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Coombs at the Court The January snowpeople have melted from our shelves. Ernie and Zelda’s ceramic groundhogs have gone back underground. Now our shelves bloom in reds and pinks as Valentine’s Day nears. Sweet tooth calling? Choose silver foil wrapped candy kisses from a lovely crystal dish on one shelf. Take a chocolate bar swathed in red wrappings from another. Stop to read a valentine card or poem nestled in lovely lace scarf. It’s the seasons of love and giving. Of sharing cheery hellos in the hall. Of wine and cheese offerings from a laden cart stopping at our doors. It’s congratulations to a friend winning at bingo or scoring well at a game of cards. It’s the florist delivering a gorgeous bouquet from loved ones. God’s love surrounds us at chapel with Jane’s piano music and visiting pastor’s messages. This is February at Harmony Court. A season that is fun, friendly, and full of life…and lots of love. Gay Coombs February 10, 2022

Coombs at the Court December 17, 2021 Deck the Shelves With… Trees: Crystal trees reflecting the lights in the halls, green trees with treasured ornaments in their boughs, glass trees of stark unornamented beauty, and white trees with branches of pristine snow. Snowmen: Fat, jolly, snow creatures with scarves, earmuffs, laughing faces, fat stomachs, fancy hats. Big snow ladies and little snow children. Santa’s: Big, little, fat, happy, vintage Father Christmas figures, Santa’s carrying bags of toys, riding in a sleigh, all smiling to wish everyone a Happy Christmas. Manger Scenes: Magnificent arrangements of holy figures and lowly figures, ceramic figures, olive wood creations, carved figures, and my own tiny Mary and Joseph figures dressed in faded cloth. They hover over a crepe paper manger cradling a sleeping baby Jesus. My 55-year-old Christmas treasure was created in a Sunday School class by my deceased daughter, Amy. Faded, ragged, unstable, crude, and humble, my creche is a tribute to Him who came to show us love so long ago. Christmas Blessings to All Gay Coombs

Once again, I asked some Harmony Court residents to help with the November blog. Most of the responses are from new residents relating memories of Thanksgivings past. I hope you will enjoy reading them as you recall your own past Thanksgivings. Jane Bos Great memories surrounding Thanksgiving for our family was lots of food with everyone’s extended families, ending with coming to my home, enjoying fun and games depending on the weather. The best part was going to Omaha at Central Park and seeing animated characters in the water and surrounding areas on the grass and walking bridge, hearing songs from various people, seeing carriage rides, and hearing the mayor. From there we used to go to the Civic Center for the free ice skating shows and later to the Holland Center for holiday music. Bert Fisher My best Thanksgiving memory occurred on November 26, 1959. My soon to be husband bought me a plane ticket and flew me out to Vallejo, California. (I lived in Platt…South Nebraska) From there we drove with his sister and husband to Reno, Nevada where we got married. That will be 62 years with the same man next Friday, November 26, 2021. What a great life we have had. Jean Guyett Seventy-five years ago, my mother was about to give birth to her eighth baby. My five brothers and my sister and myself were all born at home, but the doctor said he wanted my mother to go to the hospital. It was Thanksgiving. My sister Doris cooked the turkey. She was 19. She also made the gravy. It was good, but pretty lumpy. We all called it “bean gravy”. It was a long time before every time we were served gravy, we all said, “Is it Doris’ bean gravy?”. Joni Hall As I look back to the most memorable Thanksgiving, this story was one I enjoyed most. I was around six years old. We were invited to my aunt and uncle’s house in Indiana. The only way we could travel with all of us was in our pickup truck. It was very cold out, so my dad borrowed a homemade camper shell that fit our truck perfectly. My dad got the shell loaded onto the truck along with all the other stuff. Our last day at school was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We had a long 12-hour drive through the cold winter night. My two brothers and I were all covered up in the back of my folk’s truck and we slept all through the night, all nice and cozy and warm under all of our blankets. My sister was in the front with my parents as she was only around 2 years old, and it was too long of a ride for her to spend in the back with us. We arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house early Thanksgiving morning. One thing that was special about our trip was my mom had cooked the turkey the day before and when we arrived at my aunt’s house, we were ready to eat turkey with all of my cousins in my aunt’s huge house. A lot of fun and excitement. The most memorable thing about this Thanksgiving was arriving safely in the back of the truck under blankets that kept us warm. Remind you this was just a wooden box made to fit the truck and no way to heat the back. Like nowadays camper boxes are warm with heat and air conditioning. What a way to travel! Dottie Jacox I really remember Thanksgivings after I married, and we had the children. They would bring home things like turkeys they had colored and cut out and we would talk about the 1 st Thanksgiving that the people on the Mayflower had with the Indians. We would always go to church and thank God each year for what we had. One year my in laws came and my oven went out. So, we bought our first microwave oven, and it was big enough to bake the turkey! That was exciting for us. Growing up on a farm in Colorado, we didn’t remember having Thanksgiving or eating turkey. Each year we spend with our children, we always go around the table and tell what we are thankful for too! Nancy McConnell Throughout our married years, Dave and I, and our family would attend the Thanksgiving service at church on Wednesday evening. We would always take food items to be given to the needy. Then on Thanksgiving Day, we would host the family feast using the china, crystal, silverware, and candles. At the end of the meal, the kids would dip their finger in the water in the goblet and then run it around the top of the goblet and it would make music. Each of us would share something we are thankful for. Traditions are great Lois Prather When I was young, (maybe 4 to 7 years old) we had a housekeeper who was a member of a church that didn’t celebrate any special occasion other than family birthdays, so she was available to cook and serve our holiday dinners, but everyone pitched in to help. I had 2 very important (I thought) tasks. First, I helped prepare the Waldorf salad by slicing the grapes and scooping out the seeds. The knife was very sharp (I felt very grown up-very sharp knife-wow) and everyone who passed near me while I was seated at the breakfast nook table slicing and scooping said, “Be careful, Lois, don’t cut yourself.” Then task #2-just before everyone came to the dining room, I carried an ice filled glass bucket, about the size of a gallon ice cream carton, around the table and dropped 2 ice cubes in the water goblets at each place setting. The ice bucket had a silver handle, and the tongs were silver. Everyone who saw me icing the goblets said, “Be careful, Lois, don’t drop any ice or water on the table.” JoAnn Sorensen Thanksgiving memories…one word sums it up for me and that word is ‘family’. As long as I can remember, Thanksgiving was a day when the family got together for lots of good food, conversation, cards, and board games. As our family grew, children married, and had families, we still get together. The cell phones were left on the kitchen counter and the TV was not turned on. It truly was a day of fun. Our holiday would start around 10:30 am and end around 10:30 pm when everyone was full of food, had laughed, cried, and talked about the past year and was ready to go forward to another year. This year we will be getting together once again; however, it will not be the same because a very important person is in a better place. However, we know our missing person will be with all of us and smiling as he watches all the fun we are having. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and God bless. Beth L. Fay When I was a child, most of my Thanksgivings were alike in nearly every respect: the people present as well as the traditional Thanksgiving feast of a meal, cooked by my mother on our farm, which was about halfway between Des Moines and Omaha. Given the almost dystopian aspect of current times because of the advent of coronavirus, its ironic that the very ordinariness of past Thanksgivings makes those times seem full of glory in every way. Despite the many angst-ridden things about modern, Covid-tinted Thanksgivings, there is still much about which to be thankful, and a good deal of that, for Marv and me, directly connected to living at Harmony Court. We are thankful for the friends we’ve made here, and for a dedicated staff that cares for us and inserts tremendous helpings of joy and laughter in our daily lives with the result that they feel like family - people who allow us to laugh along with them, and perhaps cry as well. We feel safe here. We feel the value of knowing we can be helpful to others, and the relief of knowing that if we need the same kind of help further down the road, we will not be left alone. If Thanksgiving came with wishes, I would wish that the way the world is altered by this pandemic would bring about a better world somehow, and that we all have the stamina to survive the changes that will be necessary to get us to that better place. In the interim, I give thanks to God for you all because you have helped provide us with the means to survive, perhaps to see a beautiful new world that in every way compares with the beautiful old world. November 23, 2021 Gay Coombs

Four beautiful witches came down my hall Chattering, laughing, not scary at all. They didn't fly on magic brooms But rolled laden carts to all of our rooms. One handed me blood in a frosty cup Which tasted like punch as I began to sup. Another one dressed in bewitching black Gave me loads of candy in a colorful sack. One drifted near all by herself To lay pizza and treats of my waiting shelf. One gave me a box with candy corn And pretzels and warm, fresh popcorn. They floated away as quickly as they came And I cannot recall all to tell you their names. But Neal and Pamela, Great Ghouls of a sort, Made Halloween come to Harmony Court. Gay Coombs November 1, 2021

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 1 Peter 4:10 We are retired stewards living at Harmony Court. Some people think we've put away our talents and are sitting back to rest. Not so! I look around at my fellow residents. Here are a few I've observed, still using their gifts to serve others. Karen scurries up and down the halls bearing plates of freshly baked banana bread or oatmeal cake to give to others. Chapel services are enhanced with the piano music of Joyce and Jane. Gary and Ernie sort the 5:00 AM Non Pareil delivery at the front door and place each newspaper on the shelves of resident subscribers. Nancy McConnell writes a prayer message for her church newsletter each week. Crochet needles fly as Verla makes doilies and dishcloths while Terry's busy fingers crochet tiny hats for new babies at the hospital. Need to scrub a sticky pan? Dottie makes sturdy pot scrubbers to give way. Sharing expert Bible knowledge, Don conducts a Bible study class each week. With a photographer's keen eye, Bert snaps photos of each resident to place in the handbook in the library. There are only a few of the Harmony Court residents who, though retired, continue to serve others by using the gifts God has given them. Aren't we lucky to live among such talented people? Gay Coombs October 25, 2021

Maxine Mether and I were visiting at the mailbox today. "I saved my ice cream from lunch" she said. "Harmony Court has a happy hour to our door this afternoon. So I'm choosing root beer and making a root beer float for Happy Hour in my room!" Later in the day, I heard the rattle of soda cans on a cart and a tap on my door. Three happy staff faces greeted me with a box of treats and asked if I'd like wine or pop. Spying a lone can of A&W still on the cart, I quickly chose it. Filling a tall glass with ice cream, I poured the fizzy soda over it and with a long spoon and a straw, began savoring my own root beer float. Thank you, Maxine, for the idea, I thought. "Thank you, God, for Maxine," I prayed aloud. My soon to be 98 year old Harmony Court friend has inspired me so many times since I moved here. She possesses a wisdom enhanced by her faith and love of people. Before Covid, she, June Behrens and I met weekly for prayer and Bible Study. Maxine's knowledge of the Bible and interpretation of scripture shed new light on God's word for me. Her work experience as office manager for a doctor, deepened her compassion for those suffering. She has two fine sons who are devoted to her and she is so proud of them and their families. I enjoy our phone conversations as she reflects on this era with acceptance of the changing times. I am grateful for the wisdom of Maxine Mether and again thank God for her as I noisily sip the remaining dregs of my root beer float. Gay Coombs October 2,2021

The mornings begin cooler now. A lazy sun sleeps in a bit longer. Looking from our balcony, the trees Seem to be losing their vivid green And a few show off yellow leaves We know the Loess Hills Will soon be flaming in color. Inside, our shelves no longer Boast of summer fun and sun. Sunflowers and autumn leaves Now take their place. We continue activities Behind our colorful masks Still enjoying delicious meals In the quiet of our rooms. We smile at neighbors And chat about the Lovely days of autumn And memories of other times. Our days end with the Early setting sun Casting shadows over The hills. Welcome, September! Gay Coombs September 9, 2021

The flowers on our balcony are bursting out of their pots. How I love to sit out there with my book or with neighbors who generously planted and water the lovely flowers. The flag flutters in a warm August breeze and we remember the old song Lazy Days of Summer. But inside, new neighbors are settling into Harmony Court apartments. Gloria thinks she finally has all her boxes unpacked. JoAnn directs traffic on second floor wing as her husband Jim practices driving his new scooter and mastering turns. Jean and her daughter shop to fill her pantry, as she delights in arranging her newly cleaned furniture. Up in her corner aerie, Dottie gazes from her 3rd floor living room window at the forest of trees in the Loess Hills, anticipating the fall colors of the leaves. Nancy is joining us for meals as she gets acquainted in her Harmony Court home. We welcome and enjoy meeting new friends. The redecorated chapel holds two services each week. A wine and cheese party calls for food and fun. I love the popcorn and movie night with some great shows on the big screen. Lori sets up activity in the afternoons to encourage our creativity. Don invites us to Bible Study every Tuesday. And there is usually Dominoes or a card game going needing a fourth. What delicious cake comes out of the kitchen for our monthly birthday party celebrating residents' birthdays of that month, but shared by all who like sweets, a cup of coffee, and a challenging game Lori presents. We can be as busy as we want, or snooze in our own rooms in air conditioned comfort. No 'dog days of summer here' at Harmony Court.