Day: September 21, 2018

This afternoon, Red spotted Dottie walking on the path outside the Mansion, they had a sweet reunion. While at the Mansion, I learned that the residents are in need of combs and brushes,  most of the residents don’t have any, lost theirs, or wore out the ones they had.

The need seems mildly urgent to me, I went out to Rite-Aid and the Dollar Store and got six Conair brushes and six combs use right now, I ordered a few more of each online. Since combs and brushes seem to have a short life span at the Mansion, perhaps some of the Army of Good could send some combs and brushes.

I’ve taken care of the short run,  but I’m worried about the long run. This speaks to hygiene and grooming, two important things at any assisted care facility. Grooming has to do with pride and confidence and hope, I think.

The aides help the residents clean up at night and in the morning, and they have noticed almost no one has brushes and combs. We can fix that.

If combs and brushes come into the Mansion, the staff will store the extras away (along with the boxes of bacterial soap and shampoo in the basement) when the new crop of  brushes and combs disappear.

Thanks in advance, you can send one or two brushes and combs to Brushes and Combs, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, Thank you. Small acts of great kindness.

Ed  Gulley wanted his Tin Man to stay here on the Bedlam Farm lawn, and so did  we. This winter, the Tin Man blew over in a wild snowstorm and his left arm is mangled and hanging. We weren’t sure what to do with him after Ed died, we decided we wanted him to stay here, both as a reminder of Ed and also as a symbol of Bedlam Farm.

Ray Telford, our new handyman/carpenter, says he knows how to weld and he can fix the Tin Man’s arm. He is now a permanent fixture and lots of people in town ask about him. You don’t see Tin Men all the time.

Ed Gulley was  sorry to cut short his budding career as an artist. He loved making art very much, and I see the  Tin Man both as a memorial to him and a monument to him. I say hello every morning.

For me, black and white photos sometimes capture more color than color photos. I love this flower pot, radiant all summer, turning now to Fall. One brave flower left, and the pot will soon come into my study for the winter. It is a beautiful shade of worn blue.

Fate has always loved the meadow where we walk, she has always vanished into it to sniff things and chase mice and chipmunks. She has never caught one, I think the pursuit is the thing with her. I think Fate is the only dog I have ever had who could happily live in the meadow, she knows how to find food, dig warm holes, and stay safe.

Lulu is our serious donkey, our guard donkey. She is always scanning the horizon for danger, which she defines as anything unfamiliar coming near her pasture. She is a working creature, a stoic creature. She has kept coyotes and foxes and weasels and stray dogs and other predators away from the farm for more than a  decade. She is always on guard. Thanks, Lulu.