Monday morning means Monday Movers gathered in the dining room after breakfast for seated exercise. This morning we sat in a big circle and let the beach balls fly! It was so much fun to watch everyone enjoy themselves; kicking around beach balls really brought out the kid in all of us! We still made time for Karaoke afterwards but before you knew it, our morning of music and merry-making came to an end as it was time to prepare for lunch. The afternoon brought visiting, mail delivery and Crafty Corner. We crafted spooky and silly jack-o-lanterns out of paper plates and soon, our little Plum City Pumpkin Patch was all ready for autumn! Later, a circle of residents formed in the dining room, signaling the start of our weekly game of Tic Tac Toss. Ivan Mason came in fourth place, Carol Campbell and Shirley Klinski tied for third and Mary Matzek was in second place. Bill Joyner was the first-place winner this week! The energy is always high at the afternoon game, but we soon settled in for some supper and then an enjoyable evening of Bingo with volunteers Kathy Luebker and Teresa Fedie. Thank you ladies for your fantastic assistance!

Morning Mass on Tuesday brought Father Jojo to the care center and we always feel more peaceful after a little prayer and reflection. It’s a nice and gentle way to ease into the day. Lunch followed, along with mail delivery, and then the popcorn machine was fired up for our afternoon Popcorn Social! So many residents happily accepted their bowls brimming with the crunchy kernels and we settled in for an afternoon of snacking and visiting. Pastor Paul from Sabylund Lutheran Church came for afternoon church and residents gathered to worship and listen to Pastor’s message. We appreciate all our faith leaders and their dedication to serving our communities. Supper was right around the corner and then Aaliyah assembled a group of folks for an evening of fun games!

Wednesday morning our bowlers were ready to rock and roll, along with Ave Maria students Bristal and Ava, and we had a blast knocking those pins down! Ivan Mason placed fourth, Milda Bautch came in third place and Bill Joyner was second place. Kevin Bauer won first place this week! All too soon, the game was done and lunch was served; but there was more fun to be had in the afternoon. Volunteer Wanda Ebensperger stopped by to help with Fruit Bingo – thank you! After numerous shouts of “Bingo!” and passing out fruit and candy prizes, Janet Robelia won the blackout bingo prize of $1 for the week!  Groups of folks lingered afterwards to partake in our Mid-Week Social where we snacked on string cheese and crackers in honor of National String Cheese Day. The weather was so beautiful that many sat outside before supper to soak up the sun and admire the gorgeous fall colors of the surrounding hills! 

Volunteer Harriet Rothe swung by the care center Thursday morning to read us the local papers and catch us up on the goings-on in the community. There was also time for some reminiscing and joke-telling; laughter truly is the best medicine! Lunch was served soon after and then the afternoon saw the ladies lining up for their weekly manicures. They always love the pampering and many stuck around to help others choose colors and admire one another’s nails! It’s so sweet to hear them compliment each other on how their nails turn out. After a couple hours of visiting and polishing nails, supper was served and then residents gathered around tables with Aaliyah for an evening of Pokeno fun! 

Friday fun began with Shuffleboard and 11 residents competed for the first-place title! Carol Campbell shuffled her way into fourth place, Bill Joyner nabbed third place and Jeff Halverson took the second-place spot. Shirley Klinski was this week’s first-place winner! Lunch and mail delivery ushered in the afternoon and soon we were gathered for Happy Hour, snacking on the last of the sweet summer watermelon and listening to music by the Konsella Band. Before you could say “Bon appetit!” supper was served and then we settled in to watch “Pippi Longstocking” for Friday Movie Night. Now that the days are getting shorter and the sun setting sooner, the dining room is perfectly dark for movie watching!