St. Luke Living Center
By SUE GUTSCH
St. Luke Living Center correspondent
The living center bakers, under the tutelage of Amanda and Ruby, chose a "taste of home" recipe Friday morning — triple chocolate kisses. They were made in layers using a chocolate meringue and chocolate kisses, but were individual cookies, not bars.
As advertised, Magdalen Dvorak was back in the saddle again, with kolaches, to call bingo that afternoon. She's been helping for so long, the activity month is just not right without her.
Following bingo, the group exercises formed a massage line, each giving back rubs to the person ahead of them. It was a good deal for the giver and the recipient.
Rick Branson of Eastmoor and Burdick United Methodist churches was Sunday afternoon's guest minister. We appreciated Shirley Bowers serving as pianist and thank them both.
We prettied-up with May Monday morning because we had been invited to help Ruby Vinduska celebrate her 90th birthday. That afternoon we were served ice cream, a piece of decorated cake, and our choice of lemonade, iced tea, or coffee to drink. Special guests were Ruby's son, Terry, and granddaughter, Melissa Stuchlik.
Tuesday morning book club reached the end of "The Long Winter." It seemed as if we too had struggled with the people of DeSmet. So naturally we celebrated with the Ingalls family in May, when the barrel of gifts finally arrived with the Christmas turkey still frozen.
In the afternoon residents received compliments on their beautifully coifed hair as they came for the monthly St. Luke Auxiliary coffee. The reason they looked especially nice was probably because many had visited the Boo-T-Shop of beautician Bonnie that morning. The auxiliary ladies were in the spirit also, bringing iced pumpkin bundt cake, orange-cheese crackers, Halloween nut cups full of candy corn, nuts, and dried fruit, and hot apple cider. Jean Case even brought a birthday candle for Veva Navrat and placed the small lighted taper in Veva's piece of cake.
Wednesday morning prayer group met in the chapel with Dick Pracht, Lydia Batt playing the piano, and Nancy Tharp to lead the hymn singing.
In the early afternoon, Mary Ann Wiens and Frankie Turner invited their Eastmoor church friends, Dean, Phyllis, Aline, and Alice to join them for fellowship, lemon bars, and coffee in our small dining room. Mildred was busy "grooming" some plants when they arrived and was invited to share in the conversation and food.
Later, those interested in the local news gathered around our large table to read the Marion County Record. Finishing early, we read "Remember When" by an anonymous author we borrowed from Mary Ann. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Veva Navrat and ate some snacks and fruit drinks.
A full chapel sang familiar hymns with Shirley Bowers Thursday morning and sang again to Veva who still was wearing her birthday wrist corsage.
The things you learn when you play penny-ante! In the afternoon fun we learned Irma has never shaved with a straight razor and Ruby has kissed a soldier many, many times. As far as we could tell, Amelia was the "big" winner again.
Last week's news
Lydia's plea for more a.m. walkers was answered Friday when seven residents and three staffers made the round trip.
We were glad we doubled the chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe later that morning. It was taken from a weekly farm paper and proved to be a grand slam — not just a hit.
That afternoon the bingo-faithful welcomed Elsie Reiswig as a new volunteer caller. She was a familiar face to some and now is to many more.
Many of our residents attended the Old Settlers' Day parade Saturday morning. A van full accompanied Khrista downtown and others went with their families. There were reports of wind, old tractors, a St. Luke float honoring volunteers and of course, candy.
Amelia's son and wife, Ken and Bonnie Vinduska were driving two of the old tractors, before and after restoration versions.
Thank you Rev. and Mrs. Carl Helm and Donna Hayen of Marion Christian Church for leading our Sunday afternoon worship service for a full chapel of residents.
After prettying-up ourselves Monday morning, we did some fall decorating of our facility after lunch. There are pairs of little scarecrows on the dining room tables, small pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns here and there, and a lovely centerpiece on a bureau in our living room entrance.
We used some mental muscle that morning when we played categories pertaining to fall, particularly October. While listing October events of note, past and present, the arrivals of Alice, Ruby, and Olinda to this world, some years ago, were mentioned.
In the afternoon, while we too were becoming weary of the long, hard winter the Ingalls family and other residents of DeSmet were enduring, book club was pleasantly interrupted by 14-month-old Abi Bernhardt and her mother, Becky. The adorable toddler, great-great-granddaughter of Helen Bailey, did her newly learned "dance routine" for us — twice!
We enjoyed prayer group with Dick Pracht Wednesday morning and hymn sing with Lois Winter Thursday morning.
At noon Khrista fired up the grill in the courtyard and cooked hot dogs to go with our chips, baked beans, a cherry dessert, and s'mores. When we vary from the usual noon fare, it takes the cooperation of the whole staff to do it successfully.
After lunch, outings entailed a shopping trip and tour of Hillsoro. Later a group went to Jirak Brothers Produce at Tampa to purchase some pumpkins.
