By my count this is the 100th writing of Senior Moments, the continuing story of life and the lives of the residents at Garden Terrace senior apartments. So to commemorate the occasion I looked back at the very first writing, the introduction to Senior Moments, back in 2017. Here is some of what I wrote in the very first installment:
“Hello everyone. This writing exercise is what I hope will become a regular weekly exercise.” (Turns out it has been every other week)
“It most likely will emanate from my desk in the office of Garden Terrace, a not-for-profit low income seniors housing facility with 146 apartments at Fifth and Emerson in Wenatchee. Our buildings are nestled in the bosom of North Central Washington’s apple, pear, cherry, and wine grape country, a block or two from the banks of the mighty Columbia River.”
“I have just celebrated one year of what amounts to almost a new life for me as the Executive Director..... This position is a little different than it has been in the past. Not only am I to be the administrator, but I am also charged with community marketing, and beginning an organized and sustained fundraising effort. These are all things right in my wheelhouse.”
“These writings are to be but one part of a new visibility for the Garden Terrace senior community within our wider community. Two things that I’ve learned already are that no two days are ever the same here, and there should be no shortage of material for my musings. This place is a wonderful and very active place for people that society expects to be slowing down in their later years.”
So here we are today. I’ve now been here 5 full years, going on six. And I’ve written 100 editions of Senior Moments. Many have been published in the Wenatchee World newspaper. If you want to look at all 100 you can go to the Garden Terrace website at gardenterrace.us click on “About” then click on “Blog” and they are all there.
We’ve accomplished a lot since then. Now we have beautiful murals on both ends of our building. We’ve had 500 donors in the community help us raise enough for several big projects. We put a new roof on our oldest building, and we’ve updated the air conditioning/heating units in all 70 apartments of our west building. We also added beautiful retaining walls to stop erosion near our facility.
And now, we have arrived at our 50th Anniversary year. We got off to a slow start celebrating because of a worldwide pandemic but we are vaccinated and gettin’ going now. Stay Tuned….
Until next time,
KEN
