By Noel Elsen
Residents were ready to try their hand (and luck!) at Monday’s Card Club. We had two tables of players, with several residents engrossed in an independent game of Euchre and Noel at the next table, helping folks play UNO! 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, residents came to the dining room for some Brain Games and tried to best each other with “Wheel of Fortune” style word puzzles. Shirley Klinski tied with Kevin Bauer for fourth, scoring 2,700 points; Wanda Traynor came in third with 3,100 points and Carol Bauer from the Seasons scored second with 7,400 points. Our “Wheel of Fortune” champion was Goldie Helwig with 9,100 points! Once the game board was cleaned up, Noel brought out Tic Tac Toss to entertain residents for the rest of the afternoon. It was another large group this week that saw Ivan Mason scoring fourth, Kevin Bauer coming in third and Herb Tschumperlin in second. Carol Bauer from the Seasons had the first-place win, scoring a total of 85 points! 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 and Terry Pelzel arrived Tuesday morning for Mass with their usual bright and smiling faces and residents happily gathered to listen to the week’s message. Our faith leaders provide such 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 Willow 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! Later in the afternoon, Pastor Pfaffe from St. John’s Lutheran came for church and led residents through a peaceful prayer service.
The bowling lane was open Wednesday morning and we had a crowd of residents ready to play! The muggy and rainy day was the perfect reason to stay inside and play throughout three rounds in which Ivan Mason scored fourth, Herb Tschumperlin came in third and a three-way tie for second amongst Goldie Helwig, Milda Bautch and Kevin Bauer. Shirley Klinski scored the first place win this week, thanks in part to scoring the only strike of the game! Lunch was a pleasant break and once the tables were cleaned off, Fruit Bingo was ready to commence. Harriet Rothe brought her smiling face 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! We capped off the afternoon with slices of sweet and juicy watermelon at our Mid-Week Social. What a cool way to end a warm summer day!
Lana Ingli came to visit us Thursday morning for our Local News and Coffee group; our residents were all ears for the latest news from the community and surrounding areas! She also brought a book to share with residents: “The Secret of the Red Shoes,” a 1997 children’s book based on the 100th birthday of Plum City resident Marie Coburn. After lunch filled everyone’s bellies and the dining room was cleaned, Stacey gathered a large group of folks for the monthly Resident Council meeting. They recapped everything that happened in June and looked ahead to July’s calendar that’s full of summer fun! Once the well-attended meeting adjourned, there was time for manicures with Willow. As ladies nails were drying, folks visited amongst each other as well as in their rooms with activities staff. The afternoon was capped with Willow in the dining room playing tables games with residents!
Friday fun began with a goofy morning game of Chicken Toss Twister and 14 residents chucked rubber chickens as best they could to win it all! After three rounds (and lots of laughs!), Kevin Bauer placed fourth, Carol Bauer from the Seasons came in third and Jeff Halverson tied with roommate Ivan Mason for second place. Kay George and Yvonne Sinz’s first place wins crowned them the Chicken Toss Twister champions this week! After lunch was served and mail delivered, folks enjoyed a laid-back afternoon filled with social visits, laughing and walks outside to enjoy the fresh summer air. Before you knew it, Happy Hour was upon us and Rudy Rudesill arrived to keep everyone’s toes tapping and fingers snapping! The warm weather outside and hot tunes inside were a perfect excuse to snack on ice cream sandwiches. Once the afternoon party ended, supper was served and residents gathered around the movie screen to watch “The Left Handed Gun” starring Paul Newman!