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

Judith was a Jewel of a Friend

Judith Anne Caulkett Beckman 
August 5, 1945 - January 18, 2025

Judith was my good friend from the First United Methodist Church in Port St. Lucie, FL.  We met at our Lydia Circle meeting in about 2012.  Judith invited me to be on the Board for the Unit Group.  That gave me a chance to meet a lot of ladies in the church.

Judith was a loyal caregiver for her vivacious mother, Erma Jean Caulkett.  They did many things together.  Erma Jean died at age 98 a few years ago.

(Click on any photo for an enlargement.)

This is one of our first "outings" in 2015. I had gone on a boat tour out of Ft. Pierce, about 12 miles north of Port St. Lucie, but we didn't see any dolphins.  So the captain gave us free tickets to come again.  I invited Judith to go and yes, we did see some dolphins.

Judith and Erma Jean came up to their friends’ house near Lynchburg to dog sit.  Much to my surprise and delight, they came to my house near Harrisonburg to have lunch!  This is us on the deck of my brother’s home, which is on the next hill over from my house.

Gail and Art Whitmarsh started sitting near us in church.  She had her service dog, Honey, with her at all times. We invited Gail to join our circle and we admitted Honey, also.

She came to our Circle Christmas party and told us all about Honey.  We had many questions and she answered them all.  The process of getting her registered as a Service Animal was very extensive. 

Honey could tell if Gail was getting ready for an attack of a lung condition so Gail could get her inhaler out quickly.  Gail wasn’t even aware that this was going to happen. This would have been a life or death matter.  We sat near Honey in church for 4 years and that little poodle never made a sound.

We especially enjoyed all the outfits Honey wore.  Art, her hubby, said Honey had so many outfits that he had to build a special closet just for her.

Gail used to say this about Judith, “I don’t know how any woman can come out week after week looking like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine – especially the hair………….her hair is always perfect!?”  (I happened to know that Judith cut her own hair!)
 

Judith loved Blanche Devereaux, my Cornish Rex kitty.  Sadly, she became allergic if around cats for a while so she couldn't have one.

We went down to the big newish mall in West Palm Beach.  We found these strange shoes and I'm so glad we took a pic!

I felt it was important that Judith be with people on the first Easter without Erma Jean. Easter 2023 was in the Florida room of my little house.

Easter 2024 was under the bridge going from Jensen Beach to Hutchinson Island.  It was a lovely day.

I also convinced Judith to join our Zoom Bible Study group with Rita Etherington.  We had been meeting at Rita’s home but when the Pandemic hit, she figured out how to use Zoom.  This way, Judith could participate without having to go out.  Also, when Gary (my hubby) was in Virginia and I was in Florida for the winter, he could still “attend.”

Much to my surprise and delight, Judith came with me to our group’s Mardi Gras party.

On one of our last outings last spring, Judith came over and helped me make a wreath for my door.  It was obvious what an eye she had.  She even made me some extra bows to use on other wreaths - professionally done, of course.    Her artistic nature was also evidenced by how tastefully her home was decorated.

 

Judith and her brother, David Caulkett, celebrated each birthday for
Erma Jean right up to 98!