Postcard from the Give & Take Table

There are not many institutions that have a talking table, especially one that actually sends postcards. However, Kendal’s Give & Take Table is one of the many interesting oddities one finds at this unusual community. We have recently received the following communication from our very own talking table.

Dear Kendalites,

Having a wonderful time … I’ve visited my cousins, the Pool Table, the Poker Table, and the Smorgasbord (she’s Swedish and doesn’t like to be called Buffet Table).

Next week I’m attending a lecture on the Periodic Table of Elements, the better to identify those unusual objects you bring to me.

See you Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 1st .

XOXO,

The Give and Take Table

Library News

News from the Library Committee:

Donations: We appreciate our residents’ willingness to donate books to the library; however, we just don’t have room to accept very many. We are particularly interested in relatively new books which are likely to appeal to many of our readers. If you have just a few books to donate, please put them in the Donations Bin in the library; if you have more, please contact Suzanne Adel or Sally Kellock. They will be happy to look at what you have and take what the library can use.

Please put all donations in the library bin. It was very upsetting recently to find large quantities of books piled on a carousel and dumped on the shelf and desk in the library.

Checking out Books: We are gratified that so many residents are using the library but concerned that so often books are taken without being signed out. As most of you are aware, there is a box on the right as you enter the library containing yellow slips for signing out books and pink ones for reserves.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO FILL OUT A YELLOW SLIP and leave it in the box to the left every time you take out a book.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Art Show

The Art Committee announced an upcoming Art Show on the Rue des Artistes.

The theme will be “Anything Goes,” and the show will run from October 19, 2021 to April 19, 2022

This is the first announcement to let residents and staff know the theme and give them time to prepare their submissions, which may include assemblages, paintings, drawings, fiber arts, sculpture, photography, wearable arts; whatever hangs on a wall or fits in a case.

Look for details in the next few weeks.

Questions? Get in touch with Curators: Lynn Brady, Ann Holloway, or Judy Baker.

The Art Room

A note from the Art Committee:

TREASURES OF THE ART ROOM ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE

Perhaps you have come to Kendal recently and perhaps you would like to know more about the Art Room and the Art Committee, both of which are open to all.

Quick Facts about the Art Room

- Always open

- Stocked with supplies to get you started

- Rental shelves available for your personal art supplies and works in progress

- Air filtration system + two portable air filters onsite

- Small collection of how-to books

- Tuesday and Thursday Drop-In Salon, 2:00-4:00 – drop in and work with others (no teacher)

- Saturday Open Studio, 10:00-12:00 – stop in for some support and advice from Ann Lasusa (Ann is off July-August, but the group still meets)

Workshops/classes, series

- Workshops taught by residents (no charge)

- Workshops taught by outside teachers (typically $15 per single session, more for two-part workshops and series)

- We aim to schedule something each month

How to keep informed

- Join the Art Committee to receive email announcements and reminders

- Help us run the committee: we have a few opportunities to get involved. What is your specialty?

- Come to a quarterly meeting and hear all our plans and accomplishments

- Contact a co-chair Gretchen Engler or Lynn Brady or any member of the Committee. We’re working to offer more opportunities to more residents. Let us know what would work for you.

Exploring Inner Exploration

INTRODUCTION TO OUR INNER EXPLORATION GROUP

On Monday, August 30 at 11:00 am OR Monday, September 13 at 11:00 am, in the Gathering Room, residents can join Hanan Watson, Dorothy Muller, and Rema Sessler to learn about the Kendal Inner Exploration Groups, which will start in mid-September.

We will meet in small groups every other week to reflect on poetry, quotations, stories, and short texts. We will practice listening to each other deeply and without judgment. Our goal is to respond from the heart rather than in intellectual discussion.

Please join us on one of the above dates in the Gathering Room to learn more, or contact: Hanan Watson, Dorothy Muller, or Rema Sessler.

For a link to their poster, click here.

COVID-19 UPDATE

The Infection Control Team has been active since February 2020, meeting at least weekly for over a year to proactively manage the impact of COVID-19 on our Kendal community. The Team uses State and Federal (CMS) data in conjunction with CDC recommendations to guide thought processes and decision-making.

The CDC has now designated Westchester County as an area of "HIGH" COVID-19 transmission.

This is an upgrade from last week's “SUBSTANTIAL” status. The New York Forward website reports that the “percentage of positive COVID-19 test results” over the course of the past seven days is currently at 2.5%.

Considering this, the following changes to Kendal protocols are effective by Friday, August 13.

MASKS

• Independent Residents are required to wear masks when they are out of their apartments, including in common areas and in group meetings.

• When visiting in a private apartment, Independent Living Residents may use their discretion as to whether those in attendance are masked or unmasked.

• Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Residents traveling about the community will also be asked to mask when outside of their neighborhood of residence.

BISTRO and DINING

• Wine and Cheese events will be placed on pause and will be evaluated going forward

• All patrons of the Bistro and dining areas should leave their masks on while waiting in line and seated; remove masks only during eating.

Visitor Information

• All visitors to Kendal on Hudson MUST come through the front entrance of Mary Powell to be screened for COVID before proceeding to their destination. Families and private duty aides should not be entering through the “back doors” of Clermont, Robert Fulton, or Alida.

• ALL visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are asked to wear masks in common areas and hallways.

• Visitors for Independent Living – may take masks off in private apartments, at the discretion of the resident

• Visitors to Adirondack, Sunnyside and Clearwater are asked to always wear masks inside the building; masks may be removed for outdoor visits only; Visitors should follow instructions of the neighborhood staff at the time of each visit to ensure that current regulations are met

• Bistro seated-dining is open to VACCINATED guests only. Please keep masks on until seated and eating. Unvaccinated guests may go through the line for take-out only. Please note that this applies to our younger visitors who are not vaccinated; please dine with them in your private apartment, not in the shared dining venues

Tips for outings away from Kendal:

The CDC has expanded mask guidance and recommendations for VACCINATED people when indoors, based on the community prevalence of COVID.

Westchester County – and its surrounding counties - is currently designated as an area of HIGH COVID transmission. Exercise caution and best judgment when visiting off-campus locations. Please wear your mask in stores and other indoor locations. Please be mindful of those you gather with in group settings; consider if they have been traveling and/or have been in situations where they could have been exposed.

Protect yourself against unnecessary exposure to COVID-19: when in doubt, wear your mask and ask others to also.

Should the Department of Health, New York State, or Westchester County governments impose any closures due to the rise in COVID, Kendal on Hudson will follow accordingly. However, the Infection Control Team / Administration may proactively take decisions regarding changes in operations and policy, if deemed in the community's best interest.

Website News: Consider Helping with Part of the Residents Website

Want to meet interesting people?  Want to help create the KoH Residents Website and contribute to Kendal on Hudson’s vibrant life? If so, the Website Committee would love to learn of your interest and background.  We are looking for people who want to learn how we produce our website, with the aim of becoming involved in that process.

Helpful background includes any or all of the following: familiarity with computers, writing, editing, graphic design, digital photography, or web design (no HTML coding required). You don’t need to have all of the above, but some comfort and experience with computers is helpful. Most important is the willingness to learn how to do new things. 

Some jobs require an hour or so of work a week, others could involve more. All are important and useful.   We’ll have a kick-off event in September to share some of what we do and to explore your interests, so watch this space in Spotlight and on the website for information about when and where. 

Meanwhile, you can think about it over the next several weeks. If you have questions, contact Jeff O’Donnell or Caroline Persell, co-chairs of the Website Committee, via email.

New Trip Announced

A new trip has been announced by the Trips Committee.

On Wednesday, September 22, participants will travel to the Walkway Over the Hudson, Highland to Poughkeepsie.

Why take a ferry or the Mid-Hudson Bridge when you can walk a one-way distance of 1.28 miles at your own pace 212 feet above the river, and the van will pick you up on the Poughkeepsie side? 

This trip is for those who have the stamina to walk it and want the pleasure of communing with the bridge, the water, the sky and the scenery with a 360-degree view. 

A typical crossing includes adults of all ages, children, baby carriages, bicycles and dogs.  The ADA-compliant walkway and 21-story glass elevator to the waterfront are shut down during thunder, lightning and high winds.  Sign up in the Trips Book.

*****

Wait-listed Trips:

Wednesday, August 18, 8:55 am, Washington’s Headquarters, Newburgh

Wednesday, September 1, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT

Kendal Chorale

KENDAL CHORALE TO RESUME REHEARSALS IN SEPTEMBER

Here’s a message from Bob Singleton and Jody Spellun.

We are happy to announce that rehearsals of the Kendal Chorale will start again on September 23, at 1:00 pm, in the Gathering Room. Under our skilled director Nell Macdonald, we will begin to prepare for our next concert.

Want to join us? Come try us out. We welcome new members, and we may be just what you need.

Questions? Call Bob or Jody

Zoom Lecture: French Fashion, Women, and the First World War

On August 16 Kendal will sponsor a talk at 7:30 pm via Zoom. The speaker will be Emma Cormack who will talk on: “French Fashion, Women, and the First World War.”

The recent Bard Graduate Center exhibition French Fashion, Women and the First World War examined the dynamic relationship between fashion, war, and gender politics in France during World War I.

In examining the marketing and propaganda efforts undertaken by the French government, press, and designers to keep the fashion industry alive during the war, the exhibition broadened understanding of war culture and offered a new perspective on the history of French women in the early 20th century.

Our speaker Emma Cormack holds a Master’s degree from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City. Her research includes the history of fashion and consumer culture in late-19th and early-20th century France, with a particular interest in department stores, print advertising, and Universal Exhibitions.

She is co-curating an upcoming exhibition Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen.