Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

I came home from visiting the Mansion residents around 5 p.m., Maria has been sick – looks like food poisoning – and in bed for most of the day.

I taught my writing class this morning, then went shopping for flowers and gifts to bring the residents. It was icy and raining all day.

I talked to the class about the Bedlam Farm Writer’s and Poet’s Workshop, all of my students are doing a joint reading on February 9th at 2 p.m. at the Battenkill Book Store on Main Street in Cambridge (518 677 2515), N.Y. I’ll be reading a bit from the next book, “Gus and Red” as well.

They’ll each be presenting short offerings of their poems and  essays, this is the first public reading my workshop has ever had, this class is going into it’s fifth year with me, they are extraordinary – Rachel Barlow, Caroline Ashton, Amy Herring, Sandy Van Dyk, Susan Popper, Jen Baker-Porazinski, Caroline Smith, will all be there.

Thanks to Connie Brooks for agreeing to host this reading, I can tell  you their work is very special. Three will read from their published books of poems. A wonderful day for them, for me.

The public is very much invited. I hope some people in the area can come.

When I pulled into the driveway, I looked up to see that the skies were clearing at last, and there was a beautiful sunset of a color I don’t remember seeing.

I didn’t have my big camera with me, so I pulled out my Iphone X and ran out into the pasture to try to get a wide view. Mother Earth was in a good mood, she gave me some beautiful light and I thank her.

I wanted to offer a early update on what your support has enabled me to give to the Mansion residents today, many of whom are still in an adult care center 16 miles from the place they call home, the Mansion.

I’ve learned in the past few days just how safe and secure they feel at the Mansion, I can see how special a place it is with my own eyes, and I am seeing the fear and confusion and dislocation their evacuation has caused them.

This is such a fragile age, and they were taken from the Mansion of necessity quickly and without time for explanation. No one was hurt or injured in any way, thanks to the very quick work of the staff and the aides.

But they were certainly upset.

“Did I do something wrong?,” Alice asked me this afternoon when I brought her flowers and a stuffed animal at the Mansion. “Why did they make me leave?”

I told her she did nothing wrong, that she was going home. The Mansion staff is telling everyone the same thing.

The  repairs are almost finished at the Mansion, the special heaters and humidifiers are humming day and night. The roof has been repaired. The residents are now at the mercy of state officials, who won’t be available to inspect the Mansion repairs until Monday at the earliest, they have to approve the move back.

The best guess is that the residents will return on Wednesday, Mansion officials broke the news to them this morning, they are sad and frustrated but relieved to know they will be going home, as they call the Mansion.

I appreciate the transparency of the Mansion owners and staff – they come twice a day to update each  resident on the progress and plan for return.

I wanted to let you know what I am going, thanks to the Army Of Good.

First, I went to a local supermarket – we have no local florists in my town – I bought eight baskets of flowers, six African violets and a couple of mixed baskets that are right.

I made a stop at Battenkill Books where I bought eight stuffed animals in their children’s section – the residents love their stuffed animals, I’ve gotten a lot of them there.

I brought a bag of sugar-free chocolate jellies, eight large print books.

We are making arrangements for a band and the delivery of Chinese Food – the residents have been asking me for this for months – to have a Homecoming Celebration – when they return. We’ll put on quite a party.

I showed up at the Danforth Adult Center hauling six large bags full of flowers, food and stuffed animals, we were a big hit. Dozens of the Danforth residents pleaded to touch Red, so we spent an hour visiting them.

“You are so lucky to have a dog like that visiting you,” Jeanette told Jean, from the Mansion.

I brought Sylvie a beautiful Tote Bag from Asia, a stuffed Llama, paper, envelopes and stamps so she could resume her letter writing. I brought her some purple African violets, which she loves, and a special colorful green slouch hat for her to wear – she had to leave her hats back at the Mansion. She was very happy and actually told me that she loved me, and that she loved Red.

Sylvie is getting strong and comfortable again, she clearly understands what is happening and asked me to make sure I saw  each and every resident and gave them flowers.  She followed me to make sure that I didn’t miss anyone. I didn’t.

I brought flowers and some food to Bill and Brother Peter, both of them seem deeply depressed and frustrated by having to leave the Mansion. The disorientation was very vivid. Peter is a stoic, he has been a monk for 50 years, he understands acceptance.

I brought Alanna some toiletries she requested, and visit Alan in his room. Alan, always poised, just shrugged when I asked him if he was okay.

I’ll put up some photos of the visit tonight, but I just wanted to let you know what your donations have already wrought and I thank you.

I think we made a huge difference yesterday and today. I’m going back tomorrow. Red and I were at the Mansion for three hours, he spent some time with every resident, and with many other aged people he had never meet.

I can tell you the residents are in good care, are beginning to understand what is happening, and are very eager to get back to the Mansion.

I was happy to spread the message I was told I could spread: they are all coming home in two or three days, that is not in doubt, barring some unforeseen development.

I have this odd habit of reading more than one book at a time, I’ve always been able to do that, perhaps a part of being Dyslexic, I am told.

I can go back and forth without losing the thread, sometimes I stay with one book all the way. I’m not an especially fast reader, unless I really get hooked, then I’ll sit up all night reading.

People always thank me for sharing the books I’m reading, so I’ll list these four that I’m reading on and off.

The first is Border Districts, a novel by the writer Gerald Murnane of Australia,  a perennial candidate for the Nobel Prize.

The second is the Eternal Now, by the late spiritual philosopher Paul Tillich.

The Third is The Sound Of A Wild Snail Eating, a beautifully written, touching book by the writer Elisabeth Tova Bailey, in which she describes how a terrestrial snail accompanied her on a long and debilitating illness.

Maria and I are both fascinated by snails, mysterious and surprisingly complex creatures, gliding through their nights.

I love this story, yet another tale in the hands of a gifted and disciplined writer,  her story reminds us in a powerful and graceful way just s how much an animal can mean to us  during critical points in our lives.

And then, one of my favorite novelists, The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler, which I’ve read at least 100 times and love more each time I read it.

My last two books before these were Almost Everything, Notes On Hope, by Anne Lamott, and Henri Nouwen’s Discernment: Reading The Signs Of Daily Life.

(P.S. If you get a chance, check out Derry Girls, a six-part series on Netflix about a group of teenage girls and their hilarious families, and a strange English boy, living and surviving in Derry, an impoverished Northern Ireland city at the heart of the Troubles between the Irish and the British.

It is wonderfully written, witty and deep,  and very funny. Every actor in it is wonderful. I was so sorry when I got through all six episodes.)

Life can happen to anyone, but when it happens to the extreme elderly, there is something heartbreaking about it.

Most of the Mansion residents have been pulled out of their lives and routines, and it is wrenching to see how frightened and disoriented they are.

Routine and familiarity are so important to them.

The residents who were transported to a different adult care facility – the Danforth in Hoosick Falls, N.Y. – seem the most confused and anxious. They were hoping to get to the Mansion this weekend, but the repairs there will take more time, possibly well into next week.

Some of the residents are staying with their families. Some don’t have any families.

The Homecoming Party we are planning for them on Wednesday might may have to be pushed back a day or so.

Maria and I went to the Mansion tonight – the dining and Great Rooms were untouched by the flooding, and all of the residents still at the Mansion turned out for Bingo.

There were three of them, they were eager to play. They miss their friends and all of the activity. But there was an eerie quiet in the building.

We have gotten very comfortable with one another. We trade phrases that rhyme with the numbers called, they razz me about my voice and calling techniques.

I’ve been canvassing the residents and aides, I think I’m going to go to the Danforth tomorrow with some stuffed animals, a couple of colorful hats and some sugar-free raspberry chocolates.

Also some cards, colorful books about animals and some stationery and stamps. I’ll see what clothes might need to be replaced.

I’ll bring Red too, he is skilled at lifting spirits, or at least comforting and distracting them. The Bingo game was fun, it was a quiet and intimate game, everybody won.

Madeline is struggling to remember that she isn’t yet allowed to go back to her room, she’s sleeping in a room upstairs. I can see the confusion in her face.

I feel for the residents, there is something heartbreaking about life erupting at such a fragile and vulnerable point. Acceptance is one of the ways they come to terms with this point in their loves, and being uprooted in this way arouses their worst fears.

I’m certain they will be back in the Mansion sometime over the next few days, and they are excited to hear about the Homecoming Party we are planning – music and the Chinese takeout food they have been wanting for many months.

The aides are taking their usual great care of the residents, everyone is working to keep them informed, calm and settled. Thanks for your support. It will be put to good use.

Thanks to your enthusiastic support, I figured out several ways to help the Mansion residents as the facility struggles to make repairs on the roof and plumbing and bring the residents back, hopefully over the weekend.

I’ve offered to sponsor a celebration and Homecoming Party when everyone gets back, hopefully by Sunday, surely by Wednesday. Kassi, the Mansion Director was enthusiastic about the idea, so are the aides.

The residents have been clamoring for Chinese food for some time, so we’ll order take-out from the town’s only Chinese restaurant. We’ll also hire a singer or a band to bring some music to the party.

I think this will help ground the residents on their return, and calm everyone down. They are all eager to get back “home,” as they put it, and they are deserving of a party to celebrate.

It also gives them something to look forward to. They love parties and celebrations. This was a very hard week for them, I’m going back to see them in their temporary homes this afternoon.

I felt good about our visit yesterday, I think it mattered.

As of Friday, state health officials have not yet given the OK to bring everyone back, but that decision seems very close.

I’m also learning of the specific needs and interests that the residents might have, there was some damage in some of the rooms. I’m trying to get hold of some flowers and some special stuffed animals.

I think they will need some attention for a while, I know some need clothing and some personal items. I want to make everyone is whole and settled. The Mansion will take care of all the big stuff, like the roof, I’m looking for the holes between the cracks and the personal things that really matter.

Your contributions make all the difference, and thanks. If anyone wishes to contribute to  Mansion support,  you can do so via Paypal, [email protected] (please mention “Mansion,” and also by sending a check to Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.)

Thank you so much. I am glad to be able to do this, it will really help the residents and the staff. They had a hard week, but they can celebrate getting through it.