St. Luke Living Center correspondent
Bakers whipped up two batches of lemon whippersnaps Friday morning, using a tangy lemon cookie recipe by Kelly Moore of Topeka. These little desserts looked pretty and tasted good.
So many valentine perks have been coming our way. There have been mealtime favors from two hospital auxiliary members, beautifully signed valentines for each resident from a federated club, delicate decorated heart-shaped doilies for each resident’s door, and an amaryllis bulb springing into beautiful red glory on the dining room window ledge.
In the afternoon, we played bingo with the help of “Our Man Friday,” Bill Schimpf. When we wrapped-up the final game, Mildred Hajek’s daughter, Irene, joined us for a cup of coffee as we enjoyed snacks and drinks.
A trio of young women representing Marion High School FCCLA brought pink Valentine’s Day door handle decorations, which they hung while walking through the hallways.
One of our favorite four-legged friends, Tiger Seibert, and Luke, of course, visited Friday afternoon and this friendly Shih Tzu really visits.
Gene Vinduska provided an hour of accordion music Saturday morning for our enjoyment.
Our guest minister Sunday afternoon was Reverend Dan Mashburn of Strassburg Baptist Church. As they often do, children of the bell choir, which Mrs. Mashburn teaches, also came and played for us. Anita Hancock playing the piano, which provided the third element of the worship service.
Lenore Dieter was a guest Monday and presented an afternoon of piano music, which she dedicated to us as a Valentine’s Day gift. She played hymns of love, favorite love ballads of yesteryear, and invited us to sing. She also played some beautiful selections by Schumann.
Marie Navrat and our pitch players finished-up their games in time to join the large group waiting to hear Lenore.
As hosts of the upcoming family and friend’s potluck meal, we prepared our contribution to the “pot” Tuesday morning. We began french bread dough first with Ruby stirring the yeast mixture five times every 10 minutes. Martin and Pearl handled crushing graham crackers and readying butter for a crumb crust for a cherry cheesecake. Two loaves of bread were shaped, slashed, and left to rise. Shortly after lunch, we baked the bread, mixed-up the cream cheese filling, and finished the dessert.
Judy and Wayne Reno were the first to arrive that afternoon for the monthly St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary coffee. They dressed the serving table with a rich, red cloth and a crystal centerpiece resembling a frozen fountain spray — quite lovely.
Pam Bredemeier, Charles and Virginia Heerey, and Ross and Janice Case brought plates of iced heart-shaped cupcakes, some dipped in chocolate, filled pretzel Combos, and heart-shaped Sweet Tarts. We served the eye-appealing fare on Valentine’s Day-themed plates and napkins with a choice of hot coffee or iced tea.
Dick Pracht “called in sick” Wednesday morning, but Nancy, May, and our faithful pianist, Lydia Batt, used their talents to lead prayer group.
In the meantime, preparations for the noon potluck went into high gear, with everyone lending a hand. And if by magic, a Girl Scout leader dropped by mid-morning with a box containing craft projects scouts had made. We used the colorful butterflies and flowers as dinner table decorations and many folks were able to enjoy the girls’ craftiness.
When all of the families, our friends, and staff put their culinary contributions on buffet tables, it was a delicious sight with many enticing aromas. We had more than 40 guests and are happy so many spent their noon hour with us.
Our Thursday outing didn’t exactly go according to plan when we drove into Kroupa’s driveway and invited Edmund’s big, family dog, Shep, in to visit. He must have liked it because we used a lot of coaxing and prodding to convince him to disembark (no pun intended.)
Traveling on to the village of Pilsen and the surrounding area also gave Pearl, Amelia, and Ruby an opportunity to point out their homes. The return trip took us south on Nighthawk Road and Pawnee Road, past Florence’s home on a cusp of Marion Reservoir. The only other “wildlife” observed other than the docile dog was a couple of cats, one more dog, cattle, and waterfowl on the quiet water above the dam.