Well, May is over. Did anyone get a “May Basket” this year? I’ll be your basket and give you something to read by telling you what’s been happening here on our side of the fence the past month. It was so dry and windy for so long, but finally the rain has come and everything is greening up. Hopefully, it will warm up some so folks can get outside and enjoy the summer. The Huberty Band came to play and sing some nice music. There is always a great turnout when they come to play. One afternoon a few of us went up to the Thomsen’s Greenhouse to get some plants. It is a huge greenhouse with beautiful flowers and plants to pick from. On the way home we stopped and had a Dairy Queen treat. The Minnesota Twins started their baseball season in the early part of May and we were upset that their games were not on TV. It’s just not the same listening to them on the radio, but at last they are back on TV and we are happy. On Mother’s Day we celebrated it by honoring all our ladies here at Hilltop. A delicious cheesecake was served to everyone who attended, and others spent the day with their families. That week we celebrated “National Nursing Week.” The week went by quickly as each day there was something special planned. On Monday we crowned the new royalty to reign throughout the year. Our new King is Roman Korman and our new Queen is Caroline Meierhofer. There were a lot of visitors here that day. We enjoyed music by Maynard Nathe to finish off the afternoon of fun. On Tuesday we honored 11 residents who are 90 or older. Families joined us for the celebration and we enjoyed hearing stories about the parent being honored. The Sr. Fun Singers came and entertained us with their music and humor. Pie and ice cream was served and it was “hat and tie day.” The following day was “dress-up as Minnesota Twins day.” We grilled hot dogs and played mystery Bingo. There was money hidden in plastic eggs so we didn’t know how much we would win. It was a lot of fun. Then we had a “back to the ’50s” dress-up day and played Family Feud. It was the “Hatfields versus the McCoys.” The next day we dressed up in a ’70s theme and celebrated with ice cream sundaes. There was always something going on that week, and we were all pretty tired out after the week was over. The Intergenerational children came one last time as one big group and we played a trivia game together. We enjoyed an ice cream bar, gave the children a final hug, and said “good bye.” We will miss them. The following week was the celebration of our 25th anniversary. It was a picture-perfect day. The entertainment was provided by Norb Koshiol, the Singing Saints, and various speakers. There were games for children, and a beef dinner was served with all the trimmings. A nice crowd attended and the day couldn’t have turned out better. Amanda Wendt was the Super Star of the Month for May. It is nice to honor the staff members who take such good care of us. The St. Anne’s prayer group came and sang hymns and prayed with us. They honored each resident who had a birthday that month. It’s thoughtful of them to remember us each month. Congratulations to all the graduates in the surrounding areas. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. I guess this will do for now; I hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather in between the rain showers and storms. My basket is full, but I have to leave some space for a few words from Ole. “Ole went to the doctor complaining of severe pain. ‘Where does it hurt?’ asked the doctor. Ole poked his head and said, ‘It hurts here.’ Then he poked his ribs and said, ‘It hurts here.’ Then, poking his upper leg, he again said, ‘It hurts here.’ The doctor started to laugh. He said, ‘For goodness sake, Ole, you’ve got a broken finger.’”
