Commun ty Matters Salina Presbyterian Manor
Mary’s musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain, Salina Presbyterian Manor
Christmas is a nostalgic time of year for me, when the smell of banana bread in the oven and Christmas decorations made by family and friends take me back to childhood. Back then I didn’t make a list of what I wanted for Christmas, and in fact, don’t even remember telling my parents what I wanted. This year, as I have been pondering past Christmases, I realize that I can only remember two of my Christmas gifts. When I was 10 or 11 I received a doll named Susie Walker. By holding on to her arm, she actually walked, in a doll sort of way. When I was 17, my gift was a full-length grey fake-fur coat. I have never figured out why my mom bought it for me. Actually I never really liked it. MUSINGS, continued on page 2
December 2017
John and Patty Landes are the original residents of their townhouse. They staked their claim on it before it was even built. They share it with their dog Zoe, the third dog they’ve had while living at Presbyterian Manor.
Just like a neighborhood
Longtime residents enjoy 20 years at Presbyterian Manor John and Patty Landes were so sure they wanted to move to Salina Presbyterian Manor that they signed up for their townhouse before it was even built. That was about 20 years ago, and the Landeses have felt at home here ever since. “It used to be that the people in all the courts would meet over at the gazebo,” Patty said. “Now we all get together up at the big building. It’s just like a neighborhood — everybody cares for everybody.” John and Patty aren’t what you would call homebodies, either. They had an RV from the time their three daughters were small and traveled all over North America. After the girls were grown, they added cruises to their itinerary, exploring places from Alaska to Mexico to Europe. They’ve crisscrossed Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. “You have a lot of good memories after you’ve done those trips — and a lot of good videos for everyone to watch,” Patty said. Traveling was a nice break from their work as business owners. John and Patty ran a group of gas stations with their firm, the Landes Company, and later got involved in vending, coffee and food service, and even owned an RESIDENTS, continued on page 2