Halcyon House

Betty Osincup, along with daughter and grandson, Elyse and Ben Chapman, had a special trip to Decorah last Sunday. Ben spent his fourth time as a Dorian Music Camp participant at Luther College. They began their ?one-for-the-road? coffee fix at a Coralville coffee house. Ben is enrolled in music theater arts classes and will sing in mixed choir with a concert on Saturday for the camp divisions.

An interesting side note is that a Washington camper, Steve Lovick, son of the late Ardie and Juanita Lovick was one of the very first Luther College Music Camp scholarship winners in 1964.

Betty served as the state music chairman for the Iowa Federation of Women?s Clubs in the 1960s with her project being to provide scholarships to the four music camps in Iowa. After getting Ben settled, Elyse suggested they try to find the famous Decorah eagle nesting site. They Googled for directions and found the secluded site with other ?birders? there also. A Decorah watcher loaned them his binoculars for close-up views of the two eagles that had just become fledglings. They are named No. 21 and No. 22. The trip and experience was exciting and a great addendum to TV watching. They bade farewell to the eagles and were homeward bound. It was a long day but very special!

Alice George was happy to have her daughter Sara, husband Boni and son Richard Manzanarez from Dallas, Texas, here for a visit. They had a family get-together in Des Moines and another day enjoyed a picnic in the park at Oskaloosa for the George family members. They also had a belated birthday dinner for Alice at John?s Barbecue in Ainsworth and a host of visiting and dining out for days. A great time was had by all!

Sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Marcia Robertson. A memorial service was held in the Day Lounge on Tuesday as many gathered to say farewell to Halcyon?s longtime resident of 36 years. Marcia and her late husband, Loren joined the Halcyon House family in 1979. Marcia was such a joy, loved her family and friends and was grateful for her many years of hair service at Halcyon.

Isy Flander, Lois Greiner, Alice Edgin, Rosemary Laing, Denny and Connie Sorrell were guests in the home of Adam Mangold where they met and visited with presidential candidate Jeb Bush.

Sybil Thornton comments about the convenience of the softball and baseball diamonds that are located across the street. There is nothing better than a good game, grilled hot dogs and Kalona ice cream bars.

Phil Kneen?s buddy and longtime friend, Leon Hilfman, has finally returned from his winter home in Florida. The snowbird was challenged to a card game, with Kneen being declared the winner.

Gladys Ferguson, Mona Paul, Sybil Thornton, Marcella Reed, Alice Edgin, Ethel Hendrickson and Martha Hahn enjoyed an outing at the Newbo City Market. The local vendors offered fresh produce and amazing artisan products and were offered samples of the local food and beer and wine. They also checked out the shops in the Czeck Village, too!

The Day Lounge was the setting for the program that brought awareness of the history and how it evolved. Many cultures used the swastika as a positive symbol. Prior to the Nazis, the swastika stood for good luck, prosperity and happiness for over 3,000 years. The swastika has had a bad reputation for many years. The symbol changed when the Nazis used it for the image of genocide, murder and torture.

The ?Farmer?s Almanac? was the highlight for the Thursday afternoon program. Stories were read, discussion held about the phases of the moon, calendars and gestation periods for livestock and everything one needed to know about when to plant and harvest. The Farmer?s Almanac is an annual North American periodical that has been in continuous publication since 1818. Members of the audience shared their experiences and that these tips really do work.