day Maria lights up, obsesses, gets out her brushes and goes to town. I help out where I can, but I’ve learned she would mostly prefer that I get out of the way. So I do.

It is quite amazing how she has transformed the interior of the downstairs. There is a lot of work still to do in the farmhouse, but I was struck by the brightness and warmth I saw this morning. I married wisely and well.

29 November

The Army Of Good Launches A Ferocious Mansion Christmas Campaign

by Jon Katz
The Army Of Good

The Army Of Good is on the march, working to give the Mansion residents another memorable and loving and very meaningful Christmas. Being forgotten is a trauma and a draining disease, I think. You have lifted many hearts and spirits with you letters and gifts.

These (and other) socks arrived this week, one is for Red, one for Gus, one for Summer, the Mansion’s rescue cat. UPS is showing up every day with boxes and bags of great stuff for Christmas.

Your creativity and creativity are on full display, many of the Christmas gifts are quite inventive and many are even hand made.

I am dazzled at your quick and very thoughtful and complete campaign. Everyone will have gifts for Christmas, there are beautiful decorations pouring in for the Great Room and the tree, which will be arriving shortly. (Thanks for your many beautiful flowers for Connie’s memorial service.)

Because of you, everyone at the Mansion is excited and talking about Christmas. Everyone will have something under the tree. I can’t wait to see what else comes. Thanks and many blessings to you. The Mansion address is 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I’ve seen some beautiful small stuffed animals arrive today, they are much loved as a gift here.

29 November

At The Mansion: Welcome Back, Red

by Jon Katz
Welcome Home

When Red comes in the side door of the Mansion, he makes a beeline for the medicine room/office down the hallway and to the right. Often, there are two or three aides and administrators in their, most are Red’s girlfriends and admirers – he has them all over time.

When he got sick, one of the first things I did was call the Mansion, as some people there read my blog  and would know he was sick and worry about him. He’s supposed to not work until next week, but we paid a quick visit to the Mansion today and Hollyanne, who was working organizing everybody’s medical records and medications, was filing when he came in, and Red got a loving welcome back.

The staff and some residents were relieved to see him  back.

He went to Connie’s room, as usual, and then we went to the Great Room to listen to a concert by a local musician.

Your Christmas offerings have been streaming into the Mansion, and they are scheduling a special evening before Christmas to open  your gifts. Everyone at the Mansion will have a gift, and lots of other sweet things as well – stocking suffers, socks, favors and wreaths, cards, puzzles, holiday books, drawing kits,  sweaters and scarves,  noisemakers, and photos – the stack is already impressive, and more packages are arriving every day.

Julie Smith, the Activities Director, says she’s never seen anything like it, not even last Christmas, which was unlike anything she had ever seen.

I’m collecting wool hats to give the residents, many of you are sending colorful hats as well. It’s got me all excited about Christmas, and I’ll be at The Mansion in a couple of weeks when the gifts and packages are distributed. Apparently there’s a stocking for me, Maria, and for Gus, and for Summer, the Mansion resident cat the Army of Good saved and paid to neuter and get healthy.

Your letters and cards and photos are coming in every day, thanks, and are much appreciated.  I have a new resident list: Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, Alice, Jean, Maddie, Joan, Allan, Bill, Richard,  John, Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Ben, Art, Guerda, Brenda, David, Ken, Ruth.

You can send them letters anytime and Christmas gifts for the residents to The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Christmas is so important to the residents. Some spend Christmas day with their families so the Christmas party is scheduled some days  before.

(I should mention that the list changes constantly, and I am not always at liberty to say why. Some of the residents just don’t want to receive packages and letters or can’t read them or use them. Some  have no space. Some are taken off the list when they go to hospitals or nursing homes, they may or may not return. People come onto the list, and go off abruptly. Some go off and never come back on. Often, I simply can’t tell you what has happened to them.   Privacy laws prohibit the Mansion staff from revealing any medical information, to me or anybody else. If the residents give me permission – Connie did – I can write about their health. I only take photos with the permission of the residents, and most love to be photographed. Many of the residents are attention starved, they are grateful to be paid attention to.)

So the list will change from week to week for all kinds of reasons. Thanks for being patient and understanding. I am thinking ahead to Spring. We are supporting an Irish band for St. Patrick’s  day, they will cost about $400, they have to travel a bit to get here.

The recent boat ride on Lake George’s was a very powerful and poignant success, the residents loved it so much, I am working to set up another cruise for next April. The first one cost about $350. In the meantime, small acts of great kindness. Filling the holes in people’s lives. I am supporting prizes for the twice-weekly Bingo contest, it costs about $45 from the Dollar Store to  buy prizes for the winners.

And I am distributing wool hats for the residents as the winter approaches. There is little cost involved there.

That’s where we are, there’s about $1,600 in the Mansion/Children’s Refugee Fund. Donations can be sent to Post Office Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y, 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Many thanks to you for supporting this work. It has been the greatest gift to me, and hopefully, to  you.

Let other people argue, we just commit small acts of great kindness.

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