St. Luke Living Center
By SUE GUTSCH
Living Center correspondent
Many times we appreciate but fail to acknowledge the kind help and assistance from people not "assigned the chore." This was our experience the evening we attended the Little House On the Prairie program at Marion City Library. Men and women, some we didn't know, stepped up and assisted us when we arrived and departed.
Another example of going the extra mile was during our recent power outage. Thoughtful employees came from several hospital departments, bringing fans and checking our welfare.
A banana which had nearly reached the limit of usefulness, inspired our decision to make chewy coconut cookies Friday morning. Peanut butter was the other main flavorful ingredient. Mildred Hajek suggested this recipe which came from a cookbook belonging to her daughter-in-law, Donna Hajek. The results were lightly brown, soft, and delicious.
We had fun playing bingo after lunch, exceeding our weekly budget, forcing us to dig into the rainy day reserves. Our exercise group also usually is fun and this afternoon Mary Malone from the physical therapy department of the hospital, was an observer of our "high jinks."
Because thoughtful ministers were willing to accommodate one another, Rev. Brett Huebner of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Marion, again was here this Sunday for the afternoon service. Shirley Bowers accompanied the hymn singing and also is always accommodating.
It was pretty-up time Monday morning before playing pitch with Marie Navrat, eating freshly-popped corn from the big red machine, and then exercising in the afternoon as an effort to negate those calories.
Some mental muscle was utilized Tuesday morning by a large group playing alphabet bingo using the letters I, H, Y, and X to win. It is a little confusing but it causes us to think a bit more.
That afternoon amid a "myriad" of interruptions, we managed to read a couple of chapters about the Ingalls family struggling through the early weeks of the long winter, unable to buy kerosene or coal until the train could get through.
A van full of "lunch bunchers" invaded The Big Scoop in downtown Marion, Thursday noon. A large number of this bunch was living center residents. They were joined by Joann Fitzpatrick, Shirley Bowers, Bettie Batt, and Khrista Branson of the living center.
Later in the afternoon, another bus load took an outing to Florence. These folks reported the town never looked nicer, all spruced up for the Labor Day celebration. A dance area had been roped off and little privies were spotted here and there.
