Daily Life in Our Virginia Retirement Community 2025

Tuesday is my busy day here at VMRC (my retirement community) 

At 10:00  I go down to the craft room in the basement where 4 of us work on knotting comforters.  It's one of my favorite activities of the week because I enjoy the 3 ladies I work with.  It's very seldom that I have to email our leader to tell her I'll "not be knotting" that day.

Ann Showalter and Mary Smith

MaryMay Suter, Ann Showalter, Betty Brunk

Betty Brunk, Mary Smith, Eleanor Heishman

MaryMay Suter, Ann Showalter, Betty Brunk

Then, Housekeepping comes at noon twice a month - that's a super bonus that is included in our monthly payments.  Guess what?  I don't have to change the sheets any more!!!

Then at 1:30 I go over to the 5th floor lounge, which is just across the hall, for what I call the "5th Floor Fiesta."   Tuesday afternoon and Friday morning, anyone on 5th floor is welcome to come socialize for an hour.  Sometimes there are 3 people and sometimes 15.  It's a fun time and I feel closer to our neighbors.

 

My most favorite time of each week day is on the porch in front of our lobby.  Every week day we meet at 3:00.  This is open to anyone and everyone who happens by.  It changes from day to day and hour to hour.

We call this the Porch Party and the people are called Porch Peeps.

It is always entertaining, educational, and entails lots of belly laughs.

What do we talk about?  You name it. 

Plus, we get to know people's family members who come to visit. 

Besides our core group, there are various people who show up from day to day or they stop by for a few minutes.

 

When it's too cold, we meet inside.  On those days we're not porch peeps, we are LOBBYISTS!

 

Supper is at 5, then Gary and I go to the lounge (just across the hall from our apartment)  where there's always a jigsaw puzzle in progress, open for all to participate.  I help organize the pieces in box tops and Gary works the puzzle.  We 're always happy when someone works on it and it gives a boost to discover some piece were added.  We do 500 - 1,000 piece puzzles.

This bear one took us over a month.  You can see the box lids where I organize like pieces and colors together.

 

We come home and watch the news we've recorded and maybe watch another show or a movie.  Then we shower and get in bed to read.  Every night I plan to go to sleep at 11 but we almost always stay up till midnight or later.  I read novels and Gary reads TAX MAGAZINES and reports!

 

Guess I'll get busy on the latest biography.  There's a lady named Charlotte Burkholder who writes a one page biography about all the new people who move in to VMRC (Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community - but it's not just for Mennonites).  She emails it to me and I add their photo in the corner.  It's fun to learn about the new folks and what all they've done in their lives.  We have quite a few teachers, professors, missionaries, and ministers among others interesting people.

 

Signing off for now,

Aunt Mary    AKA Auntie MaryMay