It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. Where did the year go?
We’re gazing out our windows now looking at snow on the ground, covering up our bushes and flowers that clung to the hot sun as long as they could. As autumn slides into winter it gets quiet outside but louder inside the walls of Creighton Lodge.
It’s a flurry of activity here with 47 residents, 16 staff, over 30 volunteers and many, many visitors all coming and going.
We have to thank our musical entertainers for the great tunes they sing and play for us. The Freebies are one of our highlights every month. Thanks Bob, Ken and George.
Bob Olson and his family are a constant that we really count on. They entertain the same night we have our KFC dinner so it’s good food and great music on the fourth Thursday of every month. We tap our feet to the music of the Happy Wanderers as they wander their way into our hearts on the third Thursday.
This month we were treated to music by Eileen Roche, Susan Moser and Friends. They entertained at our birthday party and we so enjoyed them. We realize how hard it is for all of these folks to organize their time to come here and we greatly appreciate all of them.
We must thank our five musketeers who come to help out at the birthday party and KFC night. Thanks so much to Margaret Mack, Marge Heidinger, Jean Delorme, Doreen Hagen and Sylvia Prime, who give of themselves to make our lives better.
A big thank you, also, to our exercise women, Sharon Dayman, Monica Mackenzie and Irene Tarnes, for committing to keeping us moving every week. They don’t realize how much better we feel when we can do exercises three times a week.
We’ve also started a program for our arthritic hands and feet. Working with Melt Balls keeps the connective tissues hydrated. At least that’s what they tell us.
There is still a small group who walk the halls with their Urban Poles and now that we can’t walk outside, hopefully that number will rise. The poles are such a great way to exercise the upper and lower parts of the body and we know we need to keep our muscles as strong as we can for as long as we can.
Bingo with our good friend Joan Wock is a great time of the week. The crowd is getting larger all the time; it’s truly something we can’t live without. Thanks Joan. Christina Wock visits us regularly with her therapy dogs. We look forward to her visits and spending time with our canine friends.
Our spiritual needs are being met thanks to the Estevan Ministerial Association. We have our weekly church services on Sundays, mass on the second Friday morning, Lutheran communion on the first Wednesday and United Church communion once a month.
We are happy to announce we are having an advent Bible study starting on Nov. 28 at 10:00 a.m. for four Tuesdays. Rev. Jason Richards from St. Paul’s United Church will be leading it and it is open to all faiths.
When you add our cocktail parties, our movies in the lounge, our library visits and our monthly visits from the Sun Country Hearing clinic, there isn’t a lot of time to rest. But rest assured, we wouldn’t have it any other way. The more we do, the less time we have to dwell on our aches and pains and we realize we’re all the same – no one gets away pain free.
Readers are all invited to attend our Christmas shopping bonanza on Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We will have a mini trade show and bake sale in our lounge for folks to do a little Christmas shopping. Hope to see you there.
