I’ve been writing these postcards to give those who have little experience of senior living an idea of what it is like to actually live in a place like Plush Mills. We have our rhythms and our rituals. Little did we know that — suddenly last spring — our lives would be turned upside down.
Frankly, I never thought I would be living at Plush Mills. Now, 12 years later, I can tell you we made the right decision for the wrong reasons. Oh sure, the healthcare helped, and not having to go out for meals was great. But the best thing about living at Plush Mills is how easy it is to meet your new best friend.
Our president has said that everything the government can do to keep us as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus has been done. No one I know believes him. The opposite is happening here at Plush Mills. Management has closed us down. Every day they tell us what they are doing and what aspects of our life here need to change. I applaud them.
When Plush Mills started 12 years ago, we had lousy food and great coffee. Every time the food service changed, we told the new guys, “You can fix the lousy food, but don’t touch the coffee!” They didn’t. Now the food here is good. Sometimes it’s even great, especially since Frank, our executive chef, learned the new sous-vide system of cooking.
Isn’t it interesting how some folks seem to make things run so smoothly? Here at Plush Mills, we have the good luck to have a bartender in the Pub — located right next to the dining room — who makes everyone feel welcome. Tony is your perfect “Sit down and let me take your cares away” kind of bartender. He knows just how to smile and touch your shoulder. When he introduces new residents to established ones, they often make friends.
Nothing would make you suspect that Tina Johnson would become Ernestine Louise, the recently published poet who will read and sign her book at Swarthmore Borough Hall on Wednesday, October 23.
Last fall, I decided to start a wine club at Plush Mills, where I live. I put out a letter to the residents and I got 10 people who were willing to give it a try and we held our first meeting. It went well. We have had a meeting every month where we compared wines; we asked wine experts to come talk to us; we went to local wine shops and wineries to learn from them.
