Clay Center Community Matters - August 2022

Clay Center Presbyterian Manor

AUGUST 2022

You may not know this, but August 16 is “Tell a Joke Day.” No-one can quite figure out where or how the day started (or why it’s not a national holiday yet) but the idea behind it is quite simple – tell a joke and share a laugh. It’s good for you!

Staff highlight

Molly Adams For the past 22 years, Housekeeping Services Assistant Molly Adams has done all she can to help her team and residents of Clay Center Presbyterian Manor.

“It’s a very good place to work,” Molly said. “I enjoy visiting with the residents.

I’ve built good friendships with them, and it’s interesting to hear their life story and what they did.”

Get ready for National “Tell a Joke” Day

Laughter is considered one of the greatest medicines – it can improve your heart health, release endorphins and reduce your stress, even work your abs.

Molly Adams

For a while, one of the people she helped was her mother.

“My mom was here for three or four years,” Molly said. “So, I had to clean my mom’s room.”

In the past few years, COVID-19 has forced everyone to work a little harder to keep everything running smoothly. For Molly, that has meant performing both housekeeping and laundry services for residents.

“But I don’t mind,” she said. “I learned how to do both when I started.”

When Molly’s not helping out at Clay Center Presbyterian Manor, she’s likely spending time with her family, camping at a nearby lake, or tending to her garden.

“I mostly garden,” Molly said. “It’s been kind of slow this year, but we’ve had potatoes, radishes, and I’ve picked three or four tomatoes so far.

We’ve planted watermelon, onions, and squash. And cucumbers - can’t leave them out.”

Thanks to Molly for all her hard work - and her years of dedicated service to the residents of Clay Center Presbyterian Manor. u

So, we wanted to take the opportunity to share a few jokes – as presented by an anonymous resident at one of our communities who enjoys walking around, making people laugh. Some of his jokes are good, some bad, some corny: Q: What do you call a pallbearer in Oklahoma?

A: Karaoke (“carry-Okie”) Q: What resort’s grand opening received very little coverage?

A: The nudist colony’s Q: Who wore the first Arrow shirt?

A: General Custer Q: What do you call a cat that ate a lemon?

A: A sourpuss Q: Why couldn’t they play cards on Noah’s Ark? A: Because an elephant stood on

National Joke Day – continued on page 4

Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ClayCenterPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.

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Delivering goodness Our Accounting/Administrative Services Assistant, Shelley Eisenman, shared some sweet summer treats she made with her granddaughter Avery.

These delicious cake bars are easy to make, don’t take long, and they’re packed with flavor.

But you don’t need to take our word for it - ask any number of the lucky residents who had a visit from Shelley and Avery. They were kind enough to deliver the treats for our residents to enjoy!

With this easy recipe, you can make your own delicious treats to share with your friends and neighbors.

Easy Cake Mix Bars Total time - Prep, 5 minutes, Bake 20 minutes, plus cooling. Yield - 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS 1 yellow cake mix, regular size 1 large egg ½ cup 2 percent milk ⅓ cup canola oil 1 cup white baking chips ⅓ cup jimmies Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, egg, milk, and oil. Mixture will be thick. Stir in baking chips and jimmies.

Spread into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan.

2. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. u

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Community Matters 785-632-5646 u Fax: 785-632-5874 924 Eighth St. Clay Center, KS 67432-2620 ClayCenterPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2022

is published monthly for residents and friends of Clay Center Presbyterian Manor

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

To submit or suggest articles: dkuhlman@pmma.org Dani Kuhlman, marketing director Amy Hoch Altwegg, executive director

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Silvertones serenade residents There are only two real requirements to join the choral group The Silvertones.

“That you’re over 65 and you sing,” said director Kaye Chestnut.

“We’ve had some that can’t carry a tune, but they like to sing. We’re not professional, you know.”

What matters the most is enjoyment, because that’s what comes through to audiences when the group performs its selection of popular gospel songs and hymns.

100, but he had the most beautiful bass voice.”

Since they’ve returned to performing, the group has made regular appearances at Clay Center Presbyterian Manor, and they’ve been able to stay busy with shows something the group is grateful to experience.

“We got back to performing, and they seemed happy to have us back,” Kaye said. u

“We’re a group of senior citizens who like to sing,” Kaye said. “It’s just a group, and people don’t care how good we are. They just like having us sing because we sing what they like to hear. And we love to sing, and that’s why we have a good time. That makes a difference, and it comes through.”

The group regularly visits retirement communities in the area around Clay Center, and also sings a Christmas show at the hospital, as well as any other place they’re asked to perform.

“We quit altogether during the pandemic,” Kaye said. “We sang a funeral in January 2020, and didn’t perform again until this year. The members were happy to get back together.”

The group has 18 singers, despite just losing the last of the original members who helped found The Silvertones in the late 1980s.

“It was great when Verl (Rundquist) turned 100 in October,” Kaye said. “He just passed in the last few months. Not many people can sing when they’re Clay Center Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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National Joke Day – continued from page 1

The history of the joke While the origin (and creator) of National “Tell a Joke” Day are a mystery, many “experts” have tried to find the origin of the “joke.”

But as it turns out, that’s a difficult task as well.

Some suggest that the joke was created by the Greek hero Palamedes, who outsmarted Odysseus during the Trojan War but there’s no evidence to support that claim.

But there’s another claim for the Greeks.

In 350 BC, the original Friar’s Club met regularly in the Temple of Heracles in Athens to tell jokes but “none have been passed down.”

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2022

In the 1600s, Shakespeare included lots of humor in his plays, some funny one-liners, and many jokes that were actually insults such as “Thine face is not worth sunburning” from Henry V (Act 5, Scene 2).

from comedian Spike Milligan:

A classic joke that endured the test of time was first published in 1847 in the monthly New York magazine Knickerbocker: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.”

“Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed.

The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, ‘My friend is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says, ‘Calm down. I can help.

First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’ There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, ‘OK, now what?’”

In modern times, stand-up comedians brought humor to clubs and on the radio, TV and the internet. In 2002, an English professor held a contest for the world’s funniest joke. The winner was

The above dates and information are from Stop Me If You’ve Heard This A History and Philosophy of Jokes

by Jim Holt. u