The Other Side of Campus Life

 

It occurred to me that there’s a whole lot of stuffing going on here that I haven’t written about because it doesn’t interest me and/or I'd have to do more than two posts a week to cover it all, but that stuff might be of interest to someone else who could be exploring the continuum care concept of living out the final decade of life---or two if we’re lucky.

Exercise classes I have mentioned. Tai Chi---my personal favorite---Yoga, cardio drumming and sit & stretch I've written about but they also have cardio boxing, strength training, a walking club, balance & barre and circuit training classes. One lady, who goes to most of exercise classes said, "It's my job to stay healthy." That statement was countered  by another woman who replied, "I'm not doing any of that. I'm going to eat what I want, do what I want and if I die early then I'll die happy."

In the tour of things I don't do here I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the game room. That place is busy 4-5 times a week with a bunch of card-sharky people all having noisy fun. Or so I'm told. I hear the gaming group talk at meals and in the lobby and you can tell they've bonded quickly. It's interesting how different the conversations are when you sit with different combinations of people. There's the Gossipers and what I call the Complaint Department and then the Silly Club (my favorite). The Gamers and the Church-Chatters round out the frequent mealtime tables. The box of chocolates metaphor of never knowing what you'll get is over used and doesn't apply here as I'm getting better at identifying on sight the 'candies' in our box of personalities. A handy skill to have when you place your food order and you can choose take-out or dine in. Always on the lookout for blog fodder, I rarely get take-out.

There have been a few lectures here, too, that I have attended: one was about birds of prey (briefly mentioned a while back). I got to see a huge, live barn owl up close enough to touch. We were also visited by a speaker from the humane society who brought three dog ambassadors with her who roamed the room soaking up pets and praises. One pooped on the floor, another got creeped out by the cat-like hissing coming from a man’s portable oxygen tank. Both proved to be quite entertaining. We had another speaker this afternoon who is with an EMT search and rescue K9 unit. She was animated and fascinating and full of great antidotes.

I'm glad we’re on the lecture circuit of people passing through the community with programs like this. These lectures reminded me of the ones I loved at the senior hall as did the two entertainers who came here to play the piano. I was amazed at how easily they can play any song from 1920 to 2021 that’s called out from a crowd.

If you’re into churchy things, this month would have had you feeling right at home. There's a three part discussion scheduled and led by the pastors here that focuses on The Advent. Another discussion on the calendar will be led by the person in charge of the Hospice program here on campus and it’s about getting through the holidays after a loss and managing our expectations as we age. I’m betting that will be well attended. There is also a caroling night and a tree trimming afternoon on the calendar. Oh, and a Christmas party. Lest you think church activities are unique to this campus I toured another CCC once that has church services seven days a week and twice on Sundays.

Every day something new gets added to the community app…a bus trip downtown to see the Christmas lights, a Parade of Apartments here on campus of those who want to share/show off their holiday decorating skills and/or new home décor. I did not volunteer my apartment for the tour but I am looking forward to seeing those who did. Also going on is a "The Twelve Days of Christmas" give-away. Management draws the names of a staff and resident every day for twelve days for prizes. If I win something I hope it's the Fitbit. I've had two watches go belly up since I moved here.

Then there are the collections being taken. I’m not sure if this will be on going or just a holiday thing but we’ve gotten fancy invitations to donate to things like the Therapeutic Equestrian Program that brings horses to our sister campus. Another collection letter came looking for donations to the employee Christmas gift fund. We are not allowed to give personal gifts or tips to employees so whatever comes from this collection gets divided up. I was shocked to hear one lady say she will write a check for $500, but when she explained her math on how much she’d be tipping for dinners in a regular restaurant compared to the no tipping rule here it wasn’t that out of line (if we'd been here a full year) and she didn’t even include the concierge or maintenance people in her math. 

Another appeal for money featured a 97 year old woman who ran out of money to pay her own way at our sister campus. The Foundation takes over her expenses in cases like that which I knew---it’s part of the promise you get when you buy into any continuum care complex. I just didn’t expect them to metaphorical pass the collection plate using an actual resident like abandon puppies featured in humane society commercials. I’m pretty sure these are all seasonal bids for our charitable giving but I mention them because it fits in with theme of what’s it’s like living in a place like this.  ©

Cool Cottages and Fancy-Ass Fashion Shows

"cottage"

Decisions! Decisions! I sat outside the senior hall trying to decide if I wanted to go back home and get my hearing aids or not. I had the time before the lecture began if I wanted to give up my prime parking space, one that allows for a quick escape after lectures are over and a 115 cars are funneling out of a single exit. Defensive parking, I call it. The senior hall is a great place to get your car dinged, bumped, backed into and scratched. While I was sitting there I had a brilliant idea. Why on earth don’t I just keep my hearing aids in the car? I never wear when I’m alone in the house and I always remember them when I’m in a parking lot waiting for an event to start or an appointment time…I’m a habitual early bird.

I opted not to go home because the deck crew was there finishing up and I didn’t want the dog to think he was getting an early release from his bedroom prison. He stays there all night long by choice but add a baby gate to the doorway and he gets his nose out of joint. He’s used to having the run of the house when I go away but with people working on my wrap-around deck, the dog barking to protect his domain would drive them crazy and their noise would drive him crazy. The deck, by the way, turned out great although it took them forever. Partly because people over 60 don’t work fast and partly because they only worked two to three hours at a time and I was getting truly sick of seeing them around. They not only stained the wood but also replaced the lattice work and had to dig down almost a foot through a tangle of roots to get at the bottom runner. The depth of that runner keeps small animals from burling under but it doesn’t stop them from chewing their way in and out from underneath my deck. Nearly twenty years of chewing really did an evil number on the lattice. 

The lecture was titled, “The Historic Cottages of Mackinac Island.” People outside of the Great Lakes area may not know much about Mackinac Island---a popular summertime tourist place that draws a million visitors between May and November---but those who do know, know that the word ‘cottage’ is a misnomer. These places are more like mansions that line the eight miles of bluffs overlooking the waters of Lake Huron in between lower and upper Michigan. Gables, wrap-around porches, widow’s walks, bay windows, turrets and towers. The lecturer was speaking my favorite language. The few places that are currently up for sale are listed between three and five point five million. Yes, for a place you can only use in the summers. Only one house on the whole island is occupied year-around and if that isn’t quaint enough for you there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island. Getting around is by foot, bicycle, horseback or horse drawn vehicles but on Sundays people often take their yachts to church. Which begs the question, what happens to the horses in the winter? The internet had the answer. The majority of the 400 draft horses are taken to the Upper Peninsula by boat for the winter, a process that takes two weeks to move them all. Those left behind are used for sleigh rides for Christmas parties for those who venture over to the island across the frozen water on snowmobiles.

The lecture wasn’t the only fun thing I did this past week. I also went to an event called Sip and Shop sponsored by the CCC where I will be moving. It was a fashion show in an upscale store that was all marble, glass and chrome. I don’t know if champagne and yummy appetizers are served at all fashion shows because fashion and shopping are not my thing but I wanted to go because the other invited guests are my future neighbors, and I’m jumping into these get-to-know-each-other games full throttle. My wardrobe is so outdated it’s practically back in the last century so I decided to buy a new top to wear. I found one I liked but after getting it home I was bummed out that what I thought was a small black and white pattern was really navy blue and white. The only thing I have in my closet that is navy blue is a pair of underpants and underwear don’t have to coordinate with blouses in my world unless maybe I’m going to a doctor’s office. I looked at the calendar, breathed a sigh of relief that I could still wear white. So I paired the stupid blouse made for younger people with better eye sight with white pants and black sandals and called it good enough. 

I had a great time, laughed a lot and was the source of a lot of laughter because I couldn’t keep my sense of humor under wraps. If you care about the fashion trends coming here’s what you need to know to be in with the in crowd: Fake fur paired with tweets and animal prints are going to be everywhere. Dark floral prints are also going to be hot as well as blazers. And ankle length dresses and more fitted waist lines are coming to get us again. Someone did ask about the white-after-Labor-Day rule and, yes you can wear it. But you have to pair the white with heavier weight stuff like sweaters, scarfs or boots and put your scandals and airy fabrics away.

I really like the management team for the CCC. I'm trying my best to just be me around these people and my future neighbors, not the filtered Jean I usually show the world. So far, so good. One of the ladies from higher up in management than the two I usually deal with came over afterward and introduced herself and said, "I won't forget you." Why, you ask? Because I was in a wise-cracking mood and called out stuff like, "Now she looks like she just had sex" when they were demonstrating how a hair product "puffs up" limp hair. The model was quick-witted and replied, "You've been talking to my husband haven't you!" which had everyone laughing. Like I said I had a good time and I needed that. ©