The Lifelong Learning Institute

Several bloggers on this site have noted how fortunate Kendal at Granville is to have Denison University so close at hand. That's very true. But today I want to get in a plug for another valuable neighbor, the Central Ohio Technical College. I mention this because, less than a year ago, COTC brought the Lifelong Learning Institute onto its Pataskala campus. And this action has opened up another grand learning opportunity for Kendal residents.

In case you haven't heard of the Lifelong Learning Institute (and I hadn't), let me fill you in on a little background. Its stated purpose is to provide "educational opportunities for mature learners in Central Ohio." More specifically – and I continue to quote from a brochure it produced – it aims at helping seniors "broaden and extend their knowledge, share their life experiences," and "interact socially with other lifelong learners."

Its course offerings feature subjects in the traditional arts and sciences, including studies in philosophy, spirituality, and economics. But in its goal of being useful, LLI also offers courses on topics related to national and world affairs. Since the wider Columbus area boasts a wealth of persons whose combined expertises cover a diverse set of fields, LLI has a rich range of potential faculty to choose from, and so the instructors of these courses come to their LLI assignments with commitment, instructional experience, and deep knowledge. An annual fee of $90.00 allows an LLI member entry into any and all of the course offerings.

I first became aware of the LLI in the fall of 2011 and almost immediately requested a catalogue of winter courses. When it arrived, it proved a delight. The upcoming offerings included full courses on "A History of the Movies," the "Geology of U.S. National Parks," the role of "Ohio in the Civil War," a survey of "Immigration Law and Policy: Facts, Myths, and an Analysis of the Political Landscape," and an "Introduction to Thomas Merton."

The winter catalogue also listed a series of one-off Coffee and Conversation Events. Notable among them was "An Introduction to Buddhism," a topic made particularly salient in this region by the recent decision of a Thai Buddhist community to build a temple in Pataskala. Another Coffee and Conversation Event was "An Introduction to Social Media," an event aimed perhaps as much at those who follow current trends in society as at those (in the mature learner set) who find themselves struggling to keep up with the world of their grandchildren. Other Coffee and Conversation events focused on financial exploitation; the history of Columbus's famous old department store, Lazarus; and the future of iPads, smart phones, electronic readers, and other varieties of mobile technology.

What a menu!

Since my wife and I are enthusiastic subscribers to Netflix and frequent viewers of Turner Classic Movies, I decided that I would take my first plunge into the world of LLI by signing up for "A History of the Movies." It turned out to be a happy choice. Along with perhaps thirty other mature learners – as you've noticed, that's LLI's flattering jargon for its audience – I spent four Friday mornings in January learning about the invention of the technology that made moving pictures possible, about the talkie-revolution, about the marketing of movies, about the rise and fall of the studio system, about the effects of television on the film industry, and about the technological marvels that are yet again transforming America's preeminent entertainment industry.

And of course we saw lots of clips. From early silents (including European efforts). From Birth of a Nation. From the glorious 1920s. From the annus mirabilis of 1939. Shots of famous chases, races, kisses, and explosions. Lots of iconic film history images. And a knowledgeable class of mature learners was always at the ready to chip in with their own recollections and judgments.

As for our instructor, he was lively, informed, entertaining, and organized. His background was in the theater, and he had a personal film library to die for. Who could ask for anything more?

So what am I getting at? Just this: judging from my own experience, we at Kendal at Granville now have a new avenue for exploring our world and a new way of meeting fellow explorers. For this opportunity we owe COTC and the Lifelong Learning Institute much gratitude. (And while you're offering thanks, be sure to write away for a copy of the spring catalogue.)

Passing Observations Regarding Construction Project

From the beginning talks about Kendal's Phase II Construction our administrative staff has endeavored to involve residents and to keep all of us informed about it.  Focus groups  allowed us input at the onset.  Question and answer sessions addressed worries.  Monthly reports from our Director at our association meetings and in our newsletter along with items posted on the Kendal TV Channel  continue to provide us up-to-date information on what is happening. A representative of the construction company has a standing invitation to appear at our monthly association meetings to bring us timely reports on progress or explanations for lack of progress such as  weather or failure of needed materials to appear as scheduled.

We've learned a lot more about geothermal heating both from a presentation by one of the men on the project team and from direct observation of the installation of the system.  We are becoming accustomed to the necessary interruptions in various utilities.  Our reactions have varied as they have affected our lives differently.  e.g.  The late at night hour-long cutoff of the TV no doubt bothered few people because they were already in bed asleep.  But for an insomniac like me who  got mixed up as to the day it was to occur not so.  I found  myself watching a two part program which was cut off at the end of part I. When my TV screen went black, I quickly figured out what was happening and chalked it up as one more  program I would have to either catch as a rerun or leave as an unsolved mystery.

We made it through what AEP referred to as a "planned outage".  Not only did they not think to schedule it during daylight  hours when there would be fewer problems,  they didn't tell us it was planned and it happened during our dinner hour.  Luckily our resourceful dining room staff has learned from previous outages during storms how to make do on limited emergency power. They got diners through the experience like the pros they are.  After dinner one of our talented residents played  the piano for the amusement  of those of us who had made our way to the lobby with our assorted flash lights. 

We are also learning how to handle announced as well as impromptu changes in traffic patterns, one way streets, moved stop signs, trucks unloading supplies, etc.  On dry days we cope with blowing dust and on wet days we're learning to avoid the muddiest spots the best we can and to remove what we can't avoid as soon as possible before it becomes dry and hardened in place.

Yesterday afternoon at the east end where I live they were driving pylons into the ground.  This really had my apartment shaking.  Not only could I feel the vibrations through my feet when I walked on the floor,  I also could hear many of the things in my apartment rattling or vibrating against the wall.  I could even feel the vibrations as I relaxed in my recliner. All of this was accompanied by a low disconcerting sort of rumbling noise. I was relieved when it stopped.

I've discovered that an observation post  has been established on the second floor at the east end of the apartment building where a window conveniently overlooks the building site .   Two chairs have been drawn up for the comfort of observers. Someone has also been thoughtful enough to place  copies of the site plan close at hand..  Yesterday when I went up to check it out, I discovered that it really does give a much more comprehensive overview of the site compared with that at ground level. As I surveyed the number of huge trucks, cranes, and other like equipment I couldn't  help remembering something I had once heard, "The only difference between men and boys is the size and cost of their toys."

Along with the promise of wonderful new accommodations to come the construction project gives us a variety of topics of conversation  with two major areas of activity and a third yet to be started when work starts on the Gathering Center.   Life is never dull here at Kendal at Granville.

The Holidays at Kendal at Granville

John and I were alone this Holiday Season, well, not really alone. Our extended family was not here but we certainly had our Kendal family and friends around. We had a good time.

It all started on the first Friday in December when we gathered in the morning to decorate the enormous floor to ceiling tree in the lobby. Some of us are artistic and know exactly what to do. Others of us just fit little hooks in the ornaments and admired the progress while we drank coffee and ate cookies. Both men and women brought a variety of Christmas cookies which were pretty and delicious. Then we turned on the lights and proclaimed that the tree was absolutely beautiful!

For the past few years we have been observing Hannukah and have a menorah in the lobby. This year the eight days of Hannukah fell over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Two things made it special this year. First, Connie Barsky and Steve Katz, from a local synagogue, came to Kendal before this celebration and taught us the historical background of the event which goes back to about 100 BCE. They brought with them their collection of menorahs, some of which were antiques passed down from their families and one was purchased when they were in Israel. For the celebration on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I asked friends of ours who are Jewish to help with the lighting of the candles and the prayers. Rochelle and Jules brought with them homemade latkes, sour cream, and applesauce to share which were oh so good! The other special part was that one of our residents who is Jewish had her family visiting her and she brought them to the lighting. Then this whole group sang the prayers in Hebrew. This was meaningful and very touching.

Christmas Dinner in the Dining Room was wonderful! Of course we wished our own children and grandchildren were here but we so much enjoyed watching all the other families walk in and gather around the beautifully decorated tables. The chef and his staff outdid themselves in preparing a scrumptious meal.

The Holidays ended with a bang! Well, not really, but we did have a rousing New Year's Eve Party. As has been the tradition for several years, a band called "Doc and the Perfessor" entertained us with old songs such as "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey". Many people danced in a variety of styles and really had fun. The staff prepared a lovely cold buffet and we each brought what we wanted to drink. This party started at 7:00 PM and at 9:00 PM we put on party hats and sang "Auld Lang Syne". Then we wished each other "Happy New Year" and went home. A good time was had by all!

Kendaliers Sing-a-Long Exemplifies Life at Kendal

After hearing the Kendaliers sing on the evening of December 19, I decided to write my blog using the occasion as an example of one of the qualities that makes life at Kendal so special.  As a part of my preparation I asked another resident who had taken pictures that night if he would be kind enough to email pictures so I might include one in my blog.  Typical of the sort of answer that you get when you make such a request here, he said that he would gladly.  He sent me a group of pictures so I could make a choice.

Then I discovered that another of the Kendal bloggers, Reed Browning, had written a blog about the Kendaliers.  Upon reviewing it I found that his excellent description of the event provided the  perfect background for my observations.  Since we were going to have a double take on the event, I decided it was worthy of more than one picture and so published three as a separate blog.

Now as to what struck me in addition to all that Reed reported.  What I noted first of all was that it was a packed house.  Attendance was far in excess of that of the other seasonal things on our calenda. We filled all of our folding chairs.  Then we dragged additional chairs out of the adjacent dining room and library.  The lobby was filled and people were seated down the halls in both directions as well as in the library.  Those arriving at the last minute had to either sit on the floor or stand.

What brought out the largest crowd we've had for any of the other seasonal events?  I believe it was the fact that it was that special thing about Kendal.  The Kendaliers were made up of both residents and staff.  That's what is so special about Kendal.  It's the way that the residents and the staff relate to one another.  We work together on committees.  We plan and carry out special events together.  We see each other as individuals who matter.  We respect one another.  We are on a first name basis.  We care about each other. We do it in so many ways.  And so when we had a Christmas concert and sing-a-long we wanted to be there all at the same time in so far as it was possible.

It's one of the reasons I give thanks that I chose to come live at Kendal at Granville.

Kendalier Pictures

Teddy Westlake leading the sing-a-long.



The Kendaliers - Staff and Residents

The Kendaliers seated during sing-a-long facing audience.

Teddy standing facing audience to lead sing-a-long.

The audience - note standing room only.

Filled the lobby extending into the library

and down the hall in both directions.

Note how close audience sits to performers.

The house was packed!!



The Kendaliers

Good news – Kendal at Granville is no longer without a choir! On the evening of December 19, with a program of traditional Christmas music, the Kendaliers made their debut. They are a nine-member chorus comprised entirely of Kendal residents. The enthusiasm of the standing-room only crowd showed that the community appreciated the group's efforts, and the singers themselves said how pleased they were to have been given an opportunity to return to the hobby of choral singing they had once so much enjoyed. While it's not clear whether the Kendaliers will become a fixture on the Kendal scene, there's little doubt that many residents have been reminded of the lure of choral singing, and so it's likely that other efforts and experiments will soon follow.

The founder and director of the Kendaliers is Teddy Westlake. Having just retired from careers in which she directed both church choirs and community choirs – and a fine keyboardist as well – Teddy realized that she had talents to offer to her fellow residents. From her work as the guiding spirit of the Vintage Voices, Granville's community choir for seniors, she is familiar with the vocal limitations that adults in the seventies and eighties might experience, and she knows how to coax spirited and enjoyable performances out of mature vocal cords. She recruited her singers early in the fall and scheduled one-hour weekly rehearsals during which they learned to blend their voices, listen to each other, and overcome their discouragement that they might no longer have the resonant voices and vocal control that they recalled having had when thirty years younger. She also recruited two talented and non-senior singers, Sandy Wolfe (who works in our Wellness Center) and her daughter Brittany, to perform solos and duets.

The event was held in the large entrance hallway of Kendal at Granville, decked out with traditional seasonal trappings. The program celebrated Christmas, with choral settings of familiar carols and solo performances of reverential pieces, interspersed with a narrative telling of the Christmas story. Afterwards, the community joined with the chorus in singing Christmas songs of all sorts – the lively, the quiet, the rollicking, and the soaring. Several audience members enlivened the occasion by supplying, when appropriate, an aural backdrop of sleigh bells.

When the evening was over, everyone felt warmth about the occasion and gratitude toward Teddy – for her vision, her labors, her generosity. Moreover, the comments that have been making the rounds in the days after the concert suggest that there is a genuine appetite for more choral opportunities and performances at Kendal. Let's hope the Kendaliers have a future.

Better Late than Never

I planned to write this the day before Thanksgiving, but as so often happens in our lives in the words of  Robert Burns “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”   All sorts of things conspired to keep me from following my plans until today.  So here I am at last able to reflect on what there was and is to be thankful about my life here at Kendal at Granville.  One real big thing for me in connection with thanks giving is the very special way in which the Thanksgiving Dinner is handled here.

Our meal is served from eleven to three that day making it possible for us to eat a very leisurely meal.  The menu is fabulous.  So much so that when someone asked my daughter-in-law where she was going for Thanksgiving Dinner and she said she was going to eat with her mother-in-law who lived at a CCRC, and that person said, "Oh that's too bad," my daughter-in-law replied, "Oh no, it's a wonderful place to eat for Thanksgiving, we love the food there. It was our choice to eat there instead of at home.' The fact that my family which includes my son, his wife and two sons - one just beginning college and one a sophomore in high school,  all of whom like to come here so we can enjoy the meal together has a lot to do with making it something I'm very thankful for.

Our menu offered two soups - one a wonderful crab and corn chowder and the other a delicious roasted butternut squash soup.  In addition to the usual mixed greens salad with assorted dressings there were four special salads - broccoli cole slaw, a fresh fruit salad, lemon Seven Up salad and a tomato avocado salad.  The main entrees consisted of honey glazed ham, baked filet of sole with seafood stuffing and white wine sauce, and the traditional roast turkey.  My daughter-in-law told me the sole was really scrumptious and from the number of helpings my son and grandsons had of the ham I know it hit the spot. The sides included mashed potatoes, praline sweet potato casserole, corn bread stuffing, green bean casserole, creamed pearl onions, and cranberry sauce. Of course, there was plenty of gravy.   My daughter-in-law also told me that the sweet potato casserole was very tasty.

 As if all that were not enough for desser we had a wide assortment of pies and cakes crowned  with a luscious chocolate cherry cobbler and warm bread pudding with caramel sauce.   As always cookies and ice cream and assorted beverages were on hand.  Who could ask for anything more?

One of the nice things that the dining department does is check ahead of time to see who has family coming.  Tables are then set up and reserved so that when a family comes in they can be seated together without a great deal of rearranging of tables to get all of the family together.  There are also dining personnel available to help those who need assistance and to keep the tables cleared of used dishes.

Oops I almost forgot to mention that the dining room also makes sure that the tables are set with tablecloths and special cloth napkins.  In addition the dining room is decorated so that you don't feel like it's an institution but a very special dining spot suitable for a family gathering.  Add i tall up and you can see that the Dining Department is one for which I am very grateful here at Kendal

The many other things I'm thankful for here at Kendal are the convenience of housekeeping and maintenance services, drivers to take us to medical appointments, the caring staff, and the chance to live with a community of people who believe in the Kendal values.