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VOLUME 13, ISSUE 12

LUTHER HOUSE , 120-126 JENNERS POND ROAD , WEST GROVE , PA 19390 610-869-4240

Luther house gazette December 2015

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 12

December Activities Scheduled

Wednesday, December 2nd, New Candlelight Theater Trip reminder.

Annual Holiday Luncheons will take place on: 12/7 for LH I, 12/8 for LH II, 12/9 for LH III, & 12/10 for LH IV. Please sign up at the front desk of your building.

Monday, December 7th Boy Scout Pack 42 will perform Christmas Carols at 4:30 pm in LH III.

Wednesday, December 16th Karen Markey from St. Michael Lutheran Church will conduct a sing-a-long at 2 pm in LH III.

Friday, December 18th Christian Athletes of West Grove will perform Christmas Carols at 6:30pm in LH III.

Saturday, December 19th Gene Arnold Gospel Singers will perform at 6 pm in LH III.

Monday, December 21st, Tai Chi will take place at 2 pm in LH III.

First Snow By Bessie Spencer

The dusk has hidden the golden star

And north wind leaps through the pasture bars.

A small boy fastens an outer shed

And stops to polish a bright red sled.

A dog is slipped through a kitchen door,

With quick repairs to the tidy floor.

A cap and a muffler are on the chair,

And strange expectancy is in the air.

He walks and watches and softly hums

And sings aloud as the first snow comes.

P A G E 2 L U T H E R H O U S E G A Z E T T E

Vas a Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas

Vas the season for Christmas and, ach, Goodness Sakes!

If Mom vasn't stirring a batch up of cakes.

She vas stirring and stirring in such a fer huddle

The visions of snitz pies vent round in her noodle.

She vent for the nightgowns and got all the kits,

And fixim for bed, vonct -- before she had fits.

Yet still must the Christ plate be placed just so right

For the Christ-Child to fill vhen he comes in the night.

Mom didn't even have time right to take off her chacket,

Ven oudt in the yard made a fierce, awful racket.

She thought the commotion vas the wutz in a pickle,

But the kits knowed, Oh No! It vas nasty Belsnickel!

They run to the vindow and made it vide open.

And the place, it chust looked like it had a goot soapin'

It vas all over vite, and the vind vas so pure ...

But there vas old Belsnickel comin', slow, but, By Golly, for sure.

He came bearing switches, right up to the door.

And vent right a-vays in, cause he knowed them before.

His striped pants vere baggy. His boots scuffed and scrappy,

So I covered my mouth up and tried not to laugh.

The young ones didn't know it was chust Uncle Hutz

Dressed up in such clothes. He looked chust like a wutz.

Well, he made quite a wision with his whips and his pocket.

A chuckle started vay down deep, and I couldn't hardly stop it.

He reached into his pocket, grabbed a handful of cakes,

And threw them all over the floor with a shake.

"Only goot kits get candy, and cookies and nuts!

The rest get a vhipping -- but no bellyguts!"

So vhen Christmas comes to an old Dutchman's place,

Hide under the table and cover your face

Cause Belsnickel will schmack you if you've not changed your errors.

He's no Sandy Claws, this Pennsylvania Dutch terror!

Shared by John Sebastian, LH I

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Holiday to do List

1. Buy Presents BE PRESENT

2. Wrap Gifts WRAP SOMEONE IN A HUG

3. Send Gifts SEND PEACE

4. Shop for Food DONATE FOOD

5. Make Cookies MAKE SOMEONE SMILE

The Good Old Days

When I hear people praise what they call “the good old days”’

And they tell me what they miss, I remember things like this:

Coal oil lamps, a wheat straw broom, Cast-iron stoves, and wood for fuel,

Walk a mile or more to school. Pitch the hay and scrub the floors.,

Fill the lantern, do the chores, Carry water from the spring,

Swarms of flies on everything. Milk the cows and slop the hogs,

Chink the cracks between the logs, Mend the harness, shoe the mare,

Clean the barn, no time to spare, Horse cars, gaslights, button shoes,

Muddy streets and avenues, Whiskers, corsets, Darby hats,

Rubber collars, and cravats. Up before the sun’s first rays,

Yes sir! Those were “good old days.”

P A G E 4 L U T H E R H O U S E G A Z E T T E

Dispelling Common Myths About Hospice Care

Hospice is a type of health care intended to provide compassionate, comprehensive, quality care for indi-viduals with a terminal illness. Hospice care focuses on providing comfort and pain management (palliative care), rather than curative treatments for an illness. It usually involves a team approach to care, with doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals coordinating care that focuses on physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

The Medicare hospice benefit covers many different services, including skilled nursing care, prescription drugs related to pain relief and symptom control, spiritual counseling, and more. Over 2 million Ameri-cans were served by hospice providers across the nation, yet there are many truths to be learned about what hospice care is.

Myth: Hospice is where you go when there is nothing more a doctor can do.

Fact: Hospice is not a place but a philosophy of care providing medical, emotional, and spiritual care focusing on comfort and quality of life.

Myth: Hospice is only for the last days of life.

Fact: Hospice patients and families can receive care for six months or longer, depending on the course of the illness. Hospice care is most beneficial when there is sufficient time to manage symptoms and es-tablish a trusting relationship.

Myth: Choosing hospice means giving up hope.

Fact: Hospice provides comfort and quality of life when the hope for cure is no longer possible. The hope for living each day to the fullest becomes the focus.

Myth: You can’t keep your own doctor if you enter hospice.

Fact: Hospice physicians work closely with your doctor to determine a plan of care.

Myth: Choosing hospice means giving up all medical treatment.

Fact: The reality is that hospice places the patient and family at the center of the care-planning process and provides high-quality pain management and symptom control.

Myth: Hospice only cares for patients in their homes.

Fact: Most patients choose to die at home surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice cares for patients wherever they call home, including long-term skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.

Myth: Hospice care starts when someone is close to dying and ends at death.

Fact: The focus of hospice palliative care starts at the time of diagnosis or acute phase of the terminal ill-ness and extends beyond the patient's death to the family during bereavement.

For more information, ask your physician or Diane for a list of Hospice providers.

Needed: old newspapers. Please call Laura at 610-869-4240 ext. 105.

Needed: A volunteer to pick up the Starbucks donations on Thursdays. Back up driver for Wawa pick ups.

If you are interested, Call Diane at 610-869-4240 ext. 111.

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Good Neighbor Reminders:

Do not place paper towels in the toilet.

If you have a maintenance issue, please call 610-869-4240 ext. 0.

Carts are for short term use only. Do not tie up a cart while doing laundry. Borrow cart for transport, than return cart to front desk.

Wawa Food Donations

Every weekday Wawa food donations are placed in the activity room freezers.

Please help yourself. Delivery days are:

Luther House I - Thursdays & Fridays Luther House II - Tuesdays, Luther House III - Mondays

Luther House IV - Wednesdays. Note: Delivery times

are at the discretion of each volunteer.

Spotlight on Resources

Dental Care (low income): Community Volunteers in Medicine -West Chester (610) 836-5990 (free general dentistry including extractions for working & non-insured).

Eye Appointments / Eye Glasses are available for $60 through the Chester County Association for the Blind. Appointments are scheduled every Thursday between 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Office is located at 71 South First Ave, Coatesville, PA 19320. Call 610-384-2767. Other programs include Senior Eye Care Program at 877-887-6327, Lions Club at 484-883-0515, and Vision USA at 1-800-766-4466.

Food Assistance & Food Cupboards are numerous in Chester County.

Kennett Area Food Cupboard yearly income limit is $16,245 for an individual and $21,855 for a couple. They deliver once a month to Luther House residents. Call 610-925-3556.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program, also through the Kennett Area Food Cupboard, yearly income limit is $14,000 for an individual and $18,000 for a couple. CSFP is also delivered once a month to Luther House residents. Call 610-925-3556.

Luther House Annual Holiday Luncheons will be held at 11:30 am on:

Luther House I on Monday, December 7th Luther House II on Tuesday, December 8th

Luther House III on Wednesday, December 9th Luther House IV on Thursday, December 10th

If you are unable to attend on the scheduled day

of your building’s luncheon, you may attend at another building.

Please call Diane at 610-869-4240 ext. 111

Outwitted He drew a circle that shut me out-- Heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in!

Reminder: Luther House does not permit live Christmas trees due to fire code regulations.

Only artificial trees may be permitted.

P A G E 6 L U T H E R H O U S E G A Z E T T E

The Origin of Phrases

“Old Codger” - An old man, especially one who is eccentric, or curmudgeonly.

The earliest meaning of 'cadger', was as the name of itinerant dealers who traded in butter/eggs which they transported by pack-horse. This dates from the 15th century and was referred to in Robert Henryson's The Morall Fabillis of Esope, circa 1450: "A Cadgear, with capill and with creils". [horse and baskets] Over time, less respectable tramps, beggars and smugglers also be-gan to be called cadgers. Cadging eventually changed from 'trading' to begging/borrowing'. By the early 19th century, any ne'er-do-well who made a living by questionable means might be called a codger. William Hone's The Every-day Book, 1825, lists that meaning: "A rosinante [a worn-out horse], borrowed from some whiskey smuggler or codger.

“Taken Aback” - Surprised or startled by a sudden turn of events.

‘Aback' means in a backward direction. It is a word that has fallen almost into disuse, apart from in the phrase 'taken aback'. Originally 'aback' was two words but these became merged into a single word in the 15th century. The word 'around' and the now archaic 'adown' were formed in the same way. The first to be 'taken aback' were not people though but ships. The sails of a ship are said to be 'aback' when the wind blows them flat against the masts. The figurative use of the phrase, meaning surprised rather than physically pushed back, came in the 19th century. It ap-peared in The Times in March 1831: "Whigs, Tories, and Radicals, were all taken aback with astonishment, that the Ministers had not come forward with some moderate plan of reform." Charles Dickens also used it in 1842: "I don't think I was ever so taken aback in all my life."

This Month in History

December 14, 1911 - Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole.

December 14, 1962 - The Mariner II space probe sent back information from the planet Venus, the first information ever received from another planet.

Birthday - American patriot Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was born on a plantation in Byberry, Pennsylvania. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a doctor and humanitarian, whose writings on mental ill-ness earned him the title "Father of Psychiatry." He also countered the prevailing notion that alcohol was generally good for people and was one of the first to describe alcoholism as a chronic disease.

December 27, 1831 - Charles Darwin set out from Plymouth, England, aboard the ship HMS Beagle on his five-year global scientific expedition. Darwin col-lected fossils and studied plants and animals. In 1859, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

December 30, 1803 - The Stars and Stripes flag was raised over New Orleans as the United States took formal possession of the territory of Louisiana, an area of 885,000 square miles, nearly doubling the size of the U.S. The territory had been purchased from France for approximately $15 million.

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Please REMEMBER OUR TROOPS in your thoughts and prayers, and especially:

Bryan Hammell, grandson of Mary

Hammell (LH I)

James Edward Tackett, grandson of Jennifer

Rosa (LH IV)

Brock Morris, nephew of Jen Rosa (LH IV)

Jason Sunderland, son of Phyllis Sunderland

(LHI)

Jonathan Shavor, grandson of Nancy & Bob

Brynildsen (LH II)

Gregory Shaneman, grandson of Hilda

Shaneman (LH I)

Stephen Burke, grandson of Vera Passmore

(LH III)

William W. Farmer III, grandson Al Watson

(LH IV)

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 12

My Favorite Recipe ...

Cauliflower Soufflé

Asik Estephanian

1 medium head of cauliflower, separated into florets

4 tablespoon flour

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

Extra butter for top, cut up

Melt butter, mix together with flour, salt and pepper. Add cheese and stir until thick. Separate eggs, beat yolks (off heat), and add butter and flour mixture. Beat whites until stiff. Fold into egg and flour mixture. Butter an oven-proof casserole dish. Flour lightly. Spread cauliflower florets in dish. Spread cheese mixture over top of cauliflower. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Top with butter pieces. Bake at 350 de-grees for 50 to 60 minutes until browned on top.

Grandparent’s Corner -

Grand-

children

are the

gifts of

yesterday,

the pride

of today,

and the joy

of tomorrow.

May the warming love of friends surround you as you go

down paths of light and laughter where the happy memories grow.

P A G E 8 L U T H E R H O U S E G A Z E T T E

January

Happy Birthday December

Luther House Information

Office Hours:

Monday-Friday

8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Telephone: 610-869-4240 or TTY/TDD AT 7-1-1 to connect through the PA Relay Service

for Hearing Impaired

www.lutherhousepa.org

After hour maintenance

emergencies, please dial:

610-869-4240 ext. 0

Luther House is an equal

housing opportunity

organization providing housing

regardless of race, color,

religion, sex, handicap

or national origins.

Articles are due by the 24th

for next month’s publication.

Diane Berquist, reporter and

layout

Katie Parker, activity calendar

Live so that when people think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.

Home is the place

where character is built,

Where sacrifices to contribute

to the happiness of others are made,

and where love has taken up its abode.

- Elijah Kellogg

Afghan

by

Carol Carr

1 - Helen Olivieri - IV

3 - Miguel Morales - I

5 - Bernadine DeMarco - I

6 - Mary Mastrippolto - I

Minnie Eldreth - I

Phyllis Sunderland - I

Helen Daniels - I

7 - Judy Counts - IV

9 - Nora Raynor - III

12 - Irm Devon - IV

15 - Ruth Smith - IV

16 - Betty Frabutt - II

17 - Anna Greer - II

Theresa Skelton - II

20 - Nancy West - III

23 - Richard Martin - III

26 - Karen Craig - III

28 - Doris Matusan - I

30 - Wilma White - III

31 - Peggy Pitts - II

1 - Alice Osborne - I

Hazel Potter - III

2 - Shirley Barnes - I

8 - Matilda Matherly - III

12 - Dorothy Saunders - I

Clyde Gent - I

Helen McNeill - II

13 - Ralph Ream - III

15 - Marie Rhoades - III

18 - Rosalie Carter - I

Peg Nuse - IV

21 - Howard Neikam - III

23 - Robert Reeves - I

25 - Carol Lynn DeHart - I

26 - George Barnes - I

27 - William Smith - II

Elsie Gehron - III

28 - Catherine Holgerson - I

Lois Hooven - III

29 - Annie Clendenin - I

Mildred Simpson - I