I checked on my new garden flowers growing today, and Zip popped up right in the middle. He loves the camera, and the camera loves him. We didn’t meet today, and I was too busy with work. We’re going out to have dinner with friends shortly.
If you want to find Zip, pick up a camera; he is always in the middle of everything and misses nothing.
One day, the Fate photos will be on a wall somewhere.
Last week, we put out a call for Salad Dressing; today, our request was met with an abundance of boxes filled with the very dressings we needed. Sarah, usually reserved, couldn’t contain her joy at the sight (a rare but heartwarming sight indeed). The Boxes From The Army Of Good Keep Coming. Thank you.
Tonight, many people will come to the Cambridge Food Pantry to eat and be surprised and pleased. It is rare to see so many salad dressing bottles on the shelves, waiting to be taken home.
Today’s Picks From Pantry Director Sarah: Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli, 15 Oz, 4 Pack, $3.99
Second, Spaghetti O’s Canned Pasta With Meatballs, 15.6 Oz, Can (Pack Of 12), $11.44.
Sarah has been dying to put these two popular foods on the shelves for a long time. These two dishes are also popular children’s favorites and easy to cook for exhausted and working parents.
The food from the Army of Good continues to pour in, and we are truly grateful. This is just the first of three Amazon deliveries to the pantry front doors, with two more on the way.
Maria, stuffing backpacks for children Thursday morning.
(This is what you did and what you sent!) People will be coming to get it tonight. Sarah just unpacked them in time for the community dinner tonight.
It’s been a long time since many salad dressings were on the shelves. Thank you so much, this is transforming lives and helping feed families and children. There are so many big hearts out there.
(We got the money we needed this morning. Thank you very much. I have enough for the tablet for Sharon and some overage for the Mansion Fund, which is very low. Thanks so much. Bless all of you.)
Sharon needs some help replacing her very cherished computer tablet, and I need some help getting one.
Sharon, a published poet, has been a cherished member of the Mansion community for several years.
The Mansion’s resources cannot provide the specialized medical care she urgently needs. This has necessitated her relocation to a facility that can better cater to her complex illness.
She is looking for another place to go, which is tough on her, as she is very comfortable at the Mansion and has become a cherished friend to me and others.
Her illness is complex and needs special care, and she has to leave the Mansion.
She is finding it difficult to find a facility that will take her; she needs very advanced care. Her daughters wanted to care for her, but she refused, not wishing to burden them, and came to the Mansion.
She thinks she’s getting closer to a facility that will accept in Saratoga. I admire Sharon and her courage and dignity; she is not only a gifted poet but a warm and decent human being bravely facing severe difficulties without complaint or lament.
Leaving the Mansion is hard enough for her, but losing her table and connection to the outside world is especially painful and isolating.
Today, Sharon’s need for assistance has reached a critical point. As her friend, I am determined to help her, but I am also aware of the financial constraints many of us are facing.
That’s why I am reaching out to the Army of Good and others who can offer support. Your help can make a significant difference in Sharon’s life.
The Mansion Fund can’t do it at the moment.
Sharon’s work has been chosen to appear in several “Best Poet” collections.
She asked for and needs a reliable and robust computer tablet to navigate the Internet, which is her passion, interest, and work. It is a link to her whole life, which she will need. Sharon is immensely proud and hates to ask for help. I know it is something significant to her.
The Mansion Fund can’t do it at the moment.
If you can help, that would be great. You can send a contribution via Paypal, [email protected], or Jon Katz (mark it for Sharon), Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12818, or via Venmo, Jon Katz@Jon-Katz-13.
As she has gotten sicker and spent more time in the hospital, Sharon only asked me for some African violets that grow in the woods for her window sill. I gave her some and a regular stream of poetry books. I hope this isn’t the last time I will get to see her; I’m not sure where she is going or when she will leave, although I promised to get a tablet to her wherever she is. I’m hoping it’s before she finds a new home.
She is a student in my Meditation Class and asked me today if I could stay on and talk with her. Sharon is stoic and fiercely independent, and I knew this was serious, although she often speaks with me and has given me some fresh poetry to read and keep.
Two years ago, I gave her a computer tablet so she could research her illness and explore the outside world, including poetry and her many other interests. It changed her life, as often happens.
She told me she spends 90 percent of her time on the tablet. However, the battery died a few days ago and cannot be recharged or repaired.
I told her I would get her a replacement, hopefully before she had to leave the Mansion.
(Sharon in my class today)
The cheapest tablet I found was an Amazon tablet, which cost $94. However, it doesn’t do what she needs. It doesn’t have all of the things that she loves and is used to on her tablet.
The ones I like for her are reliable, long-lasting, and easy to use. They range between $200 and $500 and can do everything she needs. One thing she uses them for is medical research related to her illness.
She says this would be a life-changer. She has had enough of those.
Of the ones I’ve researched, the best one for her is a Samsung tablet.
The one I like is $499, but I’ll get her the best one for the money I have and receive. I am applying as much of my own money as I can. I’m checking out the Apple tablets, which are expensive.
I could use your help to get Sharon this tablet. She is only walking with a walker now, and I can see the pain in her face, although she never speaks of it. Attitude is essential, and the tablet has been her most precious possession.
If you can help, that would be great. You can send a contribution via Paypal, [email protected], or Jon Katz (mark it for Sharon), Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12818, or via Venmo, Jon Katz@Jon-Katz-13.
If the donations exceed the cost, I will place the money in the Mansion Fund. We also have some serious needs to respond to, including T-shirts for a Fourth Of July Festival.
Thanks for reading this, and thanks for any help.
Good morning. I’m off to teach my meditation class at the Mansion, but I’ll be back soon. Looks like more rain. Our day began, as usual, with Zip appearing. It looks like he killed a baby rabbit last night.
One of the first flowers to pop up in my garden bed.
Grazing done, the donkeys follow Maria back to the Pole Barn.
Hens graze also
