It’s Really Christmas All Year
By Sister Elaine Marie Roggenbuck
Yes, according to the liturgical calendar, the Christmas Season is over. However, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.” And, Christmas cards and letters are still being delivered by the mail carrier wishing that the gifts of our Savior bless the recipient with peace, joy, good health and success all this coming year. A number of homes still have their outdoor colored lights plugged in lighting up the neighborhood with the Christmas spirit. At the same time Sister Rebecca, the floor staff, and activity department are gathering up the various Christmas decorations, carefully packing them away in marked totes and boxes to hibernate until the next Christmas season next December. In their places numerous cute snowmen, in various array, are appearing with Sister Rebecca taking them out of her carefully labeled storage boxes, and setting them around everywhere, offering much delight, and even giggles, as to their design. They also remind us that we are in the North Dakota winter season, but their enjoyment helps us overcome the cold temps and just enjoy the many graces and gifts of our Savior, plus left over chocolate, Christmas cookies, and new warm socks.
So it is in St. Anne’s Convent where we Sisters live. Sister Rebecca and Sister Christina decorated various areas, with Sister Rebecca putting up both Christmas trees, in the parlor and in the community room. Most everything is still up, although Sister Rebecca did make a few changes with more cute snowmen. Sister Elaine again this year set up the Spanish stable in our Chapel which is a precious gift that our St. Anne’s Guest Home staff gave us a number of years ago. It is of a really unique Spanish design, adobe stable, three tall palm trees, figurines wearing cloth clothing, jewelry, beautiful, and artistic, sheep with woolly covering, each depicting that Christmas night when Jesus was born. Each statue, be Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, sheep, donkey, all tell the story. My absolute favorite figurine though is the camel. He’s got personality! Many years ago my Mother and I visited the Sioux Falls zoo and there was a live camel. He looked at us with a snide look as if to say “Who do you two North Dakota gals think you are?” Since then I have always delighted in the Christmas crib’s camel. But, this guy, has real reins, a really fancy cloth under his saddle, and a look on his face that you can’t help but love, because it says, “Hey I like you. You’re kinda special.”
Yes, Christmas continues all year. The GIFT of our Heavenly Father, His Son, our Savior, keeps on giving every day, healing, forgiving, strengthening, loving. Remember, “Wise Men Still Seek Him” day after day, and God makes it Christmas day after day.
Today is National Poetry Break Day.
I’d like to share a poem I wrote in honor of today’s observance.This day is set as “Poetry Break Day,” and that is nation-wide,
Whether in North Dakota, or Hawaii you abide.
Today’s a day to take a break and enjoy this form of writ,
Or why not try and compose a poem, if you’ve got the grit!
A poem can be a special way to tell some one you care,
Why not jot one down when you’ve got time to spare?
Reading poetry can surely be a way you can relax –
Wouldn’t you rather read a poem than file income tax?
Here at St. Anne’s, I wonder if folks will take the time
to stop their daily goings-on to enjoy a rhyme.
Job Opening….Kitchen / Server
If you, or someone you know, is looking for part-time employment, you can stop by St. Anne’s or visit www.stannesguesthome.org/employment.html to apply.
Hours: Mon., Thurs., Fri. (4-7 p.m.); Every other weekend: Sat. & Sun. (6:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.)
Kitchen (minimal cooking) / Server
JOB SUMMARY
Prepares meals according to the menu and sanitary standards set forth by state requirements. Assists in serving the meals while being attentive to resident needs and preferences and maintains the dietary area in a clean sanitary manner.
JOB RELATIONS
Is responsible to the Dietary Supervisor.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
1. Education: High School.
2.Training/experience: Previous cooking experience preferred, will provide on-the-job training for institutional cooking.
3. Physical demands:
A.Ability to tolerate walking, standing 90-95% of the time.
B.Ability to lift or transfer a minimum of 50 lbs.
C. Ability to frequently bend, stoop, stretch, pull, and climb three-step ladders.
4. Ability to tolerate disinfectant soaps.
5. Verbal and auditory abilities to respond and communicate effectively with the residents and staff members.
6. Ability to taste and smell foods for quality and palatability.
7. Visual acuity and observations skills in responding to resident dietary needs.
8. Hand and finger dexterity and upper extremity mobility in manipulating kitchen equipment and supplies.
9. Ability to tolerate temperature changes–heat near ovens and stoves; and cold in walk-in cooler and freezer.
10. Ability to work with limited floor space.
11. Valid driver’s license.
BEHAVIOR
1. Maintains strict confidentiality regarding resident’s personal life and activities as well as the internal affairs of St. Anne’s.
2. Uses tact, patience and sensitivity in dealing with residents.
3. Works as a team member in the dietary department.
4. Maintains a positive attitude.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Serves meals as prepared by the A.M. staff in accordance to the menu. May have to prepare minor dishes for a meal.
2. Assists supervisor with food supply inventory.
3. Monitors foods in storage for compliance of sanitary requirements.
4. Performs sanitary maintenance tasks on stoves, counters, cupboards, cooler, freezers, storerooms, equipment, and general areas.
5. Carry out instructions for residents with special nutritional needs.
6. Report to supervisor any concerns that may arise regarding resident’s eating habits.
7. Place food on plates in an attractive manner.
8. Monitor food waste.
9. Observes safety and infection control policies and procedures.
10. Observes sanitary standards as set forth by state regulations.
11. Reads department’s policies and procedures manual annually.
12. Assists staff with Resident Work Therapy Program.
13. Completes the daily check list at the end of the shift.
14. Go to the grocery store for immediate grocery needs.
Information regarding salary and benefits to be discussed with supervisor.
Soup’s On…January is Soup Month
What is there better than a hot cup of soup when you’ve got a lousy cold and sore throat? Next to plenty of rest and lots of fluids, you can’t beat it. Actually, it’s great on any cold day in January.
Can you remember, as a child, coming in from an afternoon of sledding or ice-skating, and smelling the aroma of simmering soup on the stove?
At St. Anne’s, we serve soup several (11) times during our five-week menu cycle. Our residents enjoy tasty:
- Split Pea Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Chicken Rice Soup
- Cream of Potato Soup
- Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Beef Vegetable Soup ~and~
- Tomato Soup
The experience of making soup can also be enjoyable. The writer of this post recalls standing over a hot kettle of broth next to her mother, forming and dropping dumpling/noodles into it, having used the simple recipe of 1 egg per cup of flour, a little salt and just enough water.
What is also fun about soup is that there is room for creativity and resourcefulness. If you have a little extra meat or some leftover vegetables, you can just throw them in the kettle.
Bringing out produce, processed and frozen or canned the previous fall, also adds to the enjoyment of soup-making. There is gratification in pulling out home-processed items (that you worked hard on months before) and enhancing your pot of soup with them.
Another great thing about soup is that it gets better as it ages. Can you remember that kettle of soup that sat on the back step in wintertime for several days until it was all eaten? It always got better with time, and the outdoor refrigeration system worked great.
So whether you’ve got a bit of a cold, or the January weather is just getting to you, why not put on a pot of soup…or stop over at St. Anne’s some evening. We might just be able to tell you: “Soup’s on.”
Sr. Christina M. Neumann
Job Opening…Dietary Assistant
Visit www.stannesguesthome.org/employment.html or stop by to pick up an application. More information available by calling 746-9401.
Hours: Weds. and Thurs.: 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Every other weekend (Sat. & Sun.) 6:40 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., 4:30 – 7 p.m.
JOB SUMMARY
Responsible for serving meals to the residents and visitors in a courteous manner; cleans and maintains the Dining Room area and washes dishes in the dish-washing room.
JOB RELATIONS
Is responsible to the Dietary Supervisor.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
1. Education: High School diploma preferred
2. Training/experience: Will provide on-the-job training.
3. Physical demands:
A. Ability to tolerate walking, standing 90-95% of the time.
B. Ability to lift or transfer a minimum of 50 lbs.
C. Ability to frequently bend, stoop, stretch, pull, and climb three-step ladders.
4. Ability to tolerate disinfectant soaps and bleach.
5. Visual and auditory abilities to respond and communicate effectively with the residents and other staff members.
6. Visual acuity and observations skills for monitoring resident dietary needs.
7. Hand and finger dexterity and upper extremity mobility in manipulating dining equipment and supplies.
8. Ability to tolerate temperature changes from cold in the cooler and freezer to hot and humid in dish-washing room.
9. Eye-hand coordination for serving liquids at tables.
10. Ability to walk through a limited amount of space when serving meals to residents.
BEHAVIOR
1. Maintains strict confidentiality regarding resident’s personal lives and activities as well as the internal affairs of St. Anne’s.
2. Uses tact, patience and sensitivity in dealing with residents.
3. Works as a team member in the dietary department.
4. Maintains a positive attitude.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES
1. Assists cooks in serving the residents their meals.
2. Pour coffee, tea, and other liquids during mealtime.
3. Report to supervisor and/or cook if a resident is eating poorly.
4. Sets table according to sanitary standards.
5. Cleans tables with appropriate disinfectant.
6. Cleans chairs of any food after each meal.
7. Maintains an eating attendance record for each meal.
8. Cleans dining room furnishings, equipment, and supplies in accord with established policies and procedures.
9. Operates dishwasher according to established procedures.
10. On occasion, assists cooks in dishing up plates.
11. Work patiently with residents on the Work Therapy Program.
12. Implement safety and infection control policies and procedures.
13. Observes sanitary requirements in dress and appearance.
14. Read dining room policies and procedures annually.
15. Monitors food wasted and informs supervisor and/or cook if certain foods are not being eaten.
Four Years with ‘The Broadcaster’
This week, we’ll share an article from our monthly resident newsletter, in honor of the four year anniversary of its re-establishment in January of 2012. If you would like to receive it via email (and do not already), or if you have any suggestions, please let us know.
This month, we mark the four-year anniversary of the re-establishment of the St. Anne‘s Resident Newsletter, The Broadcaster. The publication had been produced under the leadership and layout skill of Sr. Rebecca from 1978-81, but had become inactive after the move to our current location.
Late in 2011, at a resident council meeting, it was decided that a
newsletter should be re-instated. A committee was formed. Those volunteering decided to use the name of The Broadcaster rather than choosing a new name for our publication.
I would like to thank all those who have served with me on the committee over these four years:
Antonia Kerl ~ Betty Canavan ~ Cecelia Schreiner ~ Cheryl Nerby ~ Deborah Saunders ~ George Wirsing ~ Jane Carpenter ~ JoAnn Beauchamp
Kathy Lieberg ~ Lori Natoli ~ Mike Dorsher Patty Schildberger
Ron Danielson ~ Scott McLean ~ Susan McLaughlin ~ Tom McLean
~Sr. Christina M. Neumann
“O Come, Let us adore Him” with the Christmas Crèche
Nuttier than a Fruitcake?
Sometimes around St. Anne’s, we’ve said “It’s nuttier than a fruitcake around here.” Now, as Christmas approaches, these words hold true once again.
But during this ‘National Fruitcake Month’ we might ask: Just how nutty is a fruitcake? Recipes for this holiday treat vary. A variety of ingredients can be used, and substitutions may be made. The one caution given is that the original proportions be maintained when making substitutions (e.g., if you substitute mango for pineapple, use the same amount as that given in the recipe.)
Another thing to keep in mind is the need to make the cakes ahead of time. Fruitcake should age for at least a month.
Sr. Rebecca, our administrator, remembers her mother making up fruitcake around Thanksgiving. Her mother would wrap the cakes in cheese cloth that she had soaked in brandy and let them set until Christmastime.
Interestingly enough, fruitcake is baked on a low temperature, no higher than 325 degrees.
One shocking aspect of fruitcakes is that they can be eaten long after they were first made; one source mentions up to 25 years later!
Although fruitcakes have a reputation among some people as being something awful-tasting that you certainly don’t want around for Christmas, experiences at St. Anne’s tell us otherwise. A friend of ours, MaryAnn Votava, kindly brings us her delicious homemade fruitcake each December. Her holiday treat shatters any presuppositions one might have about fruitcake being unsavory holiday fare.
If you’re interested in more fun fruitcake facts, check out this site.
Other Resources:
Cottage cheese, if you please!
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This past Monday was one of a few times during our five-week menu cycle at St. Anne’s that our residents are served cottage cheese, in some form. The evening’s selection was ‘cottage cheese with pear half.’
Our poodle, dodge, really enjoyed it, to our surprise. He was in the Sisters’ dining room at suppertime, and Sr. Christina allowed him to lick out her cup with its cottage cheese residue. He ‘really went to town’ with it, getting his nose down into the cup. He even moved it around a bit trying to get to the creamy remnants.
Although it’s doubtful that this dog is health-conscious, he was actually on to something! Cottage cheese has some definite health benefits.
For one thing, it has a good protein content, to give you energy, without tons of extra calories; it also offers amino acids. It has less calories than most other cheeses. Cottage cheese also is a source of calcium and phosphorus for your bones. It also has vitamin A, which helps your cells and B vitamins. Some other helpful trace elements are also found in Dodge’s creamy treat, including iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
Substituting cottage cheese for other proteins may help you lose weight. Being a dairy product with calcium and vitamin D, cottage cheese may also reduce risk of breast cancer.
There are a few concerns, though, to keep in mind with cottage cheese, including the sodium and cholesterol content, if you are on a diet for high blood pressure.
Have you ever wondered where cottage cheese got its name? You’re not alone; but answers aren’t that easy to come by. According to some online sources, cottage cheese is thus named because, in times past, it was made in cottages using leftover milk.
It can be enjoyed on crackers, in a salad, or even with a pear half, like we have it here, every fifth Monday.
Sources:
- healthyeating.sfgate.com/cottage-cheese-healthy-eat-1575.html
- www.livestrong.com/article/319865-is-cottage-cheese-healthy-to-eat/
- www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/animal-product/health-benefits-of-cottage-cheese.htm