Halcyon House

Alfred Conrad ?Fritz? recently opened a new chapter of his life when he joined the Halcyon House family. Fritz has resided in Harper for the past 62 years. He hasn?t looked back as he has been busy getting settled and meeting new friends. Eating in the Timmins Dining Room is a real treat. Fritz worked for 42 years with the Natural Gas Pipeline while residing in eight states. He is the father to four children, Richard, Daniel and Douglas Conrad from Washington and daughter Carolyn Jacobs of Florida. He enjoys college football, basketball and the Cubs.

Brynn and Aubrey Marsh were recent guests of their great-grandmother, Ruthella English. Granddaughter Amy, husband Tyler, Brynn and Aubrey traveled from Elk Horn, Neb., to visit family in the Washington area. The girls enjoyed finding and petting Jake, the house cat.

Linda Dasovic from Omaha, Neb., was here to spend several days with her father, Rex Severt. They have such a good time reminiscing and Linda states that she always goes home learning something new that her dad has shared. Son Bill and Sheila Severt also joined them for lunch on Monday.

Bob Kennedy was the volunteer driver to and from the United Methodist Church where Stephen Rodrugues-Pavao and Margaret Runaas pleased the audience with an evening of art song and aria. Marcella Reed, Virginia Tschantz, Audrey Stark, Louise Chandler and Mary Meeks enjoyed the evening concert.

The program of the week was ?Pop, Pop, and Pop Day. The afternoon began with a word search looking for words associated with popcorn. A tasty treat of homemade caramel corn along with a beverage of pop was passed out to all. It is said that Americans consume 17 billion quarts of popcorn every year. Nebraska is the No. 1 producer with an estimated 250 million pounds of popcorn annually. Besides being the most favorite snack food, it also has more protein than any other cereal grain, more iron than eggs or roast beef and more fiber than pretzels. A quote from W. C. Fields was shared and ended the program, ?The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves.?

Monday night at the movies featured a Cecil B. DE Mille story, ?The Greatest Show on Earth,? with three intertwining plot lines, with romance and rivalry beneath the Big Top that won an Academy Award for best picture and best story!

Lela Garton?s topic of discussion was all about hair and wigs. Humans show an almost obsessive preoccupation with hair ? or lack of it. It is even said that the way hair is worn affords a powerful identification of social, economic and intellectual status. Wigs have been made from braids set with beeswax, palm leaf fibers, pure silver, wool and of course, human hair. The exception were the Romans who thought hair was sacred and both washing and cutting hair was ceremonial and some would paint hair on their heads rather than wear a wig. The toupee was derived from integrating wigs into a more natural hairline by combing and blending the natural hair over the wig.

The Rev. Bob Wollenberg of the United Presbyterian Church gave the word of worship on Sunday in the Epworth Chapel. The Scripture was from Ephesians 5:1-2.

Fall is definitely in the air! The trees are turning awesome hues of oranges, yellows, and reds as the farmers are hurriedly harvesting the fields between rains. Moms everywhere are trying to find the stashed jackets, and preparations for Halloween are under way. The hallways speak jack-o'-anterns and decorations in preparation for the annual trick-or-treat night that Halcyon sponsors for all the little spooks.

The Wellness Department hosted a recent trip to the Amana Colonies. The group enjoyed a family-style lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn followed by the delightful play ?The Church Basement Ladies,? at the Old Creamery Theater.