Afternoon October 8th, 2022

Thanksgiving Weekend

It couldn't feel more fall when we walked into a room of sugar and cinnamon. Today we painted a harvest basket---which I brought from a local farm---of pumpkins, squash, corn, and acorns. The seniors would pick some vegetables and paint a still life in delicious golden, rose, and green.

Peggy told us that her birthday was the following weekend, so celebrated her 97th's anniversary with a cheery song and pumpkin pie. I noticed that Peggy wore super cute whale-shaped earrings that were different from the silver moon she wore last time. Witty and articulate, Peggy told us that she picked out different ones to wear to every session.

Allen's wife Beryl also joined us today. She has Alzheimer's Disease and has been struggling with speech. At some point in the session, however, we heard Beryl trying to speak. Allen's eyes lit up, and he leaned close to her. None of us could understand what Beryl said, but Allen told us; it turned out that one of the volunteers had worn a shirt that read the quote by John Muir---"the mountains are calling, and I must go." Beryl, who had not been speaking or writing in a long time, told Allen that she knew the quote and could read it. Allen explained to us that he and Beryl had been big hikers and spent long summers in the Rockies. It's no wonder that Beryl could hear the mountains calling.