Halcyon House

Mary Meeks had a nice surprise on Friday afternoon when her granddaughter, Leslie Meeks of Marshall, Mo., along with her friend, Quinn of Springfield, Mo., stopped by for a visit. They had been to Chicago to attend the Wrigley Field Cubs baseball game in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. Leslie and her dad were avid fans of the Cubs.

Margret Steinbeck was in her glory to have her daughters back in Iowa for a week's visit. Kristen flew from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kortney?s flight came from the state of Washington. The girls continue their work on family genealogy and had prepared years of history and had old photographs copied onto disks. The threesome always have such a good time together and their laughter is just contagious.

Jo Swartzendruber enjoyed the company of her son, Jeff of Shueyville. They had lunch in the Timmins Dining Room and shared family stories.

It has been reported that the summer brought lots of trips out for ice cream, to the Farmers Market, Thursday Night Live bandstand entertainment, and weekly dominoes games and the response to the Rebecca and Kube Concert at the Washington Community Theater was fantastic.

Topic of the Day with Lela Garton shared an interesting topic, ?We love to see our children reach milestones, but their achievements also date us.? Lela told of the day that her son spent the entire day with them and later she realized that she had missed his birthday that day. The best story was when her daughter had taken Lela?s grandsons to the park and evidently stayed too long, as they were hot and tired. When mom was distracted, she turned to find one of them lowering his clothes to use the fountain. There was discussion about the worries of falling as people age, and how she detests the word ?gout? and has renamed it to UA Syndrome (Uric Acid Syndrome). September hadn?t been the best month for the Gartons after all; they had also aged by 30 days.

Wednesday was a busy day that began with Washington High School Principal Erik Buchholz introducing the Homecoming Court. He asked them to address the audience by naming their parents, future plans and answering a specific question without prior rehearsal. Of course, the residents who included several retired educators were happy to hear that their success was attributed to their teachers. Halcyon was also proud to have Alex Gonzales, Daryn Sebelius, Paige Letcher and Sydney Hoffman nominated because of their association with Halcyon House.

The Keota Brass band entertained in the Day Lounge on Wednesday afternoon followed by Bingo and prizes in Gardenview Dining Room. The ladies from Marion Avenue Baptist Church provided one-on-one time to many of the residents of the Avalon House. The visit was appreciated by all. Dick Colby is always gracious as he presents his classical music on Thursday mornings in the Epworth Chapel.

Washington Reformed Presbyterian Church Pastor Dan Drost's sermon on Sunday was ?God?s Presence in the Midst of Opposition.? The Scripture from taken from Psalm 119: 145-152.

Monday?s program ?Johnny Appleseed? was compiled and delivered to the audience by Ethel along with trivia and, of course, a snack of apple slices with caramel dip. The women and men of Avalon House have been taking advantage of the September weather with noon picnics outdoors on a daily basis.

A multitude of miles have been traveled giving wheelchair rides that have been enjoyed and given by trusty volunteers and staff. The kitchenette is still the hub of breakfast activity every Tuesday morning where many gather around the round table for food and fellowship.