Somebody wrote that by singing with the Karaoke machine and posting the videos, I was showing that I could be humbled. I sure can be humbled, and watching this video will do it.
But I had a blast. We brought the Karaoke gear over to the Mansion. The staff and most of the residents fled or hid, nobody wanted much to do with us.
But Jean came in to watch, Helen brought her comfort doll Angel, Brother Peter came in to glower and he and Ben watched for about two minutes and left quickly.
It was just an unplanned rehearsal, and Peggie was more than ready to sing. I joined her for two or three of the songs.
The Mansion aides peered from around the corner and laughed. Brittany and Hollyanne wanted no part of it, and Julie, the activities director, looked suspicious.
But Peggie was eager to sing, and Madeline asked to sing, and I know of at least six other residents who want to do some Karaoke. We’ll win over some converts and be launched.
Maria loved it and so did I, as awful as I sounded. Peggie is game and brave, she just waded right in. We made an arresting duo. But the thing is working, and working well.
For better or worse, the Mansion has a karaoke machine. And I am already having fun. Who would have thought? Couldn’t get Maria to sing though, she’ll belly dance but not sing Karaoke.
“I don’t think so, surely not on a video,” she says.
I’m assembling the Karaoke music machine for the Mansion. Yesterday, I realized the built-in screen on the machine, which works very well otherwise, is too small for the Mansion residents.
So I called B&H photo and they were kind and helpful to me, a Samsung 32 inch monitor (it’s a TV really) arrived today, it cost $277.
All the reviews say the Samsung screen is the best.
I’m going to try to connect it to the Karaoke machine tomorrow or Friday and bring it over to the Mansion for a trial run. It should be easy to see for the residents.
I’ve got several residents lined up, including Madeline, a 93-year-old former actor from the Bronx. She loves to belt out Broadway show tunes. I plan to sing on the machine myself, I got hooked the other day when we first set it up.
The first official unveiling of the machine will be on November 28, Army Of Good Commander Lo Ann Sanders is coming with her own Army of Good, they’re bringing cookies.
Maria and I hope to organize a performance in next Monday or Tuesday. There is some growing excitement at the Mansion about Karaoke. I think it will be great for the residents.
Brace yourself for some challenging videos. I think we have everything we need now, including all of the appropriate cables.
I believe this machine to be important. Voices rising in song.
As part of my Mansion Aides Recognition Month, I’ve ordered 13 holiday boxes for the aides (I can’t yet reveal the contents). It’s something they and their families can eat.
We’ll distribute the boxes just before or after Thanksgiving.
I am very happy to report that I purchased a Pyle Pro 400 Watt Karaoke Machine with a wireless microphone, a screen and and Karaoke DVD Music player today from B&H Photo.
I had a 30 minute discussion with an electronics expert at B & H- I have always found them to be honest and patient. And it was surprisingly inexpensive.
I described the Mansion in detail and the residents and we both felt the Pyle Pro would be simple to install and use and easy to listen to. I also read more than 150 ratings online, most of them 5 star.
I also bought three Karaoke CD’s –classic songs, show tunes, and country hits. This machine can also play music from smart phones and tablets.
The lyrics will pop up on the screen so the Mansion residents can read them and sing along. I’ll emcee.
There is a lot of excitement at the Mansion about Karaoke, I’m hoping to spark a weekly-Karaoke- sing-a-long, there some real hams among the residents – Peggie, Madeline, Joan, Ruth – come to mind, maybe Allan.
I plan to sing along myself.
I’m having the machine delivered to my house tomorrow so I can make sure it’s all assembled and then I’ll bring it over to the Mansion.
I’m hoping Better Angel Lo Ann Sanders and I can plot a day during the holidays to stage the first Mansion Karaoke Concert.
Karaoke is an interactive entertainment system which originated in Japan in the 1970’s and 80’s. The term derives from “kara” which means “empty, and “okesutora” which means “orchestra.”
It is mostly sung in restaurants and bars.
The music is usually an instrumental version of a well-known popular song, lyrics are displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol, changing color, or music video images to guide the singer.
Special DVD’s project lyrics onto the screen.
It is especially valuable for the elderly in elder care facilities, who are often given concerts by local musicians, and can sing alone, but have no way of actively participating in the music.
This will be good for them. I picture them laughing and clapping along.
I think Karaoke is something that will stir up some happy spirits in many of the residents. The Karaoke machine cost $219, the Karaoke DVD’s – Musical Karaoke, Country Karaoke, and Classic Karaoke were ordered from Amazon, they cost $14.99 each.
I’m also beginning my weekly Mansion readings on December 4. I’m working to help offer stimulating activities to the residents on top of the activities they already have.
I’m working with two gerontologists and reading2connect to pick out some appropriate readings. The residents have asked that I read from one of my books also, I’ve chosen Saving Simon. And I’ve collected several stories written for those with memory issues.
I’ve been reading up on research about the elderly, reading, stories and memory. Stories can be very powerful.
I’m planning the readings to be interactive events, with a reading and some discussion afterwards. If some of the residents wish to help me read, that will be great.
I’ve been scheming for the holidays, here’s what else is planned:
I’ve raised several hundred dollars to help the residents pick out presents they want to give to each other and the Mansion aides.
I have 13 $50 Amazon Gift Certificates for the Mansion aides, they will be distributed next week.
I’ve ordered 50 engraved pens for the aides, they read “For Our Better Angels, The Mansion Aides.” I am hoping to give them some much deserved recognition this month. They work so hard and so so much.
Thanks for your support of this project (you especially Lisa). So those are my holiday plans for the Mansion, plus the Army Of Good is already sending stocking suffers and decorations for the Mansion Christmas Party on December 14.
Your cards and photos and crafts will be much appreciated. I am not planning any particular events for Thanksgiving, other than a visit from me and Red to see the residents who aren’t with families. Many of them go out with families for that holiday.
As part of the holidays, we’ve made sure everyone who needs socks, underwear, nightgowns, pajamas, jackets and warm slippers has what they need.
I think this will be a special holiday season for the residents, I am so grateful to all of you for your support. This work has become so important for me, and I see to some of you, and I am grateful for the opportunity.
This is the season when good people rise up and glow. That’s my plan.
Today I ordered the 13 $50 Amazon Gift Cards that I wrote about two weeks ago. They will be her by the end of the week, and I’ll gift them to Kasse, the acting Mansion Director, to distribute to the Mansion aides whenever she chooses.
I thank you for your support.
They are meant as a thank you and recognition to the aides who work so hard all year to care for the residents, and who are so faithful and loving in their word. I’m also getting them some more engraved pens – they all need pens – these are also styluses for using in phones and tablets, and are engraved with the inscription: “To Our Better Angels, The Mansion Aides.”
They are coming shortly. I’ll take photos.
The Mansion is a Medicaid facility, and as such, some of the residents have little money to spare. This week, I replaced the parakeet who died several weeks ago.
I got six pairs of underwear for residents who needed new underwear, and four sweatshirts so that some of the residents can go outside in the cold. I ordered two pairs of walking shoes for residents whose shoes are worn.
We got flowers and a teddy bear for Joan, recovering from an injury at a nearby nursing home.
I am still raising some funds to give to residents who want to chose inexpensive gifts for other residents and aides who have been helpful to them. The residents are grateful for the idea and are already giving me lists of gifts they want to buy for people.
And two other residents have requested comfort dolls. They cost about $100 each.
People without money can easily lose their dignity and sense of belonging, they need to give as well as received.
If you wish to support this work, you can do so by sending your donations – small ones are just as welcome as big ones – to me, Jon Katz. P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].
I’d like to see a few hundred more dollars in the Mansion account, especially as the holidays are approaching.
It would be great to send homemade decorations and small gifts for the Mansion Christmas Party, as the Army Of Good has been doing for a couple of years now. Those are wonderful parties and the residents look forward to them.
The residents love to receive your messages (some can’t reply to them).
Here is the latest approved list of residents who wish to receive your letters: Winnie, Ellen, Matt, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Diane, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, Bill, Blanche, Helen, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Jackie, Art, Guerda, Brenda, Wayne, Ruth.
The Army Of Good has always grasped the importance of bringing life to a place like the Mansion. We raised money to got summer the cat spayed and vaccinated, and now she is the Mansion cat.
Six months ago, we bought this spanking new cage for the Mansion’s two parakeets, who AOG members named (I forget their names, and so has almost everyone else.) Their old cage was too small.
A month ago, one of the parakeet died, a source of great sadness for Mary, the Mansion resident who volunteered to take care of the birds. Once they were in the Activity Room, now they’ve been moved to the Mansion hallway.
Mary was deeply affected by their death.
Friday, Mary asked me again if I could get another parakeet to keep this one from being alone, she said being alone sometimes kills parakeets. There was some truth to it, the surviving bird looked pretty down.
And a number of the Mansion residents were worried about the single parakeet.
I asked everybody if I should get another parakeet, but questions like that are tricky. The staff knows that sooner or later, they will have to take care of the birds and feed them every day and clean the cages.
And they have plenty to do.
Friday night, at Bingo, Mary made another plea to me for a parakeet, and this time it got to me.
I was already thinking about whether to do it or not.
I was researching parakeets all week online, and a few days ago I went to Petco to look at the birds and talk to the staff.
We all agreed a young female was the way to go, the bird in the case was also a female, and they almost always got along. Maria and I conferred, and we decided to go for it. We both agreed the parakeet needed a companion, and the residents needed their beloved birds. We launched our own secret plan.
We told no one what we were thinking, not the staff, not Mary, not any of the residents. We had a wild storm here all day, but after my writing workshop, we drove through heavy winds and rain to get to the Petco in Bennington Saturday afternoon.
It’s about 40 minutes to Bennington from the farm, the dark and stormy wind-whipped day gave a nice backdrop to the secret plot to bring another parakeet to the Mansion cage.
We saw the birds at Petco, they were all young, they all had their wings clipped so they couldn’t fly temporarily (the feathers grow back.) A staffer came we looked through the flock – there were about 30 – and picked the one Mary said she wanted – white with some grey.
I knew from my own reading that we needed a female.
It took about 15 minutes for the store aide to get a net on the bird we wanted, then we all helped to get him into a paper box with holes in it. The parakeets are not easy to trap.
The bird cost $21 and we bought some millet to put in the Mansion cage. Since it was cold and windy, we headed for the Mansion.
We stopped quickly at a Tractor Supply to get new winter gloves for me and Maria, mealworms for the chickens, and apple and alfalfa cookies for the donkeys.
When we arrived at the Mansion, it was pouring and we saw that all of the residents were in the Dining Room eating. We grabbed the box and the millet and walked quickly down the hallway.
The office door was closed, the aides were in the dining room feeding the residents and giving them their evening medications. Tim and Matt saw us through the window, we just kept moving.
The Mansion residents miss very little and several called out to me as I headed down the hallways. I thought this needed to be a secret mission, at least for a while. Nobody else saw us or knew what we were doing. We needed deniability.
We went to the hallway where the cage is – nobody was around – and we carefully opened the big side slot where food is brought in. The box was a tight squeeze but we maneuvered around and got it in there and then moved it to the bottom of the cage, and opened it.
This was the safest way to get the new bird in there without handling it or risking an injury.
Maria is the perfect partner for a secret adventure, we both felt great doing it and were having a blast. The Mansion needs life.
Our young bird, white and grey feathers, hopped out and jumped on a lower perch. The older bird jumped down to a lower perch and the two seemed happy to see one another.
Because the newcomer’s wings were clipped, she couldn’t yet fly up to the top of the cage.
We got the box out and put some millet in, and closed the big side slot. Then we gathered out things and headed out the door. As I left, I thought it might be a bad idea to surprise Mary and the residents for various good reasons.
We looked back and saw the new one sitting calmly on a low wooden perch, clearly a sign of being funded.
So I walked down the hall with Maria to the dining room and she went out to the car to get two books of crossword puzzles I bought for Madeline at Battenkill Books just a few minutes earlier.
Madeline is a sharp puzzle fan, she always has some crossword puzzle in her lap.
So that was it, the Parakeet Adventure went off without a hitch. If asked, we will deny any knowledge of the mission. What parakeet? Where could it have come from?
Maria and I were delighted, we had a blast and it feels so good to replace that bird.
You can contribute to our adventures. If you can, please think about donation to our Mansion Fund, active as we enter the holidays. I’ve got the Gift Cards for the aides coming, and have enough money to help the residents buy gifts for the aides and their close friends. Thanks.
The residents do need some things for the holidays.
You can support the Army Of Good by going to the button beneath each blog past and contributing. You can send a donation easily on Paypal, send it to [email protected]. You can also send a check to me, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Please mark any payment “the Mansion.”
And thank you. I’ll sneak back in a day or so and get a video of the new bird.
