Our fathers had a wonderful time during the Father’s Day celebration, which began on Friday afternoon.

First, they started with a lunch down in our recreation room. We had planned for a cookout, but it got rained out. They still got to enjoy their meal, which was cooked outside before the rain. They had hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and their choice of beverage. Even with the rain, they had a wonderful time.

On Sunday morning, our fathers were invited to a Father’s Day breakfast where they were served homemade pancakes, sausage, bacon and their choice of beverage. They loved having the different kinds of syrups for their pancakes.  They enjoyed fellowship with each other and the staff members.

During events like this you learn a lot about the residents and their past lives. It’s very interesting to hear about their lives and they enjoy kidding around with the staff members.

Later that afternoon, we held a Father’s Day reception where we crowned our “Fathers of the Year.” Each year staff members vote for Fathers of the Year, one from each floor. This year’s winners were: Warren Patrick, James Graham and Herman Vaughn. Each father received a crown and a “Father of the Year” certificate.

We also invite their families in to help us celebrate this event. We want to congratulate our “Fathers of the Year.”

The residents have been enjoying the cooler days this past week. We have been able to take them outside and have some of our activities on the patio. Its fun to talk about their childhood, what it was like growing up in Patrick County, and talking about what they did to make a living after they were grown.

One of their favorite summertime activities is reminiscing while having tomato sandwiches. A tomato sandwich brings back memories of working in the tobacco fields, getting up hay or just working in their gardens. Just the taste of something can bring back a memory for all of us.

We like to reminisce a about having a RC cola or a Dr. Pepper with peanuts in them, moon pies, Beanie Weenies or Vienna sausages and crackers, a pack of nabs and a little Debbie cookie when you are working in tobacco for a break.  Just remembering things like this can bring a smile to anyone’s face. Although it was hard work working in tobacco, you can still remember how good all of these things tasted back then and the fun you had during the breaks.

In July, we have plans on taking our residents to Mabry Mill, out to restaurants and shopping. We also have plans on going for ice cream along with our around about bus trips. Our residents will also be able to go on an in-house vacation to Australia. We have many fun activities and a learning experience planned for this week.