The "Should Have Done This Long Ago" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Beginning to feel right at home at Woodcrest Villa.  Just got home from choir practice at Gamber auditorium where I am a member of the choir.  There are about 35 to 40 choir members who practice once a week for about an hour and a half in preparation for upcoming events where the choir will sing a few songs for the residents of Woodcrest Villa.  Carol has also been busy after joining a few of the different clubs available to residents of Woodcrest Villa.  We have had visits from friends who have shown an interest in what our new home is like and what a change of scenery for themselves might look like in the near future.  Our villa is just the right size for the two of us along with our two feline family members, Snickerdoodle and The Gray Lady.  Our two bedroom villa has one larger bedroom with attached bathroom where we sleep and a second bedroom with another closeby full bathroom which we have made into a bedroom, but with an office as part of the room.  Our kitchen is a bit larger than the kitchen in our previous home and the enclosed daylight porch is the perfect place for our two cats to watch all the daily foot traffic.  Our living room is about the same size as the living space we had in our previous home, but the dining area is only about half the size of what our other home had.  We do have a fireplace that is much easier to use and makes our family room a warm and inviting location for all to gather.  In our previous home our TV was in a smaller area which made it tough when we wanted to have guests over to watch something on television.  I have only one complaint that cannot be corrected and that is the fact that we do not have a bathroom with a tub to relax in when my back is giving me trouble.  We do have two full baths, but both have large showers in them instead of a bath tub.  I can understand that a tub can be more of a problem for elder people who have to get in and out of a tub, but I did enjoy relaxing my back in the tub in our previous home.  Now I must stand under the hot shower for relaxation.  Carol and I did find that a few other residents have tubs, but we thought it best to stick with the showers since sometime in the future it may be a bit easier to use the shower instead of having to climb into a tub.  The grounds of Woodcrest Villa are kept immaculate.  You would be hard pressed to find any trash throughout the residence.  The lawn is immaculate as are the flower beds and gardens.  The choice of shrubs and flowers is very nice, but we still have the chance to plant a few of our own flowers if we care to do so.  The item that impresses me the most is the fact that our villa is accessible for anyone in a wheelchair.  You enter from street level directly into the home by means of a cement pavement and walkway, directly into the home...all on the same level.  No steps or ramps needed.  Once inside the home there are no steps to maneuver being able to go from room to room without changing levels.  The kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry room, living area, dining area, kitchen and daylight porch are all on the same level.  Even the garage is on the same level.  Someone knew what they were doing when they built this place.  The same seems to be true about the apartments with the entrance the same level as the outside pathways with same level into the elevators.  They do have stairways, but you don't have to use them if you care to use the elevator.  I have found most every place on the campus is accessible if you might have need for a wheelchair.  Again, someone was looking ahead years ago when this place was built.  I often said I didn't want to ever have to go into a retirement home, but I must admit that this isn't what you would consider a retirement home, since it has just about everything you could want.  Outside picnic areas, walking paths, tennis and racketball courts, flower gardens..... and the list goes on and on.  There is a indoor swimming pool, tennis and racketball courts. There are plenty of restaurants on campus, but we still enjoy having our meals in our own place.  We have met quite a few new friends, but also enjoy the company of older friends from the past.  For years we talked about moving to a retirement home, but feared it would be all downhill from there.  Well, it has been a big surprise.  We can't seem to find enough time to do everything we would like to do and meet all the folks we want to meet.  So glad we made the change when we did.  If you would like to visit with us to see what Woodcrest Villa has to offer,  just let us know.  We do have plenty of free time to talk and show you around.  Leave me a comment at the end of my story and I can get back to you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.