Monday was so cold, dreary and gray that we had to shake things up a bit and bring a little sunshine inside at Monday Movers seated exercise group. We cranked up the music and had a blast with Beach Ball Toss. We assembled everyone in a circle and let loose two beach balls in the middle; we kicked, tossed and volleyed the balls back and forth, all while laughing up a storm! It was so much fun and put everyone in a much brighter mood. We had so much fun that we completely forgot about Karaoke, but nobody seemed to mind! Lunch quickly followed our beach ball bonanza and once the mail was passed out and the dining room cleaned up, we came together for Crafty Corner. This week we created watermelon banners to adorn our gallery wall; the residents painted paper plates to look like slices of watermelon which looked almost good enough to eat! Time flew that afternoon and before you knew it, everyone gathered for an exciting game of Tic Tac Toss! This week’s winners were Mary Matzek in fourth place, Virginia Fritz in third place, and Maria Christopherson in second place. This week’s first-place champion was Frances White! Our game took us to suppertime and then we had our Monday evening Bingo game. A big “Thank You” to Joyce and Marie Berger for helping set up, clean up and pass candy prizes!

Tuesday morning began with Mass and we enjoyed a peaceful and uplifting service with Father Jojo! Lunch followed, as well as mail pass, and pretty soon we smelled the delicious scent of fresh-popped popcorn coming from the dining room. Residents followed their noses to devour bowls of the crunchy, salty kernels at the afternoon Popcorn Social! We had time for extra visiting with friends and the afternoon seemed to fly by. Soon, afternoon church was due to start and Aaliyah stepped in as “pastor” for the day (LOL) to lead residents in an impromptu service which took us right up to suppertime. The easy-going day ended with an evening of games with Aaliyah!

We were ready for more fun and games on Wednesday morning – must be time for bowling. Residents circled up in the dining room and began racking up the points! Bill Joyner and Jeff Halverson took fourth place, Kevin Bauer was the third-place winner, with Virginia Fritz and Ivan Mason in second place. This week, Maria Christopherson was the first-place winner! We celebrated the game with a tasty lunch and prepared for an afternoon of more fun; since it was Wednesday, that meant Fruit Bingo! A huge thank you goes out to volunteer Wanda Ebensperger for all her help with set up, clean up and prize passing. This week, Shirley Klinski was our blackout bingo winner! We wrapped up the afternoon with an Ice Cream Sundae Social; what a great way to enjoy the summertime. We had a special treat after supper: four very sweet miniature horses came to visit us and residents spent the evening feeding and petting them. What a fun Wednesday evening!

Thursday brought Local News and Coffee with volunteer Marlene Zimmer! We love it when our neighbors stop by to share with us the goings-on of the community. And there is always time for more reminiscing and storytelling afterwards. After some lunch, we gathered our ladies together for manicures; this week we only had a few takers but the new colors they chose were lovely. It always feels good to be pampered a bit! Then there was time for more visiting with folks, as well as Buddy Box activities for residents who enjoy more one-on-one interactions. The day concluded with supper and evening Pokeno with Aaliyah.

It wasn’t too hot outside Friday morning but the competition was heating up inside where residents played Dart Ball! Judy Thorn took the fourth-place spot, Alice Brantner came in third place and Dorothy Pfaffe was second place. Maria Christopherson was our first-place winner! After lunch, we filled fruit cups with honeydew and cantaloupe at Snack Makers in preparation for Happy Hour! Luckily, Happy Hour came quickly and Craig Morton entertained us with live music until supper time. After our evening meal, we dimmed the lights and pulled the blinds to get ready for a Friday night movie! This Friday’s flick was “The Adventures of Robin Hood” starring Errol Flynn. It was a busy week, but we enjoyed every bit of it!