Chocolate Factory

This morning myself and two other women friends picked up three Seniors each from the nursing home we visit and took them on an excursion to Ethel M.'s Chocolate Factory to see how the candy was made, it was a hoot and they were like children scurring from big glass window to window chattering and the ooohs and ahhhs were great...At the end of the tour they were offered samples and then we took then into the store part so they could pick out candy to take home. When we got the 7 ladies and 2 men back to the home they were passing out the goodies and telling all about the way it was made. Tha was my idea and in two weeks one of the other women will have to come up with something to do. We did the kite flying last time. Its so wonderful and rewarding to see their sweet faces at having some fun as most of this group are all alone in the world....

What a beautiful story but bittersweet. It saddens me that our elderly are alone like that. But you, blessed friend and angel, are doing your part to help them and that's why I love you so much.

Chatty, you are a doll to think of these people and do such wonderful things for them. So many are just forgotten be everyone.
smile

Chatty, that is wonderful. Nice to hear this story. LLL

Chatty girl...you never cease to amaze me. You are simply one of a kind. I'm so privileged to know you!

JJ

Chatty, question for you because you're excursion has prompted me to think...(yeah, I know, dangerous)...how did the Nursing home react to you taking people off of the premises? Is there liability involved? Who is responsible and how was that addressed? I just wondered because I think the idea is absolutely fabulous and I wouldn't mind doing that myself. But around here, I can see red tape a mile long...how did you overcome that? Help?

JJ

Chatty,
You are the best! My Mom used to pick up women at a nursing home and bring them to church once a week but it got too hard for her to help them in and out of the car. Hard on her back.
You go girl!

Chatty, you are a true inspiration. Your fountain of good deeds springs eternal.

JJ the client signs a NOT RESPONSIBLE paper so the nursing home is not liable and we all have good car insurance in case some idiot should hit us other than that their is no problem. If the client has a family member then they have to sign a permission slip for the Nursing home too but these people we take have no one and are alone, thats why we pay special attention to them....you could say its kind of like adopt a senior club...I personally think the nursing home is glad to have someone else bother with these people, they are only old, not sick or slow of mind....I have as much fun as they do, they are delightful people they just got old..

There is no doubt in my mind that you enjoy it tremendously. You have that kind of heart. If I am ever in a nursing home (and those chances are good), then I pray I'll have a "Chatty" there to rescue me...you've earned your wings Ms C...

JJ

Oh no you don't JJ. I'm getting chatty. You can have somebody else. You can have the angel with the holey wings and the skinny cloud.
I get Chatty!!
smile

mefirster...

JJ

Well hopefully we won't any of us have to be that old and needy before we can meet. I owe you both, JJ and Smile a big fat hug, oh and I never travel without lots of chocolate...Never know when the need will arise... Ijust hope the old folks have as much fun with us as we do with them....

Chatty, I can only imagine the satisfaction you get from doing this. Do you take different ladies each time or are they your group? I like talking to the elderly, they are so wise.

chick

Chatty, I commend you for taking time for the elderly. They were all just like us not too long ago. Hard to believe, isn't it?

I know a man who takes his dog to several retirement homes and nursing homes. It brings him such joy. Chatty, think of not having a pet in your home. That's another thing they give up to live in those places. Hey, there's an idea for you. Take your pets along.

Dotsie I have taken both Reeta & Rosee there many Sunday mornings and the residents spoil them with crousants and jam and other treats. Its so strange because my Rosee is a little love bug to everyone but Reeta is not and she has to be watched closely. Yet when with the old ones she is so gentle and kind and never growls or gets that naughty look in her eye. She seems to know the difference...I have taken a basket of kittens as well and my friend brings her yellow Boa. Some of them had never petted a snake before...

Chatty! I cannot believe that! A snake! Wow! I am astounded they let someone do that. No..no...I'm not saying its a bad thing, just that I'm surprised. I bet that gets some stares! ha! I've taken da Trixster to the VA home here and the men love her. It breaks my heart when they start talking about the dog/cat/bird/whatever they had when they were boys. As you say, Trixie seems to sense the ones that need a tad more loving than say another man, and she will go over and just lay her head down in their lap. That's when the tears flow...mine and the men's.

However, Trixie gets too excited sometimes and she weighs over 60 pounds so I have to really keep her on a leash...She doesn't EVER growl or get mean, but she just wants to go in every single room. Sometimes, that's not a good thing.

JJ

Chatty, I should have known. I'll pet the kittens and dogs, but you can have the boa!

JJ you would be surprised (I was) by the people wanting to touch the snake, Sunshine is bright yellow and about 3 feet long and has orange eyes. Most people are fascinated at how quiet and gentle she is and that snakes ARE NOT slimy at all...

Trixter wants to go into every room because thats her job, and she apparently loves her work. My best friend Sandy owned a boxer for 16 years, a wonderful dog and sooo smart!

Chatty,
I was going to fight JJ for you as my own personal angel.
But the snake thing is making your angel cloud a little shakey. In fact, it's causing a full blown cloud quake.
I'm thinking I could be a little bit more generous with JJ. I say I just pass the snake right on to her.
Now if I'm ever in a nursing home and your friend comes in with the snake, I'm outta' there. If my heart doesn't give out and move me right on up to heaven, I'll get in a jet propelled wheelchair and ESCAPE.
Dogs are fine as long as they don't growl or bite, but snakes give me the heeby jeebies. YUK
smile

Sunshine snake is not mine...oh no, perish the thought and I wouldn't want her or any other snake BUT she is interesting to some of the residents and it calms a fear they may have had about these creatures all their lives. I don't want any pet you have to feed 'live' food to...

Whew. Boy am I eve glad to hear that. I am afraid a snake might "Mistake me for live" food and Eat me or something. Hate snakes.
smile

My son had a little lizard at one time. He thought it was so cute. The darn thing ate live crickets! Every few days we had to go to the pet store and stock up. YUK!

Oh my gosh my grandson (Alex) had one of those lizards. Actually several because they kept escaping or commiting suicide. Seemed like every day I was taking him to the pet store for live crickets to feed it. YUK!

My daughter, Becky, "won?" an iguana at the fair. Darned thing grew huge and was always getting out of its cage and slithering around the house with its tongue sticking out. Scared the daylights out of me a dozen times. She had to buy it some kind of live worms. The kids loved it. Alex put it under his shirt and smuggled it out to show and tell.

Becky finally found some unsuspecting victim and gave it away. AMEN!
smile

I look under Chocolate Factory and find snakes and animals that commit suicide? Hello? Is it me?

Chatty, I love you dear friend, you know this...but snakes are snakes. They are all the SAME size, and they are all SCARY. Period. End of story. And yes SMILES, they give me the heebie jeebies too. (Queen doing the ewww...gag...spurt...DANCE.)

Smiles, how does an animal commit suicide? How did you know it was suicide? Did it leave a note?

What? Am I the only one that saw that and wondered?

JJ

My scorpion died last year.I called him scorp. Short for scorpio, short for scorpion.(original huh?) I forgot his real name. I rescued scorp from a lady who tried to starve him to death rather than let him loose outside. She said "he wouldn't die." Her thinking was rational in her sense. Scorp ate crickets. Hard for me because I won't even kill a fly, so I left the feeding to other half. When the choice came down to it, we had none. It was feed him or else...

Chatty, I don't mind snakes but I really couldn't handle watching that little mouse at mealtime either.

chick

[ June 26, 2005, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: chickadee ]

quote:

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Originally posted by jawjaw:
Smiles, how does an animal commit suicide? How did you know it was suicide? Did it leave a note?JJ

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I figure they committed suicide because my grandsons carry them around in their pockets. They sleep with them, and take baths with them. Pretty soon they (the critters that is) begin to look real depressed and the next thing you know, there's a funeral.

I haven't seen any notes, but I'm pretty sure those critters are having suicidal thoughts.
smile