I guess you’d have to say Bud is comfortable at the farm, he hung out with Red and Fate in the back yard, marked every single bush and rock, took a dump and came over to me for some attention.
I took him up into my lap and he turned over on his back for a belly rub, which i was happy to give him. He was practically purring. Carol Johnson sent some Cashew Brittles from Arkansas with a note saying they were for us, not Bud.
Bud is a young dog, about a year old, but an Old Soul. He’s only been her for a couple of hours, but it seems he has been here for years. Thanks Carol and the good people at FOHA for bring But to us, he is a wonderful creature and belongs here. I’m glad he is home.
Bud came home to us today. We met a huge transport truck in a parking lot behind a Burger King in Brattleboro, Vt., and lined up behind anxious and happy adopters just like us.
It was a beautiful thing ot see, these dogs coming out and melting with joy at the people taking them to their new homes.Bud was anxious and tentative at first, and we put him on the back seat with some treats.
He ignored the treats and jumped into the front seat and into my lap, where he sat for the nearly two-hour ride home.
It was extraordinary for me, it just seemed that Bud and I had been waiting for one another for a long time, and I was aware of how long and hard his journey was from Southern Arkansas to Bedlam Farm.
After awhile, he just put his head on my shoulders and gazed out the window. At home, he met Red and Fate – Fate, of course, giving him a hard time, snarling and growing, and Red being gracious and welcoming.
But loved Red, and their coats are shockingly similar. In the back yard, he barked at the donkeys, then looked amazed by the sheep, and then got a belly rub from me, which he seemed to love.
I just put him in a crate in my study, he needs a rest and so do Maria and I. We haven’t eaten since an early breakfast.
So far, Bud seems like a wonderful dog, loving calm, and still anxious in new situations. Hopefully, he won’t have so many of them. We are very happy to have him here, it is even better than I expected.
I came across this photo of a practically newborn Gus at our veterinary clinic. He must have been less than eight weeks old, and at that point, I was meeting Robin Gibbons at the vet with her dogs.
Tomorrow, we head out in the morning to Brattleboro, Vt. to meet the truck that is bringing Bud to us from Arkansas.
It’s not rational, of course, but it feels a bit of a betrayal to get a dog that replaces Gus. That feeling will fade once Bud gets home and settles in.
Gus was born cute and died cute. Odd that I came across this photo tonight.
Peggie’s laptop computer is old and falling apart she can no longer play most of the computer games she loves to play. I’m trying to find her a used computer in good shape.
I’ll be looking online, for sure, but I thought I would also query the Army Of Good and see if anyone out there has a used computer – not too old – in good shape, one that can handle new computer games.
I will keep looking and I’m sure I’ll find out sooner or later. It has to be in good shape, as getting computers repaired around here is a complex and expensive task.
I can’t afford a new one and neither can Peggie, but there are plenty of relatively new or refurbished laptops around.
I also don’t want a dozen laptops coming into the Mansion, I wouldn’t want to see any wasted. So if anybody has a used computer in good working condition the best thing is to e-mail me – [email protected] – and I can make sure only one is sent.
If nobody has a laptop like that, I will dig into my online searching, I’m sure I will find one that is inexpensive. But the Army Of Good gets first crack.
Peggie is one of the Mansion’s most active and exuberant residents. She loves to be busy, she uses her laptop for games and e-mail, and some Web browsing. The Mansion does have wi-fi.
Joan is one of the most cheerful and sunny people I meet at the Mansion, but sometimes I find her crying. Tonight, Susan Popper, a Mansion volunteer and a friend who helps us run the Friday night Bingo Games, came in early and found Joan sitting crying on a bench.
Joan’s memories sometimes bubble up, and like all of the residents, she is sometimes achingly aware of who she has lost – a daughter, a husband, a mother and father – and most of the memories of her life.
This is frustrating beyond imagination, she tries so hard to put the pieces together, and remembers some things so clearly, like the death of her husband, he collapsed right in front of her.
When this happens, we hug her, walk with her, hold her, tell her stories, ask her about her memories. She comes out of it quickly, but I know that the residents are rich in memories, and even richer in loss and things left behind.
Sometimes, it is necessary to mourn. When this happens, I not try to cheer them up, I just try to listen. I can’t replace their losses or heal their wounds, I can only listen and be grateful for being trusted.
Susan and Joan have become friends. Joan knows the people who care about her, even if she will never know their names. It was a gift to see the two of them laughing and smiling and yakking on the bench as we came into the Mansion.
This means so much to Joan, and to the other residents. Even those with memories feel forgotten.
You can write to the Mansion residents at this address: 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I should explain that many of the residents cannot replay to your letters for various reasons, and if the get sick or even die, I am not permitted to tell you about it, due to privacy laws, unless they give me explicit permission.
Here is a list of Mansion residents who have asked to receive their letters. Letters are a joy to them, a reminder that they have not been forgotten by the other world. The list changes week to week for many reasons. I wouldn’t read much into that.
And thanks for writing them, it means more than you might imagine.
Winnie, Ellen, Matt, Mar, Sylvie, Diane, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, Bill, Blanche, Helen, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Jackie, Guerda, Brenda, Ruth. Kenneth is no longer on the list.
