After the weekend, everybody was looking a little tired, so Noel woke folks up with some exercise at Monday Movers! It was a great 30-minute seated workout that helped the group energize for the eventful day. Once Stacey brought her guitar out for Sing Along a little later, more residents had joined in and there was a chorus of beautiful voices coming from the dining room! During lunchtime, there was a brief yet moving ceremony to honor our veterans as it was Veterans Day. Because there was no mail due to the holiday, Noel and Chef Jeff got right to work after the noon meal at Kitchen Corner! This week’s baking bonanza featured a very simple, yet delicious, Apple Spice Dump Cake and once it was in the oven, the rest of the afternoon passed peacefully in conversation. Before long, Noel wrangled quite a few folks together in the dining room for our afternoon game of Tic Tac Toss and there were quite a few winners this week! Alice Brantner, Milda Bautch, Ivan Mason and Eugene Leonard all placed fourth, Judy Thorn and Carol Campbell tied for third, and Kay George and Herb Tschumperlin both placed second. The lone first-place winner this week was Yvonne Sinz! Supper was served to the hungry crowd and then it was time to play Monday night Bingo with Pat Frion and Teresa Fedie. Thank you for all of your help with the game ladies!   

Father Jojo and Terry Pelzel arrived after breakfast Tuesday morning and folks gathered in the dining room for Mass. We are so thankful for our faith leaders’ dedication to serving our community and our residents always welcome the peaceful start to their day! Lunch followed Mass and after the dishes were done and mail was delivered, Noel plugged in the popcorn machine to make bowlfuls of piping hot popcorn for the masses. The scent of buttery, salty popcorn wafted down the hallways and folks flocked to the dining room to claim their bowl! There is also plenty of time on Tuesday afternoons for room visits, with Stacey serving up the laughs with lots of jokes. Later in the afternoon, Stacey and Noel brought folks back into the dining room for a hymn sing and we spent the next 30 minutes in prayerful song. A little supper and then Willow was here for evening games!

Once Wednesday morning rolled around, residents were ready for one of our most anticipated games of the week…Bowling! There was a large number of competitors ready to play but we still made it through three exciting rounds, in which Kevin Bauer and Kathy Geraets scored fourth, Don Melstrom and Milda Bautch tied for third, and Goldie Helwig and Judy Thorn placed second. There was also a tie for first between Jeff Halverson and Mary Matzek! We played right up until lunchtime and once the meal was through and mail passed out, Noel began setting up the dining room for Fruit Bingo. We had a huge crowd yet again, with 28 players seated at seven tables! Assistance with the game from volunteers Lana Ingli and Shirley Klein was very much appreciated with such a large group. We also had a record number of Blackout Bingos this week, with Herb Tschumperlin, Julie Tschumperlin, Shirley Klinski and Kathy Geraets all winning a $1 prize! After a fun-filled morning and afternoon, it was nice to kick back at our Mid-Week Social with a slice of Apple Spice Dump Cake, complete with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream.    

We slowed things down a little bit Thursday morning at our Local News and Coffee group, this week with Kathy Shingledecker! She read residents all the latest news from the local papers and also brought along a book about whales, sharing pictures and stories about these gentle and massive ocean creatures. After lunch, Stacey got right to work with manicures for our lovely ladies, although there were not quite as many as last week, thank goodness! The color of polish the gals choose tends to echo whatever season we’re in and so the popular color choices this fall have been glorious golds and pretty purples. As nails were drying, we popped in a movie, “The Tooth Fairy 2,” in the dining room TV to help pass the time. Stacey packed up her manicure supplies and went off to visit folks in their rooms until supper, after which Willow was here for the evening Pokeno game!       

Friday is one of the most fun days and we kicked off the end of the week with a game of Shuffleboard. It was a big group that came to play but we managed to make it through four rounds, which almost ran into lunchtime! Kathy Geraets came in fourth, Milda Bautch was third place, and Dell Kannel and Don Melstrom tied for second. Ivan Mason came out on top with a first-place win this week! Thankfully, we didn’t miss the noon meal and afterwards, eight Ave Maria students stopped by for our monthly Book Buddies activity. The kids practiced their reading with residents and everyone agreed that no matter how old you are, it is always enjoyable to be read to! Once the kids headed back to school, the quiet afternoon was filled with visiting and one-on-one activities. Jim Sexton arrived a little later and started setting up for Happy Hour; this month was our monthly Birthday Celebration Happy Hour, so amidst the polkas and waltzes Jim played, we also sang a round of “Happy Birthday” to all the folks with a November birthday! The chocolate cupcakes we snacked on were a delicious addition to our party. We still had room in our tummies for supper and then the lights were turned down for Movie Night, with “Change of Habit” playing on the big screen!