SENIOR HAPPENINGS

By PR Senior Center Director Tammy Jackman

Happy Holidays, can you believe it is December? We all know what that means, a very busy month at the Senior Center and around town. I would like to start out with an enormous thank you to Amber and her girls at Powder River Petals for sponsoring Caring Rose Week. We are so appreciative of the people who donated canned good to the food bank and also ended up with a dozen beautiful roses. Amber sold 100 dozen roses and that amounts to a lot of food.

The center is trying something new this year, we are putting up a white Christmas tree. This was something my daughter's high school did every December that was extremely successful and I thought we would give it a try. The purpose of the white tree is to have donations to the food bank that are strictly white. For example, flour, sugar, paper towels, powdered milk, toilet paper, kleenex, rice, socks, anything white. Donations can be dropped off Mon-Thurs 8-4.

Let's talk Christmas Stroll. We will be having our vendors, goodies and music from 4-7 this year. We will have the afghan that Pat Smith crocheted on display and tickets can be purchased. They are 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, the drawing will be held on February 14th. There will also be a door prize again this year, made by Tammy Jackman. You will have to come in to see what it will be! We will have various holiday goodies to sample and hot chocolate and coffee to enjoy while you visit.

We had 6 undecorated gingerbread houses donated by Connie Wilson. We thought it would be fun to have a decorating contest, ages 5-10. It will be on a first come basis: remember there are only 6. We will have the public vote at the stroll and the winner will receive $25. If we have enough interest this year, we can do another one next year and even add an age group or two. They are pretty basic so you may embellish them more if you wish. You may to come to the Senior Center Mon-Thur. 8-4 to pick one up.

The Adopt-A-Grandparent for Christmas tree for the nursing home residents will be at the center again this year. Please come by, grab a card and help make their Christmas special. Christine Appleman and her students will be playing the piano for us this year. I am so excited for this; her students play very well. Our vendors this year will be Sonja Harrington with her wonderful cards and gift boxes and Betty Inskip with her awesome earrings. So, you can shop while you visit.

CONGREGATE MEALS

12/6-Vegetable Beef Soup, French Dip, French Fries, Chocolate Pie

12/13-Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Pot Pie, Pound Cake

12/20-Broccoli Cheese Soup, Prime Rib, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Cheese Cake

12/27-Tortilla Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, Rice Pudding

Our library is getting quite full. I just had someone bring in a box full of hardcover Zane Grey books. So, if you are a fan come on in and grab a few. We also need to thank Jody O'Leary for a turkey, Ginger Johnstone and Carol Schumacher for eggs, Julie and Norm Samuelson for honey, Louise Talcott with a couple of meals for the holiday, Jerry Wilson, Julie Russell and Coalwood Ladies Aid lots of good food bank items and lastly Mizpah Masters 4-H Club for the turkeys and all the fixings that go with a Thanksgiving meal. This club donates this every year and we are so thankful for them.

We will still have SAIL exercises Mondays and Wednesdays at 10, and there is still plenty of room for more exercise enthusiasts. We have a couple of stitching days on the 5th and 19th, and Ladies Lunch Out on the 21st at Seabeck's. We would love to have you come join us of any of these activities.

There are plenty of food boxes here and lots of potatoes. So if your cupboard needs a little boost this month, stop by and I will get you all fixed up.

We hope to see everyone at the Christmas Stroll so please stop by. Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season.