Brain Health

Several weeks ago I signed up for "Healthy Habits for Brain Health" and added it to my calendar. The irony of thinking back to last Tuesday is that when we arrived for the class we learned that we were a day late! Apparently, this is a class that I need! I hope it's offered again.

Another good day playing bridge at the Senior Center. The two previous weeks I was second but last week I was first! We have a chart that lists the first and second players each week. My name doesn't appear on the chart as often as some of the other players so it was a pleasant surprise to get No. 1.

Concordia's annual anniversary dinner was held yesterday. The LWML women with the help of other volunteers coordinate the dinner. Several years ago I chaired the dinner but this year I was the co-chair with Diane Conrad. We had a simple menu of pork loin, cheesy potatoes, tossed kale salad, macaroni & cheese, applesauce, jellied cranberry sauce, and rolls. The donated desserts are the star of the meal and we always receive a variety to please almost anybody. Someone else takes care of arranging and decorating the tables.

The tables are decorated and ready for the big dinner!

Renovations and Trip

Earlier this year the ownership of Copper Chase changed hands. The apartments are now owned by Greystar. The new owner has made changes. We now have valet trash pickup. Five nights a week we are able to set out our trash by our front door. Fortunately, we won't have an increase in fees for this service until the time we renew our lease. Just recently we heard lots of work being done right outside our door. The treads on the stairways to the second and third floors were replaced. And this morning several workers were painting some rusted areas on the stairway. I wondered how they could paint when the temperature is near freezing.

A week ago we had our first opportunity to see the remodeled Greenwood Senior Center with a brand new look and redesigned space. The center was closed for more than six months and activities were spread to many other venues during that time. Since its reopening, we've played bridge twice and surprisingly I came in second place both weeks! In order to score points much depends on the cards that you and your partner receive.

On Friday, November 8, we drove to Sturgeon Bay, WI to attend the funeral service of Ray's cousin the next day. Fran Everson was 10 months older than Ray and as youngsters growing up together they have many opportunities for play and spending time together. Fran served in the Army and later was involved in Veteran organizations. He was given military honors immediately following the church service.

During visitation an honor guard stood at attention
and changed out every 10-15 minutes.

Military honors about to begin.

In the background are the men who provided the gun salute.
In the foreground, we watched the flag folding ceremony and listened as taps played.

We met Fran's grandchildren and expressed our condolences to his two daughters and Arliss his wife of 66 years. Also, to his twin sisters Sandra and Sonja.

We returned to Indiana on Sunday leaving early in the morning and practically sailing through downtown Chicago. We can't recall a time when we didn't have a slowdown at the Jane Byrne intersection near the Loop. We were ahead of a cold front with rain and snow expected. By late Monday afternoon, snow was falling and by the next morning, our car doors were frozen with the drop of temperature to 8°. The high for the day even set a record.

On Wednesday we experienced more cold -- at the Baxter YMCA. We were there to play pickleball but everyone had to wear a jacket or sweats because there was no heat in the gym. I hope they have made repairs by the time we go back tomorrow morning.

Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning I helped with quilt knotting at church. Ray and I helped with packing meals at Pack Away Hunger in the afternoon. All the meals, some 38,000+, packed in the morning and afternoon sessions are going to Haiti. Some of the statistics about malnutrition and hunger are frightening. Ray and I are blessed to have ample food that we take for granted and probably too many extra calories that we don't need.

Fall Weather Has Arrived

We had our first killing frost of the season on Friday, Nov. 1 and had to scrape our windshield before we headed to Fort Wayne for the annual Concordia Educational Foundation Luncheon. We met three new students this year and enjoyed a lively conversation at our table with another adult and her student. The food was delicious as always and the choir gave an acapella mini-concert that is always excellent.

On our return trip, we stopped at Trinity's cemetery. Several years ago we had seen that my parents' tombstone was leaning and we wanted to check if there was any change. It seemed to me that the angle was worse and I'm hoping we can find someone to fix it so it is upright once again. It won't be easy to take care of it by long distance.

Do you see the problem? 

In the last two weeks, we've had several days of rain and maybe we are no longer in deficit. We observed corn harvest during our trip to Fort Wayne and noticed that most bean fields were already cleared. Some of the small fields in our neighborhood are ready for harvest. Will it be this week or next?

I pulled out costumes stored in a closet and Ray and I enjoyed time visiting with other guests at our new pastor's "Reformation & Halloween Party." It was raining most of the day but we're not sure if that took out internet and TV service. We made numerous phone calls and on Monday evening service was restored. Management has given us about a $5 rebate for 55 hours of internet and TV outage.

Here's a view of our vintage costumes.

    

A Roman??

Of course, a Lady Bug

     





















Maybe it was just as well that we didn't get to watch Oklahoma's upset loss to Kansas State. It would have been a difficult game to watch. Until that game, the Sooners were undefeated and were hoping for a chance to play for the national championship.

We also missed the Colt's game last weekend when they defeated the Broncos as the game was ending. Today, the Colts couldn't repeat a last-minute win when an attempted field goal went wide to the left. The World Series is over for another year with a newly crowned first-time champion, the Washington Nationals. Class A Indianapolis Lutheran High School is undefeated this year and we hope will make it to the state championship game. Soon we'll be watching basketball another sign that fall is definitely here with winter weather on the horizon.