The Story of Tower Tales

Retirement communities are hotbeds of talent, and one of the gifts that many residents of Kendal at Granville display is the ability to write. It was that realization that served as the starting point for Tower Tales.

Several years ago a group of residents decided that Kendal at Granville, though still but three years old, had come of age, and that it was time for residents to create a journal through which Kendal authors could share their writings with their friends and neighbors and perhaps with the wider world. Getting started was easy: a group of six residents volunteered to constitute an initial editorial board, the Residents Council approved an application for start-up funding, a competition for a choosing a title for the publication was launched, and manuscripts were solicited. Right on schedule, the first issue of Tower Tales appeared, and the residents of Kendal at Granville had a literary journal of their own.

Since the inaugural issue in late 2009, two more have appeared and the fourth is on schedule to be published in February or March of 2011. The semi-annual pace suits the community fine. Meanwhile, the number of contributors has grown to well over twenty, and solicitations for submissions now generate enough manuscripts to necessitate holding some pieces over for later issues. The experiment has proven successful.

That Kendal at Granville should be home to a cluster of authors, whether newbies or veterans, is not a surprise. Like any retirement community, our residents collectively embody a variety of rich and diverse career trajectories -- lawyers, builders, doctors, housewives, civil servants, teachers, clergy, nurses, managers, librarians, salespeople, artists, architects, writers, accountants, innkeepers, members of the military, entrepreneurs, professors; and the list goes on. These careers and the interactions that they afforded have provided the grist from which creative minds can generate imaginative depictions of life. Even if some of the writers have never before thought of themselves as authors!

But if the sheer number of Kendal authors is not surprising, the variety of genres they have created is. Tower Tales has published poems and short stories, political commentary and a book review, reminiscences and humorous tales, musings and inspirational essays. The effort to find a suitable format has led to the inclusion of photographs in the more recent issues. The journal has established itself as an important element in the social and cultural life of Kendal. And it stands as a tribute to the imaginative spirit of the residents of the community.

Signs of the Times

As holidays approach, especially in the main building here at Kendal where I live in an apartment I know that something special is about to happen by the signs around me. There are a variety of signs other than those appearing on TV or in the newspaper that I have come to recognize as indications that a holiday is approaching. For example one of the things I pick up on is the increased use of the ping pong table in the activity room which is next to my apartment. This tells me that grandchildren are arriving with their parents who are visiting their parents. No matter how much young ones may love their grandparents there is only so much time they can spend sitting talking politely with their elders. Naturally they look for something more lively to do.



Fortunately we have an easily accessible ping pong table which helps to dispel some of that pent up energy. Another place that sees increased use is the pool area. It has the advantage of being a place where the whole family can play together for awhile. Then when those gifted with more years than others have had enough, they can lounge poolside while the youngsters entertain them with all sorts of inventive water games.



Another sign is the appearance of more younger looking faces in the dining room at meal times eating with people who usually eat alone. As we approach proud moms and dads introduce us to the sons and daughters and grandchildren they have been telling us about. Sometimes you don't see the young ones until you realize that the line at the hot entree counter has seemed to grind to a halt. Then you look ahead and discover the ready prepared food has not appealed to the young appetites. Instead they have requested hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, etc. which are made to order. Thus the slowdown. There is one distinct advantage to having a grandchild with you at mealtime. They are most obliging about running back to get any item you may have forgotten to pick up.



Once in awhile a gifted adult child or grandchild will entertain whoever is nearby with either a short impomptu or even once in awhile a planned concert in the lobby. Those are special moments in our lives when we share with each other our blessings.



We know the holiday is over when there are no more children running ahead of parents and grandparents in the halls. No more residents walking down the hall obviously showing off our facilities to their visiting families. No more impromptu ping pong games. No more holdups in the food line. Just a quiet return to the activities which fill our lives between holidays.

Feeling Virtuous

I just got back from exercise class and feel tired and oh so virtuous! The first twenty minutes of the class is aerobics. For the last month or so our leader has introduced some new steps which are faster and harder. I cannot let my mind wander for one second or I am off course. I think this is as good for the brain as it is for the body. We also do some lifting and stretching exercises both standing and on the floor. We easily get down on the floor but getting up again is pretty funny. I really never did exercise much in the past, not like the younger generation, but now that I am retired and class is less than a block away, I have no excuse.

Diane, our leader, has a BA in Health and a Certification from the American Council of Exercise. Diane also directs a Water Wellness Class, a Stretch and Strength Class, and a Pilates Class. She tells me that "Pilates" was started by a man by that name who was helping to rehabilitate veterans using five different sets of exercises which than became known by that name. In January Diane will teach Tai Chi for arthritis prevention. I think that Tai Chi has a meditative component as well and I will find out when I take the class. I did read on Google that this exercise helps to improve coordination which older people certainly need in order to prevent falling. I will report back on this in January.

A Musical Adventure

Last Sunday evening a bus-full of Kendal residents attended an orchestral concert on the Denison University campus. The venue was Swasey Chapel, Denison's large and historic gathering site for major events. The performing group was the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble of reliable amateurs and professionals who, under Timothy Weiss's direction, provide the county with grand musical evenings four or five times a year. But -- and there's no doubt about this point -- the source of our sense of high anticipation was the prospect of hearing a performance of Haydn's keyboard Concerto in D. Why (you might wonder) did this opportunity so excite us? Because the pianist was all of seven years old!

It is rare that one gets to attend the performances of child prodigies. The term itself is, I suppose, problematic. But our young man dazzled the packed chapel. His talent was so obvious, so enchanting, that it is properly called a "gift" -- that is, an ability that seems somehow to transcend what mere practice and dedication and even love of music can achieve. (This is spoken by someone who knows whereof he speaks, having labored long years at the piano with little to show for the effort or his parents' expenses.) When the performance on Sunday ended, the audience rose almost as one to fill the chapel with applause.

The rest of the concert was enjoyable too. A new violin concerto by a Denison composer. A set of solos and duets from operas by Mozart, Delibes, and Offenbach. Songs from hit Broadway musicals. But on the bus during the short drive home, conversation focused on the young man whose musical resources and winning smile had engraved the concert on our minds. We felt that we had attended a truly special occasion, and we were reminded that there is something deeply satisfying in reflecting upon the heights to which human creativity may soar.