Every Monday morning, we shake out the cobwebs from the weekend with a little exercise at Monday Movers and Noel got the crowd going with 30 minutes of an invigorating arms and legs workout! Once everyone cooled down, it was time for a little Karaoke Sing Along. Singing and music is always a popular pastime at the care center and the crowd grew in size as the tunes kept coming! Once lunch was enjoyed, Noel and Chef Jeff were in the dining room making a delicious Apple Crisp for Wednesday’s social. Kay George came to keep them company as Noel peeled, cored and sliced a dozen apples, while Jeff whipped up the oatmeal topping! Once the appetizing apple dessert was baked and cooling, Noel gathered residents for a game of Tic Tac Toss. Jeff Halverson scored fourth place, Judy Thorn placed third and Kevin Bauer came in second. Kay George and Herb Tschumperlin tied for first place with a huge 105 points each! After the game, supper was served and then Marie and Joyce Berger arrived for Monday night Bingo. Thank you for all your help ladies!  

Father Jojo and Terry Pelzel were here Tuesday morning for Mass and residents welcomed the quiet service as the start to their day. Lunch soon followed church and then as the afternoon began, Noel came to make delicious popcorn and pass it out to everyone at the Popcorn Social! Tuesdays are always a slower-paced and relaxing day and it’s nice to have extra time to linger while we visit, chat and laugh with one another. As the afternoon continued, Pastor Darren from Lund Covenant arrived for church and residents gathered to listen to his words of peace and comfort. Soon, the light outside was softening and dinner was upon us; afterwards, Willow entertained everyone with an evening of games! 

By Wednesday, we were ready to go bowling in the morning and our players were ready to strut their stuff on the lane! Kevin Bauer came in fourth, Milda Bautch was third and Janet Robelia and Judy Thorn tied for second. Jeff Halverson beat everyone and won first place this week! Residents refreshed themselves with a little lunch afterwards and then it was soon time for Fruit Bingo, this week with Lana Ingli passing out prizes and helping set up and clean up. We appreciated her smiling face and all the help!  Julie Tschumperlin was our Blackout Bingo champion! No sooner than the bingo chips and cards were cleaned up that we brought out slices of apple crisp baked on Monday for our Mid-Week Social. It was cinnamon-y and delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Kathy Shingledecker stopped by Thursday morning for our weekly Local News and Coffee group. She read residents all the headlines and kept the HUGE group entertained with lots of laughs and jokes! Folks are always so happy to visit with all our stellar volunteers and they appreciate catching up on what’s happening in the surrounding communities! After lunch, Stacey gave a few ladies manicures and visited with folks outside to soak up the beautiful day. Thursday afternoons after manicures are always set aside for peaceful visiting and relaxation but once supper came and went, Willow assembled a large group in the dining room for an evening game of Pokeno!

Friday fun finally came and Noel rounded up a few folks for Shuffleboard before lunch. Nancy Bishop won fourth place, Jeff Halverson took third and Judy Thorn claimed second. Milda Bautch was our first-place winner this week! Lunch, room visits and mail delivery kicked off the afternoon and then it was on to Snack Makers, where Noel had Chef Jeff’s assistance frosting cookies with green frosting. While they were busy with the cookies, Stacey was setting up our photo booth in anticipation for our Pickle Party Happy Hour! Did you know it was not only Friday the 13^th but also National “Snack a Pickle” Day? We sadly did not have live music this afternoon, but Stacey and Noel (dressed up as a couple of pickles!) put on some polka tunes and old-time country music. We had a lively social hour, singing along to the tunes as everyone got dressed up in their briny best to have their photos taken. Fun was had by all and the afternoon flew by fast! After supper, we drew the blinds and fired up the projector for Movie Night; this week’s feature film was “An American Pickle.”