Residents were ready to try their hand (and luck!) at Monday’s Card Club. We had two tables of players, with one table of residents playing an independent game of Euchre and Noel at the next table, helping folks play UNO and Garbage! Everyone had such a fun time with cards that we almost played right through Karaoke Sing Along. There was just enough time to re-group folks for some lively singing and we ended our little concert with everyone’s favorite “You Are My Sunshine!” After lunchtime, Noel and Chef Jeff were in the activity office whipping up a decadent double batch of peanut butter fudge at Kitchen Corner.  There was such a delectable aroma of sugar and peanut butter coming from the room that a few residents wandered in to “supervise” and everyone ended up taste testing a few licks from the bowl, spatulas and beaters!  Once the dishes were done and the fudge was setting up, Noel brought out Tic Tac Toss to entertain residents for the afternoon. It was another large group this week that saw Milda Bautch scoring fourth, Carol Campbell coming in third and Herb Tschumperlin in second. Carol Bauer from the Seasons had a massive first-place win, partly due to scoring 65 points in the first round with five 3-in-a-rows! Supper was a welcome break from the game and then it was time to clear the tables for Monday night Bingo, this week with Marie and Joyce Berger. Thank you so much ladies!

Father Jojo arrived Tuesday morning for Mass with his usual bright and smiling face and residents happily gathered to listen to the week’s message. Our faith leaders provide such a comfort to all our folks and we truly appreciate their selfless dedication to our community! Lunch kicked off the afternoon, along with mail delivery, and then Stacey wheeled out the popcorn machine and made heaps of deliciously buttery popcorn for the masses at our Popcorn Social. Everyone scooped up bowlfuls of the salty snack and once the last kernel was consumed, there was time for laid-back visiting and room visits with Stacey! There was no pastor for afternoon church, but that didn’t stop folks from coming out for a Hymn Sing. Stacey strummed her guitar and joyfully led residents through all the favorite hymns, such as “Amazing Grace” and “Shall We Gather at the River!” A little supper and then it was on to an evening of fun games with Stacey. This week, the card game “Garbage” was played, with Dorothy Pfaffe, Shirley Klinski and Goldie Helwig as the evening’s winners!           

The bowling lane was open Wednesday morning and we had a large crowd of residents ready to play! Ave Maria students Gabe and Daniel were also here to assist with scorekeeping and pin setting; our bowlers sure kept them busy throughout three rounds. Milda Bautch and Yvonne Sinz tied for fourth, we had a four-way tie for third amongst Shirley Klinski, Harold Clark, Ivan Mason and Judy Thorn, and Janet Robelia scored second place. We had a tie for first place, with Monie Van Schoonhoven and Kevin Bauer both securing the top spot! Lunch was a pleasant break and once the tables were cleaned off, Fruit Bingo was ready to commence. Monica Krings and Lana Ingli brought their smiling faces and helping hands to the care center and there were plenty of cries of BINGO! throughout the game. But only one player was able to win the $1 prize at Blackout this week: Michael Solveson! We capped off the afternoon with pieces of rich and creamy peanut butter fudge at our Mid-Week Social. What a scrumptious way to end the day!   

Marlene Zimmer came to visit Thursday morning for our Local News and Coffee group; our residents were all ears for the latest news from the community and surrounding areas! After lunch filled everyone’s bellies and the dining room was cleaned, Stacey gathered folks for the monthly Resident Council meeting. They recapped everything that happened in November and looked ahead to December’s calendar that’s full of holiday fun! Once the meeting adjourned, there was time for a movie and everyone stuck around to watch the classic comedy “The Odd Couple.” While the movie was playing, Stacey brought her guitar room to room, serenading residents and spreading cheer to all! Supper soon followed and then it was time for a few rounds of Pokeno in the evening with Stacey!

By the end of the week, we were ready for more fun; Noel brought out a gigantic beach ball and we spent Friday morning playing “kickball” in the dining room. The ball was so big that it was sometimes hard to keep it within the circle! Lunch brought an end to our beach ball bonanza, but it was a welcome break too, as everyone was a little out of breath. Unfortunately, scheduled activities were cancelled for the remainder of the day due to a few cases of Covid in the care center. Although we weren’t able to gather for more fun, Noel and Chef Jeff made up a huge batch of cinnamon crescent rolls in the activity office for everybody to munch on in the afternoon! Noel went room to room Friday afternoon, blasting polka music and passing out beer, root beer and those yummy looking crescent rolls. It was still a good time and there were even some folks who joined Noel for a little polka dancing!