This week we're saying "Goodbye, April!" It was a great month filled with wonderful experiences and a lot of birthday fun...including Devin B.'s this week! We're ready for May and all the birthdays and wonderful experiences it has in store for us, so bring it on! Meanwhile, here's how we said goodbye to April of 2022.
Tuesday
Our week was set to begin with the master gardeners, and we were happy to see the sunshine! As we ended last week, the forecast was calling for a good chance of rain, but luckily Mother Nature knew we had things to do in the garden (and after), and she gave us a break! Maybe she knows better than to mess with our MGs!
We were busy in the garden today, with seeds and plants to get into the ground, and several things to check. After a nice greeting from the MGs, we shared what we had been up to. We told them we ate the carrots, lettuce, and spinach from last time, and we shared our Earth day pledges. They told us what we would be planting today, and then everyone made their way over to the raised beds.
Alexis and Kate planted an okra plant with MG Rick and Liz looking on. Most of us said we didn't like okra, and a few of the MGS said the same! But Karen pointed out to us that the okra has a beautiful flower and that we will enjoy watching it grow. Alexis reminded everyone that Nan cooked fried okra for us one time...and it was good! 😉
It seems some of the radish seeds we planted last time may not have made it, so MG Jay, with Drew's guiding hand, planted more seeds today. Jay thought Drew would take the seeds from his (Jay's) hand and plant them in the soil, but Drew figured out a way to keep his hands clean!
Vickie (in the hat) and Joanne (purple shirt) had just shown Xavier where the potatoes were growing, and then brought him over to where Karen, Devin T., Patrick, and Carol were planting nasturtium plants. Soon, they should be blooming with colorful flowers. In this picture, you can also see the tall purple flowers at the top of the allium plants. Such a pretty flower, and related to garlic and onion, too!
After our planting was finished, Karen gave us directions for completing a Five Senses Scavenger Hunt. We broke into teams and headed out all over the garden to find things that fit into the categories of smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing. There was plenty to find!
Liz pointed out flowers with a patterned design to Laura. They also spotted white flowers, and leaves in the shape of hearts. Other teams heard crunching leaves and twigs, and birds singing. One team tasted apple mint and spearmint and could tell the difference! One of the "smelliest" things a team found was a type of rose from Karen's home garden that she had brought to show us. There was a lot to touch, too, as some teams felt smooth leaves and prickly vines! The Five Senses Scavenger Hunt was fun, and got us out exploring all over the beautiful garden!
The herb of the day was thyme, which Karen told us represented courage, and she said in Roman times, women would send the men off to fight with a sprig of thyme to give them courage in battle! Karen also baked some very tasty thyme shortbread cookies that we got to sample, along with refreshing lemonade provided by Rick. We didn't get a picture of the "thyme-ly" treat, but it was most appreciated! 😋🍪🥃😋🍪🥃
Before wrapping up the session, the MGs shared things that were growing in their home gardens. Barb said her yard is bursting with beautiful irises, including these bearded ones she showed us. If you look inside, where the stamen is, you can see the "beard" in the irises!
Vickie also told us about beautiful irises from her garden, and she and Barb let us bring the irises back with us. They are fragrant, too! Here, Karen was showing us the flowers from the snowball bush (viburnum) in Vickie's yard. It's only 3 years old, but is already producing beautiful blossoms. Lisa asked what had happened to the beautiful, and very big, snowball bush that used to greet us this time of year when we entered the garden? The MGs said someone had (gasp) pruned it...but it will grow back. We hope so! Thank you to all of our MG friends for another delightful morning in the garden!!
Instead of eating at Freedom Park today, we went over to the picnic area at the CW Visitor Center. It is shadier there, and it was warming up quite nicely by lunch time. We also wanted to be closer to Great Hopes Plantation, where we were heading for a walk after lunch. Everyone was happy when Michelle told us she was putting one of our Earth Day suggestions to use: she brought her lunch all in reusable containers! Way to go, Michelle! 👏🌍👏
After lunch, we walked over the bridge to Great Hopes Plantation to see the windmill that we learned was being dismantled and moved to a new location on Francis Street. We have seen the windmill many times on our walks, but we always noticed there were never many other visitors looking at it. One of the reasons it is being moved is so it will get more "attention" and not become "endangered," according to the story in the Virginia Gazette.
We found that the blades on the windmill had already been removed, and the house had been placed on something like a steel base, which may make it easier to load onto a trailer for movement. It seemed like a "ghost" windmill with its blades missing!
There were no workers here, and the other side of the windmill house looked lonely, too. We think it's a good idea for it to go to a new location where, hopefully, more visitors will give it some "attention!"
When we told the MGs we were going to see the windmill, Rick mentioned to us that its new home would be at the corner of Francis and Bucktrout Streets, so on our way back to the center, we rode by. We'll be back to visit it once it's relocated to here!
Wednesday
Today we visited with Wisteria at The Mariners' Museum for a lesson about the Titanic, and it was so interesting and engaging! When we first arrived, Wisteria told us we would each be given a boarding pass, and that we would be "pretending" to be one of the passengers from the ill-fated voyage. Here, Erik and Xavier had gotten their passes, and were boarding the ship!
During her presentation, Wisteria introduced us to who we were by showing us their photos and telling us their stories. It made learning about the Titanic so interesting. In our group, we were a mix of first, second, and third class passengers, as well as crew members, who were considered third class.
Sam was finding out that he was a young writer from Norway, who had settled in the United States but had returned to Europe to bring some of his cousins back here. They were all third class passengers, and all survived!
We were fascinated by the stories of who we "were" on the Titanic. A fact we learned was that one of the co-owners of Macy's department store was onboard with his wife, and she refused to leave him to get into a lifeboat when he felt he should stay behind so more women and children could be saved, so they both perished. We also learned that the youngest survivor was a 2 month old baby girl, who lived to the age of 97 before passing away in 2009.
Another interesting fact we learned was that the amenities on the ship for first class passengers included a gym, a pool, and ten course meals that lasted for three hours! It was a great lesson, Wisteria! Thank you for bringing the stories of the Titanic passengers to life for us. It was very interesting!
We brought our lunches so we could enjoy a picnic on the museum's beautiful patio. It was sunny, but more breezy and chilly than we expected. No one complained, though. We were happy to be enjoying time with friends!
It wasn't too breezy to take a walk on the Noland Trail. We grabbed a few pics of the gang enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Devin B., Sam, and Erik noticed a lot of Canadian geese flying over Lake Maury.
Liz, Alexis, Michelle, Devin T., and Drew shared a bench, and these big smiles.
Patrick, Abraham, and Xavier also shared a bench, and there was so much laughter coming from it that Liz ran over to check it out!
It's always a sweet picture when we get Annmarie and Laura together!
But it's a little sweeter when we get everyone together! Kevin is traveling this week, so he's missing, but the rest of our gang looks great with the gorgeous azaleas in the background! What a good day we had!
Thursday
This week we have seen two hummingbirds at our feeder (couldn't get a picture fast enough)! Today, we also spotted a goldfinch! He's on the right, and the bird on the left is a brown-headed cowbird. We have also had several sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, and tufted titmice visit the feeders this week, and we're happy to see them all!
We got busy this morning making birthday cards and setting up the board for Devin B. Besides being Dev's birthday, it was also Teach Children to Save Day, so we had a lesson on banking (all of us are someone's children, even if we're adults!). Many of our guys mentioned things they would like to have the funds to purchase in the future, so we talked about the basics of checking and savings accounts, and the concept of interest.
This is Alexis and her cousin Celeste, who lives in North Carolina and works for First National Bank. Celeste gave us some fun activity books that we read and worked in after watching a short video about our banking system. Thanks, Celeste! We love resources that make us think!
Everyone paid attention to the banking lesson, but really they were just biding their time for Devin's birthday celebration. All we knew for sure was that we were having lunch from Chick fil-A, courtesy of Dev's parents, and a "surprise" guest and program. Shortly after 11, we found out Bubbles the Magician was here to entertain us! (Not to be confused with Bubbles the Clown, who entertained us for Annmarie's birthday in March. 😉)
We all enjoy good, clean fun, and Bubbles provided a lot of it! We love to participate in silly antics, too, so when Bubbles asked for volunteers to hold cups of water on their heads, Liz, Kate, and Alexis stepped right up! Bubbles had the girls move around and change places, and then she took the cups one by one and tried to throw water on the audience, but the cups were somehow empty!
When Bubbles took the last cup, we were certain Laura would get wet, and so was Laura! But the cup was empty! LOL! Where DID the water go?!?!
It only took 4 magic wands for Annmarie to turn a black and white picture into a colorful one...and she was so proud of her magical powers!
Sam didn't know that the seemingly friendly raccoon he was petting was about to tickle his chin with its tail! (Alas, our camera was too slow to catch his reaction! 😱)
Even though we were pretty sure we knew what was coming when Bubbles covered the circus train car with the blanket, we got excited. Could the yellow balloon transform into a living creature?!?!
With a "hocus pocus" it could! Birthday Boy Devin was the first to hold the cute little bunny named Precious. Alexis was extremely delighted by this turn of events!
We had so much fun helping Bubbles with her magic tricks that we temporarily forgot about lunch! Not for long, though. The aroma of chicken nuggets and fries filled the room! Devin got the serving line started, and once everyone was eating, it was so silent in the room that Devin's parents thought Bubbles had made us all disappear! (That's how it gets in here when we're dining on a tasty lunch! 😋)
Here's today's official birthday group photo! Devin, we couldn't get to the candles since Bubbles' table was blocking the closet, but we still hope all your wishes come true! What great cupcakes, too. Can you tell they came in the colors of all of Dev's favorite sports teams?!
It was touching and fun to see the slide show Roxanne shared, with lots of photos from Dev's life. He was such a cute baby!!
Meanwhile, Bubbles was face painting any and all who were interested. Devin T. couldn't wait to have a friendly little dinosaur painted on his cheek!
Kate became Catwoman...wow! That is cool!
These four were already celebrating NFL Draft Day by repping their team colors. Once Bubbles added the face paint, we had a Braves baseball player in a Panthers shirt, a Commanders Unicorn, a legit Eagle from Philly, and a Seahawks Unicorn!
Bubbles took time to make balloon art for our guys, too. We had dogs, swords, flowers, wands, hummingbirds, dinosaurs, and parrots among us. What a great party!!
Thank you, Scott and Roxanne, for treating us to such a fun party. Chick fil-A, magic tricks, face painting, and balloons are always a hit with our gang! We enjoyed hanging out with you and celebrating your charming son! Happy Birthday to Devin!
Friday
This morning we were happy to have completed a thank you card for Devin's parents to show our gratitude for the fun party they provided on his birthday yesterday. Erik, Sam, and Devin are shown with the front of the card.
We loved the inside of the card, too, so Laura, Alexis, and Annmarie held it open for us to photograph. Yesterday, after the party, we all put our thoughts together and wrote Scott and Roxanne a heartfelt letter of appreciation!
Speaking of Scott and Roxanne, they told us that 10 pallets of product had been delivered to Pet Supplies Plus, and they were so glad we were coming today. After putting the finishing touches on the thank you card, we sent a crew of 5 this morning. Xavier and Liz got a kick out of stocking these giant drumstick dog toys!
Drew and Sam worked with Scott and a member of the team we haven't worked with before...Devin's sister, Hailey! She was on a school holiday, so she came to help at PSP, too!
Looks like Erik has this section of dog food looking neat and fully stocked! 👏👏
Our PSP Crew presented the thank you card to Scott. Roxanne was at the other store today, but he will make sure she gets to read it. Great job today, PSP Crew (including Carol), Scott, and Hailey!!
We wondered if the PSP Crew was working up an appetite, because back at the AFCC, the Cooking Crew had the place smelling dee-licious as they prepared baked spaghetti! Devin T. and Patrick cooked ground turkey and then added tomato sauce, and seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and the herb of the week from our master gardeners' lesson, thyme!!
Who doesn't love a warm breadstick with pasta? Annmarie and Laura made sure to count enough for everyone!
It wasn't cooking, but it was important. Alexis (with help from Laura and Annmarie) colored bowls of spaghetti on paper napkin rings and then used them to wrap our silverware. What a pretty presentation!
We had extras today, and the students were out of school, so our favorite custodians were able to slip away and join us for lunch! Sevarina and Heike complimented our cooking, and Sevarina even asked for our spaghetti recipe! We're sure it was the thyme that made it so tasty!! We missed Diane, who had to deal with an unexpected "situation," but we sent her a plate and she stopped by later to compliment us as well!
Devin's parents insisted we keep the leftover cupcakes, and today we were able to get to the closet for a candle and allow Devin to make an official birthday wish!
We celebrated Superhero Day (April 28) this afternoon by watching a few video clips about everyday heroes. These heroes, much like the superheroes we love to watch in the movies, inspire us all to be kind and do good. Click the picture below to hear the sweet story of 4 year old Austin, who makes a difference with chicken sandwiches. It will be the best 3 minutes of your day! 💗💗💗
We ended our week with Jaime and her version of Superhero Yoga! We learned that just like Captain Marvel, Batman, or any other superhero, we can harness superpowers like kindness, perseverance, and confidence to lead strong and healthy lives!
And with that, we say goodbye to April! We'll welcome May next week, and here are our plans:
Tuesday: It's bowling day! Bring your equipment and wear your Arc shirts. For lunch, we'll have pizza with veggies and fruit! After bowling, we will visit the garden to check on the progress of the plants and seeds we planted last week, and also to observe National Garden Meditation Day! We'll talk about what that means and practice mindfulness while we're there!
Wednesday: Today we will look forward to the month ahead as we prepare our May calendar. It's also Star Wars Day ("May the 4th be with you"), so we'll have fun with that, including a lesson with Mystery Doug! For lunch, we will have Chick fil-A nuggets that were leftovers from Devin B.'s party (we froze them) along with mac n cheese and a side salad. Thanks again, Scott and Roxanne, for yummy Chick fil-A nuggets!
Thursday: It's Cinco de Mayo, AND Coach Teri's birthday, so we are returning to one of our favorite pre-pandemic traditions, a dual celebration of the two special days! Coach Teri will treat us to tacos from Taco Bell and birthday cupcakes, and we'll add to the party with tasty sides! After lunch, we'll impress Coach Teri with our bocce skills. She taught us the game 6 years ago! We'll also have lessons to mark Astronaut Day (today) and Space Day (tomorrow). Plus, we're moving yoga to today, so dress to stretch!
Friday: We're returning to Eaton for a work day today, so please wear Eaton shirts and bring a bagged lunch. It's National Beverage Day, too. We'll have a few of your favorite beverages on hand to enjoy during lunchtime! 🥛🥃
Remember to SAVE these UPCOMING DATES!
May 14-21 and May 22 - Community Pickleball Challenge
August 6 - Royal New Kent Golf Club - WOTM's 7th Annual Charity Golf Tournament - Contact Lisa for more info about sponsorships or registering to play!
October 1, 2022 - 13th Annual Williamsburg Landing 5k Run/Walk for The Arc - Registration coming soon!
Have a great weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
