“What is the essence of Life? To serve people and to do good.” – Aristotle.

First, I should say that Maria and I had a blast going to the Washington County Fair with a dozen Mansion residents and four aides. It was a beautiful fall-like day with an intense sun and hordes of people mingled with cows, pigs,  horses, rabbits, baby ducks, agricultural shows, and heart-attack-guaranteed food.

I knew it would be fun when Ellen, Bonnie, and others ran to the four cows and stuck their heads out the window. I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough. We must see that people can find joy, love, and laughter at any stage of Life. All three of those things were walking alongside us at the county fair.

It was as sweet a morning as I expected to have anywhere. I took the above photo when we entered the fair. They were ready to go.

The Washington County Agricultural Fair is one of the great remaining Agricultural fairs in the Northeast; it focuses on farm life, hard-working 4-H children, all kinds of competition, gross and greasy food, carnival rides, farm equipment sellers, tractor races, and scores of trailers with farm families sleeping over to be with their cows when they compete.

Here, teenagers are not spending their leisure time on TikTok. They train goats, cows, and pigs all year,  work on family farms, raise chickens and roosters, breed ducks, and sleep alongside their ribbon-winning animals.

The residents loved everything they saw, and they wanted to see everything that was there.

They wore me out.

Paryese texted me to thank us and say that after Maria and I left, the group enjoyed a chicken dinner; some had cotton candy and fried dough, two of the fair’s gourmet specialties. On the way home, they all stopped for ice cream. Everyone went to bed early, she said. They came in five different cars.

John had to be pushed in a wheelchair, which made him unhappy, but he loved the fair.

Our first stop was the Fiddler’s Tent; we loved the music. An elderly couple got up to dance, and they were delighted when I came to take their photo. Here, they were getting ready to take a bow. They got a lot of applause. The whole morning was full of moments like that.

The fair is schizophrenic – beautiful animals, 4-H kids, exhausted farmers, tacky carnival rides, cheese hotdogs,  and ear-splitting machines and noises.

You can see the whole world of the country, spread out on vast and crammed fairground. This place is proud of standing still and has no interest in changing. The rest of the world can go to hell. Farm families come along with loads of Yuppies from Saratoga and Albany.

Every kind of person in the world walks down the main dusty drive.

For the Mansion residents, it’s an affirmation, escape, cherished memory, a world of wonder, a sea of animals to see and maybe touch, a chance to eat food that could kill me in a day with enthusiasm and smiles. I loved how the aides cared for them and how they cared for one another. Many have cherished memories of the fair. Others are just making some new ones.

We got there early because the residents were eager to see the fiddlers. We saw them for a while and then got to the poultry and chicken exhibits.

I have to give a nod to the five Mansion aides who cared for the residents, ensuring that they got to see what they wanted to seek and that the Memory Care residents were closely watched and supported. They are special people, and I am proud to know them.

June and Art are both in my Meditation Class, and I noticed some time ago that they were always together in and out of my class.

On the porch, in the dining room, on walks and activities. They are inseparable now, and Art gets extremely upset when he doesn’t know where June is. They are very happy together, which is a sweet thing to see. The aides make sure they can always be together.

I love having both of them in the class. I suspect Art only comes to be with June, but she has a lot to add to our talks. Art never speaks, but he listens carefully. I bring him books on cars, which he loves. He also works on art projects with Maria.

I got a bit obsessed in the morning about what souvenirs to get the residents; they were having such a good time I was sure they would want to bring home reminders of this day.

While they were listening to the fiddlers in the big tent,  I slipped out and went to the Fair Gift Shop with Maria.

We – the Army Of Good – raised $300 for food, souvenirs, and caps they all loved. The County Fair donated the tickets for the residents for the third year in a row. Thanks to them.

I bought Washington County hats for everyone, including the aides, and unique carry bags with the fair logo. In addition (okay, I went a bit overboard), I got each resident a cow or rabbit “Squeeze Me For Stress” rubber animal to squeeze when they got nervous.

 

The baby ducks were a big hit.

This could work out beautifully for our Meditation Classes. We had to leave around lunchtime; the sun was wearing me out, and my new brace was sore. Maria and I stopped to have lunch on the way home.

 

It is no simple matter to get people on walkers and wheelchairs to stay together on a vast county fairgrounds with thousands of people around. It is essential that they stay together and no one gets left behind or lost. I watched the front lines; we all split up the territory.

Nobody got lost or wandered away; that was a lot harder than  I thought it might be. Alyne, the assisted activist director, kept a close eye on everyone.

She has an excellent way of taking charge without being bossy or insensitive.

These people have independent minds and habits, and when they want to go somewhere, they go. I felt the responsibility the aides feel keenly. A friend asked me if it was fun. No, I said, not too much; I was worried about someone drifting off in the crowds,  but it was beautiful.

The day was full of love. Susan, left, is a member of my Meditation Class. She hates meditating and says so every week. She doesn’t like being still for that long but comes faithfully. She hates to close her eyes. I tell her it’s optional.

Her sister came to spend the visit to the fair with her; the two are very close. I was very touched by the connection they had with one another.

Susan is very young for the Mansion but needs to be there and is happy there. She is a lot of fun to know – whatever is on her mind comes out of her mouth. “Yup,” said her sister, “you know Susan.”

People were very friendly to us.

People are good. A kind 4-H chicken lover took his prize award-winning chicken out and let the residents touch and pet her. It was a beautiful moment for Jennifer and the others. Paryese, the Mansion Activity Director, took some Iphone photos on the left. Nancy watched, and Jennifer got to hold the hen.

 

Ellen came from Memory Care; she seemed confused at first. I asked her what was wrong.

She told me the fair was causing her head to spin with memories. It all made sense when she got to the animals, and she was happy. She is a great friend of Zinnia and a member of my Meditation Class. We get each other.

 

 

It is no small thing to steer and keep track of people in a busy county fair, most of whom were in wheelchairs, on walkers, or suffering from memory loss. It was imperative that the group stay together and that we all stayed behind for those who couldn’t keep up. We kept counting and watching.

 

 

I went to the fair sales office and bought hats for everybody. They all wanted one (except John). It helped keep the intense sun off them. I expect to see these hats all over the Mansion until they get lost or disappear. The store said we were the biggest purchaser of souvenirs so far this week (they just opened two days ago).

This was goodbye. The group had split up, some to the bathroom, some to see the pigs. We got a lovely send-off.

I was delighted to be there; Maria felt the same way. I love these people, and some of them love me back. Seeing and working with them is a joy and a gift to me.