United Presbyterian Home

The United Presbyterian Home sponsored a Senior Spelling Bee on Friday, May 1, 2015 as they continue their efforts to support the Longest Day Fundraiser to end Alzheimer's. Contestants included Connie Bauer, Pat Dusenbery, Julia Gamon, Dick Hendrickson, Del Henningfield, Joyce Huff, Pat Jenkins, Melva Mineart, Lois Swank, Dorothy White, Audra Williams and Ruth Zehr. Participants finished 11 rounds, spelling 61 words before Pat Jenkins was declared the winner, with Pat Dusenbery as runner-up. Nine contestants jumped back in for a second contest at which time Dick Hendrickson spelled his way to the top spot with Julia Gamon the runner-up. Jolisa Weidner from the Washington Public Library served as guest pronouncer. Jolisa, dressed appropriately as a bee in yellow shirt with black strips and antennae, brought along a bee pointer stick and Bit-O-Honey candy for the contestants and spectators. For each bee joke the crowd answered she donated honey-money to the basket. Brain-healthy prizes of Acai berries, dark chocolate, Sudoku puzzles, word finds and puzzle books were awarded to the winners.

Carol Ray flew to Philadelphia last Friday to attend her nephew's wedding. With no planning at all, she ended up on the same plane from Chicago with her niece, Rosalie Ray, who lives in Los Angeles. It was a lovely wedding which took place on the grounds of the Belmont Mansion, which was built by abolitionists in the late 18th century. A son of the family became George Washington's Secretary of War. On these grounds, nephew Max and bride Kaytee included two dogs in their ceremony. Both are service dogs-in-training and both performed very well, one carried a flower and the other the rings. It was a happy day with many toasts, lots of dancing and bubbles. Old friends and lots of family, many with the next generation in their arms, enjoyed the celebration to the fullest.

Mary Atwood and about a dozen of her fellow United Presbyterian Church parishioners visited the United Presbyterian Home as part of their Share-Your-Love Week. They arrived on Saturday morning with doughnuts to share over coffee while visiting with residents from the Health Center, Main Building, Kerr Hall and cottagers in the Town Center. Following coffee and a fun time of visiting that included lots of laughter and a picture session they divided up and assisted residents with various projects. They read to residents, visited with other residents, washed windows, laid sod, planted flowers and a rhododendron bush, re-potted a plant, ran errands and organized a garage. Mary reports that the church group enjoyed sharing their time, talents and love with residents and it appeared that the residents enjoyed having them around.

Esther Bordwell and her two daughters, Millie Youngquist and Lynda Bordwell, traveled to Minneapolis over the weekend to visit her son, John and his wife, Martha. They toured the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Museum to see the Art in Bloom project. Esther?s daughter-in-law, Martha, volunteers as a docent at the museum. They also took in a play and much-enjoyed family time.

Lucy Landon also traveled to the Minneapolis area over the weekend to attend an anniversary celebration and spend time with her cousins in the area.

Classics Et Cetera for May 7, 2015 included the Overture to ?Cosi fan tutte? by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; 1st Movement of ?Petite Symphonie? for nine wind instruments by Charles Gounod; ?The Musical Snuff Box? by Anatoly Liadov; ?St. Louis Blues? by W.C. Handy, performed by the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic; First 7 numbers of ?Elijah? by Felix Mendelssohn; 3rd Movement of Septet in E-flat by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by the Budapest Clarinet Quintet; ?Semper Fidelis? a march by John Philip Sousa.

The hopelessly precocious Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), having just turned 20, conducted the ?modern premiere? of J. S. Bach?s oratorio ?St. Matthew?s Passion? which had laid unperformed since Bach?s death 80 years earlier. Mendelssohn was so moved that he determined to produce an oratorio of his own. Greatly influenced by Bach, his ?St. Paul? in 1836 was hugely successful in its day. He instantly vowed to follow with another, but he vacillated as to the subject. Someone mentioned the Old Testament prophet Elijah, and Mendelssohn started reading ... (To be continued)