Goodbye, Miss Linda!

We saw so many beautiful butterflies at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden on Tuesday!  From left to right, can you spot Cameron, Nancy, and Miss Linda? 💚

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever."  Carl Sagan

This week we said goodbye to yet another friend, Miss Linda, from the Master Gardeners.  She and her beloved, Ed, are moving to Massachusetts to be closer to their kids and grandkids, and we don't blame her!  We're sure going to miss her, though.  We become very attached to the friends we spend our days with at the Arc of Abilities, whether mates at the center or community friends.  It's been a challenging few weeks saying goodbye to Cameron, Nancy, and now, Linda.  Here's to gaining friends in the coming weeks!  No one else can move!  💙💚💛💜

On top of saying bye to Linda, we also had a mid-week break in our routine.  Check out our week!

 

Tuesday

We first met Linda (and many other MG friends) in April, 2017!  It's hard to believe it's been over 4 years since that fateful day when our partnership with the MGs began.  Little did we know that we would "grow" so many beautiful friendships and have countless fun and educational experiences!   Today, Linda was able to take a break from preparing for her big move and she met us at the garden so we could say good-bye in person.  We gave her a small friendship gift, a birdhouse.  🐦 We hope she'll find a spot for it at her new home, and think of us when the birdies visit! 💛

Thank you, Linda, for years of joy at the garden.  When you read your cards, you'll see that we have fond memories of learning about plants, especially herbs, and growing amazing things to eat like potatoes, spinach, snap peas, and more.  But you'll also see how much your baking skills impressed us!  We were always excited when you baked cookies with special ingredients like rosemary, lavender, or pineapple sage.  Oh, and thanks for sharing the recipes, too!  We thank you as well for leaving the Master Gardeners Therapeutic Gardening Program in the good hands of  "Krafty" Karen and our many other friends.  We know they will take good care of us, and we can't wait to work with them again in September.  We'll miss you very much!  Enjoy your new adventures in Massachusetts, and be sure to spoil your grandkids (like you spoiled us) with your yummy baking!   💖

After saying our goodbyes to Linda, we lingered a while at the garden.  Michelle went to check on the Fairy Garden and was delighted to find someone had "planted" what we think was a crow's feather!  Or maybe it was from a goose!  It was an interesting addition to the Fairy Garden.

We decided it was too hot to eat at Freedom Park, since the sun was shining on the tables, plus it was only a little past 11 o'clock.  We brainstormed other ideas, and settled on stopping by the Visitor Center.  We think these tables are a "hidden gem" and really like to picnic here!  Kevin and Xavier were finishing up their lunch when Laura stopped by to check on them.

Three of our friends weren't with us today, so we had a group of 10.  Here, Michelle, Alexis, Patrick, Liz, Devin, Sam, and Annmarie were chatting about what we might do when we got back to the AFCC!

One thing we did back at the center was see Jerry, our HVAC best friend!  The air conditioning was running well today, but we noticed he had not found his card we left attached to the wall near the thermostat last Friday.  We interrupted his busy work long enough to present it to him, along with an impromptu cheer... We're pretty sure he liked it! 😊

August 17th is National Nonprofit Day!  We're so proud to be part of The Arc of Greater Williamsburg, and very grateful for all the services and love they provide ALL of their clients and clients' families.  So, we whipped up a little card of appreciation!

Alexis ran it upstairs at the office when we returned the vans, and reports that Pam and Bette Faye loved it!!!  (Carrie is on vacation this week, but she will love it too!)  Thanks to all of the Arc staff, and our Arc Board of Directors, for the wonderful work you do every day for those with disabilities in our community!   

Wednesday

We went virtual today since there was a planned power outage at JRES for part of the day.  It was fun to Zoom with our friends again, but we're really glad we aren't doing this again on a regular basis!  Lisa tried to take screen shots for pictures during our two sessions, but (apparently) wasn't sure what she was doing because she could only find one of them later... 

During our first Zoom we had a surprise visit from Moose Patti!  She told us that the 6th Annual Women of the Moose Golf Tournament raised $7,000, which was $1,200 more than last year!  YAY, PATTI!  That is fantastic!  Thank you, again, for dedicating so much of your time to making the tournament a big success!  We can't wait to get together with you and our other WOTM friends soon to celebrate this fantastic fundraiser!  Here's the one screenshot that Lisa had at the end of the day.  Patti was at Nan's house!

During our second Zoom after lunch, Becky was our surprise guest, and she looked beautiful!  We have missed her very much.  It was so great to see her and hear that her husband is doing very well.  Becky hopes to return to volunteering with us before too long, and hopefully we will be able to welcome her back if things with the pandemic improve!  (We're so sorry we didn't get a picture with our lovely Becky. 👸)

We had a larger group during the second session, and played a fun game of Bird Bingo...and maybe even learned a thing or two!  The one picture we have from this session is one Lisa took with her phone during our dance warm up to "Rockin' Robin" by the Jackson 5.  Turns out she and Alexis were dancing and singing, but no one else could hear a thing!  Lisa forgot to click the audio button... 😵

And that's all we have for Wednesday. 👐

Thursday

 

We were extra busy today as we found out on Tuesday that we would be needed at Eaton tomorrow after all.  That meant we had to do a few extra things we had planned to do on Friday morning, to get ready for Laura's birthday celebration.  So, we didn't grab a lot of pics today...

August 19 is National Potato Day, so we studied the country of Peru, which is where potatoes originated.  We learned that the Incas established the ancient city of Machu Picchu high up in the Andes Mountains.  It is thought that the Incas did not use the wheel, so it's a wonder as to how they got some of the stone to the top of the mountain! (Part of the city was carved from stone already at the top of the mountain.)  Largely restored now, Machu Picchu is a popular tourist destination in Peru.

  It is thought that the Incas first cultivated potatoes around 8,000 BC-5,000 BC, so a verrrry long time ago.  Potatoes were introduced to Ireland by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1589, and they made their way to Jamestown in 1621.  

 During lunch prep, Patrick, Liz, and Alexis made potato cookies!  They combined baking mix, sugar, egg, butter, flavoring (coconut and almond), and a packet of instant mashed potatoes and were eager to see how they would taste! (Keep reading...)

Laura, Xavier, Devin, and Annmarie did double duty as the green bean team and the place setting team.  Xavier used bouillon to season the beans, and he was focused on adding 4 teaspoons!

Nan worked with Abraham and Kevin to cook bacon and then crumble it so we could use it as a baked potato topping.  It looks like Kevin was about to eat a piece, but he resisted!  Our room really smelled good today between the bacon and the potato cookies!

Here's what our plate looked like for lunch!  It was delish!  We had a team prepare the veggie toppings, but forgot to take their picture so...

...here they are modeling the finished potato cookies!  Sam, Kate, and Michelle did a great job chopping veggies for the potato bar, and, later, showing off our potato cookies, which were light and crispy, and quite tasty.  However, some of our friends don't care for the taste of coconut, so we will leave out the coconut extract next time, and just add the almond! 👍

We were blessed by a generous donation for supplies today by Michelle and her family!  They wrote on the note that it was in honor of National Nonprofit Day, which was Tuesday!  We're so excited that Michelle told her family about that "special" day, and we're very grateful for their donation.  We talked about what we needed, and decided to invest in a DVD player, a new hot plate (aka, our stove!), and some fresh craft supplies for the upcoming holiday season!  Thank you, Michelle and family, for your thoughtful gift.  We will think of you often when we watch movies, cook our gourmet meals, and make fun craft projects.  Your kindness makes our hearts smile! 💛💜💚

We started getting ready to celebrate Laura's birthday, which will take place at Eaton tomorrow.  This morning, we made cards that were filled with thoughtful messages.  We baked cupcakes and everyone decorated their own...a new "tradition" we started when Cameron moved a few weeks ago, and one we may continue.  Don't mind the "toothpick flags."  They're what we wrote our names on so we would know which cupcake belongs to which one of us tomorrow!  Also, in the top right corner, you'll see Xavier's stack of gluten-free cookies, which also got decorated!  Bring on the party!!

Ahhh....namaste, everyone!  Yoga at the end of a busy, busy day was just what we needed!

Friday:

The topic of discussion when we arrived today was last night's (3 a.m., actually!) LOUD thunderstorms! ⛈⛈  Most of us were awakened by them, but were able to grab a few more winks when they ended! 😴  We felt ready to tackle the work day at Eaton...and CELEBRATE Laura's birthday, too! 🥳🥳🥳

Alexis, Michelle, and Liz unpacked dozens of light bulbs at Eaton today.  They have the right touch for this job!

The guys were busy as well.  First, they had a big box of parts to snap apart and sort.  After that, they made several trips to the recycle bin!  With everyone masked up again, it's hard to tell who they are... From left to right:  Abraham, Patrick, Devin, Sam, Xavier, and Kevin.

Another job that kept us busy today was counting and bagging different sized-screws.  Abraham and Kevin worked together, as did Annmarie and Laura, and Xavier and Patrick.  They steadily counted their given number of screws and we bagged a lot of them by birthday lunch time!

Eaton is great about letting us take over the break room when we're there, and today we decorated it for Laura's birthday.  It's a very large room, so the joy of friends is an important part of the "decor."  Laura's friends were very joyous, as you can see here, where they were having lunch from Jimmy John's (Laura's fave) provided by Laura's family!  We had sandwiches, chips, and fresh fruit, plus the cupcakes we made yesterday.  

Jorie and Kesha joined us for cupcakes and the singing of "Happy Birthday" to Laura.  What a great party!!

Thank you so much, Palmer family, for treating us to a fabulous luncheon for Laura's birthday!  We loved her excitement this week, especially yesterday and today, as she frequently sang, "It's my birthday! It's my birthday!"  Happy Birthday, Laura!!

Michelle helped clean up after the party.  She's got balloon stompin' and poppin' down!  Thanks for your help, Michelle!

We were missing Drew and Kate today, but the rest of the gang was happy to join Laura for her official "Birthday Friends Photo, 2021!"  Look at her smile!

We had just enough time when we returned to AFCC from Eaton to write a group letter to Nancy.  We miss our friend who relocated to Kentucky a couple of weeks ago!  Yes, the font size was kind of big, but Nancy will love getting a SIX page letter from us!  Everyone contributed a thought or two, and it was great!  Nancy will love it! 

With that, our fractured week was over.  We can't believe there are only 11 days left in August... Here's what we'll be doing next week:  

Tuesday:  We're going to visit Christina today at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.  Wear your Arc shirt and make sure you bring your face covering, which we will wear when visiting the galleries.   After lunch, we'll have our lesson on Aviation Day, which we ran short of time for last week.  Lunch on your own (we'll be at AFCC to eat.)

Wednesday:  Today is National Banana Split Day, and we'll celebrate by making mini-splits and learning about Brazil, which produces about 10% of the world's bananas.  🍌🍌🍌  We also brought some Eaton work back with us, and we'll spend a bit of time working on that today.  For lunch, we'll have salad with quinoa, spinach, and chicken, nice and light, to go along with our banana splits.

Thursday:  The "dog days of summer" technically ended on August 11 (haha), but we still feel them and it's fitting that today is National Dog Day.  We'll have fun with a dog theme, including, what else...hot dogs for lunch!  Feel free to bring your favorite dog-themed "stuff" to share!  🌭🐶🌭🐶  Also, please keep our beloved Bette Faye in your thoughts today as she will be having back surgery.  We'll be making super-special cards for her! 💓

Friday:  National Beach Day is Monday, so we're going to celebrate with a movie this morning, Disney's Teen Beach Movie.  We will christen our new DVD player!  Thanks, again, Michelle and Family! After that, weather permitting, we'll visit Yorktown (great picnic area) for lunch on the river and a game of bocce.  We'll end the day with Jaime's relaxing beach-themed yoga club!  Dress to stretch, bring a bag lunch, and Arc shirts are optional.  

💥💥💥 Arc 5k Update 💥💥💥

Due to the ongoing situation with the pandemic, Williamsburg Landing has requested we make the 5k virtual again this year.  While we are disappointed, we understand the need to avoid large gatherings as long as the Delta variant is spreading in our community.  

Stay tuned for an email message next week detailing the AoA's ideas for forming a team to support The Arc of Greater Williamsburg's Virtual 5k.  We can make it happen, support our great organization, and have fun, too! 🏃🏃🏃

Enjoy the weekend,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang