A summary of last week...

The soap kettle went on the road! The folks at the Manor kindly

attended my soap making demostration. One of the staff members is interested in the process, and thought it might
be interesting for the residents to

see how the soap was
made that we left with them
last winter and in the summer, . And I thoroughly enjoy any

excuse to make soap!!!

And here is Gilbert, once again doing
what he does best...charming yet

another new friend. This is Priscilla,

the daughter of one of the cooks at

the Manor. Staff members and their

families are like family to the residents. They often go way above

and beyond the call of duty, attending special events, and doing things for the residents that aren't reall a part of their job description. Priscilla, her sister Victoria, and their mother, Ada, all participated in the Golden Bells, at Christmas time. The resident handbell choir was 3 people short, and these special folks filled the gap. They are musically inclined. At the Manor on Christmas morning, they, along with the girls Dad, Dan, were at the Manor to hand out gifts and share the holiday with the residents. After gifts were opened, Christmas carols were sung, and then we were treated to a song, sung to us by Victoria and Priscilla. They are all such a blessing. Dan has worked at the Manor in the recent past, and is no stranger to the Manor residents.

And this is a glimpse of the recent Auction that was held after the Village pot luck dinner. It was a fun evening. Good food, and fellowship. The proceeds from the auction are to help with the pool upkeep and maintenance. This next weekend there will also be a Village Garage Sale, for the same purpose. I'm sure there will be interesting things to report after that takes place too.

Gilbert takes his job very seriously. One of his duties is to be sure all his 2 footed family responsibilities get sufficient exercise every day. He sees to it that Mom gets out first thing in the morning. He lets her think that he NEEDS to go for a walk as soon as he can get her attention first thing in the morning. He closely guards the secret that he only has to empty his bladder every 12 hours, give or take a few minutes. He has the bladder capacity of an elephant! But, shhhh, everyone here thinks his early morning antics, grabbing his leash, jumping up and down, and running to the door means he really has to go outside, and in a big hurry!

While it appears Tom is giving Mom a bit of a boost on her evening walk, the truth is......

Gilbert was really the one putting all the effort into the transport! Here is documented proof!!!

And then, the required outing to the gazebo, for fresh air, sunshine, and alligator watch. It's really pretty exhausting taking care of all these geriatric humans, you know?

And so, at the end of a busy, tiresome day, a little dog deserves a good rest!

Awww, the 'gator found a chin rest. Before the weather got warmer we saw this alligator more often sunning himself around the pond at the front of the Village. Since it's gotten warmer we haven't seen so much of him.

Will the real statue please stand up?.....Can you guess who the imposter is?

I'll give you a little hint....it has a long neck and short legs! and it's an egret.

"Here comes the little dog with the bad eyes, and deaf ears. He's no fun to tease, he doesn't see or hear or smell me. What fun is that??? " One morning we passed by a yard that had no less than 5 squirrels in it scampering around, and Gilbert didn't notice a one of them. Poor Little Gilbert, missing out on all that fun.

He knows who to butter up for attention and treats . While my Mom gets therapy and massage to her feet, Gilbert takes a little nap.

This is one of the orchids I see on my walks. They are so big and pretty.

These big huge birds can be seen soaring in the blue skies quite often. I think they might be related to buzzards, but I don't know for sure what kind of birds they are. They are a lot prettier flying than they are on the ground, scavenging for food.

And that ends the report for this time. Tomorrow the house washer is coming. That means everything has to be taken off the car port. That means a quick little bit of work first thing in the morning! No other plans for the day, so far. Subject to change without notice. I'll let you know later what the rest of the week brings.