Halcyon House News

The First Assembly of God Church led our weekly service on Sunday. The Rev. W. David Watson gave the sermon titled ?Good Father.? He shared Scripture which included Matthew 7.

Baking class on Tuesday was enjoyed by all who attended. The group made an enhanced snickerdoodle recipe. They enjoyed the altered result. Residents visited about how they baked cookies when we were young. They also talked about their favorite cookie sheets and favorite recipes.

With the hot summer weather there is nothing better than enjoying a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream with strawberries to cool you off. The ice cream social was enjoyed by not only the residents but the team also got to try this tasty cold treat. Ice Cream trivia was shared along with a question as to what their favorite flavor of ice cream was. Chocolate won the vote but there were plenty of votes for vanilla ice cream too.

Monday night at the movies starring Doris Day and Jack Lemmon was ?It Happened to Jane.? This romantic comedy classic that goes straight to the heart was full of laughs and shenanigans.

Stop by Halcyon House and see the new art pieces the residents have finished. They are proudly being displayed in the Day Lounge on the bulletin board. Creative Art Class has been a lot of fun and even a couple of the guys have joined in on this creative coloring class.

Sophie, the Halcyon House therapy dog, stops into see the residents at Avalon House on Wednesday mornings. Sophie brings a smile to everyone she meets along with some licks. Sophie?s favorite part of her visit is all of the cuddles and the tasty dog treats.

Halcyon House and Lending Hands participated in the Longest Day on Monday, June 20. The Longest Day is an event to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer?s Association®. Held annually on the summer solstice, the duration of this sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. Approximately 90 people rode the Nu-Steps at the two locations.

Retired local teachers joined Halcyon House residents for brunch and a presentation by Washington Superintendent Jeff Dicks on ?Current Trends in Education.? After brunch the teachers toured the apartments of Eva Gallagher and Don/Loretta Gardner.

Halcyon House Wellness Department hosted a ?Salad in the Jar? workshop for residents and the greater community. Maggie Dacck, U of I Health Promotion student organized and presented this program featuring the benefits of the Power 9 Blue Zones. Those who participated were treated to a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, hummus, and different types of salad dressing and put their choice of ingredients into a quart mason jar. There were several different types of recipes available with the ?Triple Berry Nut? being the most popular.

Eva Gallagher and Gladys Ferguson enjoyed spending time with Ruth Dickerson of Carroltown, Texas and her sister, Shirley Dee of State Center. They spent the day together visiting and enjoyed an ice cream treat late in the day.

Phyllis Lyle enjoyed many visitors over the last week. Her grandson, Eric Lyle and friend, Penny Syverson of Mesa, Arizona, visited and stayed overnight on Thursday. They visited with Keota relatives and on Saturday night they attended Eric?s 20th class reunion in Keota. On Sunday Phyllis welcomed granddaughter, Emily Hill of Bloomfield, and her daughters Macy, Julia, and Noel. They joined Phyllis for dinner at the Timmins Dining Room. Monday brought a visit from granddaughter, Audra Conrad of Des Moines, great granddaughter Gabrielle O?Koner and Phyllis? great-great grandson, Liam of Sigourney. Phyllis was excited to show off Liam and really enjoyed a very happy weekend with family!

Mary Ann Hennigan and her son, Matt Hennigan, and his family enjoyed a visit from daughter Sue Cohn, granddaughter Whitney Dominique, and granddaughter-in-law Ashley Cohn. In addition, great grandchildren Werner and Aurora Cohn, Collins and Camden Dominique joined them in the visit to Washington. They were all visiting from North Carolina. The weather was perfect for a picnic in Sunset Park and other outdoor activities.

We extend sympathy from Halcyon House residents and team members to the family of Dorothy Millmeyer.