From all of us to all of you, we hope your holidays are merry and bright!
Happy 2015 from your friends at Merrill Gardens at First Hill!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Happy Holidays from Craig!
Hello
friends and family of Merrill Gardens at First Hill,
Can
you believe it? It is December already, the last month of the year. Soon 2014 will
be over and we’ll be sailing forth into 2015! I am already very tired of
hearing there are only “so many shopping days left” until Christmas!
Wherever
did 2014 go? I honestly feel as though this year just flew by faster than a
Canadian goose on its way south! Who knew time could fly by so quickly?!
Now
the holiday season is upon us. I remember the first time that my grandmother
taught me to make, bake, and frost all kinds of Christmas cookies. The year was
1962, and I was just 10 years old - Grandma said she needed a little “Christmas
elf helper” in her farmhouse kitchen. Oh, the memories come flooding back of a
cozy, warm, yellow farmhouse kitchen with the logs crackling in the fireplace.
Grandma in her apron with her big mixing bowl in her lap, and the Wisconsin
snow swirling outside - adding to the already 3 feet of snow on the ground and
the temperature hovering around 10 degrees above zero! The house smelled so
wonderful and was filled inside with cedar boughs over all of the windows and
doors and our 10-foot blue spruce Christmas tree, all decorated with the family
ornaments handed down through the generations - many of which I still have on
my tree to this very day.
That
Christmas of 1962, I learned how to make Grandma’s famous sugar cookie dough,
how to bake them without burning the bottom, and how to frost them and decorate
them with multi-colored sprinkles, red hot dots, and colored crystal sugar dust
to make each cookie a work of art. Grandma also taught me to make Coconut Logs
with figs and Rice Krispies, date-filled cookies, Sunbuckles (a pure sugar and
farm butter cookie – part of our Norwegian/Swiss heritage), rosette cookies - deep
fried and then dusted with powdered sugar - spritz cookies, and about 12 other
different kinds of festive cookies for the season. You see, Grandma loved a
variety of cookies at any holiday event, and she also made extra for company. She
said, “You never know when a friend or two will just drop by for a visit and a
cup of coffee and a cookie.”
Needless
to say, that Christmas I think I gained 13 pounds from eating all the broken
cookies, licking my fingers, the spoons, and the bowls after each new batch of
cookies, and of course taste testing each “first batch” to see if Grandma and I
had it “just right.”
We
hope you enjoy Merrill Gardens at First
Hill’s December Monthly Calendar of Events. We guarantee that you
won’t gain 13 pounds for opening up our Calendar of Events and checking out all
of our “goodies!” We invite you to take a look at all of the
events we have planned for our residents.
Perhaps
you wish to select an activity or two for fun, enjoyment, and for making new
friends. Pick out a game of Bingo, Bridge, Chair Yoga, Wii Bowling, going on a
scenic drive with Patrick or Charlie, swimming, or join in one of our exercise
classes - bring along one or two of your friends to enjoy an afternoon with us
and stay for dinner as our guests! We have over 150 activities on the calendar
and lots of extra holiday cookies to go around.
Merrill Gardens at First Hill is well known
for its fantastic food (our Chef Thomas is a better cook than my Grandma - and
believe me that is saying a lot!), so you may just have to stay for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner as our guests. The coffee is hot, the cookies are homemade,
and the banana splits are so big they have to be loaded onto a plate! Now, when
was the last time you had a banana split? Come on, be “naughty” and splurge a
little – we promise we won’t tell Santa! The diet can wait for the New Year’s
resolution - which is just around the corner.
Just
pick up your phone and call us at (206) 624-7637 and let us know when
you and one or two of your friends wish to come into Merrill Gardens at First Hill for some good old-fashioned fun.
Make
a resolution this New Year to break up your routine, get ready for a new adventure,
and come in to meet and make some new friends at First Hill! Like my Grandmother always said, “Never be afraid of a
new adventure - life is supposed to be lived with joy.” (She told me that after
teaching me new things: the “joy” of learning how to milk the goats without
getting kicked in the shins, and the “joy” of learning how to gather the eggs
in the henhouse without getting pecked to death by the hens!)
Our
staff is as friendly as our residents, and we promise you a good time and a
great meal with lots of extra cookies, hot chocolate, and hot coffee.
Have
a happy holiday season!
Sincerely,
Craig
& your friends at Merrill Gardens
at First Hill
Monday, December 1, 2014
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Monday, November 24, 2014
Thanksgiving 2014
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If you've ever wondered how Chef Thomas creates his ice sculptures, here's a peek of him at work!
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Veterans Day Celebration
This Veterans Day, some representatives of our local VFW chapter stopped by to help us say "thank you for your service" to the men and women of our community who wore the uniform of our great nation. We are honored to have so many veterans call Merrill Gardens at First Hill home.
(If you look closely, you'll see the faces of some of our resident veterans in the pennant flags around the front desk!)
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Monday, November 10, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Happy November from the First Hill Team!
Hello friends and family of Merrill Gardens at First Hill,
Welcome to the month of November! Ok, does anyone else feel
that this year has gone by insanely fast? I mean really, where did summer and
September run off to? And then October seemed to just start and I was suddenly
handing out Trick-or-Treat candy to all of the Halloween revelers in my neighborhood!
Boy! I saw some wonderful homemade costumes this year - my favorite one was of
a young child dressed up as a Christmas tree, complete with lights and
decorations!
Anyhow, here we re into the month of November and soon most
people will be thinking about our National Thanksgiving Celebration and
spending it with family and friends. Others of us, those who sincerely love
shopping, are waiting for the start of the Christmas Shopping Season with the
advent of the now famous (or maybe infamous) “Black Friday.” But first things
first: to give you something new to talk about over the Thanksgiving table (or
to quickly change the subject when you hear the opening shots of the annual War
for the Drumsticks), here are some fun facts about the upcoming festivities:
Fun Facts about Thanksgiving Today
- In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
- Each year, the average American eats somewhere between 16 - 18 pounds of turkey!
- Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.
- Minnesota grows the largest number of turkeys in the United States.
Fun Turkey Facts
- The average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 16 pounds.
- The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
- A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
- The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger.
- Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.
- Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks! (We will refrain from speculating about the farmers’ dinner tables in the weeks following.)
Finally, one important reminder: Daylight Saving Time ends on
November 2nd – don’t forget to set those clocks back! We hope that you enjoy
our November Calendar of Events from Merrill Gardens at First Hill. Please look
over our wide variety of activities and perhaps select one or two activities
that tickle your fancy and then call up one of your friends and come on over to
Merrill Gardens at First Hill and be our guests for a morning or an afternoon
of fun and making a few new friends. In fact, just call us at (206) 624-7637
and reserve a table for two for lunch on us as well - we love to entertain
guests and new friends!
Whether you want to play Bingo, try your hand at Wii
Bowling, or just come in for coffee and cookies and a chance to visit, we would
love to have your company at Merrill Gardens in November.
Sincerely,
Craig, Sandra, Jim, and the staff at Merrill Gardens from First
Hill
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Friday, October 31, 2014
Halloween Magic Show with Patrick the Great!
Nothing up his sleeve! We enjoyed a bewitching Halloween performance from that world-renowned magician, Patrick the Great!
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
Halloween Happy Hour & Costume Party
They're creepy and they're kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They're altogether ooky,
The First Hill Family!
We hereby declare today's Halloween Happy Hour and Costume Party a howling success!
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Seattle Youth Opera Performance
What an amazing evening! The Seattle Opera's Teen Opera Players Studio is full of exceptionally talented young performers who put on an incredible show for our residents. Bravo!
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Friday, October 10, 2014
Pumpkin Carving
We're getting ready for trick-or-treaters! Tessa and Patrick helped with the carving of this year's crop of jack-o'-lanterns while our residents dictated the designs. We think the results are spooky great!
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"Man with a Gun" Presentation
Northwest author Bryan R. Johnston gave a fascinating presentation on the Kennedy assassination this past Wednesday, and had us hanging on his every word!
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Thursday, October 9, 2014
Friday, October 3, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
October Greetings from Craig
Hello
Friends and Family of Merrill Gardens at First Hill,
Ah,
October! The month that truly
signifies the fall season. I remember as a child the beautiful array of October fall colors that the trees
displayed; like a richly colored quilt made of every color hue imaginable from
an artist’s palette. I always seemed to want to pick the reddest leaves off the
maple trees for my elementary school projects. And the mornings walking to
school and seeing that the October frost
fairies had touched every blade of grass with dew drop magic frost patterns. A
fair warning that cold weather was soon to follow having our parents bringing
out sweaters and coats, thicker blankets, and having the furnace checked out
because soon there would be heating bills to pay.
I
wasn’t worried about heating bills as a child; I was more worried about making
my Halloween costume and trying to figure out where I could go this year to
score the most candy from Trick-or-Treating! I also loved to make huge leaf
piles (much to the chagrin of my parents, who just insisted on getting the
leaves raked up off the yard and into the gutter), and I so enjoyed jumping in
the huge piles all afternoon and re-scattering the leaves, as I threw them high
up into the sky. Grandpa would supervise the burning of the massive leaf piles
and the rich, musky aroma of the burning leaves would send tendrils of lazy
smoke wafting into the October air. And
I remember giant flocks of geese heading south for warmer nesting grounds and
climates. I remember looking out into the famer’s fields and seeing that all of
the crops had been harvested and the only things left standing were the corn
shock sentinels, yellowed white and golden orange, and the small chickadees
flying in and out to retrieve kernels of the rare corn cob left behind. To this
day, if I smell burning leaves I am immediately transported back to October in Wisconsin and I can smell
the smoldering burning leaf piles, the cool, crisp air changing from summer to
fall, and my Grandmother’s bottomless pot of endless soups and stews, chock-full
of our garden’s vegetables and the recently butchered chicken, cow, or pig.
Grandma always said her soups and stews could ward off any cold or flu - and
they were always yummy. I can still see her setting out several apple pies,
fresh from the oven, onto the window sill to cool down before supper. There is
nothing better than the aroma of freshly made apple pie on a cold October day - except having a huge
slice of that pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream melting down over it as
you dig your fork into it and watch it magically disappear!
Speaking
of which, we would like to invite you into Merrill Gardens at First Hill during
October to sample our Chef Thomas’
incredible homemade soups and other delectable treats, and to also have a piece
of his tasty apple pie, complete with that dollop of vanilla ice cream to boot!
Then
take part in one of our many fun-filled October
activities for the day with our talented activity directors, Patrick and
Charlie, who are guaranteed to leave you laughing. Try out Wii bowling, bingo, swimming,
playing cards, Chair Zumba, yoga exercise, or simply going along on one of
our scenic drives.
Please look over our October Calendar of Events and see if there is something there that tickles your
fancy, and grab a friend and come to Merrill Gardens at First Hill and be our
guests for a nice hot October lunch
and some festive times.
Sincerely,
Craig and
the entire staff at Merrill Gardens at First Hill
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
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Monday, September 22, 2014
Report from the 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer's
WOW!
Thanks to you, we raised more than double our goal for this
year's Walk to End Alzheimer's®! We are privileged to serve on the
front lines in the battle against this disease, and excited about the strides
being made towards a day when not one more family is affected by it.
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Friday, September 12, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Seahawks Season Opener Bash!
A nacho bar, a cold drink, and the first win of the season - what more could a true blue fan ask for? The First Hill 12s had a blast cheering on the Seahawks at our season opener party!
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Monday, September 1, 2014
Welcome to Autumn!
Dear
Friends & Family of Merrill Gardens at First Hill,
Hello to the month of September! I can’t believe we are heading into autumn and that the last days of summer are upon us! Where did August go?
Soon we will be getting out our woolly sweaters and hunting for our holiday decorations - I can’t remember where I put those Halloween decorations I bought last year when they went on sale! I thought I put them in a good “hiding place” where they would be easy to find, but it seems I hid them from myself. And by the way, where is that darn cord that goes with the electric blanket? I do not like this happening to me - as my grandmother used to say, “It puts me into a tizzy!”
It’s like when you go to find an item in your house: you just know that you have it, yet you can’t find it! It’s like it is purposely hiding from you - tempting you to dare and try to find it! Then, after tearing apart the entire house - or when you don’t need it anymore - it somehow turns up in a place you know you checked a dozen times! It’s as if it is almost laughing at you, saying “I was here all along!”
Hello to the month of September! I can’t believe we are heading into autumn and that the last days of summer are upon us! Where did August go?
Soon we will be getting out our woolly sweaters and hunting for our holiday decorations - I can’t remember where I put those Halloween decorations I bought last year when they went on sale! I thought I put them in a good “hiding place” where they would be easy to find, but it seems I hid them from myself. And by the way, where is that darn cord that goes with the electric blanket? I do not like this happening to me - as my grandmother used to say, “It puts me into a tizzy!”
It’s like when you go to find an item in your house: you just know that you have it, yet you can’t find it! It’s like it is purposely hiding from you - tempting you to dare and try to find it! Then, after tearing apart the entire house - or when you don’t need it anymore - it somehow turns up in a place you know you checked a dozen times! It’s as if it is almost laughing at you, saying “I was here all along!”
Now for some fun items to
make us all smile and laugh - after all, laughter is the best medicine!
- My friend Linda, who is 82, said that she feels like her body has gotten totally out of shape. So she got her doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. She decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. She told me that she bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But by the time she got her leotards on, the class was over!
- Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, “How old was your husband? “98,” she replied, “Two years older than me!” “So you're 96,” the undertaker commented. She responded, “Hardly worth going home, is it?”
- A reporter was interviewing a 104-year-old woman: “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked. She simply replied: “No peer pressure.”
- These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says: "For fast relief"
Finally, always remember this:
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
you grow old because you stop laughing!
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
you grow old because you stop laughing!
We hope you enjoy this month's Assisted Living Calendar. Please take a
moment and look over the array of activities coming up and pick out something
of interest to you and a friend and come in and enjoy a morning, afternoon, or
an evening with us - or simply the whole day!
Meet new friends over lunch and dinner as you try our tasty homemade
soups and entrées, or enjoy great conversation while you visit over good coffee
and nibble on the array of delectable desserts we offer.
Whether you come in for Bridge or
Bingo, a Wii Bowling game, one of our outings, a movie, or decide to join us for
an exercise class, it’s easy to do! Just pick up the phone and call us at (206) 624-7637 and let us know
when you wish to come in for a visit.
Make some laughter, create some smiles,
and come experience life at Merrill Gardens at First Hill. We would love to welcome
you!
Sincerely,
Sandra, Craig, & Jim
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Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Join us for the 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer's!
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. We’re fighting to stop it – and we’re asking you to join us!
We’re participating in the 2014 Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s™, the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s. By joining our team, you can help end this epidemic and show your support for the more than 5.4 million individuals currently living with the disease.
You can change the world, one step at a time. Join our team, or make a pledge of support. This disease affects so many – who will you walk for?
The Alzheimer's Association is the largest voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research, and the funds we raise will go directly toward supporting their efforts.
To join our team or make a pledge, visit the link below.
Sincerely,
The Merrill Gardens at First Hill Team
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Senior Citizens Day Celebration with the Double Barrs
National Senior Citizens Day honors our elderly population. On this day, we are encouraged to recognize and show appreciation for the value and contribution of senior citizens to home, family, and society.
Ronald Reagan said it best in his Presidential Proclamation of August 19, 1988:
Ronald Reagan said it best in his Presidential Proclamation of August 19, 1988:
For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older.We like to think we honor the spirit of President Reagan's words every day at Merrill Gardens, but a Happy Hour performance by the Double Barrs is a great way to celebrate this special day!
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Friday, August 1, 2014
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Thursday, July 24, 2014
The Seafair Clowns take Merrill Gardens!
The Seafair Clowns are a highlight of every year, and this one was no exception! These merry mischief-makers have been a part of Seattle's Seafair Celebrations for over 50 years, and no summer would be complete without them!
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Wednesday, July 23, 2014
"Art for All Ages" Watercolor Class
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Friday, July 18, 2014
Wii Bowling
We had a big crowd for Wii Bowling today, and they had the Activity Room rocking! Lots of cheering, lots of laughs, lots of fun!
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Blackjack & Bridge
Whether you like your card games strategic and complex or fast and fun, we've got you covered!
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Monday, July 14, 2014
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Saturday, July 12, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
4th of July BBQ Buffet
Chef Thomas and his team have done it again! We had a fabulous BBQ Buffet lunch today to celebrate the Fourth, and the Dining Services team was almost as excited about it as the residents!
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Thursday, July 3, 2014
Elvis has left the building!
But while he was here, he was spectacular! Check out the King helping us kick off our 4th of July festivities!
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Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Happy July!
Dear Friends and Family of
Merrill Gardens at First Hill,
When
I reminisce about my childhood, summer memories flood my senses with dazzling, mouth-watering, thoughts of homemade
apple pie - of course with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream on top! The barbecue
would be filled with buttered chicken, hot dogs, brats, hamburgers. There were adults
drinking beer, while the kids drank root beer. There were neighborhood 5¢ Lemonade and Kool-Aid Stands, picnics
with friends and neighbors, parades marching by, hometown summer celebrations,
catching fireflies, sitting on the porch and visiting with folks passing by,
and sleeping out under the stars - all of which signify the dazzling month of July for me!
I am
absolutely astounded that June went by in a flash! And now we will soon be
witnessing the dazzle of fireworks as our nation celebrates
the 4th of July! And
this is just what I experience when I open up Merrill Gardens at First Hill’s
new July Calendar of Events and look at all the dazzling, terrific, exciting activities that we
have planned during the month of July – “Dazzle” is
the word for the month of July.
We
would love it if you and a friend or two would visit Merrill Gardens at First
Hill and dazzle us with your company, smiles, and charm. Come into Merrill Gardens at First
Hill for a day of merriment and fun, great food and wonderful company, and a dazzling grand time! Join us by simply calling
(206) 624-7637 and make a reservation for you and your friends. We would like
to know when you are coming so we can be on our dazzling best behavior to ensure that you have a
sensationally, dazzling time.
We hope you'll enjoy perusing our dazzling July Active Living and Garden House calendars.
And
now, if you’ll permit me, I’ll dazzle you with a joke from my 97-year-old
grandmother:
A State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH. He thinks to himself, "This driver is just as dangerous as a
speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over.
Approaching the car, he notices that there are five ladies all in their 80s - two ladies in the front seat and three in the back. All of them are wide eyed and white as ghosts - except for the driver. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Ma'am," the officer replies, "You weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly...Twenty-two miles an hour!" The old woman says a bit proudly.
The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle, explains to her that "22" was the Route Number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman blushed, smiled, and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
Approaching the car, he notices that there are five ladies all in their 80s - two ladies in the front seat and three in the back. All of them are wide eyed and white as ghosts - except for the driver. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Ma'am," the officer replies, "You weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly...Twenty-two miles an hour!" The old woman says a bit proudly.
The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle, explains to her that "22" was the Route Number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman blushed, smiled, and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
"But before I let you go, ma'am, I have to ask... Is everyone
in this car ok? These women seem awfully shaken up and they haven't uttered a
single peep the whole time that I have been talking with you."
"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 119."
"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 119."
Have
a happy and safe 4th of
July - and stop by Merrill Gardens at First Hill for that dazzling piece of homemade apple pie and a good,
old-fashioned visit.
Sincerely,
your dazzling Merrill Gardens Team at First Hill,
Craig,
Jim, Katie, and of course, our General Manager Sandra Zito
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