We had a small (but mighty!) group of residents show up for our Monday Movers seated exercise group and it’s always a great feeling to stretch out those muscles after a weekend of relaxing. Afterwards, Stacey tuned up the piano and we stretched our vocal chords at Sing Along, singing timeless tunes like “Clementine” and “How Great Thou Art.” All that moving, stretching and singing worked up quite the appetite for lunch; once the meal concluded and the mail was delivered, it was time for Crafty Corner. This week’s art project was painting custom zippered canvas bags. It’s wonderful to see how residents start with the same materials yet each finished project is completely unique; that’s the beauty of art! Once the paint and brushes were put away, we gathered a group on the back patio for a game of Tic Tac Toss. Virginia Fritz and Alice Brantner took home fourth place, Shirley Klinski and Goldie Helwig came in third place and Kevin Bauer was in second place. Dennis Schuh dominated the first place spot this week with multiple three-in-a-rows and a mind-blowing 150 points total! We ended the day with a little supper and Monday night Bingo. Thank you to volunteers Riley, Joyce Berger and Marie Berger for all their superb help with set-up, clean-up and passing candy prizes!

Tuesday was a fairly laid-back day; we started off the morning with prayers and reflection at mass with Father Jojo for our Catholic residents. Lunch, room visits and mail delivery was next on the day’s agenda and those not taking a post-meal snooze soon joined us back in the dining room for an afternoon Popcorn Social! No one turns down a heaping bowlful of the crunchy, salty snack while chatting with friends and laughing the day away. Soon it was time for afternoon church and Stacey played the piano as we gathered to sing uplifting hymns. Our evening concluded with a fun night of games with Aaliyah!

Wednesday morning brought out the bowlers and what a big group we had. Thirteen of our residents stepped up to the lanes to test their bowling prowess and they did not disappoint! Judy Thorn came in fourth place, Jeff Halverson was in third place and Kevin Bauer held the second place spot. Milda Bautch was the first-place champion! Then it was on to lunch and afternoon activities beginning with Fruit Bingo. Thank you to our volunteers Marlene Zimmer and Kathy Shingledecker for their stellar assistance with set-up, clean-up and candy prize passing. This week we had two ladies win blackout: Milda Bautch and Myrna Buchholtz! Many of our folks then stayed in the dining room for our mid-week Caramel Corn Social. 

Harriet Rothe joined us Thursday morning to read all the happenings from the local papers and to share a cup of coffee. We loved hearing what’s going on in the community and connecting with all the kind volunteers who stop by for a visit! Lunch followed and mid-afternoon many of our ladies lined up for manicures, so we were kept busy all afternoon tending to their nails. The gals always choose such fun colors; pinks and red are always very popular, but lately we’ve been seeing several shades of green plus glitter added as a top coat! We cap off the day with some supper and then an evening of Pokeno with Aaliyah.

Shuffleboard kicks off our Friday morning and we have a good time cheering each other on!  Shirley Klinski came in fourth place, Jeff Halverson was in third place and Kevin Bauer took home second place. Alice Brantner was our first-place winner this week! All that shuffleboard worked up our appetites for lunch and once the meal concluded, we prepared the ingredients for this week’s Snack Makers recipe. The ladies get a break from the cooking and a couple of our fellas take the reins in the kitchen and help us make pizza roll ups for Happy Hour! Larry Radle stops by for afternoon Happy Hour and we spend the next hour singing along with him to all the best tunes. Supper followed and then we settled in for the Friday Movie Night. We enjoyed watching “My Girl” with some popcorn and soda! We invite you to stop by for some conversation and a cup of coffee, you won’t be disappointed. See you soon!