The Christmas Season at Granville

Part of the fun of living at Kendal is participating in the celebrations of the holidays that enliven our annual calendar. We have Valentine's Day, when hearts proliferate on campus. We have the Fourth of July, with its cookout and barbecue, and with flags and bunting springing up everywhere. We have Halloween, bringing its annual infusion of small but fearful monsters - actually the children of staff members and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of residents - to share an evening meal with adult friends, to get one more chance at tricking-or-treating, and to enjoy an evening jounce on a horse-drawn hay wagon. And on any Saturday in the fall the scarlet and gray colors of Ohio State are suddenly on display - on banners, apparel, doors, and candies - to remind us that the Buckeyes are playing football that afternoon.

But the fullest season of celebration is Christmas - and in part because it encompasses several weeks. The first sign that something noel-ish is afoot comes soon after Thanksgiving, when decorations begin to appear, not only at the doorways of the residences but also, thanks to the work and planning of resident decorating committees, in various community gathering places. At the heart of all these decking activities is the annual greening of the lobby. Meanwhile, across the campus various trees, both outside and inside, slowly and magically begin to spring to light.

At the same time musical events begin to fill the calendar. The local high school choir comes to share its gifts with us. Various smaller ensembles perform on weekday evenings. Children provide musical entertainment. Buses transport residents to concerts on the Denison campus. Finally, as Christmas Day draws near, we have a community carol sing, which includes the additional and happy opportunity for us to hear the solo voice of a very talented member of our health service staff.

Seasonal parties, small and large, begin to appear on residents' schedules. Among them, the most joyous is the annual staff appreciation event, which brings residents and employees together and allows the residents to let it be known to those who keep the operations of Kendal running so smoothly just how grateful we all are for their friendly and invaluable efforts.

Christmas Eve brings one of the happiest developments, with the sudden appearance of gifts of candy and cakes on the doorsteps of many residents - all anonymously provided, of course. We can only conclude that Santa Claus has put Kendal on his itinerary.

Christmas Day itself finds the Kendal dining experience transformed. It goes without saying that the staff provides splendid holiday fare - ham and bass and beef were laid on this year, with pastries to delight almost any tongue. But the assemblage of diners is different. On the one hand, many regulars are not present, for they are off spending the day with friends and family. And on the other hand, many unfamiliar faces, some quite young and rambunctious, have arrived to celebrate the holiday with a parent or grandparent whom they love.

Not everyone at Kendal holds to the belief system that gives Christmas the special meaning that church-goers ascribe to it. That's why we make a point of celebrating Hannukah, recognizing Kwanzaa, and acknowledging that some of our friends are simply not into religion at all. But the season manages to catch just about everyone up in its warm spiritedness, and it becomes, for believers and unbelievers alike, a moment to celebrate community, friendship, and fellow-feeling.

Life at Kendal as Exemplified by the Woodworking Shop

This is a picture of our Display Cabinet made by the men in our Woodworking Shop.The story behind it tells a great deal about life at Kendal at Granville.

The story begins during the early days of our history when Founders Meetings were being held. Even as the community was being built these meetings were held with those persons who were signed up to live here. Those who could attended regular meetings in order to get to know one another and to plan for their lives at Kendal.

Among the topics discussed at these gatherings were ideas regarding what they would like to see incorporated into the plans for life at Kendal. One of the notions that grew from an idea to a dream to a vision to a reality was the notion of a woodworking shop. Interested members got together to discuss what form this shop might take. As things moved forward space was set aside in the lower level of the community building for a shop. In keeping with Kendal values and principles the setting up and running of this shop was left in the hands of the residents as they moved in.

As a selfgoverning group within a few weeks of their arrival the first residents established a Residents Council and from that came the Kendal at Granville Residents Association (KAGRA). A variety of committees came into being rather quickly to meet the varied interests of our membership. Some of the first ones to emerge were the Woodworking Committee, the Fiber Arts Group, and the Pool Committee.

The projects of the Woodworking Committee typically illustrate how members of this community work together for the welfare of each other and the community as a whole. For example among other projects they have created a much needed display area for magazines in the library, made a beautifully crafted wooden suggestion box for use in the dining room, as well as repaired chairs and done other minor repair jobs for individuals. I understand that some of the repairs have been as challenging and intricate as building new items. Their charges include the cost of materials and a set fee for the time. The fee for time goes into the KAGRA treasury where it is earmarked for the use of the Shop Committee in maintaining and improving the shop. No one personally receives any money for work done in the shop.

The Display Cabinet came into being at the request of the Gallery Committee. The Gallery Committee is one of our newer committees established to take over the responsibility of maintaining art exhibits in the hall designated as our Gallery. Almost from the time it was established this Committee felt the need for a place where three dimensional items could be displayed safely. The need was presented to the Woodworking group who produced this beautiful cabinet. One man designed it with the help of another and then they built it together from cherry wood which another man in their group donated for the job.

The items on display are loaned by members of our community who very generously have offered to share some of their treasures with everyone. The current display fits the season and is made up of diverse Nativity sets. Already the Gallery Committee has a long list of items which residents have graciously offered to share. This further exemplifies the willingness of our residents to work together and share with one another.

Virtually Competitive

Last year when visiting our children, I was introduced to the Wii game from Nintendo. For those not up on tech games, this is the game where players wave controllers around, the game box follows them somehow and the results show up on the TV screen. It is a bit of mystery to me how it works but it does. Using this system, you can see the bowling ball you “threw” go down the alley and strike - or not- the pins. One can play tennis, baseball, golf and many other games. Some are very very hard.

But bowling isn’t too hard and it has become popular with old folks. We obtained a Wii set from Kendal last March and have been steadily engaged since. Every Friday afternoon we set up the “machine” in one of the activity rooms and everyone is welcome. We usually get 6 to 10 players a week. There is a faithful core of 6 or 7 and others come in on occasion to try their luck- or skill.

It may seem silly for a bunch of octogenarians to be playing like this. But it is fun. We are not very competitive but tend toward supporting each other. After all that is what we do all the time at Kendal. One 93 year old brought his grandkids to watch. They said they could NOT believe Grandpa was doing this. One upper 80-’s woman said after a strike, “You know, it really feels good.”

One actually can bowl sitting down, on even in a wheel chair but so far no one wants to. The game brings out the old competitive juices. When someone gets 7 strikes in a row or scores 250 or so, we put it in the newsletter. After all the bridge players publish their scores. Our game isn’t aerobic, but it does at least get some joints moving.

Now as to the other games. Several are talking about trying golf. The problem with golf is it takes as long as a real game, so they will have to find their own time. We tried baseball and tennis but the degree of difficulty goes way up. But Bowling seems just right.

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.