Do you know the best way to start your week? With a little exercise! We get things started Monday morning with our Monday Movers seated exercise group. Residents followed along to a DVD of easy, yet effective seated exercises designed to stretch our muscles and loosen up limbs. Everyone stuck around afterward to participate in some Karaoke and we joyfully lifted our voices in song to classic tunes! All that moving and singing worked up quite the appetite and thankfully lunch was right around the corner. But the afternoon was just as busy because after lunch was eaten and mail was delivered, it was time for Crafty Corner! This week, residents created patriotic windsocks for Flag Day and we strung them up right away in the dining room. We next gathered folks together for a thrilling game of Tic Tac Toss. Everyone was in fine form this week – Judy Thorn was our fourth-place winner, Virginia Fritz took third place and Dennis Schuh was awarded second place! We had a tie for first place between Kevin Bauer and Dorothy Pfaffe which was settled in a final Tic Tac Toss shoot-out…and Dorothy Pfaffe was the ultimate winner! We had a little bit of time to rest before supper, but after the meal was finished, we got ready for Monday night Bingo. Thank you to volunteers Teresa Fedie, Pat Frion and Riley for helping set-up, clean-up and deliver candy prizes. We couldn’t do it without you ladies!

Tuesday was a little bit quieter day – residents gathered after breakfast for a tranquil Catholic mass and prayer service with Father Jojo. With the time in between mass and lunch, we enjoyed chatting with each other and visiting with folks in their rooms. Everyone loved seeing the summer sun shining outside and there is so much to be happy about. One thing we are always really happy about is freshly popped popcorn; folks followed their noses and “popped” on down to the dining room after lunch to scoop up bowlfuls of the savory snack at the weekly Popcorn Social. And for the residents who were soaking up the rays and warmth outside, we deliver! We welcomed Pastor Paul from Sabylund Lutheran Church for peaceful afternoon church and before you knew it, supper arrived. Our Tuesday evening concluded with playing games all evening with Aaliyah!

As the temperature climbed outside the competition was also heating up inside as we began our Wednesday with a game of bowling. We had a big group of bowlers ready to test their skills on the lane and it was such fun to see them cheer each other on! We had a tie for fourth place: Alice Brantner and Shirley Klinski. Third place went to Judy Thorn, second place to Kevin Bauer and first place was awarded to Dennis Schuh. And we had so many folks stick around to watch; you know a game is good when you have a large crowd of spectators! As the day marched on, it was soon time for Fruit Bingo. Our blackout winner this week was Nancy Bishop! Thank you to Julie Tschumperlin and Lana Ingli for help setting up, prize delivery and cleaning up; we don’t know what we would do without our volunteers! No sooner was bingo done then it was time for our Strawberry Shortcake Social to commemorate National Strawberry Day and we had a ton of folks stick around to enjoy the yummy treat. Nothing says summer quite like enjoying a delicious helping of sweet strawberry shortcake! 

Thursday began with a delicious cup of coffee and the local news being read to residents by Marlene Zimmer. We sure appreciate our volunteers who stop by for a chat and to keep us informed on what is happening in our community! Lunch followed and then we offered manicures to the ladies but there weren’t too many takers lined up this week. But that was okay because we arranged an impromptu game of Dart Ball to fill our afternoon! We had quite a few competitors trying to hit a high score. Shirley Klinski nabbed fourth place, Dennis Schuh was third place and Alice Brantner came in second place. Judy Thorn was the first-place winner! Soon, supper was ready and then it was time for an evening of Pokeno fun with Aaliyah.

We cranked up the tunes and our fun Friday kicked off with a rowdy game of Soccer Shuffle. Residents gathered in a circle and we kicked a little hovering soccer “ball” around for almost a whole hour! After a bit of lunch and a rest, residents helped make Everything Snack Mix in preparation for our Happy Hour in the afternoon. Rice Chex, Kix cereal, pretzels, popcorn and oyster cracker roasted with butter and garlic made for a crunchy snack everyone loved to munch! Music from Craig Morton soon filled the room and we had a HUGE turnout for Happy Hour. Plenty of residents and visitors were tappin’ toes, clappin’ hands and singing along to the lively music. There may have even been a polka or two thrown in there! As the sun set outside, we dimmed the lights inside for our weekly Movie Night with “Call of the Wild” playing on the big screen. Next time you’re in the neighborhood, consider stopping by for a visit. We would love to see you!