Greetings from “The Home” front …

A Special thank you to the various church members who came and sang to our residents this past Sunday as part of God’s Hands, Our Work. The group visited here in LMH during dinner, then went to Meadowlark Lane and Sun Center Apts. Also, we had a special activity later in the day when Bruflat members played Bingo with the residents.

While thank yous are in order – another thank you goes to Chaplain Diane Krum who filled in last week during our Chemical Engineering presentation on making ice cream when the presenter became ill – Pastor Dianne stepped up and did the demonstration and we all enjoyed handmade ice cream. Turns out – Dianne minored in Chemistry in college – who knew!!!!

Several of our staff are attending the Long-Term Care conference in Bismarck this week – but we still had a lot of fun activities going on. There was Resident Council Monday morning followed by Cards in the afternoon. Several residents went on our first van trip of the season – a sightseeing trip around Portland/Mayville. This was the first time out in our new van and the residents enjoyed the smooth ride. Pam came later in the afternoon, played her guitar and led a sing-along. Tuesday brought Sit & Be Fit and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. There was newscurrents Wednesday morning and Mary & her Gang were here in the afternoon. The residents worked on cute mini boxes to hold earrings, trinkets and whatever in their rooms. After Reminisce on Thursday, the Peter Boe Third Graders came for their final visit with their “adopted” grandparents. While there is always lots of fun and laughter, it is also bittersweet as the children will be moving on to the 4th grade. We look forward to next year’s 3rd graders coming to visit in the fall. Friday brought mass and church in the morning and pretty nails and bunco in the afternoon. Andrea is here on Saturday for Wheel of Fortune and then we will have special music by a young 5-year-old – Herloff Huso who plays the guitar and sings.

Next week we celebrate women with our Mother’s Day Tea on Monday afternoon. Invitations have gone out so please be sure to RSVP. It is also Nursing Home Week and Tuesday we celebrate Wild West Day so be sure to dress in your favorite western wear. In the morning the residents will be decorating their vests and we have a country western party planned in the afternoon with Wild West Trivia. Wednesday is 50s,60s & 70s Day – everyone is encouraged to dress in their favorite costume from that era. There will be a hula hoop dice game in the morning and then Chuck Fox will be here in the afternoon to play some of that great 60s music. He puts on a fabulous show! We will also be serving malts. It’s a Hawaiian theme for Thursday. Pastor Diane (the chemist!) will lead Bible Study in the morning and we will have a Luau and Staff Recognition reception in the afternoon. Friday May 17th is Sytendi Mai so after church we will enjoy a “Taste of Norway” – you know that means romegrot, lefse, pickeled hering and crackers.

We have a resident birthday next week Helen Wenass birthday is on May 13th. And four staff members are also having birthdays – Laura Ewert on May 13th, Kori Fenske and Riley Francis on May 15th and Karina Perish on May 16th. Happy Birthday to all of you and enjoy your special day!
We lost two very prominent members of the community this past week – Margaret Larson on May 3rd and Stan “The Man” Dakken on May 5th. Margaret was the daughter of former governor Brunsdale and was well known in Mayville. May she rest in peace. What can I say about Stan? EVERYONE knew Stan – he was a popular figure all around Mayville and the MSU Campus and the biggest fan ever of MSU sports. Rest in Peace Stan – you will be missed and never replaced.

Until next time … a thought for the week … You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream …