From the Staff at Ali Felton.

From the Staff at
Compassionate Cottage
December 2013
Our Goal . . .
care with compassion for your
comfort and independence.
Meet Cottage Caregiver
Ali Felton. . .
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the Cottage
Not a creature was stirring except for Vonnie;
The stockings were hung below the chimney by Jeanne,
In hopes that the morning shift would arrive on the scene.
The residents were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of bacon and eggs danced in their heads.
With Candee in her apron and Dixie singing her morning rap,
The residents awoke from their long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Nancy hit another deer and her car was in a tatter.
Away to the window they snuck a peak,
To see the latest calamity, they surely did seek!
I joined the Cottage team in July and feel
extremely blessed to come to work and
touch so many wonderful souls. The
residents have touched my heart and have
become my dear friends. I have learned so
much from each one in a short period of
time. This has been my most rewarding job.
I feel fortunate to be part of a great staff.
I grew up in Canby, MN, where my
parents were teachers and relocated every
summer up north to operate their resort.
My dad passed away 11 years ago and my
mom still runs the resort at age 79. I moved
to Spicer in 1994. I have two children,
Hunter 16 and Lexi 12. They are my greatest blessings and have taught me so much
about life.
In my spare time, I enjoy going to my
son’s hockey games and football games and
watching my daughter in dance line and
gymnastics. I enjoy spoiling my puppy,
going for walks, lifting weights, cooking,
reading and, I have a passion for road
biking.
We welcome Ali to the Cottage Team!
Now Tami! Now, Jan! Now, Alida and Ali!
On, Leslie! On, Pat! On, Sara and Sandy!
To the top of the list with our Residents best care,
The quality of Compassionate Cottage is quite rare!
Kelly, the nurse, was dressed in fur upon arrival
In Minnesota, the cold makes it all about survival;
Susie gives the vital report in a dash,
Then with a wink of her eye, she is gone in a flash.
Shirley arrives with lots of goodies in tow;
Nothing can stop her, especially not snow.
Barb appears at the Cottage and goes straight to work,
Checking and helping each one, down the halls she does lurk.
The employees at the Cottage are truly one of a kind;
Like the most rare and precious gems, a beautiful find.
It is a blessing to work with such a dedicated team;
It brings a twinkle to my eye and to my heart a bright beam.
As I hear Vic, Janice, Fern and Clem—
Maxine, Marie, Roberta, Mary Jane and Chuck
Exclaim the good news, it’s BINGO tonight,
“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!”
Wishing you a very Blessed Christmas - Nancy
December 2014
Calendar of Events
Sun
7
14
21
28
Christmas Caroling from various community
groups will occur throughout the month.
Mon
1*Balloon Toss
Tue
2
Wed
3
Thu
4*FlySwattter
Fri
5*Hair Salon
Sat
6
*Pedicures
*Table Devotions
*Current Events
*BINGO
*Chair Exercises
*Table Devotions
*Coffee Hour
*Games
*Parachute
*Wheel of Fortune
*Coffee Hour
*Supper Stories
Game
*Crafts
*Current Events
*Coffee Hour
*Lawrence Welk
*Toss Across
*Happy Hour/
Root Beer Floats
*Movie Night
*Social Hour and
Saturday Cinema
8*Balloon Toss
9
10
11*FlySwattter
*Pedicures
*Table Devotions
*Current Events
*BINGO
*Chair Exercises
*Table Devotions
*Coffee Hour
*Games
*Parachute
*Wheel of Fortune
*Coffee Hour
*Supper Stories
*Crafts
*Current Events
*Coffee Hour
*Lawrence Welk
12*Hair Salon
13
*Toss Across
*Happy Hour/
Root Beer Floats
*Movie Night
*Social Hour and
Saturday Cinema
15*Balloon Toss
16
17
18*FlySwattter
*Pedicures
*Table Devotions
*Current Events
*BINGO
*Chair Exercises
*Table Devotions
*Coffee Hour
*Games
*Parachute
*Wheel of Fortune
*Coffee Hour
*Supper Stories
*Crafts
*Current Events
*Coffee Hour
*Lawrence Welk
19*Hair Salon
20
*Toss Across
*Happy Hour/
Root Beer Floats
*Movie Night
*Social Hour and
Saturday Cinema
*Bell Choir
22*Balloon Toss
23
24
*Pedicures
*Table Devotions
*Current Events
*BINGO
*Chair Exercises
*Table Devotions
*Coffee Hour
*Games
*Parachute
*Wheel of Fortune
*Coffee Hour
*Supper Stories
25
26*Hair Salon
27
Merry
Christmas
*Toss Across
*Happy Hour/
Root Beer Floats
*Movie Night
*Social Hour and
Saturday Cinema
29*Balloon Toss
30
31
*Pedicures
*Table Devotions
*Current Events
*BINGO
*Chair Exercises
*Table Devotions
*Coffee Hour
*Games
*Parachute
*Wheel of Fortune
*Coffee Hour
*Supper Stories
Game
Game
Learning to fly at a young age provides life long career
When conversing with cottage resident Mary Jane Rice, it is evident she is a woman
before her time.
It was in 1935 when Mary Jane experienced her first plane ride; and if this writer’s math
is accurate, she was 16 years old. Mary Jane explained this was a time when experienced
pilots were flying without a license, and landing in open farm fields was often times the
norm. While growing up on a dairy farm in Hector, MN, Mary Jane would see planes land
and take off on a little strip of land across from the service station in town on U.S. Highway
4. It was when a pilot took Mary Jane and her dad for a plane ride one day that her fascination of flying began. A neighbor friend’s excitement of aviation also spurred her interest.
When Mary Jane’s dad recognized her interest in flying, he told her if she could find a
licensed pilot to teach her to fly, he would support that. While her mother was not too
excited about this adventure, Mary Jane did find a pilot from Redwood Falls who would fly
to Hector to give her flying lessons. “We would land and take off in farm fields,” Mary Jane said. “We would fly around the
countryside and get close enough to a field to see if it was good for landing.” Often times Mary Jane’s dad’s alfalfa field
proved to be a good landing strip. In the end, Mary Jane was charged $60 to learn how to fly solo. I flew about 8 to 10
hours before I did my solo flight, Mary Jane explained. Achieving three landings and take-offs issued her a solo certificate.
Earning a private license occurred in 1940 allowing her to take a passenger with her while
flying. “My first passenger was my sister, and my mother also went with me several
times,” Mary Jane said.
In 1939, Mary Jane became a junior member of the Ninety-Nines club. This international
organization of women pilots was founded by Amelia Earhart in 1929 which included 99
women pilots promoting the advancement of aviation. Mary Jane also attended the
Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis and would fly back and forth to Hector and
Minneapolis.
In February of 1946, Mary Jane married John Rice who also had a love for the aviation
The common bond of flying,
shared between Mary Jane and
world. John was hired by the City of Willmar to manage the municipal airport and Mary
husband John, is reflected in the
Jane was hired to manage the office. “We just thought we could make our living at the
plane carvings created by John.
airport, and we did for 35 years.”