Want to wear a “St. Anne’s” jacket or sweatshirt? Order yours today!

PLEASE NOTE: Orders have been placed and this is no longer available.

Fall is definitely here, and the days are getting colder. You can make the best of it, nonetheless.

St. Anne’s is offering staff the chance to buy a sweatshirt or fall jacket with our logo and “St. Anne’s Guest Home” embroidered on it.  They are black.

We’d like to offer you the opportunity as well.

We have a few options:

• Jacket without hood – $45.00
• Hooded Sweatshirt – $36.50
• Sweatshirt without hood – $39.00

Sizes are Extra Small to 5X.  If you’d like your name printed on it, the cost is an additional $6.

The jackets will last longer because of the material, however they do not have a hood.

We will be placing the order on November 6, 2015.

Click here to order now!

Once you’ve received confirmation of your order, you can send payment to:

St. Anne’s Guest Home
524 N. 17th St.
Grand Forks, ND 58203

We would need to receive your payment before we put the order in.You will be informed when your order is ready to be picked up here.

Stay warm, and have a good week!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye… “Audiology Awareness Month” & “Protect Your Hearing Month”

One evening, a few years ago, a conversation was heard that still makes us chuckle.

A couple of residents were lined up, waiting for their evening medications.  One of the ladies was talking to the other, who kept asking: “Huh?” or “What?”  Finally, the former, asked (or, rather, shouted) in exasperation: “Do you have trouble with your hearing?”

Here at St. Anne’s, when you think about it, a number of our residents have at least a little hearing trouble.  They are not alone.  Actually, over 36 million Americans suffer with some hearing loss, according to howsyourhearing.org, making it the third most common health problem in the country.

In honor of October’s National “Audiology Awareness Month” & “Protect Your Hearing Month,” one of our readers suggested we post an article on this important topic. 

The above-mentioned site offers five common sources of hearing loss: exposure to excessive loud noise; ear infections, trauma, or ear disease; harm of the inner ear and ear drum from contact with a foreign object (cotton swabs, fingers, bugs); illness or certain medications; and deteriorating hearing due to the normal aging process.

With these in mind, one can still take precautions to protect one’s hearing.  Some suggestions include wearing protective devices (such as ear plugs or muffs) when around loud sounds, keeping the volume down on one’s radio, TV, or other AV equipment, and never putting anything (such as a cue tip) in one’s ear.  (Maybe the loud accordion music at our monthly dances is perilous.)

This site also suggests some warning signs of hearing loss. These include: difficulty hearing people talk in noisy environments; others have to repeat themselves; people seeming to “mumble” all the time; and ringing, buzzing, or hissing sounds in the ears.

Another source of information on this topic is hearingloss.org.

OktoberFest…at St. Anne’s…or in Munich

Friday afternoon was a lot of fun here at St. Anne’s!  We had our monthly dance with an ‘OktoberFest’ theme, complete with accordion music, dancing, German food, and a Tirolerhüte (Bavarian hat) for each participant to wear.  Our activities assistant, Paulla, actually made dirndls (traditional dresses) for herself and Shelly (our activities director) to wear.

When time came for snacks, it was no ordinary fare that was served: residents enjoyed bratwursts and sauerkraut.  It seemed that a very good time was had by all, including the band members who played for us.  Those who wanted it also could sip on low-alcohol beer during this cultural experience.  Although it wasn’t the real German “Oktoberfestbier,” they seemed to really enjoy the treat.  The German drinks, whose names even correspond to the occasion, have been served at Oktoberfest since 1818.

Even though it’s not quite the same as a trip to Bavaria, Oktoberfest at St. Anne’s was much more affordable and realistic for our residents than a overseas voyage would be.  Actually, I think we were a little late in our celebration; the traditional sixteen-day autumn festival in Munich runs from late September to early October.

Oktoberfest actually has its roots in the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12th, 1810. On that occasion, local citizens were invited to a celebration in the fields in front of the city gate, ending with horse-racing. This celebration was actually held across Bavaria and became an annual event.  An agricultural show was added the next year, which continues to modern times (held every three years).

This year, the people of Munich celebrated the 183rd OktoberFest, which is still held in the field named in honor of Princess Therese.

Resources: http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/events/oktoberfest/history.html and http://www.germanclubsandiego.org/oktoberfest-what

Short-Sheeting Shenanigans

Sister Rebecca asked that we share this article, written by Sr. Christina’s dad, on the St. Anne’s Scoop.  It was originally done for the Sisters’ Blog, Our Franciscan Fiat, during his visit here in North Dakota, while staying here at St. Anne’s.

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My name is Rick Neumann.  My daughter, Sr. Christina Marie Neumann, asked me to write my experience with short sheeting a bed.

Several years ago when Sr. Christina was first professed as a sister she and a novice decided to play a prank on my wife and me.  They had been at the Hankinson convent but later that day they were going to the Rugby convent.  They knew we would be coming to Hankinson to spend the night and to later go to Rugby to visit them.

So the joke was on.  We were going to be given the best guest room in the house.  We refer to it as the “Hankinson Hilton.”  It’s actually a suite of rooms.  Anyhow, they short-sheeted our bed.  If your bed has ever been short-sheeted, you know it can be an unpleasant experience.  After traveling four hours to get to Hankinson and several hours of visiting and playing cards with the sisters, we were tired and went to go to bed.  We pulled back the blankets and put our tired bones into the bed.  But we didn’t get very far.  Our feet could only extend 18 inches!  “Oh no, this isn’t good.  I just want to get to sleep!”  It took several seconds for me to figure out what had happened.  Our bed was booby trapped.  So we got up and fixed the bed and had a pleasant night’s sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, we were on our way to Rugby to see the two perps of the crime.  Along the way, we tried to come up with a way to get even.  It came to us…We would weave a story that would cause them a great deal of worry.

When we got to Rugby, they asked about our visit to Hankinson.  We talked as if nothing had happened to us but expressed to them that there was an investigation going on at the motherhouse. They asked about it, and we explained that the Fargo Bishop had come for a surprise visit, and since he was far more honored than us, he was given the “Hankinson Hilton” for the night.  When he went to bed he had a bad experience and was pretty steamed.

The look on the two young sisters’ faces was priceless.  It only lasted a few seconds until they realized we were teasing but it was worth it.

Publisher’s Note: Anyone wanting instructions for the proper methodology of short-sheeting may email me at: sr.christinaosf@gmail.com.

The History of Henry, our Resident of the Month

One of our workers caught herself saying ‘hello’ to a motionless form sitting in our main entrance. His name is Henry. This scarecrow has been staying at St. Anne’s during the month of October for the past few years.

Scarecrows, according to one article, have had their place in human society for centuries. Even back in ancient Rome and Greece, people would put wooden figures out to watch over their fields. Scarecrows, or variations thereof, actually cross many cultures. In fact, in Japan, rice field protectors were made of oily material and fish bones, another source said. The first record of scarecrows comes from Ancient Egypt, where wheat fields near the Nile were protected from quail by scarecrows.

European farmers, during the middle ages, followed this well-established tradition. Some actually believed that scarecrows had special powers and actually thought they would protect crops from diseases. A scarecrow ould consist of animal skulls (as in Italy) or a wooden witch (in Germany). In Brittan, scarecrows were actually alive, since boys were given the job of patrolling the wheat fields with bags of stones, according to this same source.

Here, in our own land, the native people used “bird scarers” as well, but these were mostly real men.   Some would stand on wooden platforms, howling and shouting at approaching crows and woodchucks. Other means of protection were also employed, such as poisoning crows so that their wild flying deterred others and placing poles around the fields.

Scarecrows had their place in the history of the American Colonies as well. Later immigrants to America also shared their traditions. During the Great Depression, scarecrows became especially popular.

Although we at St. Anne’s aren’t seeking protection from harm due to birds, or crows in particular, we enjoy having our resident of the month with us this time of year. Some staff, however, have commented on being startled by him.  Sr. Christina, her mother (visiting from Minnesota), and a few residents put him together one afternoon this past week.

If you stop by to visit us, you might want to say hello to our scarecrow, Henry, as well. Don’t expect any response though, as he is rather bashful and not accustomed to conversation.

Are You Achin’ to do Some Bakin’?

Some of us enjoy baking, while others avoid it at all costs.  At St. Anne’s, this harvest season has provided us with plentiful produce to use, donated from various sources.  From apples to zucchini, we have been blessed.

In this article, we’ll share some of the positive effects baking can have on a person as well as an idea (or excuse) for utilizing your baking skills.

According to goodnet.org, baking is actually good for your mental health for a number of reasons.  For one thing, it’s meditative, giving you time to think, reflect and ponder.  It also stimulates your senses, thus increasing “feel-good endorphins.”  This site also reminds us that “baking is creative” and creativity is good for a person. I (Sr. Christina) personally enjoy this aspect of baking.  Using what you have on hand to make tasty treats is fun.  I just made a zucchini cake for Sr. Rebecca’s birthday and was able to use up some stray ingredients we had around.

Another benefit of baking, mentioned by the above-mentioned site is that it makes others happy.  If I may return to the personal experience I just shared, the Sisters and visitors enjoyed the cake very much this morning.  (I must confess, I enjoyed a piece, too, complete with a little extra cream cheese frosting.)

Another article on the benefits of baking mentioned another aspect which I will confirm.  This is the fact of the benefit of working with one’s hands.  In our modern world, so much of what we do is with paper and electronics.  Actually “getting in there” and working with physical matter with your hands can have a soothing, therapeutic effect.

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Now that I’ve shared all these benefits, may I ask “Are you achin’ to do some bakin’?”

If you are, I have an outlet for you.  St. Anne’s auxiliary is having its annual bake sale Saturday, October 24.  You’d be most welcome to enjoy the mental health benefits of baking and bring the tangible result (aka, a plate of cookies or bars) over for our sale.  Other options might be muffins, breads, jams or candies.

You might consider this a double-benefit, as it would help both you and us!  🙂