Monday morning dawned with the same warm temperatures as the weekend, and the activities inside the care center were just as hot as we began the week! Card Club met after breakfast for many exciting hands of Euchre and UNO. The card players had so much fun that we played right through Karaoke! Lunch followed, then Chef Jeff and Noel got right to work at Kitchen Corner; the baking buddies mixed up several pans of soft and chewy sugar cookies in anticipation for our Mid-Week Social! Once the cookies came out of the oven to cool, it was time to gather folks for an afternoon game of Lawn Darts in the backyard. The weather was absolutely perfect for the outdoor game and the scores were close: Janice Middle (Seasons) came in fourth place, Ivan Mason was third, and Judy Thorn (Seasons) scored second. Carol Bauer (Seasons) was our first-place winner this week! After supper, folks stuck around to play Monday night Bingo, with assistance by Marie and Joyce Berger. Thanks for all the help, ladies! 

We began our Tuesday with Father Jojo and Terry Pelzel at Mass for our Catholic residents. It was peaceful respite from the flurry of activity the day before! After lunch, there was plenty of time to deliver the mail and chat with friends. The popcorn machine was fired up by Willow in the early afternoon for our Popcorn Social and soon you could hear (and smell!) those kernels popping away! As residents scooped up every last bit of popcorn, more room visits and popcorn deliveries to residents took up the remainder of the afternoon. The summer weather was perfect for lots of walks and rides outside, along with social visits inside complete with plenty of jokes and laughing! Soon, it was time to gather in the dining room for church; this week Pastor Darren from Lund Mission Covenant was here for the afternoon prayer service.

The warm Wednesday morning began with bowling and we had a large group of competitors ready to play! Milda Bautch was fourth place, Rita Morrison came in third and Barb Holmstadt was second. Janet Robelia placed first this week with a near-perfect score--thank you to Janet’s son, John, for helping with pin setting! Lunch was enjoyed by all the hungry bowlers and then we assembled after the meal for Fruit Bingo. Wanda Ebensperger and Shirley Klein were here to lend their assistance with the game, which we always appreciate. You ladies are wonderful; thank you for all your help! Dorothy Crane (Seasons) was the big winner of $1 this week at Blackout Bingo! Once the game concluded, it was time to relax at the Mid-Week Social; this week, we enjoyed sugar cookies and ice-cold milk. What better way to celebrate National Sugar Cookie Day!

Thursday morning at our weekly Local News and Coffee group, Kathy Shingledecker read residents all the headlines in the papers and along with chatting about the news, everyone shared in lots of good belly laughs too! After lunch, Stacey worked her way through a large lineup of ladies waiting for manicures. She filed and polished many sets of nails and each of our gals admired the pretty polish job once Stacey had finished. After manicures, Thursday afternoons are always set aside for peaceful visiting and relaxation; Stacey brought around her guitar for musical social visits and residents soaked up some sunshine outside before supper!

The end of the week finally came and Noel began the day with a goofy game of Chicken Toss Twister! The competition was fierce and once all the points had been tallied, Alice Brantner came in third and Goldie Helwig tied with Wilbur Black for second. Carol Bauer (Seasons) was this week’s first place winner of the game! Lunch brought an end to the morning merry-making and once the dishes were done and the mail delivered, things quieted down during the early afternoon. But soon, The Earney’s arrived for our Birthday Celebration Happy Hour and folks came down to the dining room to sing along to the lively tunes, as well as snack on frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles in celebration of all our July birthdays! The party was over way too quickly, but soon supper was served and then the John Wayne and Lauren Bacall western “The Shootist” was shown on the big screen to entertain folks in the evening.