Bill has been at the Mansion for about six months, he is 82 years old although he does not look it, he, is soft-spoken, ironic and gentle. Lately, we have been talking to one another, we struck up a relationship after I brought him his new air conditioner, I hadn’t seen him around too much.

Today, we talked about the time. He had a stroke last year, he said, and that is why he came to the Mansion. He is working to get certain things back that he lost. One was the ability to remember the date and time.

He looks at his watch, and at the clock, and he knows what time it is, but he can’t retain, and he needs to know the time to remember the events and activities in the Mansion, and the times for meals. He looks at the time, then goes out into the hallway to look at the schedule of events, and at the clock in the activity room.

That way, he remembers what time it is. He is working hard at this, and getting better. He expects to get his sense of time back in a few weeks or months, if he works at it, and he will and does. I see he struggles sometimes to get oriented – he is often asking what’s going on, working to repair some of the lost parts of his consciousness. He is doing well, he is very engaged and focused.

I’m enjoying talking to Bill, I hope to learn more about him, he is getting to know Red and liking him. I’ll plan to bring him some books and see if he likes to read. I think what he needs is to talk to someone, he seems to keep to himself. We have connected and I look forward to knowing him better.

The Mansion is a feast of stories and struggles, some of them out in the open, some of them quite submerged. I’ve never seen Bill in the activities room, I think he is working very hard to get control of time again. You can write to Bill c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I have the feeling he would like to get more letters.