by Carolyn. L. Brown of our Riverside Court location in Woodstock, NB.

So where are we going, you may ask? For me, given I am writing this on a Friday, I am hoping maybe home at a decent hour and hoping the backyard will be still bathed in early fall sunshine so I can sit, did you catch that word, “sit” for a bit and enjoy the birds and the last blossoms on the end of summer flowers and beautiful fall ones. Then again, I may say to my husband, take me for a drive in the woods, my peaceful place. That would be sitting too, right?

It has been one of the busiest weeks I have had here at “ the big yellow house” with 6 new residents moving in this week means our staff have been very busy. They have been exceptional in meeting all my requests on behalf of new residents, and I personally want to say thanks to each Department including Dietary, Maintenance, Activities and Health Care. It speaks volumes about Team effort, especially amid the ongoing construction and renovations for our Memory Care unit. Your patience and understanding both with myself and my requests and with our residents is appreciated more than you know. Residents have shared with me that they recognize the extra mile you have all had to go and are also appreciative. We will get there, together, residents and staff alike!!

We are always so encouraged by our wider community and how they remember us. I won’t name names but we had someone donate a beautiful giant Scrabble board game (for those who struggle with vision problems) to enjoy and we often have very generous donations of yarn to support our knitting club, who knit endlessly and donate their finished products to those in need in the community. We humbly say a sincere thank you!

I am told we have more men in our home now than we’ve had in some time so a shout out to all the guys. It gives me great joy to meet you chatting in the lounges and hallways or visiting each other. Some of the guys especially, have been enjoying the comings and goings in our renovation and construction world, and I haven’t had any workers or carpenters complain about too many bosses, so I won’t have to curb any enthusiasm!! Welcome to our new male residents.

I am looking a bit further ahead to later fall, and planning around the folks who are returning for a winter stay to take a break from shoveling and all that winter brings. We know for some it is easier to settle in and stay home rather than go out in the cold but that can limit us socially, which is another reason some like to settle in at Riverside for the winter months.  We do maintain 8 studios furnished for this purpose and they are also used for those needing to spend some time in recovery after a hospital stay before being able to go home.

So I leave you with best wishes for a beautiful and safe fall. I welcome you to stop by for a tour or visit in the “big yellow house”, MacLeod Riverside Court.