Saturday, February 20, 2010

After the Loins

From Jan:
"After baked loin of cod as our menu choice last night ... and who ever knew cod had loins, I expected tonight's choice to be roasted leg of Rainbow Trout. Our chef is very creative and not always in a good way. His seasoning of choice is always jalapeno and gravy is on everything. Same gravy, no matter was the entree is. I've gotten used to eating cold mashed potatoes, over cooked beef and chicken that is less than tender but the good news is I haven't lost any weight. Maybe that is because I do the feeding tube for breakfast and most days for lunch , too, and that gives me some good calories.

When we are served a meal that is less than desirable I am reminded of what my friend Ed told me ( and I put in the book Active Senior Living) and that was that he figured the food budget per resident was about $7 a day. " it's like Boy Scout camp," he had said, " only here we have indoor plumbing."

I've talked to residents at other active senior complexes and it is the same story everywhere.. not just here and not just in California. The food tends to be the least most attractive thing about the place. But , as my friend Betsy says, " we didn't have to go get the groceries, cook the meal, clear the table or do the dishes. They can cook it any way they want and it's fine with me!"

Do Fish have Loins?

From Jan:

Yesterday we had a marketing event here. It's so damn dumb. It's a senior prom and there are women downstairs dressed like they are preparing to walk down the aisle as the grandmother of the bride. Lots of pastel shaded lace suits and dresses. I almost got the giggles looking at them. All the furniture is out of the lobby and replaced with cocktail tables and it is decorated like New Year's Eve.. a five piece " orchestra" will play for dancing. The dance started at 5:30 an goes until 8 so we were all told we had to eat dinner at 4:00 and by 3:30 the dining room was full of people, me included. I wasn't even hungry which was good cus dinner was loin of cod. Do fish have loins? I ordered sausage and eggs, ate that and got the hell out before the public began arriving to wine and dine and dance with free champagne and bite size goodies like meat balls, which Jay said were probably better than our dinner. Ah ,the joys of this lifestyle! Guess I can always write about that for the sequel to Active Senior Living.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Big Search

from Jan:

The damndest thing here at the Inn. Someone with nibble fingers has been stealing some of the decor items from Xmas out of the lobby ,plus pillows off the sofas, things out of the activity director's office. So a letter went out to all of us asking whomever stole the stuff to return it and no questions would be asked. Well nothing was returned so today we all got a letter saying that each apartment will be searched next Wed. between 11 and 1:00. Of all the dumb things. There isn't room in my apartment for an extra box of Kleenex let alone some Xmas decor.
And by telling the thief or thieves when the search will be couldn't they just put the stolen things in a garbage bag and go put it in their car until after the search?

I'm Cooking on Lulu

From Jan:

Molly Cook left me a wonderful review on Lulu.

You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll recognize human nature no matter how old you are, but if you're over 65, you'll probably recognize yourself and one or more of your friends. Jan is a wonderful writer who can make you laugh and shed tears in the same paragraph. Her personal account of life at "the Inn" and her courage in the face of mounting challenges show us she is the Energizer Bunny of writers. You'll be glad you met Jan Curran!

Thank you, Molly!

Another Lovely Review from a Reader

From Jan:

Another great reader review, this one from Dave in Bloomington:

“Active Senior Living," a shopworn marketing phrase, is also the title of a new book by Jan Curran, a resident of a California senior apartment complex and a former reporter and columnist for the Contra Costa Times and The Desert Sun in Palm Springs where she hobnobbed with retired movie stars and politicians.
In this ‘fictionalized memoir” Curran describes realistic dilemmas facing seniors who courageously try to live independently and avoid moving into “assisted living,” which may be the new name for nursing homes. In the independent living building, a nurse regularly evaluates present and prospective resident to determine if they are healthy enough to live independently and if they aren’t they need to make other arrangements. The corporation that owns the independent living building also operates a nearby assisted living facility, but assisted living expenses are out of the reach for some seniors trying to live independently.
Rather than being overwhelmed by these momentous decisions, residents band together to offer emotional support to each other -- a shoulder to lean on in tough times. “Life at the Inn is full to the brim with bountiful friends who just happened to be priceless octogenarians,” said Curran who was a 60 something “youngster” when she moved there from the desert.
Rather than an expose or sob stories about senior citizens being exploited, “Active Senior Living” is a testament that people like Curran with low expectations about senior living arrangements can open themselves to new friendships, share memories and experience life with renewed vigor. “Ages blur and friends become family,” she writes.
Curran’s innate reporting skills and her empathy for others come through as she she gently probes and intervenes to help others who face overwhelming mental and physical challenges.
The book is somewhat reminiscent of the Betty Macdonald novels of the 1940s -- “The Egg and I” and “The Plague and I,” where humor is found in living on an island chicken farm and recovering from tuberculosis. Rather than “Ma and Pa Kettle,” Curran encounters 90-something would-be Romeos (with or without Viagra) aggressively seeking her companionship. Compassionate rather than mean-spirited is her approach to the 300-pound matron in the shocking pink K-Mart sweat suit and the 90-year-old widow with extensive cosmetic surgery who looks 55.

Thanks, Dave!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Another Great Reader Review

Jan writes:

I got this marvelous review from Ann Shields today.

"Great read, Jan. Kept me up at 5 a.m. two mornings in a row. You took us from frustrations at coping with new surroundings in a new town, smaller living space, geriatric central as your Inn-mates. But you did more than cope, you made it your own world, open to the challenges, accepting your situation with grace and humor. The people who shared this life with you were endearing, quirky, domatic and sweet. What a great place to be through the ups and downs of your cancer nemesis, with love and comfort from all these fellow Inn-mates who nurtured you. Cheers to the foursome who adopted you. The Special fondness for Ed. Seems that the Inn changed you and you managed to change the place. Serendipity in action. Wish my mom were alive so I could buy your book for her. She would have loved it."

Thanks, Ann!

Save on my Book

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