It was a little difficult getting folks up and at ‘em for Monday Movers seated exercise this week so we had a smaller group than usual participate. We tend to have a larger turnout when Monday morning exercise is not traditional exercising…oh well, maybe next time! This week we made sure to have Karaoke because that always draws a crowd; even those who don’t join in right away eventually wander in the dining room when they hear the music playing and voices singing loudly. Lunch was a welcome and refreshing break from morning activities and the afternoon brought Crafty Corner, where we created colorful fish out of paper plates, cupcake liners and googly eyes! Our gallery wall display of the fin-tastic fish was completed with a fishing pole, wriggly worm and bubbles galore. Tic Tac Toss rounded out the busy afternoon and our large group put on quite the show for everyone! Milda Bautch, Jeff Halverson and Dennis Schuh tied for fourth place, Ivan Mason took third and Kevin Bauer came in second. Frances White was our first-place winner this week! We kept busy all day but the fun didn’t stop there; after supper we played bingo and volunteers Joyce and Marie Berger stopped by to help set up, clean up and pass prizes. Thanks ladies!

Tuesday brought Father Jojo to the care center for morning Mass and we settled in for a contemplative and peaceful service. Today was extra special as it was the last Tuesday of the month which meant the monthly Resident Council met after lunch. We talked about what happened during the past month and what’s coming up on the calendar for September. Residents had the floor to tell staff what is working and what could be improved upon; we appreciate those who choose to participate and let us know how they would like their home to be. As Resident Council was winding down, the popcorn machine was warming up and soon the delectable smell of fresh popcorn let us know that our weekly Popcorn Social was about to begin! After our bellies were full of popcorn, we welcomed folks into the dining room for afternoon church; many thanks to our beautician Kim Bloomdahl for playing beautiful hymns on the piano. Supper soon followed and then it was an evening of fun games with Aaliyah!

The summer sun shone brightly as we began Wednesday morning with a game of bowling! Our strong group of bowlers was ready to compete and soon all you heard was crashing pins and rounds of applause. Shirley Klinski, Bill Joyner and Virginia Fritz all won fourth place; Kevin Bauer came in third place; and Dennis Schuh and Mary Matzek were the second-place winners. Jeff Halverson won first place this week! All that bowling whipped up all our appetites; thankfully lunch was not too far away. Fruit Bingo in the afternoon was up next and although we had a smaller group than usual, we were still in suspense as to who would win blackout! For the second week in a row, Kevin Bauer was our blackout bingo winner! A big thank you goes out to volunteers Wanda Ebensperger and Lana Ingli for helping set up, clean up and deliver prizes. The fun continued as we had our Watermelon Wednesday Social with slices of crisp and cool watermelon on a warm summer day…yum!

Harriet Rothe swung by the care center Thursday morning for Local News and Coffee to keep us up to date on the happenings around town. We appreciate and enjoy everyone who keeps us informed on the community news; we usually have stories of our own to share on what’s been happening at the care center! After lunch the ladies assembled for an afternoon of pampering and manicures. Silver, gold and baby pink have been the most popular colors lately and most nails were covered with a glittery topcoat for an extra pop of glamour! All residents got a chance for fun on Thursday afternoon with Buddy Boxes; activities staff set aside time for personalized one-on-one interactions with folks who don’t usually come out for our rowdier activities. Before you knew it, it was almost time for supper and then afterwards Aaliyah gathered folks for an evening Pokeno game!

Dart Ball kicked off Friday morning with 13 residents hoping to take home the title of first place while several others came out to cheer them on and watch the fun! Our fifth-place winner was Herb Tschumperlin, fourth place went to Ivan Mason, Judy Thorn claimed third place and Bill Joyner came in second place! Alice Brantner was this week’s first-place winner! Our game took us up to lunch and after the meal there was a little bit of downtime to relax. Soon the dining room started to fill up with folks as we prepared for Happy Hour, this week, we were “Surfing into September” at a beach-themed photo shoot, complete with palm trees, beach balls and music from The Beach Boys! A yummy supper was served and then residents gathered around for the Friday night movie. This week’s feature film was “Singin’ in the Rain.” What a wonderful way to end the day (and week)!