Juniper Village at Lebanon Celebrates Valentine's Day!

Here at Juniper Village at Lebanon, Valentine's Day is an important observance.  We started off the day with Love Songs on the piano and heart-shaped Peppermint Patties for everyone.  Then we chose our King and Queen of Hearts for 2016 by a random drawing.  Paul Hirlinger and Florence ("Flo") Albertson were thrilled to be chosen, and each received a heart filled with Dove chocolate truffles as crowns were placed on their heads.  Then we had a special Family Luncheon featuring Surf and Turf!  We had 15 people dining in our Garden Room, where they could choose from steak with mushrooms, fried shrimp, Au Gratin potatoes, and mixed vegetables, or the alternate of a baked potato stuffed with Chili, broccoli, or cheese, or any combination of the above!  They started off with Cream of Broccoli Soup and ended with Red Velvet Pie.  Everyone went away happy and full!  We also had an afternoon craft activity where residents and their "Best Friends" made Valentine votive, complete with battery-operated tea lights.

Uni The Ground Hog Visits Juniper Village at Lebanon

Residents at Juniper Village at Lebanon had their annual visit from "Uni" the Ground Hog and the members of The Ground Hog Lodge #17 from Myerstown, PA.  Residents got their pictures taken with "Uni", who was named after The Union Canal, a famous waterway in our area.  Since "Uni" is stuffed, the Lodge members assist him on a voyage down the Tulpehocken Creek, where they find out if he sees his shadow or not.

This year, "Uni" did see his shadow, which means that we will have six more weeks of winter.  This is in direct conflict with "Punxatawney Phil", who did not see his shadow this year, predicting an early spring.  It should be noted that "Uni" has a better track record for accurate predictions than "Phil".  Our residents always have their own way of looking at everything, and their theory is that no ground hogs in our area saw their shadows, as they were all snowed in after the great blizzard, so they say we will have an early spring here at Juniper Village at Lebanon!  The Ground Hog Lodge is dedicated to the preservation of the Pennsylvania Dutch language, which many of our residents can speak or at least understand.

Juniper Village at Lebanon Goes Red For Women

We had great participation on February 5th with residents and staff all wearing something red to show support for The American Heart Association Go Red for Women campaign and to promote awareness of heart disease.  Christine Heibel, our Director of Community Relations was on a mission to find lighted heart bracelets for everyone.  She and her husband went as far as Reading and beyond to visit many dollar stores to find enough bracelets for all.  Thanks, Christine and Brian!  We were also able to convert our Santa's Mailbox into a repository for Valentines with the help of Joan-Marie Norman, our Executive Director, and her husband's Vo-Tech class.  Our final photo shows our fabulous Dining Staff with 100% participation in wearing red, shown here with several of our residents, who also "went red"!

A Dance Lesson at Juniper Village

Connections Assistant Evette Hernandez shared her passion for Hispanic music and dance at Juniper Village at Lebanon, which was an important aspect of our month-long celebration of music and creative expressions through music.  The crowd was enthusiastic as she first talked about five different styles of music and then demonstrated them, using resident partners and staff partners.  We learned about the Bachata, the Salsa, the Reggaeton, and the Merengue.

We listened to examples of all of those types of Hispanic music, plus some Spanish Ballads, Evette's favorite style of music.  Residents commented on their favorites, but decided that they liked them all.

In the past, Evette has shared some Hispanic foods with us, and everyone is looking forward to her next class, which will feature a famous Puerto Rican drink, both with and without rum, and some Empanadas!  We can't wait for that class!  Thanks, Evette, for sharing your dance talents with us!

How To Make A Snowman Without Getting Cold!

Here at Juniper Village at Lebanon we know how to make a snowman without even getting cold or wet!  We simply wrapped white yarn around pre-cut disks of varying sizes, used some duct tape (of course!) and some glue to add the features and "voila":  seven adorable snowmen were created to decorate the doors of the participants.  As with the frozen variety of snowmen, each one was unique and used scrap items that we had handy.  We also learned that teamwork helped to get the job done.  Little did we know that a real blizzard was coming our way in the next few hours, one that shattered the records for most snow in our area - over 30 inches!

February 2016 Events in Lebanon, PA: Awaken Your Passion

In February we turn our Alive In All Seasons focus to art and invite you to awaken your passion with us. Leo Tolstoy defines the activity of art as “To evoke in oneself a feeling one has experienced, and... then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling.”

This month we will transmit our feelings using many different mediums to let other share in our experiences, feelings and passions. We will travel through art around the world and experience art as it is meant to be – inspirational and transformative. We will feel the cool breeze and smell the fragrant blossoms of Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France as we gaze upon In the Garden and the Water Lilies series. We will feel the angst of Vincent Van Gogh as we admire his passionate works such as Vase with Twelve Sunflowers and The Starry Night. We will also pour our passion into our own creations evoking memories of the past to share with the future.

Please join us on this journey as we visit local art museums and create our own art through weekly craft programs. Celebrate with us as we recognize Valentine’s Day with sweets for the sweet and Fat Tuesday foods and fun at our Mardi Gras party.

Our fabulous February 2016 events in Lebanon, PA at Juniper Village at Lebanon include our:

§  Go Red for Women Paint and Sip Fundraiser for a fun evening painting a Triptych HeArt, making friends and sharing a good bottle of wine all for a great cause as SPLAT™ will donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign on February 10^th at 6:30 pm. (Please RSVP to 717-272-8782. Cost is $40/person.)

§  Hands-on Pottery Workshop to enjoy the art of making pottery as local artist M.J. McFalls from Elmlock Pottery teaches us different pottery techniques as we make a small item to keep on February 17^th at 2:00 pm. (Please RSVP to 717-272-8782. No cost to attend.)

§  Women’s Heart Health What Every Woman Should Know complimentary informational session open to the community with a light lunch served as Dr. Edward Tadajweski, Lebanon Cardiology Associates, discusses ways to reduce the incidence of heart disease, how to live a healthier lifestyle, and special concerns for women on February 24^th at noon. (Please RSVP to 717-272-8782. No cost to attend.)

We look forward to sharing our February 2016 events in Lebanon, PA at Juniper Village at Lebanon with you as we Awaken Your Passion.