IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS!

This month marks the two-year mark for changes and challenges brought forth by COVID-19.  Our lives have been challenged in many ways other than wearing the dreaded masks.  Coping with the changes we have been forced to deal with has brought frustrations, loneliness, creativity and some interesting reactions by us older folks who thought "we had seen it all."

        Very recently we have experienced a little glimmer of spring and a lifting of some restrictions.  Thus, more interaction of residents has become more open.  One of the favorite topics of conversation seems to be about how others have been impacted by the Pandemic and the challenges experienced.  

        Read on to get a sense of how your fellow residents have responded.  If you would like to, send me your own stories or responses at JewelryByRouse@gmail.com.

OUT OF THE FOG COMES SERVICE


Out of the fog, metaphorically speaking, comes change. Out of the fog can come disorientation, uncertainty, and the exclamation, "What am I doing?"

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Making Vanilla


While 2019 and 2020 will forever be known as the Years of Covid, 2022 is shaping up to be the Year of Inflation. While gasoline gets most of our focus, one lesser known commodity subject to inflationary pressures is vanilla extract. This has always been expensive, but as with many other things, it's getting even more expensive. A 16-ounce bottle of McCormick All Natural Pure Vanilla Extract now costs $35.90 on Amazon, and a 32-ounce bottle of Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract can be bought for $101.50. (Note that the latter comes in a gift box if you feel it might make an appropriate present for a baker you love.)

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Oh, the Wanderlust!


Pore over the intriguing Road Scholar catalogs that come in the mail. Talk with friends to find a place and a time for our next exciting adventure … Denmark, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa for a safari, Oberammergau for the Passion Play, Costa Rica … YES! Update my passport, pack my bags, catch a plane, meet interesting people I'd never known before, see ancient historical sites I'd never seen before, taste unusual foods I'd never tasted before, explore different cultures I'd never experienced before. What wonderful memories - 57 exciting adventures with Road Scholar over 28 years.

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