Life is good in our new place

     A little more than five weeks in our new senior-citizen retirement community, and we really like it.

     This is home, a welcoming, friendly place.

     We have been greeted and recognized as "newbies" about 48 dozen times, and that is a good feeling.

     Now we have been here long enough that we are among the greeters for the latest newcomers. And hopefully they will be as happy as we are.

     We have walked into a community of walkers. You might know that I am a daily walker -- or try to be. So, fine. But this  is a twist on words.

     Yes, there are those who often go walking for exercise -- for example, a woman (Earline), age 81, who has walked from here to Central Market and to Hulen Mall ... those are extensive hikes. There is a 7:15 a.m. walking group every Tuesday and Thursday.

A familiar sight here: the lineup of walkers outside
 the dining room.

     (No extensive hikes for me, just aiming for a good workout. And no walking group; I am a solo act, so I choose my own routes.)

     Back to the point, the walkers I mentioned above are the ones used to assist those unable to walk on their own. They are a common sight here (see photo), most noticeably outside the lunch/dinner area.

     It is, after all, an older community. At ages 73 and 71, Bea and I are -- a guess here -- among the youngest 10 percent of the population here.

     Another guesstimate: About 35 to 40 percent of the people here use walkers or motorized carts, or require a cane or other walking aide. (It is 50 percent on our floor.) Many others are wobbly. 

     But please understand: This is not meant as a negative. Not at all. This is just the way it is.

     Here is what we quickly learned: The people who live here -- if they possibly can be -- want to be so independent, so determined to live their remaining time as best they can.

     Found this out the second day we were here. We have a 98-year-old woman -- sharp mentally -- who was about to do her laundry in the area on our floor, and when I offered to help, she let me know she could do it herself. 

     Next day I met a 97-year-old man upstairs (he's on a walker, but he's obviously still alert enough. The following day I saw him driving his car out of our garage).

      I sat with a 96-year-old confined to a motorized cart, listened to his stories, his movements slow and labored, but with total recall of events, places and names 6-7-8 decades ago. 

     We have a 91-year-old retired minister in our easy yoga class (which isn't all that easy), a witty, upbeat man. Just yesterday, we visited with a generous 89- and 81-year-old couple prominent in their past communities -- and still contributing.

     We have met at least eight doctors (we have a radiologist and a veterinarian -- both retired -- living next to us), a few nurses, oil/gas entrepreneurs, a half dozen clergymen, attorneys, a judge, and -- as mentioned previously -- one baseball Yankees/World Series star and ex-president of the American League who is an entertaining storytelling presence.   

     Interesting, vibrant people, all with their own interesting stories and accomplishments, and we meet more each day. And many stay involved; there is, if you want, plenty to do:

     -- Exercise classes -- yoga, "sit and be fit," strength training, water aerobics, tai chi (don't laugh, we are learning), a "better balance" class, a [river] bank-run group (no, thank you) ... and the walking group.  

     -- Regular games: bingo, poker, dominoes, Mexican dominoes (without a wall), pinochle, something called Manipulation; team gin rummy. 

     -- Regular trips to area venues -- grocery shops -- and special events/facilities. We went to the Kimbell Art Museum last week, a day after a group went to the Perot Museum in Dallas. 

     -- Group outings to various restaurants (can we resist Jason's Deli or Babe's Chicken?).

     There is a social hour each Thursday at 4 p.m., with delightful -- and some unusual -- musical performances, plus the occasional musical special ("Dancing With The Stars" tickets on sale now). There is a party to celebrate birthdays each month; .

     Every other week, we have a Saturday Morning Coffee program (they have not asked me to host yet). There was an entertaining sing-along program one evening (they asked me -- no, told me -- not to sing). On the Fourth of July, there was an ice cream social at noon (ice cream for lunch -- yes!).

     There is a ballroom dancing class, a knitting group, "cop and coffee" meetings, and the pool table, the wellness center, a therapy pool, and the indoor heated swimming pool. There are lobbies and rooms to sit and read, a library with plentiful selections, an area with computers and office needs, meetings rooms.

     Bea has joined one of the various book clubs, and as a former antique/collectibles dealer, she is working toward helping with one of the big monthly attractions -- the White Elephant Sale.

     The extensive operation of goods/furniture/clothes -- much left over from estate-type apartment sales after deaths of residents -- benefits the community's work force.
      And the staff -- top management to workers in all departments -- has been very courteous, pleasant, helpful,   well-organized and efficient.
      (Reality check: Since we have been here, there have been five deaths, including the oldest resident -- 103.)

     There is an extensive health-care operation, with memory-care floors, therapy units, and support groups for specific areas (Parkinson's, dementia, etc.)

     For those interested, there are religion-based services and meetings.

     We are provided transportation, housekeeping and laundry services. We are grateful.

     The lunch/dinner venues currently are next to the 16th floor in our building, nice views of downtown in several directions. A new dining facility is under construction in our building, and management -- in the meantime -- is providing daily breakfast, coffee and soup (2-4 p.m.) in a downstairs lounge area.

     We think lunch and dinner choices are plentiful -- too much for us, really; more than we want. Takes discipline to keep from having too much, discipline we too often don't have. Ice cream and/or yogurt and all sorts of cakes/desserts with every meal ... dang, stop it. (Staying away from the weight scales.)

     So, more exercising is necessary. And back to where we started, about walking. For my friends who have inquired, yes, I have found new walking trails -- gone in every direction already. 

     There are many parking garages nearby (almost empty after working hours and on weekends, and some shaded to keep me out of the blazing sun) and the nearby Montgomery Plaza parking lots are huge; prime territory for me.

     Won't be driving much any more. In the next blog, you can find out why.

          

            

We have been on the move

     Had to wait a couple of days for this: Thank so many of you for your birthday/Father's Day messages. Think I hit the 300-plus mark on messages.

     There was a reason for the thank-you delay: We moved.

     If there was any doubt that we are now senior citizens -- you did not really doubt that, did you? -- it now is official.

     We now live in a "retirement community" (which means senior citizens). And we are happy about it.
     This was Bea's dream. Over the past five years, skeptical me became convinced this was the right thing to do.
      So this move is my 71st birthday and my Father's Day present this year.

The view from our sixth-floor patio looking southeast in Fort Worth.

      Our new home is on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, a complex of three high-rise buildings -- and it is a well-respected, highly recommended and well-run facility.
     We visited here -- by invitation -- more than a couple of times and became more and more convinced this was the right community for us. So, yes, I was recruited.
      It is our 16th move in 41 years together -- it has been a long road, folks -- and we are 99 percent sure it is our last one.
     The apartment we just left, near the Trinity River and Colonial Country Club (about 100 yards across the river from the fourth green), was almost new when we moved in eight years ago. We liked it, but it is not so new now. We lived there longer than any place in our time together.
     Moving in here -- sixth floor, in the original of the three buildings -- we have had to downsize considerably. But we have been doing that for years. 
     What that forces is to choose practicality over sentimentality; we let go of things we had for decades. For instance, I had clippings, photos and magazines/newspapers from way, way back. They are gone. Copied what I could into computer files.
     But we came into a completely scrapped and then refurbished apartment. Everything is new. 
     That was one incentive. Also, health care is a top priority here, with an extensive program and facilities. And there is a long-term financial guarantee.
     Sure, it is costly. Honestly, I did not think we could do it. But with the guidance of our financial advisor and the help of our sales rep here (the can-do-it-all Gretchen Lincoln), it became doable.
     Some expenses -- such as utilities -- were cut. And because transportation is provided in many instances, we are not going to need our car as often, and eventually plan to do without it. (If we need to rent a car for trips, there is a rental company within five minutes.) 
     We have found the management staff and workers here so competent and cooperative. And the people in the community have been overwhelmingly welcoming these first three days.
     Lots of older people here; yesterday I met a woman who is 97 and a man in his mid-90s, both residents here for more than 20 years. 
     So we are among the younger residents  and we think, we hope, we can be helpful here. A number of residents are not-yet-retired doctors and attorneys and many others carry on busy lives outside this community.
     I will not be the biggest baseball fan here. One fairly new resident is baseball royalty -- a New York Yankees World Series star, high-ranking baseball executive who has had a rich, full life of excellence in medicine, too.                
     There is a general store in the building, workout facility, a heated indoor swimming pool, all sorts of exercise and wellness areas, a library, an office-type workroom, rooms for visiting (with card games and puzzles), and there are many scheduled activities (shopping trips, speakers, exercise, special occasions).

      Bea already is set to work in "white elephant" monthly sales shop (clothes, furniture, knick-knacks, etc.); various book clubs are available; and Bea wants to start a coloring (book) club.
     We can walk -- if the weather is decent -- to the YMCA where we exercise 3-4 days a week and the Fort Worth Central Library -- a frequent stop for us -- is across the street from the Y. 

      If, long-term, we need a car for trips, a rental company is closeby. So are banks. So are big shopping areas; we already have tried that walk. And our new facility provided us with a shopping cart.

      Because we now have one bedroom, one bath and a smaller living area and kitchen, we carefully chose what to bring. 
      Moving is never easy, but we are experienced and Bea did most of the packing because one of us knows what they are doing.
      It is a new adventure, and it is exciting. The facility's assistant executive director, extending a welcome Tuesday, said, "You are on a cruise ship now. Enjoy it."

      We intend to enjoy it. Come see us.