Seasonal art class slated for May 25

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By Rose Chavez | PREVIEW Columnist

The next free art class at the Pagosa Senior Center will be held on Thursday, May 25, at 1:15 p.m. 

We will be making miniature gardens that never need watering. We will attach artificial plants, beautiful stones and Spanish moss to a clay dish. The results are beautiful and very realistic. 

All materials will be provided, and no art skills are required. These will make perfect gifts or they can be a distinctive addition to that special spot in your home. The class size is limited to five students, so be sure to be on time. 

Our teacher for this class will again be Denise Fisk, former art teacher in Iowa. Grab a friend and join us.

Senior Conversations

Join us Wednesdays at 1:15 p.m. for a series of Senior Conversations with local Bill Salmansohn. He will lead the group through mindfulness exercises and discussion of various topics pertaining to aging in Archuleta County. Explore and discover for yourself answers to your questions and concerns. 

The meeting will be held at the Senior Center in the dining hall. Snacks will be provided.

Pagosa Springs
Scrapbooking Club

The Pagosa Springs Scrapbooking Club holds monthly meetings the second Saturday of each month at the Senior Center. 

This creative tradition has been happening since 2005, started by Melissa Bailey, and was continued by Kathy Ruth through the years. The group met in the Senior Center dining room until 2020, took a break due to COVID and then resumed meetings in the Ross Aragon Community Center. 

They are truly excited to be meeting in the Senior Center dining area again. 

They meet each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to be creative, share ideas, connect with friends, learn new techniques, share supplies and indulge in a potluck lunch together. 

Bring your scrapbooking projects — or any crafting project that you may want to work on with the group. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive notifications each month of the upcoming meeting along with handy tips and tricks for scrapbooking, please send your request to copenhavercreative@gmail.com.

Share lunch Monday through Thursday

Join us at the Silver Fox’s Den, aka the Community Cafe, in person for daily hot/cold meals Mondays through Thursdays downtown at the Community Center between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. It is open to all. Pickup is available all week, including Fridays. 

Our dining hall is open to all ages and welcomes you all with kindness and warmth. We provide hot/cold meals for anyone in the community interested in a nutritious and delicious meal. For those 60 or older we request a suggested donation of $10, but no one will be turned away. There is a $10 charge for guests under the age of 60. 

Meals include a main course, side dish, fruit/dessert, garden salad plus beverage. Some popular menu items include Frito chili pie, pork tenderloin with harvest chutney, Singaporean pork ribs, vegetarian lasagna, Hawaiian shrimp with coconut rice and always a beautiful green salad. Many of our items are locally sourced and organic. 

Our chef works with a team of local food professionals to hand-prepare your meal for dine-in service in our cozy dining room (with an amazing view of the San Juans) or for takeout (via our convenient drive-through). Our menu changes daily. 

To reserve your meal for the day, please make your reservation via text or phone call to (970) 264-2167 by 9 a.m. weekdays. 

We provide a welcoming gathering space that serves as a community hub where nutritious food and other resources/supports are available to help older adults and their caretakers stay independent, active, engaged in our community and living in their homes. Weekly educational and social activities include our healthy aging and yoga therapy class, Mahjong and more. 

Check out our senior discount card for local discounts and perks at http://www.psseniors.org/discount-club.html.

Community Cafe menu

Thursday, May 25 — Singapore coffee BBQ pork ribs, brown rice, sauteed squash medley, garden salad, ambrosia fruit salad and milk.

Friday, May 26 — Manhattan clam chowder, broccoli, oyster crackers, garden salad, fruit, brownies and milk.

Monday, May 29 – Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, coleslaw, garden salad, fruit, vanilla pudding and milk.

Tuesday, May 30 — Beef chili with cornbread and honey, garden salad, fruit, yogurt and milk.

Wednesday, May 31 — Chicken cashew salad on croissant, macaroni salad, garden salad, fruit, carrot cake and milk.

Thursday, June 1 — Baked cod with broccoli, salad, fresh fruit and milk.

Friday, June 2 — Sliced ham with cherry sauce, scalloped potatoes, salad, fruit, dinner roll and milk.

Grab-N-Go meals

Grab-N-Go meal reservations and cancellations are required. Please call or text by 9 a.m. the morning of the day you want to pick up a meal. A suggested donation of $10 helps to sustain our program. No one will be turned away for their inability to donate. For ages 59 and younger, the cost is $10 also. Please call or text us at (970) 264-2167 to make a reservation.

Meals on Wheels

We deliver fresh Meals on Wheels five days a week (and provide frozen Meals on Wheels for weekends) to homebound Archuleta County residents. Call or text us at (970) 264-2167.

Mobile food pantry service

The Senior Center would like to remind the community about our mobile food pantry services we provide in partnership with Archuleta County MET to seniors age 60 and older throughout most areas of Archuleta County. 

In order to participate in this program, community members must visit with Barbara Noriega at the Senior Center, located in the Community Center, to fill out an application to qualify for the mobile pantry service. 

The application, called the dining assessment form, is also available on our website at the bottom of the Community Cafe page: http://www.psseniors.org/community-cafeacute.html. For more information, contact us at (970) 264-2167.

Text reservations

Don’t forget that we also offer a convenient texting service for you to communicate with us. Text us at (970) 264-2167. When texting, please include your name, phone number and the days you want a meal. If you are canceling a reservation, please include your name, phone number and the days you want to cancel. 

Texting services are available for dine-in meal reservations, Grab-n-Go meals and Meals on Wheels recipients.

COVID-19 test
kits available

Stop by the Senior Center to pick up a pack of six free COVID-19 tests kits for your personal use. These kits are available to anyone in the public who needs affordable access for health promotion and disease prevention.

Mahjong

Mahjong is a 19th century Chinese tile-based game that is commonly played with four players. Each player receives 13 tiles with a goal to make matching sets and pairs (like poker). To win, a player must form four sets and one pair. Come to the Senior Center to learn or play every Tuesday at 1:15 p.m.

Medicare call by
appointment 

For anyone who needs help enrolling and navigating Medicare plans, the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging helps with parts A, B and D. They can also help you with fraud concerns and troubleshooting any billing issues you may be having. This service is available by appointment only. Please call the Medicare line at (970) 264-0501, ext 4. 

Bridge 

The longest-played bridge game in Archuleta County takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:15 p.m. 

Bridge is a four-player card game with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. It is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. Come alone or bring a partner. 

Hand and foot card game

Whether you are new to hand and foot or interested in learning, please join us most Thursdays at 1:15 at the Senior Center. 

This card game involves four rounds of playing until the final round is reached — some two to three hours later. Plan to stay and meet some new friends or catch up with those you have missed over the last couple of years. 

No experience is necessary, so come willing to learn. 

Engaging pictures

Engaging pictures are needed from seniors and their families who live, work and play their best lives in Archuleta County. We are looking for pictures that convey people’s active lifestyles, families, culture and more. We would like to use these pictures in our grant applications, on social media and on our website. Please email all pictures to rosa@psseniors.org or feel free to drop them off.

Board vacancies

The Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI) Board of Directors has multiple vacant positions open. Terms are three years with an option to renew for an additional term. Potential candidates should be at least 21 years of age or older and must have a passion for adult and aging services.

Requesting donations

ASI has an immediate monetary need to support ongoing operations and programming that provide critical services to some of the most vulnerable in Archuleta County. Please consider donating. 

You may mail your donation to P.O. Box 3444, Pagosa Springs CO 81147 or please visit our website: http://www.psseniors.org/. Donation checks can be written to: Archuleta Seniors Inc. We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. 

For more information about ASI, please visit http://www.psseniors.org/.