I can’t really even estimate how many stamps and envelopes I’ve brought to Sylvie, not to mention the stamps and envelopes sent to her by the Army Of Good. It’s only in the past few months that the aides alerted me to the stash of stamps and envelopes hidden away in her room. She has no idea that they are there.
Like me (I’m Dyslexic) Sylvie has no memory of things that are not right in front of her. Every greeting from her usually goes like this: “Hello, Jon, I’m out of stamps,” or “Hello, Jon, I’m out of envelopes.”
Sylvie loves getting letters and she loves writing letters, she usually answers her junk mail and has been known to sometimes sends checks to auto manufacturers. We all screen her mail carefully (and with her permission) to block some of her impulses. I got a long letter from her last week about Juan Peron, the long-dead ex-strongman of Argentina and his wife Eva.
I can’t imagine why.
The letter had a brand new stamp. Sometimes I borrow some envelopes from the Mansion office, but once or twice a week, I go to the Cambridge post office and buy some. They are not expensive, and they don’t seem to last long. I buy small amounts.
A few weeks ago, I asked if I could help her find her stamps, and she said yes, please. I found hundreds of stamps and envelopes stuffed in one of her dresser draws. Today, they were all gone.
Rumor has it that when the Mansion was evacuated due to flooding, the aides checked everyone’s rooms for water damage, and they found 1,000 or so stamps behind her bedstand. I believe it. Nobody knows where they went.
I’m bringing her some envelopes tomorrow I got her some tote bags to store her stamps and envelopes in, but they are gone also. She had a dozen, and no one knows where they are, either.
As I said, Sylvie loves to get letters, so please sent them to her if you are so inclined. If she has stamps and envelopes, she will try to answer you. You can write her c/o Sylvie, The Mansion, 11 S. Mansion Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816,
This photo was taken this week as part of the Mansion Portrait Project, we hope to publish a yearbook later in the year with all of the residents’ photos, those who wish to participate.
If you wish to support my work at the Mansion, you can donate via Paypal, [email protected] or by check, Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Small donations are as welcome as larger ones and thank you.