From the deepest corners of the second floor of the big old red barn comes the second Fiber Chair, an art project that has now begun. The first fiber chair, also made out of baling string, took two years to make and graces our back porch. Maria says she has no intention of selling it, it will just sit somewhere on the farm.

This other chair, which we think is an old Victorian frame, was abandoned up in the barn, as was the first chair (now called the Rapunzel Chair). This new chair is not yet named.

For Maria, there is really little space between her art and her life. Every morning, we cut loose a bale of hay and feed it to the animals. There are usually two strings holding it together. This afternoon, while I was at lunch, Maria began the first part of this chair project, which will also take at least a year, maybe two.

For her own reasons, she waited until today to start the new chair, she will string it every morning, no matter the temperature or weather.

The work begins when we have assembled enough baling string, and ends when the animals start grazing on pasture, usually sometime in late April or May, depending on the weather, rain, etc. Art is everywhere around here,  often indistinguishable from the rest of our lives.

I am not an artist but an author, but there is little distinction between my writing and my life either, and none between my life and my photography. We are committed to the lives we are leading, and deeply moved when people tell us we inspire them. That is a humbling thing to think about, I hope it is true. Thanks for the lovely New Year’s messages we have been receiving at our post office box, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Tomorrow, we return to the Mansion Assisted Care Facility, to bring Red and pass out some beautiful New Year’s Greeting Cards that Kenna Ogg, a quilter and artist from Boise, Idaho, a follower of our blogs and a generous spirit, made for the Mansion residents. See the photograph below

Kenna sent one for each resident before she knew their first names, we are filling the names in for her. Kenna designed these floral cards, she took the photos of different Poinsettas, they are quite beautiful. We’re going to hand them out tomorrow and wish everyone a Happy New Year.

I’ll write more about this, but I thought for those who are interested, it might be nice for the next project to send Valentine’s or Valentine cards or gifts to the people at the Mansion for Valentine’s Day. The address there is 11 S. Union Street, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. You have all been astonishingly generous, I hope no one feels obligated to contribute further, but if you do, it will do a great deal of good.

The residents also love getting messages and cards anytime, your generosity has transformed the Mansion, and has set a wonderful tone for the New Year.

The staff will decide whether to distribute them now or hold them, unless told otherwise.

The first names of the Mansion residents are: Jean A., Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Diane, Alice, Jean G., Madeline, Joan, Allan, Carl, John, Aileen, Christie, Helen, Connie, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, William, Dennis, John R., Bruce, John Z.