Sit And Get Fit!

Every Monday through Saturday, there are exercises classes at the Conservatory.
You can do Sit And Get Fit, Move It Or Lose It, Yoga, or Balance Acts.


My children said to me that I should go to Exercises Classes.
"They are good for you," they said.
"Mom, you should go," they said.
So here I am, at nine-thirty in the morning, with some twenty seniors, doing Sit And Get Fit.
Our instructor puts on some music and calls out the movements -
"Left leg in,"
"Left leg out,"
"One, two, three, four,"
"Five, six, seven, eight."
"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve."


"One, two, three, four . . .


Twenty-three arms went up in the air, some higher than the others . . .
Some lifted his or her left arm, some lifted his or her right arm. Some may be moving his or her leg instead of arm . . .


I see them in the large mirror in front of us.


For thirty minutes, arms waving, feet kicking . . . 
Not in complete unison, mind you.
But there were movements.
It is good for us, they swear.

Happy Hour!

It is three-thirty in the afternoon.


Happy Hour at the Conservatory!

Just a minute.

I thought this is a senior-living facility. Happy Hours at three-thirty? And they are serving WINE?

When I was looking over this place some months ago, the Coordinator said to me and my daughter, "We have Happy Hour every weekday and the residents love it."


Yes, indeed! The residents love it!
It is a time to have a drink and some snacks, and it is a time to meet people.
Not such a bad idea.


Yes, there are limitations. No more than two drinks per person. And there are many who do not drink, like me. Mind you, I do not object to drinking in moderation. It is just that Drinks don't like ME.
We, non-drinkers, could have a soft drink or some water.

Did I not read somewhere, one of the secrets of living longer is -
Being With People - People who are congenial, People who support you, and People who are there for you . . . and so on. Isn't it true that a lot of older people experience loneliness and such and suffer from depression?

Another point is: have a glass of wine each day.
Right? Or, not?

I think the people who run this place know how important interacting with the others are. I don't know about the wine part.
May be they Got It!

It has been some three and half weeks since I came here. They have kept me so busy that I have not had time to totally unpack. I cannot find some of the things that I thought I had brought here. They are in some boxes somewhere. May be they are in the hall closet.

It is three-thirty in the afternoon.

Happy Hour at the Conservatory!
I will talk to you later.

Hot Breakfast

Thursdays, we have Hot Breakfast. It is a Big Deal !

On weekday mornings, we have coffee, juice, oatmeal, cereal, hard-boiled eggs, different kinds of breads and muffins, and fruits. We help ourselves and sit at whatever table that did not have white table-clothes and place-settings.
Those tables are ready for our main meals for the day. STAY AWAY!
We also were responsible for deposit dirty dishes in the bins, etc. Casual, right?

Then, there are Thursday mornings.

On any given Thursday morning, there are bacon, sausages, biscuits and gravy, crepes, besides the usual fair.
AND, Manual and his helper make us eggs to our liking and cook waffles.

You should see the three-egg concoctions he makes with all the trimming, ham, cheese, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and cheese.

Did I mention cheese twice?

Yes, indeed.

He piles on the cheese three times, even when I asked him to STOP.
He probably thinks that we should eat our shares of eggs for a whole week in one sitting.

"Bless his heart!"

Now I am sounding like a Texan.

Learning The Ropes

It is going to take me some time to get used to my new life here in the Conservatory.

Take for instance: Going to Walmart.

Now, you and I both know that going to Walmart is not a big deal. You get in your car and you drive to this Big store. You walk up and down the many different isles, leisurely, pushing your cart, and you shop or you simply want to look around. Or, you rush in and find the item you want on the familiar isle, and rush out. Ten minutes. Max.

You go to Walmart.

You buy something you need or you buy something you don't really need.

When I was in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma. Everyone went to Walmart. We went there to shop, we went there to see friends, or, to escape from friends. We went there to exercise - walking down the many isles, in this climate-controlled environment. 

I used to go to Walmart two or three times a week.

So, here I am in Plano. Texas, in this apartment complex (for seniors - I have to remind myself of this least I forget.)

They have scheduled visits to Walmart, three times a week.
So, I decided to "sigh-up" for this excursion this morning. 
On the sign-up sheet, there were some six or seven names.
It turned out that there were only two people, me and a lady of 90 (I will call her June), who actually wanted to go to Walmart. 

Around 9:30 a.m., off we went, in a van that usually seats some twelve or fourteen people. The driver let us off and told us that he was to pick us up at 9:50.  I thought that did not give us much time to shop. But being new, I did not protest.

June and I hurried and shopped for the few items that we wanted, checked out, and went to wait for our driver.

We waited and waited.
We visited.
I learned a lot about June.
Because - we had an hour to 'Visit."
Our driver showed up around 10:50 a.m.

He did deliver me to the conservatory safely - this time in a limo, since there were only June and me.
He then took June to Walgreen's, since that was where she wanted to go after Walmart . . .

The Service IS good!

I am learning . . .

If you want to go to Walmart from the Conservatory, you need to schedule ample time OR ELSE!

I missed my Sketch Class!

Oh, well, there will be another time.
We old folks have nothing but time, don't we?

A New Chapter

Here it is - a New Year, a New Life.


Last year, I made a big decision.
I decided that it is time for me to make a change in my life and in my life style.


I decided after being in the small town for over fifty years, it is time to say good-bye to it.


After much  investigation and consideration, I found the place to make my home - the Conservatory at Plano, in Plano, Texas.


So, here I am, one of some two hundred plus residents, in this large complex of apartments.


The process took me, with the help of one of my daughters and her patient and helpful husband, a good two months' time.


It was difficult to say the least , to let go of my years' accumulation of stuff. It was, however, liberating to shed myself of the many "things" that I thought I could not live without.


I am in a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, on the fourth floor. I have lots of windows that bring me much light. Oh, I don't think that I could live in some dark and gloomy place. I also have a view of great sunset and city lights.


I am in a much bigger city than Ada now.


This City Born and Bred girl still has big city in her blood.


I shall miss my good neighbors and many "dear' friends in Ada.. But, alas, it is time to make a change.


The food is good.
The people here are friendly.
I am sure there are many stories that I would learn about. in due time.


I will keep you posted.