Deer Grazing 02/17/2010
We watched 5 deer grazing tonight. They were a little closer than normal. We could see 2 larger deer and 3 smaller deer. They came out shortly before dark and were still grazing there when it became dark. As the days grow longer maybe we will be able to watch them a little longer. Add Comment More Training 02/16/2010
Today Patty and I went to get additional training. The training was held at NWTC, Green Bay. The training was the 2nd out of a 3 series sessions given catering to CBRF and Adult Family Home workers. The subject in this training was on Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. It was exceptional training and we will be using it in our Porter House Assisting Living facility. We will also be training our other employees on the subject. I haven't elaborated much on our training up to this point. So maybe I should take the time to comment on it now. I have received my Certified Nursing Assistant training back in 2004. Before that time, I was a farmer and worked out as an Electronic Technician. When I wasn't working out, I helped my husband and children on the farm. That is when we all learned how to work together as a family unit. We gardened, processed the vegetables and the fruits, fished, processed the fish, hunted, processed the wild game and then cooked together as a family. Once I had my CNA, I worked part time at a nursing home. Then I worked in Home care for Social Services of Shawano and also for private clients. In 2006, I paid for my two daughters to get CNA training. They both had other careers, but at the time their careers were running a little slower. I felt CNA training is so important for all young people that I was willing to pay for the training if they would go. I told them, I want them to be properly trained if they would ever have to care for me or my husband sometime in the future. Both daughters then did some Home care in between their other jobs. Since then I also have worked for Clarity Care, a Home care business that specializes in care for the Mentally challenged. Besides receiving my Personal Care Worker certificate, I have received significant training on working with challenging behaviors. It was because of this training of myself and my daughters and some other situations that occurred in recent years that we decided to build Porter House and develop the Porter House LLC to assist elderly residents whom will live in our new home. Deer Crossing 02/15/2010
I knew it was just a matter of time before I was going to be able to report seeing deer from our living room windows. They started to show up shortly before dark. Todd and Patty were watching them for a while before they told me. When I started watching there was already 12 of them out. Then three more came running over the hill. The smaller ones were running here and there while the larger ones were eating. We could see them eating right up to when it got dark. Last year around this same time of the year, the workers building this new building were seeing the deer every night. At first it was 12- 15 and then a few days later they started to see over 30 deer. The Porter House home borders a hay field which in turn borders a corn field. The corn was picked late in the season, so both the Turkeys and deer are finding some left behind corn to eat. Soon we will be able to enjoy showing the deer off to our new residents. Pies in the Oven 02/13/2010
Today I made some of my famous strawberry rhubarb pies. We are having a pie sale at church tomorrow to raise money for the youth group so I made some pies for both them and for our home. My strawberry rhubarb pies usually top the sale. They are auctioned off and last time the group got $26 for one of the pies. I can't take all the credit for the pies. When I was growing up, my family owned a restaurant. My mother was famous for her homemade pies. Early in my marriage I asked my mother to teach me how to make her special crust. Her home made crust is the best I ever had. Then since I have been friends with many Amish families, I have learned how to make many good pie fillings. Our family favorites are strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, blackberry and of course pumpkin. I can't wait until I can share some of my favorite pies with our residents and their families. Horses at Play 02/12/2010
Today we were gone most of the day. But when we got back, as usual we were checking the windows to see if any of our wildlife neighbors were out. We didn't see any, even with the binoculars. But the horses at our farm were having fun chasing each other in their fenced outdoor pen. On our farm we use to have up to 16 horses. I would have loved to keep them all, but 16 large horses can eat a lot of feed. Some times I can just watch the horses play and get much enjoyment out of it. The Porter House home lawn borders the horses fence. So if our residents are able to walk to the end of the lawn they could pet the horses if they like. This Spring I hope to have a path to the horse's fence that could easily be managed by a wheelchair. Fresh Amish Bread 02/11/2010
Here at Porter House, we have several Amish neighbors. The Van Gheem family have a few very close Amish friends and many other Amish casual friends. Today I took my Amish friend for a ride to her sister's house. In exchange for the ride she gave me a loaf of fresh bread. Of course we ate most the bread right away. I love having it with the apple butter my daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas. Carl was happy, he got home just in time from his truck driving to get a piece of bread this time. Soon I plan to get a baking lesson from this Amish neighbor on baking bread. Then when time allows I plan to make fresh bread for our residents at Porter House. Patty and Todd watched 20 plus Wild Turkeys today in the middle of the afternoon. They were viewed from our large dining and living room windows. We can't wait until we can share our home made cooking and bird watching with our new Porter House clients. Turkey Night 02/10/2010
Last night at about this same time we were fortunate be able to see approximately 64 turkeys from our dining room table. We can't wait until we can share these wonderful viewing moments with our residents. Welcome 02/09/2010
Porter House is an Assisted Living- Adult Family Home nestled in the middle of Amish country between the towns of Bonduel and Shawano, Wisconsin. In this blog I hope to share wonderful experiences that happen because of the speciality of being able to live in the country. Also, time to time I plan to write articles that would be interesting and informational to the elderly and their loved ones. Please check back often for new entries and feel free to leave comments and questions. | AnnOwner and Director of ArchivesMay 2010 CategoriesAll |
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