Golden Living Center
By PAT SMITH
Golden Living Center correspondent
Residents of Golden Living Center were entertained by "Rinky Dinky the Clown," who kept them smiling with his exercise act and doctor/patient act. Helmut, Darlene, and Robyn were his volunteers. We all hope he comes back real soon.
Our potluck was a success with ham and scalloped potatoes as the main dishes, prepared by the center's cooks and side dishes and desserts brought in by family and friends of the residents. Pete Propp had guests from Garden City there to enjoy the excellent food.
Lois Winter has joined our list of volunteers, delighting the residents with piano tunes and hymns. She will be coming the third Tuesday of each month.
Residents get to enjoy the outdoors each day as the staff take anyone interested on walks or push them around the grounds. They all enjoy the fresh air. Helmut takes the "news and views" group outdoors for their get-together each Friday, weather permitting.
Saturday afternoon always draws a crowd for the tasting contest. So far this month, they tasted strawberry, blueberry, peach, and vanilla yogurt with strawberry coming out the winner. On the cheese tasting, all four kinds — cheddar, mild and sharp, Colby, and mozzarella were pretty evenly split. Next week we will have fruits of the season for tasting.
The Red Hat ladies come out in force Tuesdays to enjoy cookies and tea with one of the staff. They have a nice assortment of hats to wear if the ladies don't have one.
The fourth graders walked over Sept. 20 and entertained residents with some cute songs they had learned. Following that, our resident guitar player and singer, Buck Swartz, continued to please the residents by singing popular tunes that he has put religious words to. He does a great job and all the residents enjoy his music and singing.
The men's coffee each Thursday will not be the same as the grocery store can no longer get Krispy Kreme donuts. Helmut will have a harder time selecting donuts that taste anywhere as good.
Robyn led the fall craft group in making Halloween decorations for the residents' doors. They also helped decorate Golden Living with beautiful fall colors.
We welcome four new women to our facility this month. We also welcome visitors and anyone who wishes to join us for our monthly potluck or just to visit with our residents. They love company.
Residents with September birthdays are Edwin Backhus, Eugene Costello, and Janet Smith. All birthdays are celebrated with bingo followed by cake, ice cream, and an assortment of drinks. Buck always is willing to lead the "Happy Birthday" song with his guitar plus his own spiritual version of the birthday song.
Gene Costello had a lively 87th birthday bash with approximately 30 guests in attendance. All his children except one were present, plus his brother and sister. Many of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren also were there. They brought food, drinks, and a beautiful decorated cake. What a great tribute to Gene!
We appreciate our local churches who so willingly come to Golden Living to minister to our residents each Sunday afternoon. They appreciate the spiritual uplift they get to start their week. It is truly "love of neighbor" in action.
