One of my favorite times here at Kendal is at 3:00 PM on the fourth Thursday of the month. That's when sixteen to twenty of us, men and women, meet to discuss the book chosen for that month. This started in March of 2006 which means we are in our sixth year and going strong! I have a list of all the books we have read and it is rather impressive, I think. We have no leader. I convene the meeting at exactly 3:00 PM and we have only two rules: we may only talk about the book and only one person may talk at a time. We pass around the microphone and give each person a chance to talk at least once. At 3:50 we end the discussion and decide together what we want to read next. We usually have a backlog of suggestions and then we vote. Not all books appeal to all members at the same time. However, everyone is a good sport and reads the chosen book and often says," I'm glad we chose this book because I really enjoyed it and never would have chosen it on my own."
Last month we read Turn Right at Machu Picchu. Several members had traveled there and brought with them photographs of their trip which of course made this book all the more interesting. This month we read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which tells the story of a poor woman in the 1950's whose cells were used for research without her permission. These cells turned out to be extremely important for research in curing many diseases and made alot of money for some people but not for her family. We knew we needed help for this discussion and a retired Denison Biology Professor was willing to meet with us. The professor talked about the importance of the cells and because he had also taught Bioethics, told us about the complicated consent forms we now have to sign before having procedures.
Next month we will read Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. This time the discussion will be led by the daughter of one of our members who is a Professor of Russian Literature at Duke University. I will tell you about that next month.
The membership is certainly diverse. Our youngest member is seventy and our oldest is ninety. We have nurses and teachers and engineers and people of various other backgrounds. Everyone is welcome!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Construction Blues
Very recently I've detected what might be called a touch of construction blues. Although it was a very hot day back in July 2011 when ground breaking was held for the beginning of Phase II here there was considerable enthusiasm for the project. Residents were eagerly looking forward to the expansion which would add 24 apartments, 32 skilled nursing beds, 11 additional accomodations for assisted living, more space for the crowded physical therapy department, enhancement of the dining and kitchen facilities, and a gathering room which promises more space as well as eagerly awaited more comfortable chairs.
As work began we realized we would encounter inconveniences along the way in addition to the appearance of a lot of changes. Throughout it all we have adapted to changed traffic patterns, backup beepers, temporary utility shut offs, alternate plagues of mud and dust, strange loud noises, and more.
There have been some compensations such as new topics of conversation and new activities to entertain us. Daily conversations frequently have to do with what new equpment has been seen, where fences have appeared, changes that have occurred in the landscaping, etc., etc. It's been fascinating to watch the huge cranes first at one end of the campus where the work on the Health Center is going forward and then at the opposite end where the apartment building is going up. Watching those dare devils put up the roofing enthralled some of us as we observed their agility. Our monthly Resident Association meetings.have become more interesting with the addition of regular construction updates.
But now it's well over a year since it all began and it's becoming "old hat." Also, the sprawl of work sites over the campus has had its effect as Phase II has spread from its initial areas at opposite ends of our community building to smack dab in the middle. One of these, the Gathering Room hasn't been as disruptive as that of the kitchen and dining facilities where everything has been literally knocked out of kilter. The food serving area has been moved into one of our dining rooms - that dining room has been moved into our main lobby - lobby furniture has disappeared and reappeared scattered hither, thither, and yon - part of the Bistro has vanished behind temporary walls - hidden away behind temporary walls is the kitchen area.
Goodness only knows how the kitchen staff still manages to prepare the same quality of food as in the past. As the kitchen, dining and maintenace staff gallantly managed these transformations we adjusted to finding our food in unfamiliar spots. Many thanks have to go to those staff people who patiently dealt with our grumbling as we searched. To their credit none of us missed a meal
Our kitchen and dining staff has done a remarkable job of keeping things going smoothly. I'm sure they are walking extra miles daily due to the new configuration. My hat is off to them for the way they keep smiling on as they cope daily with the total discombobulation of their working area. I think if I were one of them I would be singing the blues loudly and probably off key.
I'm noticing that the questions being asked more frequently have to do with the finishing date of Phase II. e.g. "Will the kitchen and dining room be ready for the holidays? When will we be able to use the Gathering Room for our programs? How soon will they open the skilled nursing beds? and "What's the date for people to move into the new apartments?"
I suspect one thing that is contributing to the "blues" is the fact that as the finishing date has come closer our ability to see what's happening is decreasing. With the skeletal stages completed everything is enclosed and the workmen are no longer visible. But we still hear the noises behind the walls. Guided tours of the Health Center the last week in September helped to satisfy a lot of our curiosity by answering a number of our questions and giving us a chance to get answers to the ones that came up as we toured.
I'm sure the blues won't last. As I think about it just now we're rather like youngsters looking forward to Christmas when they get to open their gifts. So I'm confident as we see more and more of the outside finishing touches appearing our blues will turn to carols of joy. I believe that the staff and residents will come together as they have for the holidays in the past and our spirits will be lifted as the New Year brings the culmination of all of our Phase II projects.
As work began we realized we would encounter inconveniences along the way in addition to the appearance of a lot of changes. Throughout it all we have adapted to changed traffic patterns, backup beepers, temporary utility shut offs, alternate plagues of mud and dust, strange loud noises, and more.
There have been some compensations such as new topics of conversation and new activities to entertain us. Daily conversations frequently have to do with what new equpment has been seen, where fences have appeared, changes that have occurred in the landscaping, etc., etc. It's been fascinating to watch the huge cranes first at one end of the campus where the work on the Health Center is going forward and then at the opposite end where the apartment building is going up. Watching those dare devils put up the roofing enthralled some of us as we observed their agility. Our monthly Resident Association meetings.have become more interesting with the addition of regular construction updates.
But now it's well over a year since it all began and it's becoming "old hat." Also, the sprawl of work sites over the campus has had its effect as Phase II has spread from its initial areas at opposite ends of our community building to smack dab in the middle. One of these, the Gathering Room hasn't been as disruptive as that of the kitchen and dining facilities where everything has been literally knocked out of kilter. The food serving area has been moved into one of our dining rooms - that dining room has been moved into our main lobby - lobby furniture has disappeared and reappeared scattered hither, thither, and yon - part of the Bistro has vanished behind temporary walls - hidden away behind temporary walls is the kitchen area.
Goodness only knows how the kitchen staff still manages to prepare the same quality of food as in the past. As the kitchen, dining and maintenace staff gallantly managed these transformations we adjusted to finding our food in unfamiliar spots. Many thanks have to go to those staff people who patiently dealt with our grumbling as we searched. To their credit none of us missed a meal
Our kitchen and dining staff has done a remarkable job of keeping things going smoothly. I'm sure they are walking extra miles daily due to the new configuration. My hat is off to them for the way they keep smiling on as they cope daily with the total discombobulation of their working area. I think if I were one of them I would be singing the blues loudly and probably off key.
I'm noticing that the questions being asked more frequently have to do with the finishing date of Phase II. e.g. "Will the kitchen and dining room be ready for the holidays? When will we be able to use the Gathering Room for our programs? How soon will they open the skilled nursing beds? and "What's the date for people to move into the new apartments?"
I suspect one thing that is contributing to the "blues" is the fact that as the finishing date has come closer our ability to see what's happening is decreasing. With the skeletal stages completed everything is enclosed and the workmen are no longer visible. But we still hear the noises behind the walls. Guided tours of the Health Center the last week in September helped to satisfy a lot of our curiosity by answering a number of our questions and giving us a chance to get answers to the ones that came up as we toured.
I'm sure the blues won't last. As I think about it just now we're rather like youngsters looking forward to Christmas when they get to open their gifts. So I'm confident as we see more and more of the outside finishing touches appearing our blues will turn to carols of joy. I believe that the staff and residents will come together as they have for the holidays in the past and our spirits will be lifted as the New Year brings the culmination of all of our Phase II projects.
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