Beaumont News June 2020

V o lu me T h i rt y F o ur , N umber 3

May–June 2020

ALL workers are Heroes Essential workers are not just health professionals. In the war against Covid-19, auxiliaries are as important as soldiers.

Defying the pandemic, workers arrive each day to do their jobs and keep Beaumont running smoothly.

WELLNESS CENTER: Patricia Valenza, Front Desk; Elsie Asare, RN; Regina Brown, LPN; and Miriam Quinn, Wellness Center Director

Employees go above and beyond for Mother’s Day

By Jim Zug

At the entrance to Beaumont, there is a sign in big letters saying: “Heroes Work Here.” They sure do. Witness the total staff effort to help Beaumont’s mothers celebrate Mother’s Day.

The headline story might be Joe Peduzzi, our President, Mary Wells, Director of Human Resources, Mary Huff, Director of IT, and Marjorie Harding, Director of Nursing, arranging FaceTime or Zoom calls for every mother in the Health Center and in Personal Care to talk with her family on Mother’s Day. Each call was scheduled for half an hour, but often the residents were so excited that the calls went longer than planned, so it took all day.

Joe Peduzzi commented, “It was a great pleasure to arrange these calls and see the excitement for the residents and their families. Many of the calls were very moving, and several times I had tears in my eyes.”

Tracey Vitabile of Personal Care came in to help, and also working on Mother’s Day were Michael Maduforo, Donna Pink, Shonda Hinton, Jessica Opare and Alicia McCullough. We thank all of you for coming into Beaumont on a Sunday to bring such joy.

But there is more to the story than that, a lot more.

MOTHER’S DAY continued on page 5

Health Services employees are on the front lines in the fight against Covid-19.

They care for Health Center, Personal Care and Wellness Center residents.

Food and Beverage services are equally important. When social distancing restrictions closed dining venues, employees’ duties and schedules changed to accommodate at-home dining.

Operations—Housekeeping, Maintenance, Grounds—also underwent changes in schedules and duties.

Top priority is cleaning and sanitizing all common areas to stop the spread of the virus and keep everyone safe.

Information Technology has the task of maximizing communication.

Beaumont’s TV channels show movies, concerts, documentaries and Fitness programming.

Using Zoom, IT has set up virtual gatherings for socializing opportunities.

Resident Services is the heart of resident activities. They develop and implement plans to cheer us, alleviate boredom and make life more “normal” during this exceedingly abnormal time.

Thank you all!

This wind did not whisper gently through the trees

By Irene Borgogno

Philadelphia is not in Tornado Alley. It occasionally has a tornado, but what it experienced on June 3 was a different and unfamiliar meteorological phenomenon for this area: a derecho.

The word derives from the Spanish adjective for “straight,” in contrast to the word for “twisted,” tornado.

A derecho is an intense, widespread, long-lived, straightline windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving group of thunderstorms. The winds can be hurricane-force; rain can be heavy, resulting in flash flooding. In our storm, the wind blew at up to 85 mph, and we had 8 to 10 minutes of 7-inchper-hour rainfall, Photo by Lynn Ayres dotted with hail.

DERECHO VICTIM: The tall, trun Trees, huge cated maple is near the Main Gate.

in size, came down all over the area, closing countless roads and knocking down power lines. Beaumont closed Wheeler Woods. Shortly after the storm passed though, PECO reported 132,000 Montgomery County customers with no electricity.

At least one very large maple tree on Beaumont property snapped 40-50 feet high on the trunk, but there was no sign of dead wood on the ground. The derecho winds took care of cleanup.

Near the little bridge over the stream in Wheeler Woods, an oak tree was snapped, revealing the remains of a beehive inside. The bees calling the oak tree home were less than happy about the weather.

WIND AND RAIN: First, forceful winds roared; then sheets of rain poured.

Photos by Linda Madara from her patio

WHEELER WOODS victim was an oak with a beehive inside.

Photo by Jane Ruffin

In Memoriam Alan Reed May 12, 2020

Doris Smith May 23, 2020

Alvan Markle III May 29, 2020

Mahlon Hutchinson May 14, 2020

Bobette Leidner May 24, 2020

Howard Glassman May 30, 2020

Marjorie Baird May 17, 2020

George Miller May 26, 2020

Nina Morgenstern May 31, 2020

Edward Madeira May 21, 2020

Elizabeth Royer May 27, 2020

Michelle Osborn June 9, 2020

Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.

BEAUMONT NEWS The Beaumont News is published by the residents and staff of the Beaumont Retirement Community, 601 N. Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Green Tip

In spite of all we’ve heard through the years that Styrofoam lasts forever, here’s current information.

The thin polystyrene food-delivery containers that we use every day can be recycled if they are rinsed out. On the bottom there is a recycling triangle.

Executive Editor Lynn Ayres Managing Editor Irene Borgogno Deputy Executive Editor and Production Manager John Hall Graphic Designer TJ Walsh Photo Editor Louise Hughes Contributing Editor Linda Madara Quality Control Jennifer Frankel Index Manager Nancy Harris Consulting Assistant Editors Mary Schnabel, Jean Homeier, Peggy Wolcott, Wistie Miller

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Blue Angels’ and Thunderbirds’ flyover salutes essential workers Text and photos by Linda Madara

On April 28, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew over Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York as a salute to essential workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

At Beaumont, about 15 people assembled at social distance in the Greenhouse Courtyard (sometimes referred to as the Great Lawn) to watch for the fly-by.

On the balcony are Helen Gannon in red and Barbara Pottish with her shawl.

Hidden behind masks are Sylvia and Philip Yedinsky, seated near Jane Ruffin (with Bling! at her feet) and Brooke Gay.

We heard the roar but had to watch the spectacle on TV, as the planes were just to the west of our line of sight.

Everyone loved the outing even without the display. It was such a beautiful spring day!

Residents thank staff with noisy tribute

Text and photos by Linda Madara

On May 7, residents raided their kitchens for metal utensils to serve as percussion instruments at an outdoor tribute to Beaumont’s essential workers. They brought pots, pans, cookie sheets and even colanders. A few traditionalists brought actual drums!

Beaumont’s “Big-Bang Thank-You Bash” was a wild success. With appropriate social distancing throughout the campus, there was great resident support, audibly and enthusiastically demonstrating endless gratitude through this seemingly impossible time.

A group of staff clustered on the Fitness Patio. A parade of three pedestrians and one vehicle traversed Pond Lane. Standing at their villa’s front doors or on the balconies and porches of Austin and Baldwin, residents grabbed scarves to wave, horns and whistles to blow, kitchen utensils and trash can lids to bash enthusiastically, with resonant clangs to create an enthusiastic, very noisy chorus of “Thank you! Thank you!”

The cacophony was delightful!

MATCHING MASKS & COOKWARE identify Evelyn and Gerry Isom.

SCARF WAVING showed support by balcony folk like Helen Gannon.

ACTUAL DRUMS were used by Peter Abel and Betsy Stull.

GROUP PARTICIPANTS included resident Page Gowen and fitness instructor Diana DiMeglio.

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Busy lady loves arts and humanities, especially theater

By Betty Matarese

When I visited Harriette Goldenberg, she was happily ensconced in her imaginatively decorated apartment on the second floor of Baldwin. Varied artworks, including a Venetian mask, were among the many objects of interest. Through many friends in the area, combined with her interests in lectures and classes, she became familiar with Beaumont before she finally moved in last December.

Harriette grew up in West Philadelphia, but she has lived in Lower Merion all her adult life. She majored in journalism at Penn, where during her Harriette Goldenberg

freshman year she got a summer job as a file clerk in the offices of the Farm Journal. After she graduated, a full-time job became available at the Journal. She took it and became an assistant to the Family Living editor,

writing regular columns on household hints and childcare, despite her tender age. She continued there for three years after she married Edwin Goldenberg, the founder of an oil company. They have four children and eight grandchildren, most of whom are nearby. Edwin died last year from Alzheimer’s disease.

While selling real estate for 20 years or so, Harriette was taking classes at Main Line School Night, heading up the Volunteer Committee at Walnut Street Theater, and working for the Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware County.

She plays canasta and golf, but the thread that winds throughout her life is her interest in theater. She is extremely pleased that her granddaughter is about to receive a graduate degree in Theatre from Columbia University.

Now that she’s comfortably settled in Beaumont, don’t expect to find Harriette at home very often. This is one busy lady with tons of energy and interests!

(Editor's note: This was written before the enactment of Beaumont’s measures to protect residents and staff from Covid-19.)

Local couple expands interests to re-invent themselves

By Jean Homeier

Julie Spahr grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, attended the Ethel Walker School and then Vassar College. She met Bob in his senior year at Trinity, and they were married several years later. After their four children were grown, Julie returned to college and earned a B.A. at Antioch, followed by a Master’s in Education at Temple University with an emphasis on “organizational development.” She worked for LaSalle University Non-Profit Center and then ran her own business, “Envision Consulting,” for 12 years. Julie comments that before that time “women did not have a chance to re-invent themselves,” but Julie did exactly that by becoming an “almost full-time painter.”

We enjoyed her work in this winter's art show at Beaumont.

Her artwork has been shown in many other venues, as well.

After living in Gladwyne, the Spahrs moved to a farm in Malvern for 23 years where they had a beautiful pond and horses, and two of their daughters competed in equine events.

Bob enjoyed the maintenance and raising vegetables.

Two daughters live locally and two live in Wellesley, Massachusetts. There are 11 grandchildren: seven girls and four boys. The Spahrs are happy to have joined the Beaumont Community, where they have rediscovered many friends from over the years.

When the Spahrs moved to Beaumont last year, Bob was returning to his old neighborhood, having grown up on Old Gulph Road diagonally across from the Gate House.

He attended Haverford School and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Bob first owned and ran a bookbindery in Philadelphia and later became a partner in Lea and Febiger, a medical book publisher. In retirement Bob founded Spring Haven, a wellness center in Malvern, and also became an energy-healing practitioner.

Squash, fishing, hunting, skiing and other sports, as well as bridge, have always Bob and Julie Spahr been major interests. Both Spahrs love fishing and outdoor adventures.

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ATTEMPTED ESCAPE from Covid-19!

Attempting to climb the Gatehouse gate to freedom are Julie Williams, Wistie Miller, Page Gowen and Birchard Clothier.

Photo by Louise Hughes

MOTHER’S DAY continued from page 1

Tracey made some Bellinis with wine master Zack’s Prosecco, which were garnished with a peach slice on a long toothpick!

But it did not stop there. It was Ann Smyth’s 95th birthday. Shonda Hinton decorated Ann’s room in Personal Care, and Roxanne Bell assisted with FaceTime and Zoom calls with 14 Photo by Bernadette Bevilaqua family members.

TEAM MEMBERS that helped out with the Mother's Day events:

Tracey Vitabile offered some poignant observations.

Miriam Quinn, Marjorie Harding, Joe Peduzzi, Jessica Opare, “We have had two staff members resign Alicia McCullough and Mary Wells. Not photographed: Zack Margoldue to Covid fears. Very disappointing is, Tracey Vitabile, Heather Heiland and Mary Huff. and surprising to me. The rest of the PC Caitlin Gardner, Director of Resident Services, ordered roses staff has been so great throughout this for each mother. Zack Margolis, Director of Dining Services, time. Everyone coming in every day and personally delivered the roses with a glass of mimosa or chamalthough fearful, still providing the same pagne to each mother in the apartments and villas. Personalcare as they do every other day. I am so ized cards and fresh cut flowers from Robertson’s Florist were proud and grateful to my staff for rising to delivered. the occasion during this very challenging

Bernadette Bevilacqua, Director of Recreational time. This is what nurses do. Our residents Therapy, asked families to email photos with Mother’s Day and family members have been very supA BELLINI wishes. She received photos from 18 family members, which portive as well. There has not been a day consists of pureed Kadija Rankine, LPN, put in little booklets for each resident. when I have not received emails of thanks peaches and and appreciation from family members.”

Prosecco, an Italian sparkling

Let’s close with a moving act from one of the residents. A resident gave wine. This one is topped off with a an anonymous gift to provide a bonus peach slice on payment to each employee. Debbie Zug happened to bump into one of her ESL a long toothpick. students who works in Housekeeping.

She had received her check that day, and gushed to Debbie how appreciative she was and how well Beaumont was Photos by Tracey Vitabile treating her with the Appreciation Pay. FRAMED! Marlene Giamporcaro, Joan Barnes, Anne Trout,

Tracey Vitabile echoed these thoughts: “A big and Jean Hamann pose as Mother's Day cards. thank you for the generosity and thoughtfulness of all the

Tracey Vitabile and Roxanne Bell, LPN, arranged to residents. We have felt appreciated and supported every day take photos of the residents to surprise their families with their and are so grateful.” pictures. Maudel Morgan, CNA, came in on Mother’s Day to

These have been tough times for residents and help our floor CNAs prepare everyone for their photos—havstaff, but there are great stories behind the scenes. Heroes ing their hair done, putting on a nice outfit, manicures, lipstick. do indeed work here at Beaumont.

Everyone had a good time.

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Walking around gardens and woods reveals new wonders every day

froze, the little birds disappeared and I found out that I needed to change the battery in the camera. I had time to sit and wait for the next thing to happen.

One day I saw a fox with a cub. A dog started barking and the cub raced off into the undergrowth. I have heard that there were six cubs to begin with and now there appears to be one that is very cute.

The red squirrel has been so entertaining running up and down the trees, picking maple flowers and eating them, and then dropping the stems. Often it sits with its back to me, making photography challenging. But every so often, its pose is perfect.

Text and photos by Jane Ruffin, 4/19/2020

One thing we have is time. Lots of time. Before the lockdown I thought I was busy all day. If you had asked me I would have said that I was very busy. I have no idea what I was doing.

Now, I do have lots of time. I walk around the garden and the woods to look at everything. I spend time photographing a cardinal or a robin, and I am enjoying it.

I am seeing things that I have never seen before. I watched a robin building a nest and a song sparrow singing in a tree.

I followed a carpenter bee as it went from mertensia flower to flower. It is fascinating.

I walk around the perimeter of the property; then I sit at various places waiting for something to happen.

Sometimes nothing happens, and then sometimes everything happens at the same time. This morning I was watching a red squirrel when a wren and a kinglet started flying around and a red-tailed hawk flew overhead. The squirrel

There’s a lot to spot if you’re patient and persistent Text and photos by Jane Ruffin, 5/2/2020

FOX CUB chewing something dark and delicious—it’s quite big.

RED SQUIRREL eating maple flowers.

I went out early, as it was so lovely this morning. The first pleasure was seeing a male wood duck on the pond. He was calling softly and then flew up into a tree. I looked everywhere but couldn't see a female.

A few minutes late they both flew off into the wood. [Later he showed up again with a few friends.]

Both species of wrens were singing in the wood.

I sat at the Scout-designed rest area, and in came a yellow-rumped warbler. I got a good look at it and then continued along

the path by the pond and up the hill.

I sat on the little bench at the top and looked at the big hole in the tree in front of me. It was occupied.

Farther on, I saw more yellow-rumped warblers high in the trees, eating tiny insects. I got “warbler neck” watching them.

I walked on and heard a wood thrush. What a beautiful song.

I always find them difficult to see, so I couldn't believe my good fortune when it flew up above me. Now I have “thrush neck.”

It was a wonderful morning.

RACCOON is holed up in a comfy tree.

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER enjoys insect snacks.

WOOD THRUSH, a marvelous singer, is camera shy.

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TWO MALE WOOD DUCKS paddle in the pond.

Surprising morning provides both frustration and success

excellent leads that I will follow tomorrow, but I decided that I should do something straight away to keep the birds here. I thought that I could rasp the wren house hole and make it bigger—that was a little daunting. I went home and found a gourd, and made a 1.6-inch hole and smoothed it with my rasp. What a mess I made!

I went back to the pond, and then I found that I couldn’t reach the hook from which the wren house was hanging. So I went into the woods and found a long stick with a forked branch at the top. Success—the wren house came down and the gourd went up. Then I realized that the hole was pointing to the sky, so I started all over again.

I hope they come back tomorrow and approve the new accommodation. (No birds have looked into the two wren houses this year.)

I came home worn out and I could hear a lot of goose-honking outside. So I went to see what was going on.

The first photo shows you what I saw!

Another fun morning.

Text and photos by Jane Ruffin, 5/17/2020

The bird movement has quieted down although there are a few warblers around. I have added a Swainson’s thrush to the Beaumont list. I took bad photos of the bird on Friday and sent them to a friend who is an expert.

He thought that the photos were awful, but he could ID the bird!

Yesterday I saw a pair of tree swallows trying to get into a wren house by the pond. They were too big to go through the hole. Needless to say that was the one morning I had not brought a camera along.

This morning I was sitting on the bench by the pond when the two swallows came back and tried all over again. I had my camera. I have been trying to find a bluebird box so the swallows will stay. I have some

BIG BIRDS, in this case geese, are attracted to the Mansion’s massive chimneys.

PHOEBE (a flycatcher) snatches an insect from a branch.

GOURD birdhouse is now home to a wren family.

FEMALE TREE SWALLOW is too big for the wren box.

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MALE TREE SWALLOW perches on a lichen-covered branch.

The virtues of ‘virtual’ connections are Zoom-ing through Beaumont

interactive distance conferencing software had been used primarily for businesses.

Suddenly, conferencing software for the general public has taken Beaumont—and the world—by storm. Zoom-ing is booming!

On April 29, Resident Services and IT launched Virtual Bingo. IT installed Zoom software on computers of moderators Caitlin Gardner and Paige Welby and all residents who wanted to play.

On May 28, the Article Club members met virtually to discuss the NYT Magazine article, “Cannabis Scientists Are Chasing the Perfect High,” by Gary Greenburg. Sounds like an interesting meeting.

Zoom is an ideal venue for meetings of all kinds, but the one on June 3 was an eyebrow-raiser: Virtual Wine Tasting. My first reaction was, “How the heck do you taste wine virtually?” It turns out that wine samples were delivered to participants beforehand, and then Food and Beverage Director Zack Margolis discussed each wine as residents sampled them in the comfort of their own homes.

Virtual gatherings are a great way to get together when it is impossible to do so physically, but nothing beats seeing friends in person.

By Lynn Ayres

If you can’t get together in person, get together virtually. How? Lots of ways have been explored at Beaumont.

OLD-FASHIONED, TRIED AND TRUE

To provide information and entertainment, Beaumont uses what has been available for a long time— TV channels 1970 and 1971. We’re used to seeing notices of dining menus, activities, birthdays, etc., but because of the Covid-19 lockdown, Beaumont’s TV focus has expanded.

On April 7, President and CEO Joe Peduzzi and Health Services Vice President Heather Heiland presented detailed information regarding Beaumont’s response to Covid-19. They described the situation, explained rules and restrictions, and discussed areas of concern.

Photo by Lynn Ayres

ANNUAL MEETING was broadcast on Channel 1971.

Beaumont’s Annual Meeting, hosted by BRCI Chair Ted Robb, was broadcast on May 11. Printed agendas helped residents follow along at home. The only downside was the absence of a Q&A segment at the end, but television provides one-directional communication only; there’s no give-and-take.

Channel 1971 is now being used to virtually open up Beaumont venues that have been closed down, such as the Fitness Center and Ballam Theater.

Although we are in lockdown, it’s important to stay active. The Fitness team, Diana, Karen and Amy, have filmed virtual fitness classes that are shown on channel 1971. Several different classes are broadcast every morning, with difficulty levels of varying intensity.

A logical expansion was cultural programming. Afternoon presentations of recorded concerts, lectures, documentaries and movies provide mental stimulation and pure fun.

The pièce de résistance occurred on May 22 when a performance by Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim, recorded in his home especially for Beaumont, was aired.

VIRTUAL BINGO was the vanguard of of other virtual activities.

Photo by Linda Madara (top row, image 2, pointing her camera at her TV screen).

SOMEWHAT “VIRTUAL” EVENTS

NEW-FANGLED COMPUTER STUFF

Telephone conference calls (audio) and Skype or FaceTime (audio-video) have been around for some time, but

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Beaumont’s first-ever Virtual Road Race was scheduled from June 1 to 5, with different participants each day.

The course was the Villa circle, starting and ending at the corner of Middle Road and Pond Lane. Masks were required. Each contestant walked or ran the 0.4-mile course monitored by the Fitness staff. There were several categories for participants.

Primary Election Day on June 2 was not quite “virtual” in the same way as the others, but it was certainly different. Since Beaumont is a retirement community under lockdown, it is no longer a polling site. Since we can’t vote here and are discouraged from leaving the campus, the only alternative is to vote by mail.

So we did.

The pandemic can’t defeat fitness and fun at Beaumont Text by Karen McFee, photos by Linda Madara

In the midst of all the precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, 33 residents demonstrated their commitment to health, fitness and fun by participating in Beaumont’s first-ever Virtual Road Race held June 1 to June 5, 2020.

The 0.4-mile race was held on what is known as the Villa Loop. Participants started at the corner MOVING ON DOWN THE ROAD are of Pond Diana DiMeglio with relay team Nancy Harris Lane and and Nelly Lincoln Middle Road, walking down Pond Lane, up Pasture Lane, then turning at Middle Road and walking back to the “Finish Line,” again at the corner of Pond Lane and Middle Road.

This race, however, was conducted with special care in order to ensure social distancing. All participants signed up for an individual time slot between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., and walked or ran the racecourse by themselves, wearing a facemask. They were timed, to the hundredth of a second, by the Fitness Staff, who were also maintaining safety and

cheering participants on. Several race participants competed as a relay team, as well, by having their race time combined with that of a buddy or a spouse.

STOPWATCH READY. . .GO! Page Gowen Winning gets the starting signal from Karen McFee. participants received a Visa gift card and plenty of kudos on Monday, June 8, after all times had been ranked.

Although there was only one winner in each category, there was great weather and lots of friendly competition and fun for everyone, including Beaumont staff, who were also participating and competing in their own staff categories.

The Bird Board is back—virtually!

The third round involved a picture of two coots.

There were nine caption entries. Here are the tied winners:

1. No-nonsense hubby: What! You forgot where you laid the egg? (Peter Abel)

2. Gossipy old coot: Did you hear about Maisie?

She eloped with Mr. Muligatan. He's a billionaire, but he's old enough to be her grandfather. I wonder how she managed to get him away from the guards his family hired? (Irene Borgogno)

If you would like to participate in the Caption Carousel, email Linda Madara to let her know.

By Irene Borgogno

A picture is worth a thousand words, but fewer may be better.

Once upon a time, there was a bird-board game, courtesy of the incomparable photography skills of Jane Ruffin and the indefatigable energy of Linda Madara.

Located with the bulletin boards, a photo was posted and residents were invited to supply appropriate quips or captions.

This came to an abrupt halt with the lockdown.

But the game was fun, and the pandemic couldn’t crush it.

Revived, the game now sails under the name Caption Carousel. Linda Madara, under the title “the Scribe,” distributes via email a photograph from a supply given her by Jane Ruffin. Participants submit appropriate captions for the picture to Linda. She collects and organizes them, and then sends them to Jane Ruffin to select the best one.

COOTS CONVERSING: “And just where are you going?

It's you‘re turn to do the dishes.”

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Why is Covid-19 so hard to control?

On Day 4, in this example, the calculation would be 24 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16, twice the total of the previous day.

Exponential growth is worrisome because the number of cases increases so rapidly. Every day the number increases by some factor. (See graph at left.)

It’s like the old “Wheat and Chessboard Problem.”

If there is one grain on the first square of the chessboard and every succeeding square has twice as many as the previous square, the total number of grains on the 64 squares is 18,446,744,073,709,551,615.

The reason the number of cases grows exponentially in the early phases is that the number of people exposed is proportional to the number of people who are already infected; i.e., the fixed number discussed before, which is an unfortunately large number, not a small fraction like your typical interest payment. For example, one infected person might infect five people every day.

Isolating infected people and taking precautions against transmission, such as social distancing, can lower this to perhaps one person every several days. It’s like lowering the interest rate. That results in fewer people needing treatment at any given time. It also lowers the number of people who will be infected before a vaccine is developed.

I recently saw a cartoon showing a math teacher explain exponential growth and one student saying to the other, “We’ll never use this.” No so true.

By Frank Kampas

Discussions of the Covid19 virus frequently refer to “exponential growth” in the number of infections.

What is exponential growth? It is similar to “compound interest.” In compound interest, the interest payment is calculated as a fixed percent of the original principal plus any previously accumulated interest. It is proportional to the principal. The more you’ve saved, the more you’ll earn.

When Covid-19 virus infections grow exponentially, the number of newly infected people each day is proportional to the number of people already infected.

This new number is calculated by multiplying the existing number by a fixed number, which is the number of people that an infected person infects on average…and they do so every day while they are infectious. (The fixed number is comparable to the fixed interest rate in finance.)

It is called exponential growth because Time is in the “exponent.” What is an exponent? An exponent refers to the number of times a number is multiplied by itself.

Consider 23 = 2 x 2 x 2 = 8. In this expression, 3 is the exponent, which tracks Time, and refers to Day 3.

THE CEDAR WAXING’S silky feathers are pale brown on its head, merging with soft gray on its back. Its belly is pale yellow, and a bright yellow tip trims its tail.

Its head is accented with a subdued crest and rakish black mask. (Very sexy.) The wing feathers have brilliant red wax droplets (hence the name). The more droplets there are, the older the bird is.

They may also determine mating choices by attracting suitors to potential mates of the same age.

Cedar waxwings are docile and courteous. These social birds travel in large flocks but don’t compete with or steal from flock members. Instead, they share fruit with their friends.

Photo by Jane Ruffin Text from The Cornell Lab and LesleytheBirdNerd websites

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Support rally at Health Center door includes the ‘great cookie giveaway’ Text by Vick Kelly Photos by Linda Madara

The Beaumont Mission Statement ends “…and to maintain among residents and staff a spirit of mutual concern in order to perpetuate the superior quality of life at Beaumont.”

Never has there been a more challenging time to enact this “spirit” than that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The need for residents to be quarantined has isolated residents and staff. Up close and personal demonstrations of “mutual concern” are virtually impossible.

We are isolated in our apartments and villas. We are wearing face masks! When we get out, it’s difficult to recognize someone until we hear a voice.

The problem of engaging in mutual concern was a focus of the Resident and Staff Support Group. How could residents be more supportive of the members of our Personal Care (PC) and Health Center (HC) staffs?

Under normal conditions, there is little opportunity for residents and PC/HC staff to get to know one another.

Covid-19 restrictions have made this situation even worse: our PC/HC staff currently work under very difficult conditions imposed by the pandemic.

The recent noisy, fun kudos given to the rest of our staff from balconies and patios inspired several of us to gather outside the Health Center on June 12 at the

RAGTAG FOLK BAND: Vick (3rd from left) plays banjo; the others are percussionists, banging pots and pans. afternoon change of shift to salute with noise and cookies the “heroes” who care for our friends and family members. (Cookies were later supplied to the staff working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift.)

Participants in noise making included Margaret Balamuth, Barbara Benson, McBee Butcher, Sharon Kelly, Ginny Rivers, Marv Steinberg, Helen Vinick and me.

If there is a benefit of the pandemic, it is the heightened awareness of how well we residents are tended to by the dedicated staff here at Beaumont. I thank all of them for their hard work keeping us safe. If any resident has any ideas about how to show “mutual concern” to staff members whom we seldom encounter, please email them to me at vickkelly79@gmail.com.

EMPLOYEES taking part in the “Great Cookie Giveaway.”

Fashionable masks are en vogue

By Eta Glassman

At Beaumont, a fashionable facemask has replaced the Easter bonnet of yesteryear.

An anonymous good citizen applied her time, skills, 100% cotton fabric remnants, grosgrain ribbon and 120 yards of quarter-inch elastic for the creation of over 50 colorful, stylish and protective facemasks. Residents and staff were invited to select a mask from a basket outside her apartment door. The news traveled quickly through the community.

Since the fabric stockpile came from prior sewing projects for her grandchildren and donations to local children’s hospitals, the resulting mask selection is playful and uplifting.

Resident musician Marvin Weisbord sports a

“Cat in the Hat” mask, while his wife Dorothy dons a mask with a sunny graphic of yellow flip-flops. Young staff members are also rocking the masks. “They are fun,” says Dining Supervisor Sam Figueroa, “and distract me from thinking about the virus. The masks make us feel part of the community.”

That is the Beaumont spirit at work!

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The rabbit was here for Easter

By Irene Borgogno and Lynn Ayres

We’ve written about birds, insects and other fauna, so perhaps it’s time to acknowledge our local rabbit species, the Eastern cottontail, and its cousins.

The rabbit is not a rodent. Although they share a number of characteristics, as well as several common ancestors, rabbits are classified in a separate order. They are lagomorphs, not rodents.

Rabbits are small, furry mammals. They have commercial value, and they are also kept as pets.

One breed, the Flemish giant, is GOOD GRIEF! What is THAT?

very docile although Not your everyday cuddly cottontail.

unusually large. Initially bred in Ghent, Belgium, in the 16th century, it weighs on average about 15 pounds, but the biggest ones can weigh an amazing 22 pounds. The longest one on record is four feet, three inches long.

Apparently rabbit fanciers in the Low Countries enjoy extremes. The Netherlands dwarf is the smallest domestic rabbit, with an average weight of 2.5 pounds.

What about hares? The rabbit’s cousin is larger, with much longer ears and legs. At full speed it leaps like an antelope, covering 20 feet in a single bound, and clocking in at over 45 miles an hour.

Rabbits are born in a nest, hairless and helpless, with their eyes closed and completely dependent on their mother. Hares, on the other hand, are born right

on the ground with their eyes wide open and a full coat of fur.

Unlike their defenseless cousins, baby hares, called leverets, are ready to run an hour after birth.

Rabbits live all around us. They like woodland and suburban settings where there is shrubbery for protection. Hares (also called jackrabbits) live in open, arid areas in the Southwest, where their long, powerful legs can be used to advantage. Since American deserts are full of prickly plants, hares can usually find safety from predators.

The exception is Harris’s hawk, the only hawk that hunts in cooperative groups. Catching a nimble, zigzagging hare in the desert is almost impossible for a single hawk, but as a group, they act as a relay team, passing the lead to each other and finally converging on the hare from multiple directions, cutting off escape.

The rabbit has been appropriated for many different roles in books, movies, folk tales and even commercials.

The list of identities includes Roger Rabbit, Peter Rabbit, the White Rabbit of Alice’s Wonderland, Br’er Rabbit, the Easter Bunny, Bugs Bunny, and the Energizer Bunny. The Hare (with the Tortoise) stars in Aesop’s cautionary fable regarding completing tasks.

And then there is Harvey, the six-foottall, invisible rabbit in the 1944 Pulitzer-Prize-winning play by Mary Chase.

And now, a new member can be added to the pantheon: the Beaumont Bunny. The idea was Photo by Minney Robb presented at a daily Managers’ meeting ADMINISTRATORS IN DISGUISE:

by Recreational Health Services VP Heather Heiland Therapy Director drives President Joe Peduzzi.

Bernadette Bevilacqua, who planned to don a costume on Easter Sunday for the enjoyment of the residents and staff in the Health Center.

It expanded to the entire campus when President Joe Peduzzi volunteered to don a costume, as well. To the delight of many residents, he rode around campus in his Bunnymobile, which was driven by Health Services Vice President Heather Heiland.

EASTER DAY IN SANTA FE: Jane Ruffin’s daughter, Amanda (who clearly shares her mother’s talent for photography), sent images of a great horned owl with two owlets nesting in a cottonwood tree.

Amanda lives about 70 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they had 5 inches of snow on Easter Day.

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