Life Just Keeps Getting Better

A few weeks ago, both of our households “Woods and Waves” were able to converge to do activities together. Residents were super excited to be able to see and maybe for the first time meet their comrades. Joyce, one of our faithful resident chore assistants, has been busy cutting resident names off our Perk crossword puzzles for the past year or more. Joyce made a comment that she keeps seeing Lucy’s name and wonders whom she is. Well Joyce got to meet Lucy this past month and thought that Lucy was really nice. I told Joyce they would definitely enjoy each other. 

Everyone on Deck

We had our first everyone on deck Bingo game on June 10th. It was so good to see all interested parties of Woods and Waves interacting with each other just like the old days. We almost ran out of Bingo chips, as the stakes have gotten higher. Residents are now playing with two Bingo cards. We have also been busy playing Hangman, Dominoes, Hi/Low, UNO and Lucky 7 to name a few. Did you know that Lucky 7 could be more entertaining when you might end up choosing a ridiculous prize? We draw a prize before we play the game and whoever wins that round gets it. One time Nona drew swimming with sharks. Well Linda won the round so she got the prize. As Nona hands it over she says with a huge smile on her face, “Well good, now I don’t spend time with you anymore” and they all laughed.

 We have been spending a lot of time out on the patio, enjoying armchair travel, having communion with Pastor Mark and other pastoral visits, having root beer floats on Father’s Day, painting silhouettes, exercising and blowing bubbles on the patio just because we can.

Birthday celebrants this month were Char Anderson, Bobbie Bockovich and Donna Willett. Char shared delicious cupcakes from Crosby Bakery on her day. We served ice cream and scrumptious homemade pineapple upside down cake provided by Sharon Bloomquist out on the patio for our monthly birthday party and since we are on the subject….

According to Perk, we learned it takes three years for a pineapple to reach maturation and one plant can only produce one pineapple at a time. Pineapples are the only edible bromelain and pineapple is great for tenderizing meat as it breaks down protein and they make a great jack-o-lantern. Have you ever tried using pineapple juice in place of water when you are making a cake? It is delicious.

Roberta (Bobbie) Bockovich is in the spotlight this month

Bobbie was born on June 29, 1936 in Two Harbors, MN.  She grew up in Grand Portage by Hollow Rock.  She has five siblings from a first marriage and two younger siblings from a second marriage. Bobbie said something fun she did as a child was to row a boat through Hollow Rock.  She also went to Isle Royale with her father many times and played games with her brothers and sisters. She attended school in the Grand Portage log school and in the old school in Grand Marais where Harbor View apartments now stands until the current school was built. Bobbie said with a laugh that she had to help carry books from the old library up hill to the new one. Bobbie didn’t attend college nor be in the military. She chose the wonderful life of a wife and mother instead.  

Bobbie met her future husband Richard (Dick) while visiting at her girlfriend Joan’s farm. He just happened to be her girlfriend’s brother and he was really cute. They got married in 1955 at the Baptist church, which is now Higher Ed. They had a double wedding with her sister Pat and her husband John Bangsund. They had matching dresses and matching cakes. Bobbie and Dick traveled to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and other places on their honeymoon. They were gone about a month. They just celebrated their 66th anniversary on June 11th, 2021.

Bobbie and Dick have 4 children-Rhonda and Randy live in Grand Marais, Ryan lives in Duluth and Rhodelle lives in Missouri. They have seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Bobbie and Dick enjoyed traveling to places such as seeing a lot of the USA, Canada and Germany. They also enjoyed ATVing, visiting relatives and playing cards with their sister-in-laws (Nona for one). 

Bobbie was the First Congregational church secretary, worked as the DNR secretary, at El Ray Café and drove the AEOA bus. Bobbie’s words of advice for young people are “Be Careful”   and “Travel while you can.” Still on her bucket list is to go to Hawaii.  For now, she would like to get to Gideon’s new place up on Greenwood. Which she did.

Ways to Connect

You can be in contact with residents by possibly becoming an Essential Caregiver. You can also visit thru FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, family room window visits and by indoor visits. Residents may be taken out of the building and go for a drive or out to eat provided they can do it safely.

Please call the Activity department to arrange a Skype, FaceTime, or family room window visit at 218-387-3518.  Please call 387-3040 ex 0 to make arrangements to visit indoors. Please call 387-3264  at least two hours prior to take your loved ones out of the building.

A few laughs and thank you’s

While playing a game Nadine says, “I make a motion to adjourn this game so I can go take a nap.” When asked what was the oddest pet they ever had in their house Mary chimes in, “my husband.”

A huge thank you to CCHS middle school choir for your wonderful performance, to Barb Wright for continuing to bake us delicious snacks, to Tonya and Kaleb Klegstad for making us the silhouette transfers and Diane Nowers for all the beautiful fresh cut flowers. Thank you to Ennenga’s Floral for providing us with beautiful flowers for our patio, Hilja for the vegetable plants, and to Anne Brataas and Barb Heideman for keeping us busy with our read to me program. Thank you to the rest of you for all that you do for and with us. We appreciate you. May you empty what is full, fill what is empty and always have a sun shiny day!