15 November

Sisters Of The Mansion

by Jon Katz
Wild Women: (Bingo Help)

Here is another bit of good for the Army Of Good, should you choose to accept it.

Red and I looked up and one of the aides shouted, “here comes trouble, “the Three Wild Women Of the Mansion.” Jean, Alice and Mary were astonished, Jean asked, “could they mean us?” We did, these three are a powerful presence at the Mansion, two of them – Jean and Alice – have been my dates a number of times, we have even danced together.

I am told they are Bingo fiends.

Sometimes, they walk the halls of the Mansion. Best get out of the way. They do stop for Red.

I learned today that the Mansion has two “bingo nights,” Sunday and Wednesday. Some of the residents came to me and asked for help, as there are few – sometimes no – prizes for the bingo winners.

They need some prizes – simple but fun things – crossword puzzles, large print magazines and story books, stickers, glitzy necklaces, small stuffed things, stocking stuffers and party favors (no candy), beginner magazines and books. The activity budget is low at the end of the year. Maybe we can help.

I should point out that many of the Mansion residents have vision, hearing, or some memory issues, so I shoot for small and simple and colorful gifts, charms,  stories. When I learned about the need for prizes, I went right over to the Dollar Store just down the road and got about $45 worth of fun  stuff to get them through the next couple of weeks.

I like our local Dollar Store, it reminded me of the old Woolworth’s, all kinds of stuff in there.

Many of you are already sending Christmas gifts and decorations, which are very much appreciated, they are being stored for the Christmas party so everyone will have something under the tree. I’ve been invited and plan to attend with Red and Maria.

I found many perfect prizes in the Dollar Store – fake glasses that glow, animal sticker books, short and illustrated stories and all kinds of small and simple puzzle and crossword books, balloons,  coloring books, party favors,  some silly hats, picture books,  four small stuffed animals.

If anyone can help with bingo prizes, that would be great. Please send them to Julie Smith, Activity Director, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. These should be fun, colorful, simple and inexpensive. No clothes or sweets, please.

Thanks to those sending paints and pictures, we have covered the bare walls of the Mansion, and have no more room, thanks.

Only six or seven residents play bingo, but they love the game and are faithful to it. It means a lot to them and is one of the few evening activities possible at the Mansion.

Some prizes would make for fun and some excitement. If you send anything, please mark it “For Bingo Prizes.” And thanks for already responding to Christmas. The staff is getting excited.

If you wish to help with the Bingo prices, you can send them to Bingo Prizes, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

As I said, I got enough for the next couple of weeks. And I don’t wish to overburden anyone. The Three Wild Woman appreciate it.

The updated names list of the Mansion. Some residents are new, some do not wish to get mail. Robert, Allan, Sylvie, Jean, John Z. Tim, Ben, Art, Alanna, Peggie, Ellen, Joan, Brenda, Jane, Connie, lice, Madeline, Mary, Barbara, Bill, John K., Diane, Helen, Winifred, Jean, Dorothy, Ruth, Ken, Gerry Guerda.

If you wish to support the Mansion Fund, you can donate to my post office box, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge,N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

15 November

Across The Gulley Bridge: Into The Wild

by Jon Katz
Into The Wild

The Ed Gulley Memorial Bridge made it through the winter. Today, we hacked out way through brush and marsh grass that was taller than i am. Gus came along with the others and loved the woods as much as they do. Maria dragged the renegade hunting stand all through these woods by herself.

That stand is not ever coming back. We will get a couple of scythes this weekend and hack our way through. Ed Gulley, master farmer, artist and blogger, is also a bridge-builder, this one took a beating and is strong and firm. Gus has never seen a bridge before, he scooted right over it.

15 November

When Nature Woman Got Pissed. The Creepy Hunter

by Jon Katz
The Arrogant Hunter: Maria and Her Posse

Once in awhile I am reminded that Sicilians are different than most other ethnic or tribal cultures. When they get pissed, be somewhere else.  Maria is half German, half Sicilian. She has an internal volcano. We respect and appreciate hunters as the deer season approaches, almost all of them we know are polite, thoughtful and respectful

They ask permission, respect posted signs and clean up after themselves. They never leave a wounded deer behind and usually stop to thank us afterwards.

There are, humans being humans, some not to good hunters, and we have one trespassing on our property right now. We found a giant metal stand cable-wired to a tree last year, no one has asked permission to put it there, and it was built as a permanent structure, it seemed, it even h ad a power cable for a heater or some other device.

We asked around, then took it down. This week, we broke through the brush and got back out onto the woods behind the farmhouse, and somebody had come onto our property, put the stand up and cabled it with locks to the tree.

She said she was going to take it down, I said I would be home soon to help. She has been very angry lately, reading about the sexual harassment by sex demons It was bound to come out.

I wasn’t home for this discovery, she had gone for a walk in the woods now that the brush is thinking, but the text messages I started getting from Maria nearly melted my Iphone. “I’m pissed!,” she said, she she was really pissed. I said I would be home soon, but I knew she wouldn’t wait.

I hoped the irresponsible hunter was not around, it could get ugly.

By the time I got home, she had gone back into the woods – a rocky climb – clipped the cables, took apart the large metal seat and metal ladders, and hauled them out of the woods.

It took three or four trips – each about a quarter mile, mostly through dense woods and brush, and she was too angry to wait for me. She stuffed the pieces in her car and took them off to a junkyard. She went to the hardware store and got a bunch of “Posted, No Trespassing” signs.

I got home about this time and we went back into our woods with the dogs. There is no trace of the stand and whoever put it there is lucky he didn’t run into Maria. We walked the stone wall that marks our property line and put up a dozen “Posted Signs.”

Gus loves the woods and  had no trouble keeping up with Fate and Red, even though he often vanished into the brush and could not be seen.

The three followed Maria everywhere, they were fascinated by the proceedings.  Her posse, I thought.

Me too. I had come home and grabbed the camera. It takes a lot of gall up here to put up a giant metal structure on somebody else’s property (we gave him months to come and get it, whoever he is) and then put it up again when the owners take it down. Responsible hunters – and most are – follow a strict code of ethics, this one didn’t have a code of ethics. What he did is a big no-no up here.

Maria said it all felt good, I’ve rarely seen her so angry, but he was messing with the wrong woman.   She said she let all of the anger go. That was good news. I should add that she did apologize to the trees for putting nails into them.

Maria has clippers, saws, hammers and nails and knows how to use them all. She dragged all that stuff through the marsh and up by the farmhouse. Maybe her next stop will be the Justice League.  I can see it: Nature Woman, defending the earth. 

This weekend kicks off deer season, we will be out there checking the grounds. Do not tread on us.

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