When Red comes in the side door of the Mansion, he makes a beeline for the medicine room/office down the hallway and to the right. Often, there are two or three aides and administrators in their, most are Red’s girlfriends and admirers – he has them all over time.

When he got sick, one of the first things I did was call the Mansion, as some people there read my blog  and would know he was sick and worry about him. He’s supposed to not work until next week, but we paid a quick visit to the Mansion today and Hollyanne, who was working organizing everybody’s medical records and medications, was filing when he came in, and Red got a loving welcome back.

The staff and some residents were relieved to see him  back.

He went to Connie’s room, as usual, and then we went to the Great Room to listen to a concert by a local musician.

Your Christmas offerings have been streaming into the Mansion, and they are scheduling a special evening before Christmas to open  your gifts. Everyone at the Mansion will have a gift, and lots of other sweet things as well – stocking suffers, socks, favors and wreaths, cards, puzzles, holiday books, drawing kits,  sweaters and scarves,  noisemakers, and photos – the stack is already impressive, and more packages are arriving every day.

Julie Smith, the Activities Director, says she’s never seen anything like it, not even last Christmas, which was unlike anything she had ever seen.

I’m collecting wool hats to give the residents, many of you are sending colorful hats as well. It’s got me all excited about Christmas, and I’ll be at The Mansion in a couple of weeks when the gifts and packages are distributed. Apparently there’s a stocking for me, Maria, and for Gus, and for Summer, the Mansion resident cat the Army of Good saved and paid to neuter and get healthy.

Your letters and cards and photos are coming in every day, thanks, and are much appreciated.  I have a new resident list: Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, Alice, Jean, Maddie, Joan, Allan, Bill, Richard,  John, Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Ben, Art, Guerda, Brenda, David, Ken, Ruth.

You can send them letters anytime and Christmas gifts for the residents to The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Christmas is so important to the residents. Some spend Christmas day with their families so the Christmas party is scheduled some days  before.

(I should mention that the list changes constantly, and I am not always at liberty to say why. Some of the residents just don’t want to receive packages and letters or can’t read them or use them. Some  have no space. Some are taken off the list when they go to hospitals or nursing homes, they may or may not return. People come onto the list, and go off abruptly. Some go off and never come back on. Often, I simply can’t tell you what has happened to them.   Privacy laws prohibit the Mansion staff from revealing any medical information, to me or anybody else. If the residents give me permission – Connie did – I can write about their health. I only take photos with the permission of the residents, and most love to be photographed. Many of the residents are attention starved, they are grateful to be paid attention to.)

So the list will change from week to week for all kinds of reasons. Thanks for being patient and understanding. I am thinking ahead to Spring. We are supporting an Irish band for St. Patrick’s  day, they will cost about $400, they have to travel a bit to get here.

The recent boat ride on Lake George’s was a very powerful and poignant success, the residents loved it so much, I am working to set up another cruise for next April. The first one cost about $350. In the meantime, small acts of great kindness. Filling the holes in people’s lives. I am supporting prizes for the twice-weekly Bingo contest, it costs about $45 from the Dollar Store to  buy prizes for the winners.

And I am distributing wool hats for the residents as the winter approaches. There is little cost involved there.

That’s where we are, there’s about $1,600 in the Mansion/Children’s Refugee Fund. Donations can be sent to Post Office Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y, 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Many thanks to you for supporting this work. It has been the greatest gift to me, and hopefully, to  you.

Let other people argue, we just commit small acts of great kindness.