Monday morning begins with sunshine, rising temps and Monday Movers seated exercise group! It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve exercised so it felt wonderful to gather together to stretch out our muscles. We move right into Karaoke Sing Along next and although our singing group is small this morning, we are mighty and belt out the tunes right up until lunchtime! After the midday meal and mail pass, it’s time for our inner artists to shine at Crafty Corner; today, we make poppy flower wreaths in honor of Memorial Day next week. The red blooms make a striking display on our gallery wall and they are a beautiful reminder to always remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. The afternoon activities culminate in a game of Tic Tac Toss and you would think after a couple of weeks of not playing our residents would be a little rusty, but that is definitely not the case. Shirley Klinski comes in fourth place, Linda Tollefson finishes in third place and Frances White grabs second place! Dennis Schuh dominates first place with several “3 in a rows” and 130 points! We end the busy day with some supper and Monday night Bingo. Thank you to Joyce and Marie Berger for all their wonderful help with setting up, cleaning up and passing candy prizes!

The pleasant weather continues into Tuesday as we gather after breakfast for Catholic mass; the service brings warmth to our souls, just as the temperature outside brings warmth to our world.  Lunch follows and in no time at all we wheel out the popcorn machine to make a batch of fresh, yummy popcorn for our Popcorn Social! The delicious treat brings a smile to everyone’s face and is quickly gobbled up by our residents. As we continue into the afternoon, Pastor Palo from Arkansaw Methodist Church stops by for a church service. We cap off the day with a little supper and then an evening of games with Aaliyah! 

We bowl our hearts out Wednesday morning and it’s a tight competition throughout four rounds. Alice Brantner comes in fourth place, Milda Bautch is the third-place winner and Kevin Bauer comes in second place! Our first-place winner is Jeff Halverson with a near perfect score of 39 points! Lunch and mail delivery follow soon after and then it’s time for an afternoon of Fruit Bingo fun. It’s extra special today as nine Ave Maria Academy students join us for the game! We are always on the edge of our seats to see who gets blackout first and this week Dorothy Pfaffe is the big winner. We appreciate having the help of volunteers Harriet Rothe (calling numbers, set up and clean up) and Irene Helmueller (set up, clean up and candy prize delivery); you ladies are wonderful! Everyone sticks around after bingo to attend the Root Beer Float Social and it is a delicious way to end the afternoon. Yum yum!

Thursday began with a delicious cup of coffee and the local news being read to residents. We always appreciate everyone who stops by for a chat and to keep us informed on what is happening in our community! Lunch follows and then we have a couple ladies lined up for manicures. Freshly painted nails dried just in time for the puppies to arrive! Our residents (and staff) always love cuddling and cooing over these little bundles of furry energy! It was so much fun to watch them scamper around and roughhouse with each other. We find it hard to tear ourselves away from these cute canines but soon, supper was ready and then it was time for an evening of Pokeno with Aaliyah!  

Dart Ball kicks off our Friday morning with five residents hoping to take home the title of first place! While we have a slightly smaller group playing than usual, several others come out to cheer them on and watch the fun. The fifth-place winner is Jeff Halverson, fourth place goes to Goldie Helwig, Kevin Bauer claims third place and Alice Brantner and Dennis Schuh tie for second place! Shirley Klinski is the first-place winner this week! Our game takes us almost right up to lunch and after the meal there is a little bit of downtime to relax. Soon the dining room starts to fill up with folks as we prepare for our weekly Happy Hour, this week with music by Jim Sexton and fresh, buttery popcorn to snack on. A yummy supper is served and then residents stick around for our Friday night movie. This week’s flick is “Love Me Tender” starring Elvis Presley. What a wonderful way to end the day (and week!) As the weather keeps getting more and more beautiful, we would sure love to see your smiling faces; stop by for a visit anytime!