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December

Oakview Park Greenville
Newsletter

Resident´s Birthdays

June Cook 12/9
Pat Garren 12/12
Gwen Owens 12/15
Carole Schoening 12/23

Celebrating December

Safe Toys and Gifts Month
National Tie Month
Computer Science
Education Week
December 9–15
Eat a Red Apple Day
December 1
Sacher Torte Day
December 5
Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day
December 7
Weary Willie Day
December 9
Cocoa Day
December 13
Cat Herders Day
December 15
Eggnog Day
December 24
Christmas Day
December 25

Events Spotlight

Family Christmas Party
12/19-
2-4PM

Dice Day Roll Call

Dice may be the ultimate random number generators, but there is nothing random about the date of National Dice Day, which always falls on December 4. Some of the oldest known dice are more than 5,000 years old; they were part of a backgammon set from the historic Burnt City in Iran.

Why are dice sometimes called “bones”?
In olden times, the talus, or ankle bones, of hoofed animals, such as sheep and goats, were used as dice. Since then, the name
bones stuck. The dots on dice are called pips,
and the six sides of a die also have names: ace, deuce, trey, cater, cinque, and sice. Speaking of die, where did this term for a single-number cube come from? It comes
from the Latin word datum, which means “something given or played.” On December 4, you can do both: give dice as a Dice Day gift and then “let ’em roll” in your favorite game.

Grand Teton
National Park

With over 700 miles of trails in Glacier providing outstanding opportunities for both short hikes and extended backpacking trips, there’s something for everyone.

Calling all BINGO Lovers

Bingo is celebrated throughout December in church halls and community centers because December is Bingo Month. The game dates all the way back to 1530, when Italians played a game called Lo Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. Some even say that this game was used to fight government corruption. Instead of winning a pot of money, those holding winning numbers were elected as local leaders.

The French first introduced a playing card full of numbers. Then in the 1800s, the Germans used the game as a tool to teach children math and spelling. It first appeared in America in 1929 at a carnival near Atlanta, Georgia, where it was called “Beano.” When an excited winner shouted out the word bingo by mistake, an entrepreneur named Edwin S. Lowe overheard the faux pas, renamed the game, and employed a Columbia University mathematician named Carl Leffler to create 6,000 randomly numbered bingo cards. Leffler purportedly went insane from the task. A Catholic priest asked Lowe to show him the game as a way of raising money for the church. Bingo has been a church hall mainstay ever since.

Glacier
National Park

The iconic symbol of Glacier National Park is the mountain goat. This young goat is just learning to scamper around the rocky cliffs in the park.

Resident of the Month

Annabell Whitson

Annabell Whitson is our November resident of the month. Annabell grew up in Cherokee County, South Carolina with her parents and five sisters. She has so many fond memories of herself and her siblings. In December of 1950 Annabell met her husband Cecil at Winthrop. He picked up her and two other friends to head to the post office to mail Christmas cards. And that’s when the spark happened. One year later Cecil asked Annabell on a date. The two of them have five beautiful children, three boys and two girls.

Annabell is most proud of the sacrifices her husband made for his family and children along with their accomplishments. Between the five children there is a total of thirteen grandkids and eighteen great grands. They are a close nit family who love to fellowship and have fun. Annabell has been at Oakview Park for five years. She loves living here and has made so many friends. Annabell is thriving and enjoys going out on excursions and playing card games with her friends. One of her favorite activities that she will never miss is manicure day! Before living at Oakview Park, she never worried about getting her nails done, now it is part of her weekly self-care routine that she takes pride in. We are so happy she is a part of our Oakview Park Family.

Tips for Keeping Minds Active

Write On

We live in a digital age where text messaging, Facebook, Instagram, and email are considered preferable ways of communicating with friends. These days, good old-fashioned letter writing is a lost art. December may be the perfect time to resurrect that art, for December is Write to a Friend Month, and December 7 is Letter Writing Day.

December presents a variety of opportunities for writing letters. The holiday season is often the one time a year we send holiday cards with updates about our family or events from the past year. And after all the holiday gift giving, there may be no better way to express thanks than by sending a handwritten thank-you card.

If you need some extra incentive to start your letter writing, consider buying some fun new stationery. You could also head to your local post office to pick out some unique stamps. If you want to get really fancy, join a calligraphy class to add an extra flourish to your letters, or add a dash of old-fashioned elegance by sealing your envelopes with a wax seal.

As long as you’re writing, a letter could also prove the perfect vehicle for reconnecting with old friends. Receiving a letter in the mail is nice enough, but a letter from a childhood pal or an old flame? Thrilling!

Some shy away from writing to old friends out of the blue because it may feel awkward, but we must not forget that old friendships are valuable things. After all, a friendship is a shared history. What better way to reconnect with a friend than to fondly reminisce about those shared good times and to perhaps reflect on how you have grown? It is also important to realize that reconnecting via a handwritten letter does not necessarily mean you must make a long-term commitment. Sometimes a warm hello is sufficient and can stand well enough on its own.

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Recipe Spotlight:

Traditional Scones

Traditional Scones

Ingredients:
1 Egg
2 heaped teaspoons – Baking Powder
25 grams – Caster Sugar
1 heaped teaspoon – Vanilla Sugar (or caster sugar)
25 grams – Vegetable Shortening (or lard)
500 grams – Plain Flour
1 teaspoon – Salt (fine)
50 grams – Butter (unsalted)
250 milliliters – Heavy Whipping Cream (or double cream)
250 milliliters – Full Cream Milk
1 tablespoon – Milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and place a baking tray inside to warm. Mix flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Add butter and lard (or shortening), blending until it resembles damp sand. Gradually add milk, mixing until the dough just comes together. Avoid overworking the dough.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 3 cm (1 inch) thick. Cut scones with a round cutter, reshaping the dough gently if needed. Place scones close together on a baking tray. Brush with egg wash (beaten egg and milk). Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Check doneness with a thermometer (center should reach 85°C/185°F). Serve warm or at room temperature with Chantilly cream and strawberry jam.

Chantilly Cream: Whisk cream and sugar until soft peaks form.

Associate of the Month

Jose Pagan

Our December employee of the month is Jose Pagan, better known at Papi to all. He is a wonderful asset to our dining department team doing all the prep work for meals, dishwashing, as well as setting up the dining room for meals. Jose was born in the town of Utuado, Puerto Rico to his loving parents Josefina and Juan Pagan. He is one of eight siblings. Jose has been married to his one and only wife Aida for forty-six years and has three boys and twelve grandchildren. When he is not at Oakview Park, he enjoys riding his bike and working outdoors. We are so happy to have him on our team!

Cutting Edge Fun

Nothing announces the arrival of the holiday season like the smell of freshly baked cookies. If you’re looking to spruce up your baking this year, ditch the common round shape for some fun cookie cutters during Cookie Cutter Week, held the first week of December.

While evidence shows that ancient Egyptians created interesting molds for baking cakes, Queen Elizabeth I of England is said to have popularized the novelty of baking cookies in the shape of her guests. Gingerbread men and women soon became popular in bakeries across 17th-century England.

Today, you can find cookie cutters in every conceivable shape and size. Some manufacturers will even create custom cookie cutters. Some people enjoy collecting cookie cutters, and serious enthusiasts belong to the Cookie Cutters Collectors’ Club (CCCC). In fact, it was the CCCC that originally conceived Cookie Cutter Week about 30 years ago. Members enjoy benefits such as a quarterly newsletter and an exclusive cutter designed to commemorate Cookie Cutter Week.

Collaborators

Oakview Park | Jennifer K
Jennifer Klein
Oakview Park | Kristen
Kristen Broughman

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